ASUS DVR-104 DVD and pioneer DVR 104??

[paulw]

Is the Pioneer 104 DVD-R/RW and the ASUS DVR-104 DVD-R/RW Drive the same thing??

[wkulecz]

I've always been generally satisified with ASUS motherboards. Other things with the ASUS name on them I can't recommend -- they've abandoned too many other products to have any credability. Around here, other than for motherboards, they seem to be here today gone tomorrow. Even if it is the same drive, unless you can verify it takes the Pioneer firmware updates I'd stay away.

I've had better luck with DVD+RW/R than I did DVD-R in the A03, but since we know the bundled software sucks, why not just get the OEM version of the drive without software and buy what software you like. Cheaper and less hassle in the long run.

I edit in MSP6.5. DVD MF has some problems I can work around, but I author to folders on the hard drive and burn with Nero 5.5.9.0 so I can verify -- no coasters yet!

Asumming you've got editing software, you can get the above for ~$50 ea.

--wally.

[Brian Ellis]

Paul

I'll go along with Wally on this (other than his comments on Asus m/bs, with which I had grave problems a few years ago). If you look at the Pioneer website, it warns you not to upgrade firmware on OEM models, and the Asus, if it is the same, will be OEM. Whether Asus will offer new firmware is anybody's guess.

Wally, do you remember the firmware version your AO3 had? I've recently upgraded mine to 1.80 and it seems to work perfectly, no glitches on my Grundig stand-alone, provided I make sure the disk is burnt at 1x. I do have problems at 2x, but only my Pioneer disks offer this possibility. I've also burnt Verbatim and Panasonic, glitch-free. I tried an Imation but it refused to burn any further than about 1 millisecond, just sufficient to bugger up the blank for ever This was my only coaster, except for my first try, where I carelessly made an editing boo-boo, but I can't blame Pioneer for that, as it did work!

[wkulecz]

Its the players.

My DVD-R disks from October play glitch free on compatible players like the Pioneer DV-343 or Sony NS-315.

But to answer your question I believe 1.55 was current A03 firmware back in October.

My DVD+RW/R burns at 2.4X with no problems on the three brands of disk I've tried. The disks play glitch free in several players that glitch DVD-R (I copied DVD-R to DVD+R with Nero to eliminate "authoring" as an issue).

DVD-R is "accepted" by more players but too many of these freeze-frame or video mosaic glitch during playback.

DVD+R seems to have "better" behaviour in that so far when a player accepts it, playback has been glitch free. No time wasted piddling with encoding parameters in a vain attempt to "fix" the problem or searching for the magic brand of disk compatible with my player (I have several!). I've used HP, Verbatium and the "sterile" totallly free of markings, sample DVD+R media included with my Ikebana burner. The existance of this "generic" DVD+R (and DVD+RW) suggests the DVD+RW/R floodgates of cheap disks may be about to open. I did appear to have one Verbatium with a "hard defect" while testing the Phillips DVCR-985 stand-alone recorder, but haven't seen another since.

If your players are glitch free on DVD-R there is no reason to be unhappy with it.

I've had nothing but good results from ASUS motherboards ever since the Pentium. But then I've avoided Via chipset models, except for one in my current 1.4 GHz Athelon, which works well now but was a PITA to get the "right" 4-in-1 drivers -- I'm off Via for good!

--wally.