Plextor 708A: First exclusive look at 8X DVD+R
by Kristopher Kubicki on September 12, 2003 11:11 PM EST- Posted in
- Storage
Final Thoughts
Plextor deserved every ounce of hype and praise for this drive. Not only did Plextor dethrone long time DVD burning champions Pioneer and NEC, they also outpaced them. Pioneer and NEC are both expected to produce 8X capable DVD+R and DVD-R capable drives in November (DVR-A07 and ND-2300A, respectively), but Plextor has the upper hand with market saturation and aggressive pricing. Consider that the Plextor 708A costs around $280 for its fall debut, we can only assume it will cost less when the yet to be announced A07 and ND-2300A actually hit store shelves. NEC should also release their 8X DVD+R ND-1500A (which is not capable of DVD-R) early November as well.As far as performance is concerned, the drive out-performs the ASUS DRW-0402P/D and the Pioneer A06 in virtually every way. Media recognition, compatibility and just raw burn times were all better on the 708A. The new Gigabyte W0404A (40X CD-R, 4X DVD+R, 4X DVD-R) is a close competitor, but unfortunately, it cannot compete with 8X DVD+R. Next week, we have some interesting optical storage solutions from Gigabyte and ASUS, but the Plextor 708A certainly raises the bar.
One other topic we might want to touch on is DVD+R in general. The DVD+R forum was slow to announce 4X DVD+R a year ago, but pulled ahead with DVD+R 8X products hitting the shelf at least 2 months before DVD-R 8X. Considering drives like the 708A don’t even need 8X verified media to obtain 8-minute DVD burn times, DVD+R will surely gain even more favor in the eyes of consumers. While the DVD format wars are far from over, Philips, HP and the other members of the DVD+R forum clearly won the battle today.
Special thanks to CompuHQ for letting us know about their Plextor 708A special. By using the coupon code "ANANDTECH10" you can save an additional $10 on the 708A.
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tazdevl - Monday, September 15, 2003 - link
TDK is just a rebadged NEC. Only difference is that TDK updates their firmware a tad bit more often and does a better job supporting their drives in general than NEC.In any case, both are not in the same league as Sony, Pioneer, Plex or TEAC.
Anonymous User - Monday, September 15, 2003 - link
Can someone please do a review on the Plextor 708A, Sony DRU510, the new Pioneer and the new Lite-On DVD+-R/RW. Somebody tell Anand.tazdevl - Monday, September 15, 2003 - link
Litle light reading... according to NPD Sony has a 39% share of the DVD burning market.#1.http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/7974
Ian@CDRlabs - Monday, September 15, 2003 - link
Ah yeah. You guys wanted to get the "first exclusive look." :)I have to agree with tazdevl about Sony's DVD writers. While they have used drives from other companies in the past, the DRU-5xx series is their own design. A design just as ground breaking as the Plextor.
Ian
KristopherKubicki - Sunday, September 14, 2003 - link
#23: They did sent it to us. Unfortunately, they sent it to us UPS ground ;) Rather than wait around for our sample I thought it best to go grab one before every review site on the net had a unit.I believe the unit is still in transit =)
Kristopher
Anonymous User - Sunday, September 14, 2003 - link
If you had to buy it, why did you say they sent it to you? Just curious. Anandtech is a well-respected site -- you certainly don't have to pretend like manufacturers are doing you favours. In fact, the idea that you guys go out and buy stuff to review just makes you look more impartial and might shame a few people into giving you review samples in the future.
Falco. - Sunday, September 14, 2003 - link
KristopherKubickiif u have to buy the tdk.. u can have mine relatively cheap :-)
KristopherKubicki - Sunday, September 14, 2003 - link
#20: I have the OEM drive here. Its in an upcoming review.Kristopher
tazdevl - Sunday, September 14, 2003 - link
#7 I think you're getting into semantics. Your point makes no sense.Sony doesn't manufacture their own drives, they outsource manufacturing to other companies, which is not unusual. However, the design is their own and they don't private label anyone else's drives.
KristopherKubicki - Sunday, September 14, 2003 - link
I will see if TDK can send us a drive. We actually went out and bought our 708A, so we may end up doing the same for the TDK.Kristopher