Is it worth buyng a duel writer at this stage please considering the high cost of media compared to the 4.7gb DVDs.

What make is best to go for please?

No, wait for DVD DL-R media to hit the spot light http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/smileys/smiley32.gif

Thanks. Is ir possible, as I have read claims to such effect, that the some of the current models will provide firmware solutions to update these models?

The PIONEER 109 drives are able to do DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R, DVD-R DL, and DVD+R DL.

They can also read (but not to) DVD-RAM media.

I have a Pioneer 109, and suggest this as easily being the best drive on the market, in terms of how it acts with media, and the write quality (low coaster ratio), as well as regular firmware updates to fix any problems that may arise.

I waited for the Pioneer 109. And it came. And it works great.

There is no DVD-R DL media in the USA yet, and the DVD+R DL is still very expensive (about $8-10 per disc).

Single layer DVD-R is still you current best choice for DVD-Video burning.