A305-S6916 DVD Burner Replacement

It appears the dvd burner in my A305-S6916 has died. I tried to backup a dvd movie, but it wouldn't read the disc. Further tries revealed it wouldn't read any disc. After I put the disc in, the drive light flashes and it just churns away for a few minutes. The device manager says everything is ok.

In retrospect, I've had a little difficulty reading some discs in the past. The warranty expired in Feb. 2010, so I'm on my own.

I pulled the drive out and wrote the model number. It is a Pioneer DVR-TD08TBF (Device manager calls it a DVRTD08L). It's an SATA drive. I couldn't find hardly any information for it on the web, even at Pioneer's site.

Tonight (I'm at work right now), I plan on swapping burners in one of my kids notebook to rule out my notebook (Vista or other hardware). I've worked on and built many desktops, but this really my first experience with a notebook. Removing and installing a drive seems pretty easy though.

(I'm in the USA)

Newegg and Geeks.com have some slim dvd burners for sale. Newegg has an HP and a Sony, Geeks has a Toshiba, a Phillips, Samsung and a Lite-On (I think). Based on what I've read on the web, I'm leaning towards the Sony. And based on what I've read here and on the web, it should be an easy swap. I've read about the different thicknesses of the drives, so I'll have to make sure I measure mine. Does that mean that "Slim" isn't really a standard term for size?

Some of the brand recommendations I got here (via search) are rather dated. Are they any particular brands that might be preferable? I really want a dependable drive that's not too sensitive to the media I use. On a desktop, that would lean me toward a Lite-On or Phillips (for media compatibility). I have no idea how dependable Lite-On's are in notebooks. And, in my opinion, the Sony would be more reliable.

Any of you have advice on other things I should be aware of before I replace the drive?