Plextor Dual-Format DVD+/-R/RW Burner Supports 12X Speeds

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040310005031&newsLang=en' target='_blank'>http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040310005031&newsLang=en</a><br /><br /></div>One of our <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4526">earlier articles</a> pointed out the differences between DVD+R/W and DVD-R/W, and polled you all about which one you preferred. Well, Plextor "today announced the new PX-712A DVD+/-R/RW drive with support for high-speed 12X DVD+R and 8X DVD-R recording. The internal drive features an ATA/ATAPI-5 (EIDE) interface for broad based PC-compatibility".<br /><br />Woohoo! :) And it is affordable too. The Plextor PX-712A drive is supposed to be available around late April 2004. The PX-712A drive has a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $209.00 USD.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Whoa, that is cheap for a new Plextor drive! *notes it down in his wishlist*

[Jason Dunn]

This is great news! But where's the media? I've heard it's really difficult to get affordable 8x media that's also reliable. And 12x media? 8O

Damn, it sure seems pathetic that I have a 2x DVD-R that I paid $600 CND for in September of 2001. Hmm....that would make a good post. :lol:

[Suhit Gupta]

Interesting. I just found that a 50-Pack of 8X DVD+R Media is available for $84. So I guess 8x media is available but I have not been able to find good pricing on the 12x stuff yet.

Suhit

[mcsouth]

Okay, so I only paid $90 (after rebate) at Thanksgiving for my 4X Dual format Lite-On DVD burner, but this is almost obscene! Here I thought I was finally at the cutting edge, and four months later, I'm already two speed ranges behind......wasn't it just a few months ago (since the new year?) that the 8X drives were released by Sony and Plextor? At this rate, we'll have 40X drives by August!!! :lol: (hmmm, my 40 X entry ended up as an alien emoticon; I wonder if that is significant.... :o )

(Yes, I know that is not feasible, but you gotta admit, this speed race is coming quick!)

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

This is like the time I bought my 12x TEAC CD-RW.. within 6 months 24x were out, and 32x were on their way... :(

[Suhit Gupta]

This is like the time I bought my 12x TEAC CD-RW.. within 6 months 24x were out, and 32x were on their way... :(
Oh wow, are we going to start reminiscing about how fast our cool gadgets became uncool? :) After much debating about whether CD burning was going to catch on or not (this is several years ago), I decided to buy a 2x CDRW drive and later that month the 4x was out. But this is the case with almost every piece of tech (except batteries of course).

Suhit

[Janak Parekh]

This is like the time I bought my 12x TEAC CD-RW.. within 6 months 24x were out, and 32x were on their way... :(
Shush! We still have our original NEC 1x (yes, you read that right, ONE-SPEED) CD-ROM (not writeable!) drive somewhere. It was "portable" unit that used a Centronics-style SCSI interface. We used it with an audio component for a while to play back CDs, even after it was retired as a reader. And man was it slow as one...

This is great news! But where's the media?
I'd try it on 8X media -- Plextor is known to be able to burn DVD+Rs faster than their rated speed, and still get perfect results. I just got a PX-708A myself. Figured that a 12X version would come a few weeks later. :| And they even have a Serial ATA version (http://www.plextor.com/english/news/press/712SA_pr.htm). 8O

--janak

[Suhit Gupta]

Shush! We still have our original NEC 1x (yes, you read that right, ONE-SPEED) CD-ROM (not writeable!) drive somewhere.
Yeah, but that is because you refuse to throw out your old hardware. I mean you must still have you old Commodore 64 somewhere. ;-)

Suhit