More info on Benq's 8x DVD+R DL and 16x DVD+RW DVD recorders

[jaxxboss]

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/9488

Digitimes has more information on the drives that Benq is expecting to release the coming time. The company yesterday announced that it will start production of dual layer drives at the end of this month. This drive will be the Benq DW830A and it will have a big brother named the DW1600 in June which will be the first 16x DVD+RW drive from Benq. Unlike other big brands such as Lite-On and Plextor the company will not launch 12x DVD recorders.

Both models are likely to be the first of their types around the world, according to Alpha Tsai, associate vice president for the company’s Imaging Network Business Group. The company is developing the two models with technological assistance from Philips.

The DW1600 will support double-layer DVD+R discs, Tsai indicated. The 16x speed will reduce the DVD+R writing time to less than 6 minutes, with the disc’s rotation speed reaching 100,000 rpm (revolutions per minute), Tsai pointed out.

BenQ has decided to jump directly 8x to 16x, skipping 12x drives. In contrast, Lite-On IT, Taiwan’s largest optical drive maker presently, will first offer a 12x model later this month and then a 16x model next quarter.


Benq drives are also gaining a lot of popularity on our forums because of their decent price and quality. Discuss Benq drives in our Recording Hardware Forum.

[MachineMan]

100,000 RPM..... Look out for polycarbonate shrapnel !!!

[NightWing]

Dident Mythbuster do a test on this. Some where around 25,000 or so had explosing. AKA hit the deck! Are they sure its 100,000RPM?

[Faustus]

I you read the comments on cdfreaks.com they talk about how that must either be a mis statement or a typo.

[RabidDog]

that must be a mistake even fast hard drives only go at 15,000rpm so maybe 10,000rpm is believable.

[NightWing]

It has to be wrong or you would need kevlar fiber reinforced disk with multi kevlar layers reinforcement inside of the drive. Or includes a medial insurance policy.

Mystbuster's were shattering disk around 25 to 50 k I think.

[Vanderlow]

What seems a little strange is they are introducing a 8x DL in mid May and then a 16x DL in the beginning a June just 3 weeks later or so. I assume they must be aiming at different price points although BenQ tend to be low priced burners to begin with.

[NightWing]

That is strange but looking at what is being blowen through the channels not that strange. Got one of the Mad Dog/NEC ND-2500A drives. Does both 8X on both + or - after rebate its $79.

The speed increase and what they can do is literly exploding. By xmas should be abble to choose from a few 16x and or dual layer drives for decent prices. Its moving faster than the CD drive generation changes that ocured. Which is what the mfg did not want but is here right now.

Only problem is that media has not really keeped up with the rate of change. Could be they are doing the Razor blade-Ink Jet printing concept of sell the unit cheep and make it up on media.

[kirpen]

When are we going to get a speed bumb on layer 2?

[Wetmonkey]

Mythbuster were shattering disks at 20K-25K, they werent able to get the drive to physically get that fast so they used router motors.

[handyguy]

Yeah, they used CDs not dvds.

That benq drive is already for sale for $101 & you get a firmware later in the year that makes it dual layer. Its for sale at banana pc, free shipping I think.

[Vanderlow]

I read A CEBIT blurp that said BenQ said 4x DL would come in September.