This joint Blu-ray HD DVD combo drive was probably designed well before Toshiba admitted defeat for its high-definition format. But there are still plenty of HD and Blu-ray disks around and the Buffalo combo offers users the choice.

The combo is an external drive, plugs into any USB port and will read and write CDs and DVDs without any additional drivers.

However, if users want to get the full throughput that the device boasts on the box they will need the Buffalo TurboUSB software.

The drive is large at 1.6kgs and 165x280x50mm. There is not even the excuse that the extra space is used by the power supply, as that is external and is also quite large.

The combo drive unit is designed to work in two positions, either flat or it can be mounted on its side.

When it was in use we were impressed by the unit's quietness, even when writing at 40x speed.

The drive will read and write Blu-ray, DVD and CD, and read HD DVD. It will write up to 50GB in Blu-ray mode and at speeds of up to 6x, read HD DVD at 3x, write DVDs at 16x and CDs at 40x.

The 6x Blu-ray write speed is only achievable with Buffalo’s Turbo USB software, without which the speed is more likely to be 4x.

In tests we easily burnt CDs at 40x (that is, a full CD in about 160 seconds), and HD DVDs and Blu-ray disks played, but only on one of the PCs we tried.

To make it read both we had to download CyberLink’s PowerDVD 8 and use the Nero software to view movies in both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats.

The combo comes bundled with Nero 8 Essentials Suite, which allows users to edit the high-definition video content and comes with applications that add editing and storing of audio, video and data.

It includes Nero Back it Up 3 that allows users to back up to 50GB Blu-ray disks, DVDs or CDs simply and easily, which effectively turns the combo into a simple backup and restore solution for a small office or branch office.

The drive also comes with a two-year warranty and Secure LockWare software, which enables users to encrypt the data discs for further security.

While it is handy to have everything in one unit, the one downside is the price.

At over £250 this is not a cheap option for video viewing, but if users want to back up 50GB of data in one go it could be worth the money.

Distributors: Computer 2000, Micro Peripherals, Gem