About Recommended Discs and Compatibility

Recommended Discs and Compatibility

The VRD-VC20 is designed for optimal performance with discs from major manufacturers. While discs conforming to industry standards for CD and DVD formats generally work, some discs on the market may not meet recognized quality and performance standards. For the VRD-VC20, the following disc manufacturers and discs are recommended. It is also recommended to upgrade the drive with the latest firmware, available on the user support website. The latest firmware can be downloaded from the Storage Support website.

Note: Writing performance and reading ability of all discs cannot be guaranteed.

Write Speed

Optimal performance with the VRD-VC20 is achieved at the write speed specified on the disc, or a slower speed. The VRD-VC20 also supports write speed settings exceeding the specified speed for some certified discs. The write speed is set by your software or determined automatically by the drive based on the disc.

Note: Under these circumstances, the writing performance and reading ability of all discs cannot be guaranteed.

Recommended DVD+Rs and DVD+RWs

Disc manufacturers and discs certified for operation with the VRD-VC20 (as of 2005/4/21):

DVD+R DL (Double Layer)

• Verbatim/Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd. (Note: 4x write speed setting is also available)
• Disc labeled for use at 2.4x speed

DVD+R

Recommended Manufacturers:

• Sony Corporation
• Ricoh Co., Ltd.
• Verbatim/Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.
• Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.
• Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.
• TDK Corporation

Recommended Disc Specifications:

• Disc labeled for use at 8x and 16x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 8x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x and 8x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x, 8x and 16x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x speed

DVD+RW

Recommended Manufacturers:

• Sony Corporation
• Ricoh Co., Ltd.
• Verbatim/Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.
• PRODISC Corporation (Note: The expected launch of 8x disc is in Q2 CY2005)

Recommended Disc Specifications:

• Disc labeled for use at 4x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x and 8x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x speed

Note: The disc manufacturers and discs listed are for informational purposes. Various manufacturers may provide different disc types under the same designation. Writing performance and reading ability of all discs cannot be guaranteed.

Recommended DVD-Rs and DVD-RWs

Disc manufacturers and discs certified for operation with the VRD-VC20 (as of 2005/4/22):

DVD-R

Note Concerning the Use of DVD-Rs

Recommended Manufacturers:

• Sony Corporation
• Verbatim/Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.
• TDK Corporation
• Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.
• Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.
• RITEK Corporation
• PRODISC Corporation
• CMC Magnetics Corporation

Recommended Disc Specifications:

• Disc labeled for use at 16x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x and 8x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 8x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x, 8x and 16x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 8x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 4x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 16x speed

DVD-RW

Recommended Manufacturers:

• Verbatim/Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.
• Victor Company of Japan, Limited.
• RITEK Corporation
• CMC Magnetics Corporation (Note: 6x disc will be available in March 2005)

Recommended Disc Specifications:

• Disc labeled for use at 2x, 4x and 6x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 2x, 4x and 6x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 2x speed
• Disc labeled for use at 2x speed

Note: The disc manufacturers and discs listed are for informational purposes. Various manufacturers may provide different disc types under the same designation. Writing performance and reading ability of all discs cannot be guaranteed.

Important Notes on DVD-R Usage

Write errors may occur when using specific DVD-Rs with the Sony DVD/CD rewritable drive VRD-VC20.

Specific DVD-Rs to Note:

• Verbatim DVD-R for General: Earlier versions of Verbatim branded 2X DVD-R media sold in USA and Canada regions before October 31, 2002.
• Pioneer Corporation DVD-R for General: Discs with the designation DVS-R47A/UN, DVS-R470SDF/N sold in USA and Canada regions.

For more information about these specific discs, contact the disc manufacturers or retailers listed below.

Verbatim Co., Ltd.

URL: http://www.verbatim.com/

Toll free: 1-800-538-8589

Pioneer Corporation

Mail: support@pvc.co.jp

Note Concerning High-speed Writing with VAIO Systems

This notice applies to customers using VAIO computers or external DVD-RW drives (DVR-103 or DVR-104 Pioneer DVD-RW drive) regarding the use of DVD-Rs supporting high-speed data writing. For details, refer to the local online support for VAIO products.

News From Sony about the Pioneer DVD-RW High Speed Write Media Issue/*.

Important Clarification: This information pertains specifically to DVR-103 and DVR-104 Pioneer DVD-RW drives. The Sony VRD-VC20 is not subject to this particular issue.