CDRLabs.com has posted a preview of the dual layer technology, as well as a first look at Sony's DRU-700A dual layer recordable drive.

For now though, double layer DVD+R technology has a lot of potential. While far from being speedy, the extra capacity it offers will make it a big hit among consumers, especially those looking to backup, or archive, their movie collection. Even then, this new technology isn't without its growing pains. As we've shown you here, there are still some writing quality and compatibility issues that need to be worked out. Being able to store up to 8.5GB of data on one disc doesn't mean much if existing DVD-ROM drives and DVD players can't read it. Hopefully, drive and media manufacturers will spend the next few months improving these things.

I have not seen any concrete shipping dates yet, but word on the street is that we could see double layer DVD+R drives from companies like Lite-On and Sony as early as May. However, most manufacturers seem to be waiting until June or July to ship their drives. This is mostly due to the lack of DVD+R DL media. It's been reported that manufacturers like Mitsubishi have ramped up production, but it's going to be some time before their factories can match the demand. In the mean time, expect to pay a premium for DVD+R DL media. Current estimations range from $5 all the way up to $15 per disc. Of course, we won't know until they actually start hitting store shelves later this summer.