The upcoming 8x DVD writers by NEC and Sony where demonstrated in CEATEC, Japan. In the booth of DVD+RW Alliance, visitors had the chance to see the NEC ND-2300CA ATAPI DVD±R/RW drive, which offers 8x writing for DVD+R. DVD-R/+RW writing can be achieved at 4x max while DVD-RW recording speed is limited to 2x. The drive also supports 32x CD-R and 16x CD-RW writing. The drive uses the PD63630 LSI recently developed by NEC.

Sony has also demonstrated its new ATAPI 8x DVD+R writer. The specifications of the drive include 4x writing for DVD+RW/-R, 2x for DVD-RW, 12x DVD-ROM reading as well as 40/24/40 capabilities as a CD-RW drive.

In the same booth new 8x DVD+R and 4x DVD+RW media were available by Prodisc, Ritek, CMC and Ricoh. Availability of the discs is expected by February-March.