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I've been looking long and hard at getting this drive but I can't find it anywhere in the US. It seems to be out elsewhere though. Does anyone have any info on when it will be available in the United States?

Thanks.

I'd also love to get info on how it stacks up against the NEC ND-3540A. The NEC ND-3540A in beige seems to be unavailable as well strangely...

the 1640 seems to be ahead in the +R DL area, speed and quality wise. The 3540 appears to be an excellent overall drive. But, I don't understand why Benq is still peddling the old 1620, they're probably losing market share.

eric93se wrote:the 1640 seems to be ahead in the +R DL area, speed and quality wise. The 3540 appears to be an excellent overall drive. But, I don't understand why Benq is still peddling the old 1620, they're probably losing market share.

I very much doubt the DW1640 is ahead of the NEC3540 with regard to quality on DVD+RDL.

dolphinius_rex wrote:

eric93se wrote:the 1640 seems to be ahead in the +R DL area, speed and quality wise. The 3540 appears to be an excellent overall drive. But, I don't understand why Benq is still peddling the old 1620, they're probably losing market share.

I very much doubt the DW1640 is ahead of the NEC3540 with regard to quality on DVD+RDL.

So do you think the NEC3540 is a better drive overall Dolphinius Rex?

By the way, I'm really looking forward to your review of the 1640. Thanks for making one!

That's a tough question at this moment the NEC 3540 seems to be a little bit better that's on the results I've seen so far.
But then again Benq has a better reputation when it comes to official support (firmwares and stuff.)
Tough question.

That's kind of what I thought. Most of the reviews I've seen (which haven't been that many) have spoken highly of both drives, with maybe the edge going to the BenQ. On forums the reverse has been true.

It would be nice to see a direct comparison of these two drives along with the Plextor 716.

whoster69, you have made my day!
so nice to see Tom Baker aka. Doctor no. 4 grinning at me from the computer screen!
have a jelly baby ?

dodecahedron wrote:whoster69, you have made my day!
so nice to see Tom Baker aka. Doctor no. 4 grinning at me from the computer screen!
have a jelly baby ?

I was thinking the same thing! But gosh the Dr. from the new series of Dr. Who was really good too! Unfortunately, the replacement for him kind of sucks

Re: The DW1640. I think in about one or 2 firmwares, it will be a very VERY good drive in all respects. It's also VERY hackable, with excellent third party support from CD/DVD Speed, and DVDInfoPro, and forum goer's everywhere. Media testing is also quite useful.

Glad I could make your day guys with good old Tom Baker!

Yeah, he's my favorite. I've only seen one episode of the new doc, so not enough to have an opinion yet. I should get to see more soon!

Thanks for the info and replies! I just wish I could get more of a comparison on the two and availability in the US...

I don't know what's holding them up in the US.

dolphinius_rex wrote:Re: The DW1640. I think in about one or 2 firmwares, it will be a very VERY good drive in all respects. It's also VERY hackable, with excellent third party support from CD/DVD Speed, and DVDInfoPro, and forum goer's everywhere. Media testing is also quite useful.

So if you were buying a new drive right now, which one would you get?

Thanks again for the replies. I can't wait to read your review!

whoster69 wrote:

dolphinius_rex wrote:Re: The DW1640. I think in about one or 2 firmwares, it will be a very VERY good drive in all respects. It's also VERY hackable, with excellent third party support from CD/DVD Speed, and DVDInfoPro, and forum goer's everywhere. Media testing is also quite useful.

So if you were buying a new drive right now, which one would you get?

Thanks again for the replies. I can't wait to read your review!

Umm, probably the DW1640, but I have no problem getting media that works very well on it, and I don't burn Dual Layer media. The testing abilities are also essential to my lifestyle, so it's a simple choice.

Thank you for the reply dolphinius_rex. That's kind of what I thought as well.

Does anyone else have anything to add.

What do people see as the strengths and weaknesses of these two drives?

Feel free to jump in here on this question too dolphinius_rex, if you have something you'd like to add!