CDRLabs takes a look at Sony's DRU-720A DL 16x DVD±RW

Last spring Sony introduced one of the world's first double layer DVD writers, the DRU-700A. Featuring support for the DVD+RW Alliance's new DVD+R DL format, this new drive was able to record 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of DVD quality video onto a single disc. With the competition announcing their own double layer DVD writers, Sony went back to work, developing a series of drives with new features and faster reading and writing speeds.

The latest addition to Sony's line of DVD writers is the DRU-720A. Announced this fall, the DRU-720A sports some of the fastest DVD reading and writing speeds currently available. The drive is capable of 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 4x DVD+R DL writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. This by itself is impressive. However, the DRU-720A also boasts features like 48x CD reading and writing speeds, 24x rewriting speeds, Power-Burn buffer underrun protection and an impressive software bundle from Nero.

We've had Sony's new DVD writer 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 the DRU-720A, we'll take a look at some of its features and then see how it stacks up against the 16x DVD±RW drives from companies like NEC, Plextor and Pioneer. Does the DRU-720A have what it takes? Read on to see what we had to say.