The new LiteOn SOHW-812S that will be available in March, writes both DVD+R and DVD-R media with 8x speed, rewrites DVD+RW/-RW at 4X, and reads DVD-ROM media at 12X. The drive is based on the same MediaTek chipset used for LDW-811S. The drive also writes CD-R media at 40X, rewrites CD-RW at 24X, and reads CD-ROM media at 40X. The high performance SOHW-812S with a 160 millisecond access time also includes a 2MB buffer that is backed up by Lite-On’s SMART-BURN and SMART-X technologies. Built-in SMART-BURN minimizes buffer under-run conditions by dynamically adjusting the writing intensity of the optical pickup providing greater media compatibility in high speed writing environments. SMART-X technology offers smooth and stable audio CD/VCD/DVD playback and high performance DAE/VCD/DVD data extraction.

The SOHW-812S is housed in a short-loader form factor that delivers better heat dissipation and air circulation, especially in today’s popular mini-tower configurations.

The software bundled with the drive, includes MyDVD from Sonic and PowerDVD from CyberLink. MyDVD allows users to create and edit their video clips on DVD media, while PowerDVD offers DVD viewing pleasure.