Good news for Plextor fans. Shinano Kenshi announced today that it will begin shipping
two new Plextor brand 20x DVD writers by the end of May. The PX-820A (PATA) and PX-820SA (SATA) are capable of 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD-R DL,
8x DVD+R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. The two drives also feature 48x CD
reading and writing speeds, 32x rewriting speeds, a 2MB buffer and support for CPRM.
At this point, it is not clear whether or not the PX-820A and PX-820SA are
original Plextor designs. However, going by the lack of advanced features, I'd have to say that they are most likely based on designs
from another company such as Pioneer, NEC or LG.
Shinano Kenshi has not announced a price. However, AV Watch expects the PX-820A and PX-820SA to be
priced at about 7,000 Yen ($67US) and about 7,500 Yen ($72US) respectively.
