A while ago we reported on NEC having the scoop on the first drive supporting 4X writing to both the DVD+/-R format. Now, thanks to jsl for the tip, we can read on ZDNet that NEC has decided to delay its ND-1100A drive due to the following reason:
NEC, for its part, said on Wednesday that it has delayed its planned MultiSpin ND-1100A drive from November to December as it continues tests to ensure compatibility with all DVD-R/-RW discs on the market. Tests of DVD+R/+RW discs have been completed, but there are more DVD-R/-RW media available, and these tests are taking longer, a spokesman said. |
"I think it will ultimately be (DVD+R/+RW) that will win, unless (DVD-R/-RW) comes up with significant benefits, so having 4x DVD+R is important to us," said Andrew Wyllie, head of NEC's UK data storage division. "But at the beginning of this year, it looked like DVD-R/-RW would win."
NEC has also brought prices down by engineering its drive to use two chips instead of three. It is also using its own pickup head, which it says is half the weight and less vibration-prone than the commonly used pickup from Ricoh, allowing the drive to reach higher speeds more easily.
NEC will be selling the drive in the UK under its own brand, and says it is in talks with several major manufacturers for building the drive into their PCs.
NEC seems to have learned from some of the mistakes we saw on earlier Pioneer DVD-writers. We'll have to be patient to get our hands on one of these NEC DVD±RW drives.
Source: ZDNet
