Sony DRU500 DVD Writer $349.99

[johnnymk]

http://www.circuitcity.com/frame1.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1120037379.1042981801@@@@&BV_EngineID=cceladchfmklfgjcfngcfkmdffhdffh.0&upper=head.jsp&lower=frame2.jsp&department=Computer+Peripherals+and+Accessories&category=CD-CDRW-DVD+Drives&right=productsearch.jsp&left=leftchildcat.jsp

Definitely not a deal, but it is available here.

[Tommy Boomfiger]

its a closeout item at regular price?

[LPMiller]

they have come out with a slightly modified version. Not sure what the major difference is though.

[metman]

Rebate ends on Jan 31, note it's for specific retailers only

http://www.ibuyernet.com/rebate/229594.pdf

[Jcranmer]

Originally posted by metman
Rebate ends on Jan 31, note it's for specific retailers only

http://www.ibuyernet.com/rebate/229594.pdf

Wow! Thanks, I just bought this drive Saturday at a local Circuit City to replace a dead .A03. Had no idea there was a rebate on it.

-James

[River]

buy.com has it at about $320, but it's out of stock.
we got the last one at a local circuit city, +++ the rebate makes it a pretty good deal.
Thanxs!

[LCX-70M]

I would almost promise that it is closeout because
they are going to start shipping with the firmware
1.03f which supports 4x dvd+r,
and change the box to represent this. So no
reason to worry about getting an old one, just
flash firmware.

[OneStepAhead]

It may not be as simple as just flashing the firmware...

Reposting from another venue:

"This thread being bumped reminded me of something that I found out last week. I talked to a Sony engineer in the Sony pavilion last week at CES. He told me that the shortage problems with the DRU-500A and DRX-500UL are design problems and not production problems. He also mentioned that Sony has already discontinued both of these models after only three months of production in favor of two re-engineered models. At first I thought he was mistaken until he showed me the replacement drives which look identical.

The new drive models are DRX-500 and DRX-500UXL. They started shipping on 1/1/2003. The difference between the new models and the old ones has to do with the firmware upgradeability. Apparently a lot of the older DRU500A/DRX500UL units were shipped with defective firmware chips and they are failing when people try to re-flash the newer BIOS. The newer models also have better recording stability so in theory they can be upgraded to the new 8x recording standard later this year according to the Sony engineer. I did not think much about it until I noticed this past weekend that both Office Depot and Circuit City now list the DRU500A as a discontinued or closeout product. Circuit City even list it in their Sunday ad as a closeout. Ingram Micro also has removed both SKUs from their active product list. The big question is will Sony replace the DRU500A/DRX500UL drives for current owners who request it?"

True? I donno, but...

This one site the DRX500A (in German)
http://www.dvd-forum.ch/Hardware/computer.htm

This site refers to "Sony DRU500AX and ULX Second Generation DVD±RW Burner"
http://www.burnworld.com/cdr/hardware/sony/dru500ax.htm

The good news is that the DRX-500A "may" be upgradable to 8x.

The other good news is that, if you feel lucky, you should be able to find the DRU-500A on closeout soon.

[LCX-70M]

That really sucks for those of use that already have the drive.
I got mine a week ago, but its still the 500a model. 8X would be great, Although i don't even buy the 4x dvds because they are more expensive. Thanks for the extra information.