OK, I got a new Pioneer Drive at Best Buy. It is marked DVR-509 in large letters on the box. Also on the box, in smaller letters it says DVR-A09XL. Fine. I installed it, installed the software and made a test burn (no problem). On the burn screen, the drive appears as Pioneer DVR-109 1.50. I take it the 1.50 is the firmware version. The question is - what upgrades do I need, as upgrades become available? Do I only download the 509/A09XL updates, or do I also get the 109 updates? I am most interest in updating to the newest firmware, so I can get the best burn speed and brand variety. Thanks for any help. Kim
Use the A09XL updates. 509/A09 is the reatail version. The DVR 109 is the OEM version. I have the 109, which I made an A09, then switched back to be able to booktype SL discs to DVD-ROM. They will all be identified as 109 in device manager. They are the same drive, the retail version just comes with the firmware to use the Quiet Drive Utility and achieves higher rip speeds....
@teflonmyk: I have OEM Pioneer DVR-108 as came with my Sony Vaio computer. How did you flash it to retail version If you pick the incorrect firmware for an update, it usually will say "drive not found. How did you get it to booktype SL disks to DVD-ROM?
Ok... You can flash to retail version by using DVRFlash(http://lasvegas.rpc1.org/DVRFlash_v2.1.zip) instead of the "stock" flasher and various firmwares (http://gradius.rpc1.org/). PLEASE read up on this first. It's safe to do, but you need to understand the risks and procedure... http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?t=31969&highlight=booktype+108
Well, I started this thread, and I got my info, for which I thank you. Now, following the thread, I am confused. The Pioneer DVR, whether 109, A09, or 509, is listed as being unable to booktype, regardless of the version, on the basis that this is not a Ricoh engine, and therefore(??) unable to booktype. (Decrypter does not list the Pioneer as one of the acceptable drives for booktyping.) I take it, since teflonmyk switched back to 109 from A09 so as to be able to booktype, that the A09/509 can't do it, whereas the 109 can. How is this possible if these drives are OEM/commercial versions of the same basic drive? Is this strictly a software issue? Kim
Converting 109 to A09 removes riplock. There is Buffalo hacked firmware that allows you to booktype, but, as a result, you lose the higher rip speed. I only said I flashed back because I lost the benefit of riplock being removed by choosing to use the booktyping firmware. The only difference between the A09 and 109 is Quietdrive/riplock removed, that's why I refer to it as going back to 109... To remove all confusion, should one decide to use the Buffalo firmware on an A09 to enable booktyping, his/her drive would no longer be recognized by the Quietdrive utility, therefore, losing higher rip speeds. I guess I should have just said that I flashed to Buffalo... The "names" of the firmware identify the drive and determine what utilities can be used, so, yeah, it is strictly a firmware issue. BTW, the drive still will not show up listed as supported by the various booktyping utilities, but if you set them to automatically booktype +R to -ROM, the drive will booktype... Why Pioneer won't just enable this feature for SL, I don't know??? Maybe it's because they are one of the original founders of the -R camp. These drives (109, 110) DO have booktyping enabled for DL +R media out of the box. BTW, Buffalo is a rebranded Pioneer sold in Japan. There is also ASUS and Piodata, I think...
As for firmware, this is Pioneer's firmware Download page: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/article/0,,2076_4273_128163990,00.html I use Fujifilm DVD+R 8x made in Japan with my A09 and I have had very impressive results. I would highly recommend these discs. If you cannot find them, get Taiyo Yuden DVD+R 8x (media code YUDEN000-T02-00). These are the same discs as the Fuji and can be found at about 45 cents a disc at places like supermediastore.com
jesus taiyo yuden disks are a fortune in the uk they like 50 pounds for a 100 so ill stick to my arita pink ritek g-05's
well ure just rubbing it in now lol i love taiyo yuden disks just so expensive and the uk's getting plagued with fakes
lol... Not trying to rub it in... I just can't see why anyone in the US would gamble with low quality media/shady vendors with TY being so affordable...
i know ure not m8 i love ty disks but im having to settle for arita pink dvd r till this fake ty situation calms down im not paying over the odds for the disks and they mite end up being fake
