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Stand Alone method?
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koola
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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3. December 2003 @ 07:16 |
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Cool, let us all know the results nabster.
Good luck :D
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nabster
Junior Member
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11. December 2003 @ 05:24 |
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Hi, well I got the Pioneer DVR-106D, put it in this morning along with another stick of RAM taking the Ram up to 1024DDR PC2700. I backed up a back up just to test it and it does them in 20 mins! Having trouble getting the firmware though, site some1 recommended a few threads back, when I download it comes back with an error in the zip file. Cheers for the feedback guys.
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drchips
Senior Member
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11. December 2003 @ 05:48 |
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nabster
Junior Member
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11. December 2003 @ 05:52 |
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Hi, still getting the invalid or corrupt zip file error. Off the subject but like a tit I left a important disc in my old drive, if I just stick a molex connector in the back could I open it up or will it need a IDI?
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drchips
Senior Member
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11. December 2003 @ 07:34 |
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Hiya,
I double-checked the d/l, all ok.
If you want, I can email you the 3 zip files (approx 2.5 Meg) - PM me with an address.
As for the "important disc" bit, yeah, just connect power, no data needed.
Life is just more of the same:
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nabster
Junior Member
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11. December 2003 @ 07:39 |
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Hi drchips, very kind of you, that would be great. If you mail me at bb86422@hotmail.com I'll pass on an address for you to mail the files.Thanks alot!
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koola
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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11. December 2003 @ 08:39 |
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geocean
Junior Member
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14. December 2003 @ 05:47 |
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I have a slightly different problem that I think may fit in the scope of this thread's discussion.
I always use Shrink/Nero combination to backup my movies to mostly DVD+Rs (Memorex, Verbatim). My three stand-alone players are AMW 101, Cyberhome 402, and Panasonic A120U.
AMW plays everything, Cyberhome doesn't play any DVD+Rs as many people have experienced, but the Panasonic has some erratic behaviors.
It plays all the Memorex DVD+Rs, and most of the Verbatims DVD+Rs. But for about 20-30% of the Verbatims DVD+Rs (that would play perfectly fine on the AMW), the Panasonic would "Read" the disc for appropriate amount of time (2-3 seconds), flash the word "Play" on the display for split of a second, and then "Stop."
I burnt those discs exactly the same way; any thoughts on why some are playable on Panasonic while some others are not (even though they are all playable on the AMW)?
Peter Newman
P4 2.53GHz/XP/768MB/660GB/Optorite-2.30
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drchips
Senior Member
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14. December 2003 @ 07:35 |
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Hi geocean,
the AMW & the CYBERHOME are based on PC DVD drives, though the CYBERHOME is an old model from the time when DVD+R was rare so consequently the drive within does not support/recognise it, the drive within can be replaced with a new PC drive (open it & look, it is simple, give it a try, it works for me - YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY), please also note my previous entry in this thread about overheating....
The PANASONIC A120U, as far as I can ascertain, is based upon a custom drive (a discontinued model, it seems; the U probably denotes USA: REGION 1 ONLY & 115 Volts)
I have managed to get a number of expensive Panasonic players to work reliably with DVD-R with careful cleaning techniques (internal) but have not yet managed to do so reliably with DVD+R yet (note: YET).
you may be interested to have a look at
http://reviews.iwon.com/pscAudioReview/Panasonic,DVD,A120U/PRD_117331_1587crx.aspx
If you know someone with a DVD-R writer, ask them to burn a film for you & try it in all 3 players to assist in defining the range of compatability of your equipment (try & use the same software & settings when burning the DVD-R to minimise the variables).
Have Fun...
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nabster
Junior Member
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14. December 2003 @ 09:43 |
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Slighty Urgent!!!! I use VOB's Instant CD/DVD to burn my VIDEO_TS file using the data UDF method. Now I have the A106 it won't work as the software does not have the driver for the A106 player, only for the 104 and 105! I've had to resort to having the old burner in the pc aswell. Any ideas, I've already tired to update the software but VOB's site seems to be down. Any help would be great thanks.
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geocean
Junior Member
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14. December 2003 @ 10:36 |
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Hi drchips,
Thanks for the message. I have a few questions still:
1) How does one swap out the drive inside the stand-alone (say for Cyberhome)? Would you actually buy something like a DVD-ROM drive from a computer store to put it in?
2) The problem I have with the Panasonic is that it plays certain discs but not some others, even though they are exactly the same type of discs (Verbatim 4x) authored and burnt by the same softwares (Shrink and Nero), burner set at the same parameters. And I know these discs are produced fine because they play well on the AMW. Where do you think the inconsistency could arise from?
Peter Newman
P4 2.53GHz/XP/768MB/660GB/Optorite-2.30
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drchips
Senior Member
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14. December 2003 @ 13:29 |
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Hi geocean,
Lots of the cheaper dvd players are based on PC drives, lots of the expensive (major manufacturers) players are built with custom drive units.
Take the Cyberhome for instance...
Open it up.
looking from the front, right in the centre you will see the dvd drive, complete with 40 connector IDE cable & 4 connector power, just like a pc drive.
Turn the thing over and unscrew the 4 screws holding the drive in.
Turn it back up, slide the drive backwards, take it out & look...
It is a pc dvd drive with the front panel removed, if you want to find out the drive specs connect it to a pc...
Or read the info from the label on the top & use Google to hunt it down.
One interesting note:
The power supply in the Cyberhome has the 12 volt line live all the time the power is plugged in, but the 5 volt line is controlled by the power-on function.
That means you can use it to control extra cooling:
extra cooling means the unit will play dvd-r (and possibly dvd+r) disks more reliably.
If ya wanna know more, lemme know.
The inconsistancy with the Panasonic probably comes from it being a custom built drive unit,
from a major company that was a bit careful about upsetting MPAA/RIAA/etc with respect to Copyright Violation/Piracy etc (USA is a BIG market for them) and as such they MAY have designed it to have limited support for recordable media,
but as time has passed and other companies (competitors) have provided that support so they have done so with their later models.
Now, as the media (dye types/reflectivity index etc) has changed over a period of time you come to the situation you find, where SOME work ok & others don't
- probably means that the laser/detection/decoding subsytems are operating right at their limits trying to play the disks,
the laser is operating at its highest safe reading power,
the unit is having to perform multiple reads to correct errors,
the mechanisms (head tracking/motors etc) are working harder,
all of which increases power consumption & produces more heat in a case that has NO forced ventilation.
Increased heat means the tolerances and operating parameters of the laser subsystem change.
Increased heat means the tolerances of the media change.
Result - the disk heats up and player errors occur.
Ever noticed a Commercial (pressed original) dvd feel HOT when taken out of the player?
Ever noticed a DVD-R feel HOT when taken out of the player?
Hmmm... Thought so.
Furthermore, no matter how scrupulous you are about cleaning, have you ever taken your kit apart & cleaned it properly?
Over a period of time, dependant upon environment, a film of pollution builds up on the surface of the laser lens which makes it harder for the beam to stay within tolerances.
Add that to the above & you have increased occurence of errors.
Personally, I use Pioneer kit, clean regularly, use Nero for everything BUT DVD (for which I use Prassi PRIMODVD - excellent stuff), use the cheapest DVD-R disks I can get (25 for £16, just over $27 US), use a CLEAN photographers lens brush to brush off the recording surface & inspect the disk for faults BEFORE burning & always VERIFY after burning, NEVER touch the recording surface before burning (touch as much as you like AFTERWARDS) and have had less than 5 failures in over 200 burns (never did find out why).
The disks play in EVERYTHING I have tried them in, cheapo players, PC's, iMAC's, posh players, PS2's (I took a couple of disks down to a local retail chain & tried them in every player available there - friend in management haha!)
Woooo... a long post, sorry I rambled on but there is SO MUCH that could be said.
Have Fun...
Life is just more of the same:
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geocean
Junior Member
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15. December 2003 @ 16:47 |
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Thanks drchips.
I gotta try take my Cyberhome apart one of those days.
On another thought, I just discovered that the three discs (Verbatim DVD+R) that I couldn't play on Panasonic but had no problem on the AMW all had menu glitches. I wonder whether the Panasonic would scan the root directory and would stop proceeding if it sensed an error, whereas the AMW would just press on. So on my AMW, even the menu is all screwed up, I can always jump over it to watch the movie. Does that make any sense to you, or am I just fantasizing!
Peter Newman
P4 2.53GHz/XP/768MB/660GB/Optorite-2.30
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nabster
Junior Member
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15. December 2003 @ 16:49 |
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Slighty Urgent!!!! I use VOB's Instant CD/DVD to burn my VIDEO_TS file using the data UDF method. Now I have the A106 it won't work as the software does not have the driver for the A106 player, only for the 104 and 105! I've had to resort to having the old burner in the pc aswell. Any ideas, I've already tried to update the software but VOB's site seems to be down. Any help would be great thanks.
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Minion
AfterDawn Addict
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15. December 2003 @ 16:57 |
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Well then you are Sh*t out of Luck and there is nothing anyone can do about it if it doesn"t support your Burner...Use something else to burn...
P-4 2.6ghz (Overclocked to 3.2ghz)
Abit IS7
1gb Dual Chanell DDR 400mhz
Zalman CNPS7000-CU Cooler(Modded with 50cfm Fan)
XFX Gforce 6600GT 128mb GDDR3 (500/1000)
Pinnacle DV500 ADVC Editing Card
RaidMax Scorpio ATX Case + 5 Led
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RWG
Senior Member
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15. December 2003 @ 17:17 |
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Pioneer drive? What's the difference between the 106 and A106?
There are alternate methods, some free.
RWG
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