Feedback regarding burning 8x DVD-R media on 4x rated drives

[LetsRip]

I searched the archives regarding this topic and wasn't able to find this particular discussion...

I have a Sony DRU-510a drive (I know, I know -- its a bit old, but still works great). I recently purchased a pack of the TDK DVD-R 8x 100s, and planned to use my Sony burner. I realized today this burner is rated at 4x, so am I likely to have good success using the 8x media? If chances are slim, I'd rather return the media before opening it. Feedback is appreciated, thanks.

[dfluke]

I had a similar situation (different drive.) All I had to do was upgrade the firmware on my drive and it worked perfectly. Unless you do this your drive won't recongize the media.

[RoopeT]

No problems burning 16x Verbatim DVD-R's with my Sony Dru500A (at 4x) ... it's been years since I updated my drive firmware, so it migth not be necessary.

[waheed]

I used to own a Sony DRU-500A and had no problems burning 8X TY DVD-Rs.

I would suggest buying a single DVD-R to test first, ensure you are using the latest firmware.

[Schmendrick]

With my NEC-4x-burner I recently had problems with 8x-DVD-R-TDK-media and was not able to burn them @ 4x-speed! I had to use 2x-speed to be able to use this media!

So the best advice is to check the usability of the media first before buying a large lot.

CU

Schmendrick

[Rich86]

I have a Sony dru-510a burner.
I experimented with many different brands of dvd media on this drive and settled on Ritek DVD-R G04 4x media as the absolute best performance in this drive. Ritek G04 media has never disappointed me in this drive.
So - I picked up some Ritek DVD-R G05 8x media one time since it was on sale and actually cheaper than the G04. The Sony 510a will not burn it at all! And it is not the media - because it burns flawlessly in my newer dvd burner (a Benq 1620). I'm sure the 510a needs a firmware update to set up a proper burn strategy for 8x media - but Sony flatly refuses to invest any effort into issuing updated firmware for this drive.
So - will it burn TDK 8x media? It's pretty chancy since Sony is not interested in offering firmware updates to permit your drive to handle newer media. And I will never buy another Sony burner as a result.