Pioneer Electronics announced two new 20x DVD writers this week. The DVR-116D (PATA) and DVR-216D (SATA) are capable of 20x DVD±R and 12x DVD±R DL writing speeds and offer support for Pioneer's new Optimal Write Speed function. Pioneer has also redesigned the drives’ internal mechanisms to reduce noise and protect against dust.
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today announced two new internal computer drives that will write up to 20x on DVD-R/+R media and deliver unprecedented write quality that exceeds the performance of similarly priced competitive devices. The Pioneer® DVR-116D and DVR-216D DVD/CD writers features a new Optimal Write Speed setting that recognizes the disc media and automatically adjusts the drive’s write speed to ensure the highest quality digital preservation of vital files. The DVR-116D and DVR-216D will ship in July 2008.

In addition to enhanced speed capabilities, Pioneer has also minimized the total noise output from the drive for a quieter user experience. An “Anti Dust” internal mechanism design is incorporated, which gives the drives superior protection from harmful dust particles. While many current PCs come packaged with a disc drive already, the DVR-116D and DVR-216D give users the cutting-edge reading and quality writing features that have become synonymous with Pioneer’s renowned optical disc technology drives.
No word yet on price. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, Pioneer's entire press release can be found here.