HP will next month ship its first internal DVD writer that not only burns at up to 18x speeds but also supports the LightScribe label etching system. Says who? Says Lite-on IT, the Taiwanese optical disc drive maker that manufacturers HP's drives. 18x "will" be HP's new writing speed standard, the PC giant's supplier has ruled.

Dubbed the HPdvd940i, the drive records can handle all the major DVD and CD recordable and rewriteable formats. And DVD-RAM. It can also work with dual-layer media. And when you've burned your data, you can flip the disc over and write the label.

The HPdvd940i is due to ship in November. Neither HP nor Lite-on provided a price. ®