Just spoke to a sales rep over chat.  All Blu-Ray burners were pulled, no further information or timeframe.  Can't find any for Inspiron, Studio or Alienware.  FWIW, I couldn't find any at Lenovo either, although I didn't search very hard.

That's interesting.  "Pulled" sure sounds different than "out of stock".  Not sure why anyone would want to spend $1500+ on a system with a decent graphics card, i7 cpu and HD screen and not want at least a Blu-ray reader with it.  The readers aren't being offered anymore either, not just the burners.  Looks like I may be waiting a good long time for a new system.  Anyone have any suggestions for buying the Studio XPS 16 with a regular DVD burner and then buying a 3rd party internal blu-ray burner that can be easily swapped in?  Thanks again for the info.  Mike

Noticed the same thing as well. I need a new laptop and I'm definitely getting a Studio XPS 16. Only problem is the Bluray option isn't there anymore... I've called dell twice and chatted 3 times and they all say the Bluray options are unavailable and they have no idea when its coming back.

Interestingly, I logged into my Dell Business account and went to the Dell Business site, and there was a Bluray option available on the Studio XPS 16. Of course, the price was $500 more when customized on Business vs Home. And on the Business site, there's no i7 option for the laptop either. Bummer.

Can a Dell rep shed some light on the situation? I have +$2,200 with Dell's name on it, but you're not getting it until I have my Bluray option! :emotion-4:

Well, that would again shoot down the Dell statement that this is simply a problem with keeping the part in stock.  Anyone know why the BD burner/reader option is no longer available on any laptops?

Just chatted with a rep. He said they were out of stock because of the holiday purchases. He was told Bluray drives should be available after the 1st or 2nd week of January, early February at the latest.

Thanks for the info.  AS I've been reading through forums here and on notebookreview.com it seems like there are a few problems with this notebook.  One being the CPU throttling problem, though that seems to only be with the newer i7 systems so might not affect you, and another with the wrong blu-ray software shipped with the systems not allowing the blu-rays to play correctly.  Not sure if that pertains to your system.  I was able to return the system yesterday (no restocking fee due to the change Dell made to my originally configured system regarding the blu-ray).  They offered me first a $75 credit to keep te system then a $150 credit.  The customer care person couldn't seem to tell me if the included DVD burner could later be swapped out for a blu-ray burner (first not possible, then yes, so who really knows).  Between possibly not being able to swap out the optical drive later and the CPU throttling problems (appears to require a larger AC charger and BIOS revision which may be coming on 1/11), it seemed not worth keeping.  I'll keep an eye out to see if anything changes with the system.  Any other alternatives out there?  The ASUS G51J?  The HP dv6t line?

Thanks again for the info.  Good to know regarding the blu-ray drive.

Please post an update regarding the availability of the blu-ray drives. I can not find any other info on-line and want to order the Studio XPS 13 or 16. I think the blu-ray is the only way to go as far as holding large amounts of data and video play back.

It's a deal breaker for me.

Well, from the bits and pieces of info coming out of Dell, it looks like mid-January at the earliest before you start seeing the blu-ray drives offered again.  Though, with some of the reported blu-ray and CPU throttling problems reported in these forums and elsewhere, maybe they'll end up redesigning the system to some degree.  Better to wait then get a system that doesn't work like it should.

Mike, Dell has worked with me fantastically in order to get my inital order right and make me whole. A particular rep has been VERY hepful and I am very grateful. I am waiting on a computer with the i7 and blu-ray. After reading all the post here about throttling problems and blu-ray problems. I wonder if the duel core would be just as fast and as good? If I had my durthers I would rather wait until Dell corrects the problems with both. I sure don't want any more problems with computers. If the system is redesigned and works it looks like it would be a winner. I would wait to get a system that works as it should.

Dell must be aware of the problems from all the posts and should be working on it.

Just curios, what was wrong with your initial order that they had to get it right and make you whole?  It seems like the Core 2 would be a better bet over the current i7 system due to the problems reported, but not better than an i7 system working correctly.  I'm going to hold out and see if they correct the problems which seem to require not much more than the correct blu-ray software and a larger AC power supply.  Hopefully they get it right, but I'm keeping an eye on the Asus G51 system which is being refreshed in mid January seemingly due to an overheating issue with the vid card.  I guess the point is, I'll wait for them to get the Studio XPS 16 right, but I won't wait forever.

The initial order was not the configuration that I ordered. It went from bad to worse after that but to Dell's credit they have been great in trying to correct the situation.

I would hope the i7 would be faster  then the duo core but I don't know. But if it has problems I don't want to deal with any more then I need, I would rather wait until they get it right. I have a desktop that I am using in the meantime.  use Power DVD9 anyway and have had no problems with it. If it is just the power supply being the problem I would suspect Dell could correct that easily.

Good luck to us both and Happy New Year

Thanks for the info.  I configured a system with a blu-ray that Dell "changed" to a DVD writer when the blu-ray was no longer available.  I went back a week later to order the system.  There was no flag indicating the change and since I was just ordering the system I had built and saved, I didn't realize they would change it.  Fortunately it worked out and I was able to return it sans restocking fee (though they originally tried to charge that fee).  Not sure if that was the same issue with your order.  Happy New Year, hope you get the system you want before too long!

Just a quick update.  Got a call from Dell yesterday.  Apparently they have the blu-ray burners in stock (though they still are not showing when you configure a system), and they'd like to make me an offer to repurchase the same system, with the burner, for less than the original cost.  I haven't returned the message yet.  I'm thinking of just sitting tight for now.  With the reportedd throttling problems of the CPU on this particular configuration, along with many reported blu-ray problems (it appears mainly from the wrong version of powerdvd/cyberlink (I forget which) being included in the package AND all of the new systems that are just starting to become available with the new i5 and i7 CPUs, it seems like no reason to buy this machine.  They almost seem desperate to get rid of them at this point.

But, for anyone still interested, it appears they have at least a limited amount of blu-ray burners in stock if you want to call and ask. 

I had a XPS 16 with blu-ray in my cart on the 23rd and the next day it was no longer available. No explanation or an offer to build a new one. DELL has dropped the ball and I am shopping elsewhere from now on. Spent over $6K and this is the way I get treated. Cya Dell.

Everyone I've spoken to has an accent that sounds like they may be from that area.