As the DVD Forum releases the specifications for high-speed media, Pioneer Europe NV announces that a number of its DVD-R/RW computer drives and DVD-R/RW recorders will require a firmware update in order to use the new media and avoid potential damage to the units and media. This problem is caused by a bug in the unit's firmware. The firmware update corrects internal code in the recorders and drives, which would otherwise malfunction when attempting to record to blank new high-speed media. The update process is simple and it is extremely important that consumers make sure it is completed prior to using the new high-speed media. The DVD Forum has established new specifications for high-speed write-once and re-recordable media (4X for DVD-R and 2X for DVD-RW). This media will be available in the marketplace in the near future.

Recent tests conducted by Pioneer indicate that using the new high-speed media for recording without the firmware update will affect the following products:

Pioneer DVR-A03 / DVR-103 DVD-R/RW Writer
Pioneer DVR-A04 /DVR-104 DVD-R/RW Writer
Pioneer DVR-7000 DVD-R/RW Recorder

For more information visit Pioneer's support website: http://www.pioneer-eur.com/eur/support_update.jsp?category=support/update/qa or at the 'Source' link!