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

April 9, 2004

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
wil 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.

Source: Digitimes.com