Sony unveils 12x dual format DVD burner

Sony has announced a new DVD burner, the DRU-540A, which supports 12x write speed with the DVD+R format. The new drive also supports 8x DVD-R and 4x DVD±RW but unlike the DRU-700A it does not support writing DVD+R double layer.

Sony DRU-540A specifications Write speed DVD+R 12x (P-CAV) DVD+RW 4x (CLV) DVD-R 8x (Z-CLV) DVD-RW 4x (CLV) CD-R 40x (CAV) CD-RW 24x (CLV) Read speed DVD-ROM SL 12x (CAV) DVD-ROM DL 8x (CAV) CD-ROM 40x (CAV) Access time DVD-ROM 160 ms CD-ROM 130 ms Buffer size 2 MB

The DRU-540A will ship in July bundled with Nero software suite for a MSRP of $ 180. The complete press release is available here.

I must say that I'm a bit surprised to see Sony announcing a drive that supports the "unofficial" 12x DVD+R speed and writes 8x certified DVD+R discs at 12x. 16x DVD+R "tentative" specifications have recently been released and 16x drives are expected to show up within a couple of months so 12x won't be the fastest speed for a long time.

Source: Sony