Quick question for you guys in the know. I see staples has the I/O Magic IDVD16DL on sale this weekend for $19.94. Anyone know how to tell which I/O Magics are the rebadged Benqs? Tx in advance for your replies.
The story is true...to a point. The I/O Magic's are in some cases rebadged BenQ DW1655's. Some folks have enjoyed this wonderful little anomoly, bought the I/O's and then re-flashed them with BenQ firmware.
I on the other hand, picked one up from BestBuy (in Canada) and ended up getting a LiteOn. So it seems that I/O is using many different manufacturers and then re-boxing them. I ended up returning the I/O, heading to College St. in Toronto and buying a real BenQ. I'm loving it and currently putting together a whole bunch of scans for folks to compare disc burn quality. :)
I can confirm that info of I/O Magic outsourcing their drives to many different manufacturers. I've got 2 of them,also bought from staples which are a year and year and a half old.
First one: Is a re-badged benq 1620 with the B7-C9 Benq firmware. Hell of a drive!
Second one: Purchased 3 months later,at exact same staples: Empa drive,made my Middle East FIZO. Total pc of crap.
BTC also made some of their drives. The list of possible candidates will go on and on as to who actually built those I/O Magic 16x DVD-RW drives that staples have. Hell of a deal if they are made by benq. If not, I wouldn't even consider them unless they were rebadged litey's.
You may get lucky and open up the box and in the back of the drive it might say benq with actual model #.
If not,you'll have to install it-5 mins-and use 1 of a slew of programs to tell you the actual model# like Device manager/dvdidentifier/dvdinfopro/dvd shrink/nero infotool/dvd decrypter/etc. Maybe you'll get a benq,or a generic drive?
I got lucky the first time,not so fortunant the next. That's why I bought another genuine benq 1620 and a 1640. I paid $40 each after rebate from my first to I/O 16xs. Only $38 for my 1640.
$20 is hard to pass up. My local staples was out of them when i checked them out earlier. They did have the I/O magic 16x lightscribes which may likely be benq 1655?
I bought two of the I/O magic 16x lightscribes from Staples both BenQ 1655.I opened the box first to verify which drive was in there though out of the three I opened one was a lite-on and the other two BenQ's.I got them when they were on sale for $49.00 and since re-flashed with BenQ firmware.
