Posted by Ian on May 8th, 2008 at 7:43 AM CST

With LG and Samsung launching 22x DVD writers, the rest of the industry has been scrambling to catch up. According to DigiTimes, both Sony and BenQ plan to launch their own drives later this year.

With Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics having already launched 22x DVD burners, Sony and BenQ plan to launch competing products in July and the third quarter of 2008, respectively, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

BenQ will have Lite-On IT, the largest Taiwan-based maker of half-height optical disc drives, undertake ODM production of its 22x DVD burners, while Sony's will be produced by either Sony NEC Optiarc, a joint venture of Sony and NEC, or an ODM/OEM maker in Taiwan or South Korea, the sources indicated.

If history repeats itself, Sony's 22x DVD writer will most likely be based on a Samsung design. As far as the BenQ drive goes, this is probably a good indication that Lite-On will be introducing their own 22x DVD writer later this year. If you'd like to read more, the entire article is available at DigiTimes.