Hey, the Pioneer A07 can be had for $156 ! Search for it on www.pricewatch.com

I was really waiting for this drive for its originally-announced 4x DVD-RW capabilities. The drives for sale seem to have only 2x DVD-RW. Bummer. Oh well, at least the drive does 8x in both DVD-RW and DVD+RW. If this drive doesn't have much wow
over my current stuff, I suppose I'll just wait for a meaningful upgrade such as dual-layer writing.

Is 8x media available yet? I haven't seen it.
Can 4x media be used to get 8x performance?

No you can't use 4x medium to get 8x. The burner will fall back
to 4x burning speed then [or lower].

The street word on dual layer DVD recording is that it won't be happening because no manufacturers have signed up to produce the media. Apparently, the industry is gearing up for HD DVDs.
This is just the street rumor.

Dual layer recording + media will be here this year. That's ceratain.
I've read that at least two media companies are going to make
media (forgot which ones). Expect HD-DVD to be away from
us for quite some time. Blue-ray might be coming faster, but
both will be very very expensive.