I-O Data of Japan introduced a pair of new Blu-ray drives, the BRD-S16X and BRD-UT16X. The two are capable of writing Blu-ray ROM discs at 16X, and can write four-layer Blu-ray XL discs at lower speeds. The BRD-S16X is built in the internal 5.25" form-factor, with SATA 3 Gb/s interface. The BRD-UT16X, on the other hand, is the same drive built into an external USB 3.0 enclosure, measuring 158 x 220 x 50 mm, weighing about 1.1 kg. Both drives feature 4 MB write cache. Bundled software includes Corel WinDVD 10, Roxio Blu-ray Creator, and Nero 12 OEM.

In addition to the 16X BD-R write speeds, the two can burn double-layer BD-R at 12X, triple- and quad-layer BD-Rs and BD-R LTH at 6X; single-, double-, and triple-layer BD-RE at 8X, 6X, and 4X, respectively. The BRD-S16X is priced at 14,280¥ (US $173.7), while the BRD-UT16X will go for 19,845¥ ($242.4). The two are slated for market release in December.