Imation IMMDVR16DLI

Let's face it, when it comes to tomorrow's DVD format, sticking with just one universal format is and should be the preferred outcome for the next generation of optical storage. From a consumer point of view, it would mean one less hassle to deal with and not forgetting one less technology to scrutinize for the sake of detailing its benefits and compatibility. These are the time-consuming steps involved prior to adopting a new technology. Hence, when negotiations of a possible joint effort in unifying Blu-ray (Sony) and HD-DVD (Toshiba) was put into motion, it was met with both a high level of interest and an equally high level of skepticism. The latter was expected because both companies have been slugging it out to be the successor to modern-day DVD standard. The prospect of billions in returns from deals in next generation consumer electronics has been the impetus behind this technology contest and which the winner of the format race stands to gain.

With this much at stake, it was not at all surprising to find talks of unifying the two formats into one had been anything but smooth. In fact, a delay of tomorrow's high-definition movies, games and archiving services would almost be inevitable if there ever was to be a unified format as a lot more time would be needed to merge Blu-ray and HD-DVD into a unified format that would preserve the advantages of both formats as much as possible.

Imation 16x16x IMMDVRW16DLI

Despite the many hurdles faced by the Blu-ray and HD-DVD camps, talks are still taking place although an early agreement on a unified structure is very unlikely to take place. Until that is concluded, consumers will still have to contend optical drives that support many different standards, formats and storage sizes. An example of this in current context is the Imation IMMDVRW16DLI, a 16x16x DVD writer supporting 8x DVD+RW and 6x DVD-RW write speeds in addition to the usual set of read and write specifications you would expect from a modern-day DVD writer. We placed the drive through the usual suite of tests and present the results and our thoughts in this review.