Model: Sony Optiarc AD-7240S 24x DVD±RW/RAM
Manufacturer: Sony Optiarc
Provided By: Sony Optiarc America
While a relatively new name in the optical storage industry, Sony Optiarc already has a lot of experience under its belt. Established in 2006 as a joint venture between Sony and NEC, Optiarc combines the technologies and expertise of its parent companies with the goal to provide the best optical drives in the world. It has definitely paid off, as Optiarc is quickly becoming one of the industry's largest manufacturers with a product lineup that includes DVD and Blu-ray Disc drives for the portable and desktop markets.
While Blu-ray is slowly gaining momentum, the DVD still has a lot of life left in it. Companies like Optiarc continue to push the limits of the format, developing drives with new features and faster DVD writing speeds. This spring, Optiarc introduced one of the world's first 24x DVD writers, the AD-7240S. This Serial ATA equipped "Super-Multi" drive is capable of 24x DVD±R, 12x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. The AD-7240S also includes features like 48x CD reading and writing speeds, 32x rewriting speeds and support for buffer underrun protection.
We've had the AD-7240S in the 'Labs for a few weeks now and have had the time to put it through its paces. To give you an idea of what to expect from Optiarc's new DVD writer, we'll take a look at its features and then see how it compares to some of the 22x DVD±RW drives from the competition. Does the AD-7240S have what it takes? Is it the fastest DVD writer around? Keep reading to find out.
