With Plextor's new 20x and 22x DVD writers being manufactured by Lite-On, it shouldn't be too surprising that their upcoming Blu-ray drives are also based on Lite-On designs. According to our sources, Plextor will soon be introducing two 6x Blu-ray combo drives based on the DH-6E2S (iHES106). The internal PX-B310SA and external PX-B310U read single layer Blu-ray discs at 6x and are capable of 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. At this point, it is unknown whether or not these drives will be supported by Plextor's PlexUTILITIES software.
Plextor also has a number of Blu-ray drives on tap for 2009. In the fall, the company plans to introduce a 10x Blu-ray combo drive based on the DH-10E3S/L as well as an 8x Blu-ray Disc writer based on the DH-8B2S/L. Unfortunately, not much is known about these drives at this time.
As I hinted at the other day, Plextor will also be basing their external slim drives on Lite-On designs. Our sources indicated that the company will soon be releasing the PX-610U. This battery powered drive is based on the DB-8A2SB and is capable of 8x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Plextor will also be releasing another slim 8x DVD writer based on the DB-8A3U in the spring of 2009 with a DB-6B1U based slim Blu-ray Disc writer coming later in the year.
And yes, you can expect to see a series of Plextor drives based on the DH-24AAU some time next year. Aside from the fact that it will burn DVD's at 24x, not much is known about the drive at this time.
