Sony unveils 18X external DVD burners

Sony today unveiled the DRX-830U and DRX-830UL/T, two external DVD writers capable of burning single-layer DVDs at an 18X rate. The drives can record a full 4.7GB disc at top speed on standard 16X media within five minutes, according to Electronista, and the new drives write to dual-layer media at 8X. The USB 2.0-based DRX-830U is designed primarily for Windows users, and includes the full Nero 7 suite for authoring DVDs and videos. The more advanced DRX-830UL/T, however, includes both FireWire and USB 2.0 ports to improve Mac support, and ships with both Nero 7 and a Mac-only version of Roxio 6 Lite to author DVDs. Sony said it will ship the 830U in early October for $140, while the 830UL/T drives are due to arrive in mid-December for $150.

Filed under: peripherals