Jason Dunn
04-04-2004, 04:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.dvdcreation.com/cgi-bin/getframeletter.cgi?/2004/04_apr/features/rqk674hh.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.dvdcreation.com/cgi-bin/getframeletter.cgi?/2004/04_apr/features/rqk674hh.htm</a><br /><br /></div>"Today’s DVD burners have become multi-writing hydras that all look fairly similar except for the names on the front. Burning speeds have hit 8x (10 minutes for a 4.7GB burn) and shortly they will be 16x (under 5 minutes to write a complete disc) – with no increase in price. <br /><br />Prices have dropped so rapidly for the DVD burners you buy today that Japanese manufacturers have all but ceased their own manufacturing and outsourced it to Taiwanese and mainland China manufacturers. Korea’s LG continues to be the world’s highest volume manufacturer, but Taiwan’s BenQ clearly has a goal to replace them as the leader. Next you have AccessTek (MSI), LiteOn, Quanta, AOpen and mainland China’s TLS, Funai and SVA Group. Profits are so hard to come by that Pioneer and NEC have already moved much of their production to the mainland and Matsu****a (Panasonic) will be there shortly..."<br /><br />This is a great article about the current state of the DVD union. Myself, I'm going to wait until 8x burners become slightly more mainstream, and 12x burners push down the price of an 8x burner...then I'll buy either an 8x or 12x. :D