I am certainly not an expert on DVD drives yet so I must rely on the opinions of others much more qualified than I. These folks seem very well infomred.
I didn't see your drive listed though, it must be very new. I just got the BenQ 1640 at 1/2 the price and have been very happy. Pioneer's have good reps though. You should be fine - happy burning!
On the media, I can offer much better advice. You would have to buy 500 of those to get them @ $.39 a piece. I don't know who made them but I would be leery. On the other hand, you can buy Yuden's made by Sony (check for the Made in Japan (MIJ) label), widely considered by most everyone to be hands down the best media you can buy @ 50 for $18.00 (shipping included) through Staples Online. Maybe even the store, I haven't checked. That's $.36 a piece for the best. You do the math.
One more thing - with your new drive, I would recommend the +R media. Generally, you get much better luck booktyping (and therefore vastly improving playback) with most drives. Check your specific drive for this capability though.
Pioneer does not booktype,unless you update it to the buffalo hacked firmware. Booktyping comes in handy if you play your backups in a lot of friends and family members ps2s,x-box/stand alones,and and other pc drives.Pioneer is a quality burner!
I'm on my 5th pc DVD-RW drive,because of stand alone playability is a key reason,I go with the Benqs. The 1620s are superb,with booktyping capability,and durable. The BenQ 1640 will be my next burner.
I haven't tried it. If I did use the dash format,I'd get the Japanese fuji -8x. These are ty-g02 and could be bought a couple weeks ago at staples for 30 cents a piece during their 2 week sale.
