The Matshita DVD-RAM UJ-844 drive in my Thinkpad X301 throws errors and doesn't work correctly since F14 or possibly before. I can't play or rip audio CDs and CD burning doesn't work although it reads most data CDs fine. This bug seems related: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=533643

For example, here is what happens when I try to burn a small ISO file:

[serenity][/media/LIVE/SpinRite]
09:28:34 $ cdrecord -v -pad speed=1 dev=1,0,0 SpinRite.iso 
wodim: No write mode specified.
wodim: Assuming -tao mode.
wodim: Future versions of wodim may have different drive dependent defaults.
TOC Type: 1 = CD-ROM
wodim: Operation not permitted. Warning: Cannot raise RLIMIT_MEMLOCK limits.
scsidev: '1,0,0'
scsibus: 1 target: 0 lun: 0
WARNING: the deprecated pseudo SCSI syntax found as device specification.
Support for that may cease in the future versions of wodim. For now,
the device will be mapped to a block device file where possible.
Run "wodim --devices" for details.
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.27
Wodim version: 1.1.11
SCSI buffer size: 64512
Device type    : Removable CD-ROM
Version        : 5
Response Format: 2
Capabilities   : 
Vendor_info    : 'MATSHITA'
Identification : 'DVD-RAM UJ-844  '
Revision       : 'RC06'
Device seems to be: Generic mmc2 DVD-R/DVD-RW.
Current: 0x0009 (CD-R)
Profile: 0x0012 (DVD-RAM) 
Profile: 0x001B (DVD+R) 
Profile: 0x001A (DVD+RW) 
Profile: 0x0013 (DVD-RW restricted overwrite) 
Profile: 0x0014 (DVD-RW sequential recording) 
Profile: 0x0011 (DVD-R sequential recording) 
Profile: 0x0010 (DVD-ROM) 
Profile: 0x000A (CD-RW) 
Profile: 0x0009 (CD-R) (current)
Profile: 0x0008 (CD-ROM) 
Profile: 0x0002 (Removable disk) 
Using generic SCSI-3/mmc   CD-R/CD-RW driver (mmc_cdr).
Driver flags   : MMC-3 SWABAUDIO BURNFREE 
Supported modes: TAO PACKET SAO RAW/R16 RAW/R96P RAW/R96R
Drive buf size : 1310720 = 1280 KB
Beginning DMA speed test. Set CDR_NODMATEST environment variable if device
communication breaks or freezes immediately after that.
FIFO size      : 4194304 = 4096 KB
Track 01: data     1 MB         padsize:   30 KB
Total size:        1 MB (00:10.18) = 764 sectors
Lout start:        2 MB (00:12/14) = 764 sectors
Current Secsize: 2048
ATIP info from disk:
  Indicated writing power: 5
  Is not unrestricted
  Is not erasable
  Disk sub type: Medium Type B, low Beta category (B-) (4)
  ATIP start of lead in:  -11933 (97:22/67)
  ATIP start of lead out: 359849 (79:59/74)
Disk type:    Short strategy type (Phthalocyanine or similar)
Manuf. index: 43
Manufacturer: Acer Media Technology, Inc.
Blocks total: 359849 Blocks current: 359849 Blocks remaining: 359085
Speed set to 706 KB/s
Starting to write CD/DVD at speed   4.0 in real TAO mode for single session.
Last chance to quit, starting real write in    0 seconds. Operation starts.
Waiting for reader process to fill input buffer ... input buffer ready.
Performing OPC...
Errno: 5 (Input/output error), send opc scsi sendcmd: no error
CDB:  54 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
status: 0x2 (CHECK CONDITION)
Sense Bytes: 70 00 03 00 00 00 00 0A 00 32 00 00 73 03 00 00
Sense Key: 0x3 Medium Error, Segment 0
Sense Code: 0x73 Qual 0x03 (power calibration area error) Fru 0x0
Sense flags: Blk 0 (not valid) 
cmd finished after 0.003s timeout 60s
wodim: OPC failed.
Writing  time:    0.026s
BURN-Free was never needed.
wodim: fifo had 25 puts and 0 gets.
wodim: fifo was 0 times empty and 0 times full, min fill was 100%.