Hi all...n00b here! I have been reading your great Forum all morning but cannot find any thread containing this issue: I will be purchasing a DVD Burner for a friend who would LOVE to booktype (either the Benq1640, NEC 3550a, or Pioneer 110). I understand that OEM burners do NOT come with a manual nor software. Do "normal" people who purchase OEMs freak without having the manual? I know software can be d/l'ed. Thanks for "expert" input, in advance! ~ NWSternGirl
I have a Pioneer DVR 109 and it didnt come with an instruction booklet, not a lot to know really in my opinion.
It does not matter. Get the OEM it is gonna be less expensive. If you are replaces it fine. But a in a new slot make sure you have some screws. OEM is brand new. Why get retail when you can get OEM!
The 110 booktypes single layer +R media if you flash it with the Buffalo 8.37 firmware... Without the 8.37 flash, it will only booktype dual layer +R...
Retail gives you a bunch of crap software that you don't need or even want. I got Power DVD that I just threw away. However alot of retail will give you Nero so that's pretty good. Ultimatly it's up to you. You don't really need a manual either b/c installation's all the same so you can search it on the web. The other things manual's will tell you is which media to use, and they always reccommend some second rate media. I got my litey retail for about 5 bucks more than if i were to buy it OEM. Great burner, not a single coaster to date. I wouldn't go w/ the pioneer just b/c I've heard of it's inabillity to do scans w/. BenQ or Nec, in my opinion is the only real question there is. But in the end I'd go w/ the BenQ. But don't leave Litey out of this either. You can buy top quality Litey at Newegg for about 40 bucks.
The only other thing I can think is if the OEM burner is anything like OEM software then you won't get any support for it. But I could be wrong.
I ended up buying the retail version of my benq. It was only 3-4 dollars more and I felt better that it had a one year manufacturer's warranty while the oem only had a 30 day warranty through newegg. As far as I read on newegg, the oem ship with software too, just not the box or instructions, screws etc. I love the Benq dw 1625 I bought, it was only 53 bucks and its lightscribe so I can burn images onto the discs. Love it!
Strange how in the US you stiffed on the warranties when buying OEM I have always been able to get replacements on products that were purchased as OEM right up to 1 year or more depending on product.
ANother thing with OEMs is that half the time the mfc never bothers to update the firmware or makes it damned hard to get ahold of the firmware updates for OEM devices. I had a SONY OEM DVDRW that Sony refused to gimme the newest firmwares. I hadda resort to scouring the Net for em (ended up just flashing the drive with the Retail units firmware anyway) alotta OEM dvd drives (DVDROm/DVDRW/DVD-+) end up getting rebadged by another company. usually happens alot with Prebuilt comps (Dell, Sony, HP). The MFC buys huge amount of OEM drives, slaps their own name on the drive , installs it as their ow. When the drive isnt even made by them. Thus is where the firmware update issue comes up. the original mfc says we sold such and such unit to such and such mfc, go bother them about the newest firmware. Then that mfc turns around claiming the original mfc is responsible for supplying the updated firmware. gets a lil confusing and frustrating. Check here for the newest and hacked/modified firmwares - http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php
