Thanks to one of our spies, Lite-On's latest product roadmap ended up in the 'Labs. While we cannot post the files or give you the model names, we can give you an idea of what to expect for the rest of 2007 and the first half of 2008.
HD DVD and Blu-ray - This summer, Lite-On will launch internal and external 4x Blu-ray Disc writers as well as HD DVD-ROM and BD-ROM drives. The company also has plans to introduce 8x Blu-ray disc writers in the spring of 2008 and by the fall, a dual format Blu-ray/HD DVD writer. All of these drives will support Serial ATA.
DVD Writers - Lite-On has a number of half height and slim DVD writers on the way. This spring, the company will introduce their "3H" series. While otherwise very similar to the "1S" series that is currently available, they will support 2x DVD-RW DL writing speeds. By fall, we can expect to see Lite-On's "4A" and "5S" series. Building upon the "3H" series, these drives will support 2.4x DVD+RW DL writing speeds. In the case of the "5S" series, we'll also see 16x DVD+R DL and 12x DVD-R DL writing speeds.
Lite-On's slim DVD writers won't be getting any speed boosts. However, we can expect to see drives with 2.4x DVD+RW DL and 2x DVD-RW DL writing speeds this fall.
CD-RW and Combo Drives - While CD-RW and combo drives are going the way of the dodo, Lite-On is giving them one last hurrah. Expect to see new 48x and 52x drives later this year, available with either PATA or SATA interfaces. Lite-On also has new CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives on the way. However, most of the latter seem to be destined for the Xbox 360.
Please keep in mind that these plans could change at any time. As we've seen in the past, development days can push back a drive for months or cause it to be dropped from a company's product lineup altogether. Please feel free to leave a comment in the forum.