Mat****a DVD-RAM UJ 850S problems

I have an Asus A6M laptop which is fitted with a Mat****a DVD-RAM UJ 850S DVD drive. Whilst this drive recognises CDs, comercially issed DVDs, and written to DVD+RW disks, it will not recognize blank DVDs either -R, or +R. I have contacted Asus on this and all they came up with was a/ download the latest BIOS and install, or if that didn't work to coctact the nearest service office, which in my case is Brisbane, Qld, some 2.5 hours away! I have seen on the Windows Forum that there appears to be problems with the Mat****a unit, but being of limited techinical experiance, I did not find the suggested solutions that helpful. So, anyone out there got any ideas? I would be grateful for any help.