Firmware Dependencies in 100GB Archival Blu-Ray Media

In testing a new library with 2 Pioneer Blu-Ray drives, we noticed the drives had different firmware versions.  In using the drives, we also noticed that some new Mitsubishi 100GB Archival media, that the media will not format in the drive with firmware version 1.01, but will format in the drive with firmware version 1.13.  What makes this more complicated is that some Mitsubishi media does format in a drive with either firmware version.

We don't have enough test media to be 100% confident, but it appears that the media with ID "VERBAT/IMk" will not work with older firmware releases in the Pioneer drive, but that media with IDs "TDKBLD/RNC" and "VAMKM/IMk" will work in drives with either firmware versions.

The following is from a CLI test on a piece of new, blank media placed into two drives with earlier and newer firmware.

[root@vault5 mclib]# dvd+rw-mediainfo /dev/scd1
INQUIRY:                [PIONEER ][BD-RW BDR-PR1NZA][1.13]
GET [CURRENT] CONFIGURATION:
 Mounted Media:         41h, BD-R SRM
 Media ID:              VERBAT/IMk
 Current Write Speed:   2.0x4495=8990KB/s
 Write Speed #0:        4.0x4495=17980KB/s
 Write Speed #1:        2.0x4495=8990KB/s
 Speed Descriptor#0:    00/48878591 R@4.0x4495=17980KB/s W@4.0x4495=17980KB/s
 Speed Descriptor#1:    00/48878591 R@2.0x4495=8990KB/s W@2.0x4495=8990KB/s
:-[ READ BD SPARE INFORMATION failed with SK=5h/MEDIUM NOT FORMATTED]: Wrong medium type
READ DISC INFORMATION:
 Disc status:           blank
 Number of Sessions:    1
 State of Last Session: empty
 "Next" Track:          1
 Number of Tracks:      1
READ FORMAT CAPACITIES:
 unformatted: 48878592*2048=100103356416
 00h(c000): 47305728*2048=96882130944
 32h(0): 47305728*2048=96882130944
 32h(0): 30790656*2048=63059263488
 32h(0): 48854016*2048=100053024768
READ TRACK INFORMATION[#1]:
 Track State:           invisible incremental
 Track Start Address:   0*2KB
 Next Writable Address: 0*2KB
 Free Blocks:           48878592*2KB
 Track Size:            48878592*2KB
READ CAPACITY:          0*2048=0
[root@vault5 mclib]# mm 32769 32768 0 0 library
Opening library
[root@vault5 mclib]# dvd+rw-mediainfo /dev/scd0
INQUIRY:                [PIONEER ][BD-RW BDR-PR1NZA][1.01]
GET [CURRENT] CONFIGURATION:
:-( no media mounted, exiting...
[root@vault5 mclib]#