Sony's 18x Super Multi Drives - In Stores Yet?

[Ian]

The DRU-830A, DRX-830U and DRX-830UL-T are listed as being in stock on SonyStyle.com. Has anyone seen them in stores yet?

I'm guessing these are based on the AD-7170A from Sony NEC Optiarc.
Here are their specs:

Writing Speeds:
DVD+R: 4X CLV, 8X P-CAV, 16X, 18X CAV
DVD+RW: 2.4X, 4X CLV, 6X, 8X Z-CLV
DVD+R DL: 2.4X, 4X, 6X, 8X Z-CLV
DVD-R: 4X CLV, 8X P-CAV, 16X CAV, 18X CAV
DVD-RW: 2X, 4X, CLV, 6X Z-CLV
DVD-R DL: 2X, 4X CLV, 6X, 8X Z-CLV
DVD-RAM: 5X, 6X CLV, 8X, 10X, 12x P-CAV
CD-R: 8X ~16X CLV, 24X ~40X P-CAV, 48X CAV
CD-RW: 4X ~ 16X CLV, 24X ~ 32X Z-CLV

Read Speeds:
DVD-ROM: 16X Max
CD-ROM: 48X Max

Access Times:
CD-ROM: 130ms
DVD-ROM: 140ms

Buffer Size: 2MB

[aviationwiz]

When I was in Best Buy last week I think all they had from Sony was the DRU-820A.

[Gen-An]

Can it be the 7170A if it uses P-CAV for 8x burning? I thought those Optiarc drives still used Z-CLV for 8x.

[Ian]

Can it be the 7170A if it uses P-CAV for 8x burning? I thought those Optiarc drives still used Z-CLV for 8x.

That's a good point. It could be a Lite-On rebadge. On the other hand, Sony isn't exactly known for having accurate info on SonyStyle.com.

[Ian]

Gen-An, you're right. According to Sony, its not an Optiarc design. They wouldn't say what it is though.. just that its outsourced.

[Ian]

A few screenshots..

[Ian]

Believe it or not, this is not a Lite-On design. It's based on the Samsung TS-H652D. This is the OEM version of the SH-S182D.

[MediumRare]

Believe it or not, this is not a Lite-On design. It's based on the Samsung TS-H652D. This is the OEM version of the SH-S182D.

That makes you wonder just what Sony is up to. They own part of LiteOn and have a joint venture with NEC to produce optical drives- and then relabel Samsung designs.

G

[Ian]

You gotta wonder if Lite-On and Optiarc couldn't meet their demands. Both only recently started ramping up production of their 18x drives. Samsung has been doing it for a number of months already.