RICOH Europe posted today a FAQ about the new 1-4X DVD+R/+RW media. As RICOH says "...Recently, 4x writing speed DVD+R media started to appear on the market. These new DVD+R media are intented for next generation 4x writing speed qualified DVD+R/+RW drives. Such media was not initially developed to be used on "second generation" DVD+R/+RW drives, which offer a maximum writing speed of 2.4x. Using the new media on these drives could lead to read or write errors, as the drive does not correctly recognize the 4x disc..." However, it should be possible for users of such "second generation" drives to use most of these new 4x DVD+R discs without any problems, provided that a simple firmware upgrade has been installed into the drive.

After the new firmware is applied, you will be able to write to 4x DVD+R media at your drives maximum writing speed of 2.4x. In this respect, the new media will work in the same way as the 2.4x media you were accustomed to: there is no loss in writing performance when you use the new media! Of course, when the upgrade is installed you can still use 2.4x DVD+R media, and 2.4x DVD+RW media. When 4x DVD+RW media will be introduced later this year, we will inform you of a recommended firmware upgrade on this site.

To make the upgrade procedure as straight-forward as possible, we provide you with a convenient listing of DVD+R/+RW drive manufacturers. Simply select your drive manufacturer (or PC vendor) from the list shown below. Doing so will advance you to the upgrade page on the manufacturer's web site, where you will find additional installation instructions and the downloadable upgrade files.

I get an error message when I try to write to the new 4x media, what can I do?
Please update the firmware to version X.XX to improve the compatibility with the new media.

I can write to the new 4x media, but I cannot read the disc?
Please update the firmware to version X.XX to improve the compatibility with the new media.

Does this firmware allow me to write at 4x?
NO. This firmware only improves the compatibility of your drive and enables you to use the new 1-4x media.

Is there firmware available to change my writer from 2.4x to 4x?
NO. The drive was designed as a 2.4x writer and cannot be changed to a 4x writer.

Which media do you recommend?
At present we recommend the following brands, RICOH , Taiyo Yuden (That's brand), Mitsubishi Chemical / Verbatim

Do I need to update the firmware of my drive?
Yes, at present the DVD+RW and DVD+R media are compatible only to 2.4x but will be replaced by 1x-4x media. To improve the compatibility of your 2.4x writer with the new 1x-4x media the firmware must be updated.

What could happen if I do not update the firmware?
You will not be able to properly write to the new 1-4x DVD media.

Where can I get the firmware for my drive?

Please click at the 'Source' link and there will be links to many OEM and PC manufacturers!