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I am in the process of placing an order for a Sony DRU-500A. I want the drive mainly for backing up a lot of data. I would also like to be able to make DVD movie backups to play in my Pioneer DV-C503 5disc changer. The only problem I have is what media to buy. I have been reading a lot about specific brands of media causing problems like Verbatim and Memorex.

I guess my questions are:

What media should I get for what I will be using them for?

Which brands should I get and which should I stay away from?

Does Nero v5.5.9.14 see the drive or do I need to find the beta of .16 before I get the drive?

Thanks

Only Sony, TDK and KODAK media are stated to work by sony. My testing confirms every brand I can buy locally (maxell, memorex, generic) fail. I have a dozen coasters and another dozen new disks I can't use. Save yourself a lot of trouble and buy a different drive. This one is not ready for prime time. Calls to sony rendered no help. They say this is not a temporary problem to be fixed with a software upgrade. They say this drive will never be able to use the same brands other drives use.

Well, I went ahead and bought the drive. I also bought a 3pack of Maxell DVD-RW disks. I wanted the DVD-RW since the drive came with a DVD+RW. That way I could see what worked best with my DVD player. I have to say that I have not had any trouble at all yet. I have made a few test data DVDs and copied a DVD movie just fine.

Hey guys

This is a great Drive. Just gpot mine from Dell (for 277 shipped). Used HP DVD+RW (I think it's made by Ritek) on it without ANY problems (twice). Also bought some Ritek DVD 1x and burned 4 video DVDs without any problems. I got the drive when 5.5.9.17 version of Nero came out, so that's what I used from the very beginning. NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.

Love this DRIVE.

Gurgen