I was thinking of buying a Sony DW-Q30A-B2 DVD burner. I see it's for a good price and the reviews aren't bad. You only get the drive. But when I googled the model I didn't see any manual or firmware information. I can get along without a manual, but since I don't see any firmware info on the model does that mean its firmware doesn't have to be updated? Thank you for your time.
you can check your firmware in dvd decrypter and update it there ,or use this link ,it will probably need updated yes http://www.firmware.fr.st/
Sony lists the drives needing firmware updates on their support site. Not all drives have updates. As drives get older and newer media and formats become available, firmware needs updating to be more effective in the read/write strategies involved. Even DVD ROM drives and some standalone players need firmware updates, and some don't. That's not info included with the literature included with the drives. Usually there is manufacturer support info and that's where you go for manuals, firmware downloads and the like.
I went to Sony's site, but there was no firmware for the model I stated, the same with the link provided to the firmware site. Should I stay away from this model because it doesn't have firmware?
Hi there, I know nothing about the Sony drive quality, but personally, everytime someone had issues with a Sony, we suggested upgrading the firmware. Other than the Sony 700, 710, 800, 810 models, firmware upgrade is almost impossible to find. Just for this, I personally stay away from Sony drives. I know are few people with the Sony DW-D22A, D56A if I recall, and has old firmware, and not so easy to find the firmware. Personally own a Dell OEM NEC-3450a and a NEC-3550a. I hear good about LG-4167, Benq, Plextor, NEC drives...
I am confused... All drives come with FIRMWARE. If they did not they could not work. Firmware is built into and part of the drive. Unless the drive you are buying has sat on a shelf in a warehouse for the last 6 months, the FIRMWARE should be current. If you are talking about an OEM drive that does not come BUNDLED with some sort of burning software like NERO , then that is an entirely different question. OEM drives do not come with manuals or burning sofware, that is why the price is usually that much better.
My new Plextor needed a firmware flash out of the box and my HP is a bit older and still doesn't need any firmware upgrades. Both work great. Drives have an eProm inside that stores the firmware. It's more or less a computer chip with memory that has the operation instructions for the drive. That's what you flash when you update the firmware. It's nothing to worry about unless there's problems. Often people say update the firmware as the first solution to a problem. All okay if that's the problem and there's firmware available. But in many instances there is no firmware and it isn't the problem anyway. I've owned different drives and I never checked to see if they had firmware updates before I purchased them. If you have to have a drive that has to have a firmware flash, get a Plextor 716. Doesn't make sense to me though. I always thought the object was to buy a quality drive with good support. That way if the firmware needs to be updated later on, the support will be there to supply it. A firmware flash out of the box just means R&D didn't get it right and it's left up to you to do an update.
A good drive will cost apprx $50.00 Nero or Roxio or Sonic will set you back another $80.00 to $100.00 Instructions on how to use the Software and the burner you just bought.... Well that`s what Afterdawn is here for, an online manual and Helpdesk....
A mediocre drive will cost about $50. A good top end burner like the Plextor 716 is usually about $100 on sale. Most burners come packaged with a disc with an OEM software pack. I got a version of Nero with the HP drive. It didn't have Recode or some of the niceties but it had the burner software which is what counts the most.
I own an NEC like you. Two of the 3 drives you own are mediocre , And I guess they are less then mediocre because NEWEGG is selling them for $40.00 : http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=5 The second DVD burner I bought from Newegg is also mediocre. It is a LIGHTSCRIBE version from Hewlett-Packard. Newegg did not list or offer any software, but it too came with a full version of NERO.
Today would be a good day to buy the Plex before it goes back up. My other drive is is an HP 740 with lightscribe. It's not exactly cheap either. These are Newegg and TigerDirect prices, so they're probably a little below average retail. Depends where you get 'em.
i tried 2 update my Pioneer DVR-109 v1.58 but then i got his message saying "Available Target Not Found"???? any suggestions??
You can get nero 6 oem suite 3 which DOES include recode 2 for around $12.http://www.buycheapsoftware.com/details.asp?productID=1533&cid=132 I bought mine from another outfit for only $8 with free shipping but it is no longer available there. Works great.
Mort81, That is $80 to $100 for NEW and CURRENT versions. That is true that you can get last years outdated software at closeout prices of $8 to $12. I had the latest and greatest NERO 5.5.56. I loved it. Until I upgraded my burner to the latest and greatest. Nero would not recognize or SEE it. So, I had to upgrade and buy Nero 6 so my burner would work. Most people think that when Nero puts out an update , that it for a bug fix or for added functionality. It sometimes is but it also really is to help to keep the software up to date with any new burners that have been introduced and or new firmware, that has been introduced. Depending on the age of the software and the newness of your hardware the software that you bought may not work. So buyer beware
You may want to rethink that and your take on firmware and software. They don't change software to match drives and firmware. Firmware is the programed memory for a drive. Firmware is what monitors the read and sets the write strategy for a drive. Plus there are some functional characteristics that can be altered. It is the firmware that is adjusted for the drives. As for the software, unless it is OS specific, it will play. About any Windows app still runs in Windows, trying to run old DOS apps in Windows is problematic. For instance, I have some old programs that run on 98 and they still work fine. What I see happen more is that old systems aren't able to run some of the newer programs due to not having the system resources. The system requriements for the software are what the user has to pay attention to; i.e CPU, RAM, and HD requirements. I can run Nero 5 on my system, but why would I want to when I have the "latest and greatest" Nero 7?
One last thing and then I unsubscribe for good from this thread. The Link:http://www.videohelp.com/tools?changelog=19 Version Number: 6.6.0.8 Release Date: 02-21-2005 New Features [bold]* Added LightScribe support[/bold] * Added support for DVD-R Dual Layer format Changes from Nero 6.3.1.20 to 6.3.1.25 Release Date: 20-09-2004 New Features Nero Burning ROM / Nero Express [bold]Added support for new recorders[/bold] Changes from Nero 6.3.1.17 to 6.3.1.20 Release Date: 08-11-2004 New Features [bold]Added support for new recorders[/bold] Changes from Nero 6.3.1.15 to 6.3.1.17 Release Date: 07-02-2004 Features Added Nero Burning ROM: [bold]Added support for new recorders[/bold] Changes from Nero 6.3.1.6 to 6.3.1.10 Features Added Nero Burning ROM / Nero Express 6: [bold]. Added support for new recorders[/bold] Changes from Nero 6.3.0.3 to 6.3.1.6 Features Added [bold]. Support for double layer DVDs added[/bold] [bold]. Added support for new recorders[/bold] . Added support of booktype change feature for several recorders Changes from Nero 6.3.0.2 to 6.3.0.3 Features Added [bold]. Added support for new recorders[/bold] Changes from Nero 6.0.0.28 to 6.3.0.0 Features Added [bold]. Added support for new recorders[/bold] Changes from Nero 6.0.0.23 to 6.0.0.28b Features Added [bold]. Added support for new recorders[/bold] Changes from Nero 6.0.0.19 to 6.0.0.23 Features Added [bold]. Added support for new recorders[/bold] Changes from Nero 6.0.0.15 to 6.0.0.19 Features Added [bold]. Added support for new recorders[/bold] I will repeat myself :
Most burner apps added support for new drives when they added DL support. Another [bold]feature[/bold]. They were adding bug fixes while they were trying to get that support going. However my old drive still functioned okay with DVD5. A newer [bold]feature[/bold] was the lightscribe with support for new drives, but still workable with old drives as well as the old software being workable with the drive, just no lightscribe ability.That's adding features for new technology. No one said software companies wouldn't update for new technology. It has nothing to do with the workability of the software or for a specific drive. Nero would still work with those drives before updating to such features as lightscribe support. Plus, Nero with the lightscribe ability works with drives without lightscribe. I have an HP that came with lightscribe and I can assure you the older Nero worked with it. The drive came bundled with Surething, so Nero wasn't necessary. Nero just added it so they could boast having that feature as well. Not much different than their progressions from Nero versions to the current Nero 7. They keep adding on to keep current as well as fixing the bugs. [bold]You can repeat yourself in bold print as often as you wish and keep un-unsubscribing, but it still won't make your misleading assertions correct. The link: http://www.videohelp.com/tools?changelog=19 , was mostly about bug fixes. Sounds like you misinterpreted what was meant by updating for new drives. A lot was for making the app more user friendly and for being able for drives to fully utilize new features, such as DL burning and lightscribe. I didn't see where those updates addressed a particular drive, but the app incorporated features the drives could use. Not a lot different than them adding photo printing features for inkjet printers.[/bold]
