It's pretty sure that 16x DVD+R and 16x DVD-R writing will be the maximum recording speed. And currently we are entering the 16x era. More and more drives are coming to the market supporting this speed and the differences are also clear. It seems that some 16x writers need about 7 minutes to write an entire disc where others need about 6 minutes. The differences are because of the writing strategies used (explanation). Some people already posted screenshots of a NEC ND-3500 and of a Lite-On 1633S, both 16x DVD writers with dual layer capabilities as well. First reports are that the Lite-On 12x can be overclocked to a Lite-On 16x DVD Recorder.
In our Lite-on Forum the discussion about overlocking the 12x to a 16x was started and got more intresting when our moderator Kenshin posted a screenshot of DVD recordable fully burned with a Lite-On 1633S. Altough not revealing much, there are several trusted people who confirm that the Lite-On 1213S can be overclocked to a Lite-On 1633S. A large array of postings that discuss these drives a long with an even bigger array of screenshots can be found here. Another intresting thread about this drive can be found here.
Then the NEC ND-3500. NEC is always one of the
first companies to release the fastest DVD recorders, now slightly behind
Pioneer, but it seems the extra time they took was worth it. The ND-3500 seems
to be faster then the Pioneer. On the HardwareZone forums our moderator wesociety spotted a post with screenshots of information and burns with this drive. Also a discussion on this has been started on our site. The drive is sold as the TDK-1616N but this is a rebadged ND-3500. From the screenshots we can learn that the drive needs close to 6 minutes to write a 16x DVD+R disc. More information can be found in the thread.
Once again it's clear that there is a lot of difference between the 16x writers due to the used burning strategies. If speed is important to you then make sure you read these previews and of course our reviews when these drives arrive in our Norwegian testing lab!
Source: Club CD Freaks.com
