Ok, there have been a few posts on this lately and I thought that it would be helpfull for everyone if we tried to keep all of them in one place.

So here ya go, please post any thing to do with A05/105 media problems here... Such as media which work, don't work, work at 2X, etc.

having burnt quite a few dvds on my new 105@ only 1speed although nero set @ 2speed. not to happy with time taking so ive been intouch with the not very helpfull tech. support @ pioneer who informed me they do not support the use of any 2 speed dvds ( im using bulkpaq gen4 2speed ) in this writer except pioneers own brand, so at the moment anyone looking to backup @2 speed better buy the104.
dont know how long its gonna be before the 4speed medias available,
when this burner comes into its own..... until then looks like i gotta use my new 4speed @ 1..........
prog. used is latest nero, firmware in pioneer 105 is 1.0 (only one you can get).
hope others are getting better fun out of this burner than me.....
if anyone knows of media that writes @ 2 speed l.m.k. plzzz.....

micro direct , still got em i think £217 inc delivery.
cant write at more than 1 speed, bit **** ...........
dont look as if many peeps gotem to try diff. media.

Think we need a thread where we can all post what media will burn on the AO5 at 2x - Cant contribute yet as mine from SVP hasnt bl00dy arrived yet!

Man I just ordered an A05 too :( I hope this is firmware fixable (and that they will fix it)

My 105 is comeing in the morning hiopeing its better than the 104


Http://www.overclockers.co.uk

its only £197 inc p+p

can u guys help me out, just got my 105 today installed nero 5.5.7.8 oem it wont find the 105 i put prassi primo on it still dont find the 105, windows XP in ntfs format

@birdy1
Got mine today ... preordered beginning of november

@oni
there's a newer version of nero ... no probs installing mine

nal

Got my 105 on friday havnt tested it with any other dvdr media than Bulkpaq gen3 1x

got it from here £207 inc p+p --->>>> http://www.lynxdv.com/estore/


aslo there are selling it here --->>>>http://www.bigpockets.co.uk/ cheap for media as well...


@ Oni try updating nero ,, Also goto -->> http://www.prassieurope.com/ for updates Prassi Primo

Download Px Engine on main page at bottom..hope that helps..

i can't get my verbatim 2x disk to burn at anything other than 1x, using nero. anyone know how to burn at different speeds in nero?

Got mine nearly 2 weeks ago and have been happily burning @ 2x since.
Used Bulkpaq 2x and Whitelabel yellow x2 no probs :) Read somewhere the whitelabel yellow burn @ 4x but i can't get em 2.
Very plzed with drive xcellent piece of kit.

Regards RjCoolio.

rjcoolio you say your burning @2speed, it looks as if i am in burning progs , but have you timed the burn?????

orson

orson,deffo 2x m8,25 - 30 mins max.
Check u firmware on drive - shows on bootup -
Heard guys with 0.50 firmware are having probs:mad:
Mines firmware 1.00:)
Try out dvddecryptor 3.1.40 also see if theres a new pxengine out.

Regards RjCoolio.

not impressed with this what chance of buring at 4 speed when the bloody thing wont write a t 2 speed

traxdata 1 speed
datawrite classic 2 speed the only one i can burn at 2 speed

Taraxdata are only a 1X disc anyway.

Because alot of people are getting 105s I'm sure the boyz will be releasing hacked firmware very soon.

Well I hope so.

well the traxdat writes 2 speed on my 103 and 104 m8

Ah, but what firmware do those drives have?

Anyway what is one person doing with so many DVD burners, that’s just obscene. :)

if other peeps having probs with the 105, as some peeps say it only writes @ 1 speed on a verb(like mine).
the good man @ pioneer uk asked if i would post his tel no and name so that everybody else can contact him, should keep him happy.
contact RICHARD FRAZER @ tech support direct line.
01753 789806,
hope its o.k. to do this.

Well if it is Ok for him to post it here, then it is Ok with me. If I find out otherwise though....

thats what the guy said to me, honest cross my heart.

I think I would experiment with the ASPI layer before giving up on 2X writing..........

i am very new to this dvd recording thing, so when i say my pioneer is writing @ x2 it may not be.
so do the numbers ad up ? just backed up the abyss special addition pal,
with a dolby trailer and the film, the VIDEO_TS folder was 4.2gig
i then burned it to a bulkpaq jen4 dvd-r aprox time of burn 28mins
is that x1 or x2
i am running xp pro with a forced aspi layer and the drive is on secondary with dma set at ultra 2
hope this may help you , because i cannot fault the drive or the disk's ( that is if it is burning at x2 )

That is 2x

A full disk would take aprox 1 hour to burn at 1x. Looks like you're doing it in aboud a half hour, so that's 2x :)

thanx for advice , but ive already tried everything with this writer(105), aspi layers fine , pc setup fine,tried latest nero fine, vob instant cd/dvd ,fine.
but fact of the matter is , this burner will NOT write @2 speed, software allows you to select differant speeds but it only burns @ 1. it will also only read to image @1 speed, got liteon reader now anyways.
just have to wait for hacked firmware i hope.
if peeps wre burning @ 2 speed theyre the lucky ones, cos quite a few have mailed me with same prob as me, been told by one guy hes upgraded his firmeware now he can burn @2. and 4, where he gets the firmware god knows, its not where he told me....
so it looks like its just wait and see.
thanx orson

hi all..

i got a pioneer a05..and it wont burn
ant dvd-r`s,,in nero i get a message power
calibration failure using version 5.5.9.17...
in record max now 4 and gear it just throws up an error..
ive tried fws and data write,,,i also tried both
at 1x still the same result,,,i tried a dvd-rw and
that seem to work,,,it burnt cdr`s ok as well,,,
anyone with similar probs can you let me know,,
is it different brands of dvd-r---i tried win 98 and
xp,,same result,,

thanks all,,,,:confused:

There is allready a topic with this EXACT title, there was no need to start a new thread.

i got this error message using
the pioneer a05,,as it begins
to write a dvd-r

optimun laser calibration failed-i got this message with gear
or
power calibration failed--i got this message with nero

please let me know if anyone gets the same problem

thanks all

From a support page: (does not sound good)

When I try to record, I get "Optimum Power Calibration Error (Sense Code 0xAF)".

The optimum power calibration area is a special area near the center of the recordable disc. Before writing a track on a disc, the Recorder must adjust the amount of power supplied to the writing laser for the optimum setting w/respect to the Disc currently in the drive. The optimum calibration area is reserved for this purpose. If this area becomes full, the drive can’t write to the disc.

The power calibration failed, possibly due to a problem with the disc being mounted or an internal hardware malfunction in the Recorder. Insert a new blank disc and repeat the disc creation process. If the error persists, contact Technical Support

i manged to burn a dvd-rw ok,,

with nero, i tried to burn an iso onto a dvd-r,,
and it said disc hadnt enough space,,with dvd
to dvd--the writing dialog box actually says
cd-copy,,even though you picked dvd copy,,,
i just wonder is the drive not seeing the correct type of disc,,,or is it windows problem,,,tried it both 98 and xp..strange problem,,,

thanks for the info,,,,

got a prob with mine it wont write datasafe classic at all but will write bullpack 2x all the time but wont reconise the datasafe but my m8 brough his over and his writes the same disk mine wont same firmware and same program stomp record now

any idea why 1 will write em but the other wont

same trouble here m8

me and my bud both got one on wed last week 1 writes with datawrite classic and the other dont it just spits out saying some sort of error whats wrong with the drives anyone know
and i cant find anothe topic with the same problem vertigo so dont know what your on about m8 the other one is named the same but completley diffrent in side

http://www.cdrom-guide.com/cgi/Ultimate.cgi/showthread.php?s=&threadid=224240

I'm sure there is one, there is several threads on the 105, I just wish we could stick to 1 thread so I wont have to watch like 10 different threads :)

lets just keep this tread for this ao5 problem...

i dont know whats going on here with these
drives,,im going to try other brands of dvd-rs to see if its the same,,,i mailed pioneer ,waiting on a response,
in nero when you do dvd copy,,the dialog box says
cd copy,,i tried to put an iso on to a dvd-r and it said there wasnt enough space on the disc,,it was blank,,why did my dvd-rw work ok ? this is really starting to bug me,, i read on another forum,,
a person with a different manufactor ,,with the same problem,,,

best thing is to start making a list of dvd-rs
that work and dont work,,,

mine was manufactored ,,
october 2002,,,

just in case its a batch problem

pioneer a05 disc test,,,,just edit and add to list,,,

fws 1x and 2x didnt work for me
datawrite didnt work for me.
datasafe 1x dvd-rw worked for me,,

i got my 105 this weeek and no prob with bulkpaq purple top but only at 1x but hey sucess ..

thanks mate,,,

heres a list i found using dvd-r`s on a pioneer
a05


White label blue top succesfull at 1x.
Traxdata 1x sucesfull at 1x.
Vivastar 1x succesfull at 1x.
Zero Defex 2x fail at 2x.
CD-Rmedia.co.uk 2x fail at 2x.
Verbatim 2x succesfull at 2x
Bulkpaq 2x gen4 succesfull at 2x


Choice general purpose - forget it. Drive doesn't even recognise the disks.
Choice 2x dvd-r - only got a successful burn at 1x
Datawrite Classic - Recognised but no joy on reading.
Datasafe 2x - good. Passed test at 1x and 2x.
Datasafe 'yellow label' - good. passed test at 1x and 2x

looks like a disc problem at the moment,,,,

You must have a dodgy drive. My 105 has burnt everything I have put in it.

hi mate check the list in the previous
post ,,pioneer a05 trouble,,has a
list of dics people tested,,,,

Also as you can see I (hopefully) moved all relivant posts to this one.

i have a pioneer 105
i just wanted to now is it me or does anyone have the same problem with these discs


eProformance 4.7GB DVD-R in jewel case
eProformance DVD-R are made to a high standard with an emphasis on quality control and good presentation. The result is a disc which is reliable, looks good and has excellent compatibility with a wide range of hardware.
The bottom of the disc has a dark purple writing surface.


Suggested for use on the following DVD Writers: Pioneer 103/A03, Pioneer 104/A04.

This disc writes at 1x


can u just let me knoow plz
thanx
z

im burning bulkpaq gen 4 2speed @ 1 and 2 speed, the disc i copy off is same media but burnt with 104 (hacked firmware) which plays in chiped ps2s, but the copy i make will not play yet all the game data is on the disc. it will play using swap disc method on older ps2s, so the 105 burn is not so good as the hacked 104, makes sense to me, its like years ago some burners would burn better on some media than others.
im ordering verbs, tdk, and some other cheaper cds this morning to try it out. hope i can find something that this burner will burn for newer ps2s.
im in 2 minds to send it back and get 104.

Heard from a dealer at Bowlers Computer fair that the A05/105's are being recalled due to problems, he also said he had not found any media to burn at X4 and was struggling to burn at X2, for the time being will stick with my A04

therock_1010:
I have tried the eProformance DVD-R in my 105, and the drive doesn't even recognise it, so won't burn to it. Had the same problem with the ICE White Top discs. Haven't yet found a disc that will burn successfully in my 105 - most will fail part way through or will just be unreadable when finished.

Rolf.

Tried bulkpac gen 3 purple top at 1Xspeed passed
Tried datasafe deep purple bottom gen 3 at 1xspeed passed
Gonna try the datasafe classic at 2x speed now

105 set as primary master with DMA.
Firmware 1.0.
Using Nero 5.5.9.9

Superior Gen4 2X - Fine at 2X
Traxdata - Fine at 1X (only a 1X disc anyway)
Choice Gen3 2X - Fine at 2X
DVD Master 2X - Fine at 1X (although they say 2X I have yet to find a Ritek disc that does 2X without hacked firmware, even on a 104)

From what I have read here it looks like there may be a fault on some drives. If you are sure your setup is OK then I would suggest you use the phone number from an earlier post and find out WTF is going on.

You guys have paid good money for your drives and as I see it you are entitled to your money back or a replacement.

The sooner we get hacked firmware the better.

just unplugged 104 and replaced with 105 - tried to copy same disc, same media - got 'disc write error' first try then 'power calibration error' 2nd time

can anyone help?

Cant the users who have tried different media also post their firmware (since there seems to be 2 different ones out) and also what programs they use?
It would be easier to know what to try :>

/Mike

just started to use stomp recordnow max 4.50 ,with my 105
the lead in and lead out time is a lot shorter than nero, also i like this prog my choice from now on
give it a go

still no idea why mine writes datawrite at 2 speen and my mates wont write it at all even brought his to my machine and burnt an image from my drive ok with my 105 but spit spit with his whats going on with this drive ???

recived this today from the techy man from pioneer
still dont explain why 1 drive writes datawrite and 1 dont


"Pioneer does not recommend the use of the very cheep DVD-R disks, we have
found that the disks are very unreliable and may or may not work in any
drive, Pioneer can only warranty the use of DVD-R disks that conform to the
DVD Forum standards for DVD-R disks.

Manufacturers that produce disks that conform to the correct standards
include Pioneer, TDK, Verbatim, Maxell, Apple, CMC and Panasonic."


Richard Fraser
Pioneer GB,
Tel 01753 789 806

YEA, THEY WOULD SAY THAT WOULDN'T THEY.... THE BLOODY MOST EXPENSIVE MEDIA U HAVE TO BUY.
BEEN USING TRAXDATA 1X AND HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.
ALSO GOT SOME 2X Datasafe / Datawrite Classic Gen 3 Branded. THEY ARE CRAP AND WILL NOT READ ON THE DVD WRITER AFTER BURN. I DONT EVEN KNOW IF THEY ARE COPYING AS WILL NOT PLAY BACK ON STANDALONE OR EVEN MY PC DVD ROM.
GETTIN SOME BULKPAQ 2X TOMORROW AS HEARD THEY ARE WORKING AT 2X..
HERE IS HOPING. WILL STICK WITH THE TRAXDATA FOR NOW AS ALL IS WORKING A OK SO FAR AT 1X.. COME ON 2X AND 4X GET YAR ASES WORKING

Originally posted by CaSt-DrEaM
YEA, THEY WOULD SAY THAT WOULDN'T THEY.... THE BLOODY MOST EXPENSIVE MEDIA U HAVE TO BUY.
BEEN USING TRAXDATA 1X AND HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.
ALSO GOT SOME 2X Datasafe / Datawrite Classic Gen 3 Branded. THEY ARE CRAP AND WILL NOT READ ON THE DVD WRITER AFTER BURN. I DONT EVEN KNOW IF THEY ARE COPYING AS WILL NOT PLAY BACK ON STANDALONE OR EVEN MY PC DVD ROM.
GETTIN SOME BULKPAQ 2X TOMORROW AS HEARD THEY ARE WORKING AT 2X..
HERE IS HOPING. WILL STICK WITH THE TRAXDATA FOR NOW AS ALL IS WORKING A OK SO FAR AT 1X.. COME ON 2X AND 4X GET YAR ASES WORKING

Calm down, I can understand why well known brand media are more compatible. Generic might work, but they are design cheaply so they might not have compatiblity

Why make the media like Datasafe and others that worked fine on A04 then all of a sudden not work on the AO5... Don't u think that is very strange and maybe a little sneaky on the DVDr brands mentioned above and Pioneer. They are working together and maybe want these media to work on it and not the cheaper makes tha are a bout. I will be dammed paying 2 quid + for DVDR media when i can get TRAXDATA for half the price and is just as good but better then the expensive ones. I am sure there will be a new firmware released soon that will fix the problem that has arisen with the Media on this post not working right.. This happens when new H/Ware is released and sorts itself out in time..

:round: :hdspin:

I sympathise with you all as I was considering getting a 105 but I opted for a 104 for better media comatibility.

looks like sony is having the same trouble with
their drives,,sony have now posted a fix,,so whats
the story pioneer,,,you can read at this link...

http://www.dvdwriters.co.uk

Hi I have had my 105 for a week now and bought some bulkpaq 2x r2 blanks to try with it and I can only say these discs are fantastic! They record at 2x and play back on various dvd players is smooth as! My old bulkpaq gen3 1x discs play ok but I have had a couple spit out by my 105 but were fine on my A03? :tup:

i heard early versions of the pioneer 105 were
ok,,sony did a recall,so they could put this crappy
version in,,,something to with the cheaper
manufactures of dvd-rs not paying royalties to
pioneer,,,

i could be wrong,,,,

Well if all this is true, this will be a great way to decide who will win the DVD format wars. Pioneer might start their own demise.

Blah, Ok so the score now is

Sony 1 - Pioneer 0

I'm returning my A05, and getting a Sony.

Sony Speaks
"We are releasing new firmware to support cheap media"

Pioneer Speaks
"We dont support cheap media! We want more money!"

Hey all ... politely send your test results to the tech manager, Scott, at Cendyne as he claims he hasn't heard of these problems we are all reporting:

techmgr@cendyne.com

Please try to provide the following:

- Model (duh!)
- Firmware revision
- OS, Burning Software, etc
- Discs tested, at what speed, and results

I am determined to get some satisfaction or die trying. :P

You can also post at the Cendyne forums (http://support.cendyne.com/index.php?s=) ... figure that is OK as it is the manufacturer's own crappy forums. hehe There is a thread in troubleshooting ... start posting your problems and help give us a voice there so everyone is aware of this. :)

just posted in here i think everyone with a problem should relpy to this as we dont seem to be getting anywhere
http://support.cendyne.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=10512#post10512

mines up running brill now, been a pain in the arse for a week ,but burning ritek datasafe @ 2, 1 ok
verb no prob @ 2
tdk no prob @2
bulkpaq gen 4 2speed @ 2 ok, but these dont play on v7 ps2s, lazer not keen.
so riteks the discs for me @ mo.

so orson, yu are only 1 of 2 people I have seen that had success with the Riteks. which Riteks (color?) and what did you do if anything to get it working? from all the reading I've done, seems some had great luck with this burner but most had $hit luck. :(

A small tool that tells you information about your DVD-R disc (manufacturer, etc). Requires ASPI v4.60+ and obviously a DVD-R writer.
at this link,,,

http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd-r_tools/advdinfo.cfm

ok 420, here we go, i bought the discs from svp in ten pack they are dark purple underside, on the top it s called DATASAFE-MEDIA 2x speed gen 4,
i bought them as 1 speed, but cos mine is burning @ 2 dont know if everyone elses will.
funny thing is if this hadnt of worked after over aweek of real pain in the arse it was going back, this burners been drivin me nuts, im not a newbie ive been burning for 8-9 years since first burners came out, so like to think i know quite a bit, but this dvd!!!!!!!
i started from scratch with a clean wipe of system, cos id been messing so much with differant software and aspis, then installed prassi 2.0, then got the pxengine upgrade ( not the one linked to from thisite it dont work.)
installed my other software then give it a blast. now bits going a.o.k.
thats about it.,,, just waiting for firmware upgrade to get it burning 4 speed on this cheap media,,,,, be nice wouldnt it,,
,

OK HERES SOMETHING THAT HELPED ME!!!

SOON AS I WENT TO BURN SOMETHING THAT WAS ON A 1X DVDR THE 105 ONLY WANTED TO LET ME CHOOSE 1X TO BURN..COULDNT BELIEVE IT!!!

SO I TRICKED IT BY PRETENDING I WANTED TO COPY A 2X PRINCOWHITETOP GENERIC...SO AFTER IT NOW LET ME CHOOSE 2 X AND I HIT COPY IT AUTOMATICALLY KICKS OUT THE BLANK,,,ASKS FOR THE ORIGINAL WHICH I NOW CAN PUT IN SINCE IVE SOMEHOW TRICKED IT INTO LETTING ME BURN 2X..... AND IM USING 2X MEDIA ANYWAYS SO IT BURNS PERFECTLY.

JUST THOUGHT THIS COULD HELP OTHERS WHO R BURNING 1X DVDR DISCS
AND THEN THE PIONEER ONCE REGONIZING IT ONLY WANTS TO ALLOW 1X?

I KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT SHOULDNT BE HAPPENING BUT ITS A EASY FIX SO IM GOOD FOR NOW?

So you have had success burning to Princo then? did you do a verification after the write also? and what did u test the discs on? i.e. PS2, X-Box, set-top player and what make/model. :)

YEP PRINCO GENERIC WHITETOPS...NO VERIFICATION JUST BURNED IT.

DIDNT MATTER WHAT I BURNED IT ALL WORKS...LIKE I SAID I HAD TO PULL MY LITTLE TRICK WHEN COPYING A 1X DVDR DISC.

hmm, would like to see what happens when you try the verification process with it. many have been able to burn "successfully" but when the DVD-R is verified, it fails towards the end. These discs often play but will lock up at some point during the movie/game.

Also curious as to what firmware version you have m8?

p.s. Caps Lock button is located on the lefthand side of the keyboard. :D

chiasports what program did you use,,,

pioneer 105 firmware revision 1.00

burned pioneer dvd-r 4x ok at 4x
" " " 2x ok at 2x

burned blkpaq gen 4 2x ok at 2x

all above played on ps2 vers. 4 messiah

new to dvd writing, must just be lucky ?

http://www.digitalpromo.co.uk/


4 speed media here 105 compatable anyone tried it

discod

i burnt a datasafe dvd-r at 2x on my pioneer 105--but if you look at
the disc theres a faint white ring about half way
into the disc,,,like it was over burnt/under burnt,, i tried it after in
my dvd player...and it played for a while then stopped..if you skipped
a number of chapters it would play again,,the error would
of roughly corresponded to the marking on the disc,,,,

this could be a reason why some people are able to burn,,but
yet the disc is rubbish when finished,,,

strange............

i read that steve from svp-said that pioneer will have a fix
out soon,,,,

anyone see that blue moon last night,,,,would he take a bet,,,

nednedned

Sounds like you had a buffer underrun to me.

vchlkctgk

i dont think it was a buffer underrun,,i tried a choice 2x at 2x
and it had the same markings,,then i tried a bulk paq 2x at
2x which was perfect,no makings and played ok,,,ive read that
other people have seen this also,,some have said the whole disc
had this whitest colour after a burn,,
i think theres something else
going on here,,both discs that failed stopped playing at the same place,,
but the bulk paq was perfect,,i used the same disc with all 3 burns,,,,

Hey all,

I got my drive yesterday and have had mixed results on a variety of disks.

ePerformance - drive doesn't even recognise there is a disk in the drive
Choice X2 blue top general purpose. Burns at x2 and x1 but copy fails at about 10-20mins in and dies (tried 3 diff burns on diff software)
Ritek X1 white tops - work perfectly with a X1 burn in DVD-Rom and stand alone Pioneer 535 and Pacific DVD.

It's just a pain in the a** having to wait 50mins to find that it's failed.... lets hope they sort the media out asap.

Regards

Psmeg

Psmeg-

what firmware version are you on? also, did you use verification after the burn? I'm not convinced until i hear that verification was used. ;)

Hi discod

Looks like the 4x speed DVD-R are fine :) , just received an email from a customer who received his discs today and as tried them........

Just to let you know I received my 4X Datawrite DVD-R's this morning,the one I've tried simulated/burnt/and verified without any problems,played back excellent in my Pioneer DVD 105,Pioneer 106S and my Mustek DVD 520 standalone DVD player.

Things are looking good !!!
15 min. to burn a full DVD ! :tup:

Bri
www.digitalpromo.co.uk

Psmeg,,

when i tried a choice 2x on win 98 the
writing failed after some time,,but when
i tried it under win xp it burnt ok,,,

where can i upgrade 0.50 to 1.00 ??????????
i cant find a download anywhere ???!!

Goku_ssj4
dont be mad that firmware is the best at the moment have you not read the posts

Psmeg,,


i changed my mind about my last
post,,in xp they burn ok,,but later
i found they dont work ok,,

Hi 420,

No I didn't use verification after the burn. What diff will taht make if the burn went ok but the disk content is corrupt 10-20mins into the film?

Not sure what firmware my drive is, I would assume it's version 1.00 as it's a brand new drive dated October 2002 (IIRC). I can't for the life of me find out the firmware details under XP tho. Ne help would be handy.. :)

Regards

Psmeg

***UPDATE***

Add to the previous list of success/failures:

I tried an El Cheapo Vivistar silver top (£4 for 10) and the disk works fine and seems to have burnt fine as well. I think I buggered the chapters up tho on my first CCE/IFOedit rip tho, as it doesn't move through them as it should.

Psmeg

Have tried the following with Nero and RecordNow Max 4.5

FWS burnt OK @ x1
Choice OK @ x1
Datasafe White Top OK @ x1
Datawrite OK @ x2
Discplanet OK @x2

All play on my P & B 2233 DVD player

Psmeg

your firmware is 1.00,, my drive was also manufactored
in october 02....

Cheers nednedned, I thought it would be as it's a new drive.

Psmeg-

well w/o verification (or watching the movie 100% all the way through or playing the game all the way through), you can't be positive it was a good burn. :) I have read about so many people getting "successful" burns with failures after the 4gb mark. :(

i cant burn anyting apart from cdr's :(
It doesnt recognise my Data safe GEN 3 dvdr ! or my normal datasafe white top :(
firmware 0.52 ! :D

I just got my 105 today, firmware version 1.00, threw it right in the machine, booted up, loaded nero and it burnt svcd perfect at 16x right away. Dvd-r that came with drive worked perfectly as well at 2x. I noticed a piece of paper that came with my drive that may help you guys out, heres what Pioneer says:

The 2x DVD-R record feature is a media specific feature. Depending on the media used the record speed may default to 1x. Pioneer suggests use of the following DVD-R Media for 2x Recording. Of the media manufacturers listed below there does exist media that is NOT 2X DVD-R compatible. To confirm whether or not the media inteded for use is 2X compatible, please ask at the point of Purchase.

Hitachi Maxell LTD.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Verbatim)
Mitsui Chemicals, inc.
Pioneer Video Corporation
TDK Corporation
Taiyo-Yuden Co., LTD
Matsushita Electric Industial Co, LTD (Panasonic)
CMC Magnetics Corp.

*Also Note all these listed will work on the DVR104/A04 as well, with a Firmware Revision V1.31 needed For CMC Magnetics

Hope this helps at all

@420

Cheers for clearing that up, but I have watched most of the disks burnt right the way through and have had no problems, even on the cheap vivastar disks (although they don't like the Pacific stand alone I tried it on) works fine on my 535 standalone and a m8's DVD-Rom drive.

I should have some more media arriving tomorrow to test out (a couple of X4 to give em a whirl). So let's see what else works on this drive.

Lets hope the new firmware that Pioneer say they are releasing this week will sort some of these problems out.

Regards

Psmeg

i will buy this drive ASAP when it can burn el ceapo dvd-R!

Originally posted by Goku_ssj4
i cant burn anyting apart from cdr's :(
It doesnt recognise my Data safe GEN 3 dvdr ! or my normal datasafe white top :(
firmware 0.52 ! :D

hi mate well i got mine and am happy with it , i got 10 4x discs and they really make it worth it 15 mins and no lock ups on the dvd player and all ive done so far work in my ps2 so im happy , ok i got about 50 white labels 2x and a few datawrite that dont work in it , but now i no which discs do and dont im happy


PS i got datasafe white tops ritek dye and they work fine ? my firmware is 1.00 though

Lets hope the new firmware that Pioneer say they are releasing this week will sort some of these problems out.


new firmware is due out for the AO5 ??? point me to that article please as I would looovvve some new firmware :D

Here is an interesting post, if its true:

http://forum.firmware-flash.com/viewtopic.php?p=30446

Which is the better, 104 or 105 for writing CDR then as this important to me aswell as DVDR (which looks like 1x mainly and 2x if lucky or buy 'decent' media)?

Has anyone tried Optodisc gold or silver top discs on this drive? Success rate?

from techmanager@cendyne.com in reply to the mail i sent him

"The drives are made by Pioneer, we do not make them.

They are releasing new firmware in January from what I'm told that should address most media issues"

will be hoping that this new firmware does the bloody trick, sick of getting coasters

Got my Pioneer 105 yesterday have had no problems yet. I have been using "DVD Master" Generation 4 DVD's and have had no coasters yet. The discs are rated at 2x but nero only lets me do them at 1x, I guess a stable new firmware patch will sort this out, but I personally am not in a rush to burn loads so 1x is fine for me.
The discs are available at http://www.wcwmedia.com/products.asp?Category=DVD-Rs

what fimware batman2 ??

If I remember correctly DVD Master use Ritek dye and I have yet to find a Ritek disc that will write at 2X (with unhacked firmware).

Bulkpaq Gen4 2X.

Hmm, what can I say about these discs. Well they are crap !

After burning these discs nothing can read them, not even my 105 which did the burn.

Good job I only bought 10.

:wavey:Bye bye Bulkpaq don't call us We'll call you.:wavey:

Bulkpaq Gen4 2X.

Hmm, what can I say about these discs. Well they are crap !

After burning these discs nothing can read them, not even my 105 which did the burn.

Good job I only bought 10.

Bye bye Bulkpaq don't call us We'll call you.



well after using over 75 Bulkpaq Gen4 2X. and not having one prob with the discs on my pioneer 105 all burning at x2, and a lot of other people reporting good feedback.... i may be wrong... but i think the prob is at your end not the discs

yep thats all im using is bulpaq 2x on my A05 no probs yet

Originally posted by REDBULL
yep thats all im using is bulpaq 2x on my A05 no probs yet

Same Here With No Errors What So Ever

can people specify firmware ???????????

Just downloaded FW A105 V>122 from the pioneer site If thats any help to anyone.
Giving it a go when the misses gives over moaning.
By the By got mine for £177

Olik

Goku_ssj4

Currently using firmware 1.00 on my 105

Well I can't understand it.

I've written to 4 of these Bulkpaq and all of them are unreadable. I bought them because I had read that people are having great success with them.

Perhaps I got a bad pack or something, I'll have another go before I bin em.

BTW Olik
I'm pretty sure that firmware isn't for the DVR-105.

Originally posted by Olik
Just downloaded FW A105 V>122 from the pioneer site If thats any help to anyone.
Giving it a go when the misses gives over moaning.
By the By got mine for £177

Olik


Well i int seen the firmware and £177 ? yeah i bought mine for £177 + vat lol


MR2 - UK wot software u using to copy with ? i use record now dx and l8test nero with no porbs using bulkpaq 2x

i got firmware 1.00

Well I just tried another Bulkpaq and it's no good but to be fair I also used a Superior Gen4 2X and that didn't work either.

I think my 105 might be broken because the written surface looks cloudy, like there is no definate end to the written data it just fades out to a whitish blur.

I've been using Nero 5.5.9.9 and DVD Decrypter and I have firmware 1.0.

I'm giving it one last go and if it doesn't work it's going back tommorow.

THATS the same thing that happens to me mate when i use whitelabel 2x it goes a wierd wash out cloudy effect

maybe and im not to sure on this but i no with bulkpaq 1x they buy in bulk various blanks thats why they are called bulk paq cos they go to for instance ritek , datasafe , etc and get large quantity produced for them and then labeled up bulkpaq so maybe the ones u got are whitelable 2x relabeled bulkpaq ,cos i no for definet thats the same thing to the t that i get with white label 2x


And i havnt used superior so cant comment

ive used so far

white label 2x no good cloudy effect
datawrtite 2x wont write to crashes

yellow top datasafe no prpbs
datasafe white tops ritek no probs
dvd masters ritek no probs
bulkpaq 2x no probs
datawrite 4x no probs even works in ps2 at 4x cant fault um but £2.50 each :(

i tried some bulk paq with firmware version
1.00,,3 out of 5 were ok,,choice 2x had this
cloudy effect on the disk,,,

After being up all night and trying different things I can now report that out of 10 Bulkpaq Gen4 2X all but 1 failed and the 1 that worked was written in a 104.

I'm not 100% convinced that my 105 is busted because although it failed with a couple of Superior Gen4 (BTW I've been using these discs for ages) it has since burned 1 OK and has no problems with Ritek.

I think I'd better get some sleep now, boy do I have a headache.

Just A quick update from earlier.

The DVD Master Generation 4 that I have been using on my Pioneer 105 (firmware 1.0) in Nero (latest), seem to work fine on my DVD Rom drive and in my Pioneer 105 drive, but when I use them in my CAT DV-988 Standalone DVD player and on my friends DVD player the DVD movies FREEZE in certain parts and lock up. I will not use these until a firmware update corrects problem.
All media burnt at 1x so far.
Now gonna order some Pioneer 4X DVD-R and NEW FWS BRANDED (1x) 4.7GB DVD-R disc from SVP.

Same probs here firmware 1.00, originally bought datawrite .. sent them back and was told bulkpaq gen4s silvertop were the best, thats what the company (big pockets) were burning to with no problems, again wouldn't even write. svp seem to be the only company that stipulate what drives their discs will burn to and no probs with the ones I ordered, haven't got round to try the trial pack as yet.

nal

I just put in my DVR-105 and when I go to record using 2x Ritek DVD-R's the PC freezes up. When I used the disk that came with the drive, it didnt freeze up, but it failed pretty quickly @ 1x.

Are there any updates? I dunno what firmware is, i that is was for external drives, so i dunno if there's anything i can try?

Pioneer have just released a new firmware for the Pioneer 105/a05 and it can be obtained here:

http://wwwbsc.pioneer.co.jp/product-e/ibs/device_e/dev00001r_e.html

i have just upgraded it and tried a whitelabel gen4 disc at 2x speed and it worked perfectly with verify and everything.. i have burnt about 15 coasters using fw 1.0 on those discs so seems pioneer have fixed the problems..

this new firmware is still a bit rubbish,,
the only difference from before.is ,i can
see fws at 2x and data write at 2x
now,,but you still get calibration
error..choice 2x are still failling a burn after
time,,and with white markes on the disc...

they better get the finger out again,,,,

Downloaded new firmware but daren't try it yet. Not after the 104 firmware disaster........................

Will keep to 1X speed FWS and Bulkpaq .................................for now.

Unless of course more people have good results.

Can anyone with this writer and the original firmware answer these questions for me.

Can you burn at 1x on the purple bulkpaq gen 3 dvdrs?
Can you burn at 2x on the purple bulkpaq gen 3 dvdrs?
Can you burn at 1x on the silver bulkpaq gen 4 dvdrs?
Can you burn at 2x on the silver bulkpaq gen 4 dvdrs?
Do the Choice Gen 3 1x white dvdrs work in this recorder?

I'm going to buy a writer in a few days time and just want to check which dvdrs to order.

Thanks for any info.

I can answer the bulkpaq Gen 3 purple top questions.........

1X Speed .... Yes. All mine have good burns 100% even work on my ps2 games

2X Speed ..... No. Resets to 1X Speed.


Not tested the other yet though.

Cheers BigVal, have you tried any other dvdrs on it yet?

Yes m8.

Tried the sample pack from SVP.

All burnt at 1X speed perfectly except the ICE WHITE brand.

All reset to 1X speed when trying at 2X speed. But I am sure they are all 1X speed dvd-r anyway. Maybe FWS is 2X speed but still reset to 1X Speed.

The dvd-rw in the pack burnt well too. Even played in my standalone dvd player lol.

Cannot burn to Datawrite though so they need avoiding at the moment.

Going to try Datasafe after the Cristmas/New year period.

Looks like new firmware is still no good.

This drive is a %&^^"% disgrace.Got it & it worked fine burnt about 100 ice whitetops no problem.I ran out & had to get datawrite which it wouldnt read so i got some bulkpaq & same problem.Now it wont read any preburnt dvdr that it used to & no original dvds whatsoever

Considering the popularity of this forum I'd be very surprised if someone from Pioneer wasn't reading these posts.

So if you are out there why don't you respond and help your customers you W@NK£RS.

if they are reading it, i dont think it would help your casue by calling them names.

I just tried some cheap aladin media discs, and it burned at 4x for about 20% of the time then reverted back to 1x.

the disc plays perfectly.

Has anyone tried the "Branded White Premium 4.7Gb DVD-R" from big pockets or the "Choice Branded GEN 3 X1 Speed DVD-R" from big pockets?

I think im going to order 25 bulkpag gen 3s for xbox games and i need to know which ones to get for movies. At the minute im thinking about bulkpaq gen 4's if them choice/white ones arnt any good.

I sincerely apologise for my previous outburst :)

I would imagine they have read comments from disatisfied loyal customers on this forum, & what's wrong with venting your anger with a bit of name calling, doesn't do any real harm, lets face it, for the price people have payed for the A05 (probably most have also past purchased the A03/A04 as well), customers are WELL within their rights to say what they want, after all, if the product is defective( even via crippled firmware), then at the end of the day, it's your money thats been blown, & you are entitled to have your say.........................Tony

been 2 comp fair 2 day to try some new discs, neo premium & datasafe white top ( let u know results l8r ) was talking to him abt the prob with the media and the 105 , and he says that acouple of his suppliers have told him that there is another f/w update due in the next few days that should sort all the probs out , and if that dose not work all 105 drives will be recalled foc and re flashed to fix the prob.................. only repeating what he said...................... syd

syd you had a chance to test them yet, im going to pc fair tomorrow just want to check those brands were ok.

well the two disc's work fine , the two are x1 and my dvd player plays them.will be watching one of the discs all the way through tonight ,whitch will be a good test

one thing i noticed after 105 firmware update,,
it took longer to read a blank cdr,,anyone else notice this,,,

I was having trouble with some DVD Master and had 1 in particular that just wouldn't burn. I got write error (even before anything was written) or the usual power calibration error. So I thought stuff it I ain't got anything to loose and I updated to 1.21. I put the same problem disc in again and it worked.

I haven't had chance to test other "dodgy" discs yet so there could still be problems.

I just burned a general purpose white bulkpaq (gen 1??) it burned fine and it plays back in my writer and on my xbox but it doesnt work in my dvdrom or either of my dvd players. Is this just cause of the disc? I dont have any other dvdrs to test until i can order some online, they didnt have any today at the pc fair.

I got my 105 for £175 though.

well just to let u know, did a back up of lord of the rings1 last night , put it onto a neo premium disc burned it ( only x1 ) and watched it just .
just under 3 hrs of a film , and not 1 glitch. cool 80p a disc gets my vote.
buy the way the disc use the ritek dye 03..same as the traxdata...................syd

another thing i noticed,,i burnt 2 bulk paq gen4
at 2x,,two discs ,,film frooze at the same spot,,
the 3rd disc was ok,,this has happened before were the 3rd disc was ok,,also,,i looked at the failed disc,it looked as if it hadnt been burnt,,like a weak burn,,,i couldnt see the difference in the burnt and unburnt parts,,as i could with the
one that worked,,

using a 105 with firmware 121,,

just an after thought,,we should charge
pioneer for all our failed dvd-rs..as we know
now that its not our problem...

Just updated bios on my 105 to latest, now starting to get coasters with my DVD Master Gen 4 DVD's. They sometimes play back in my 105, but in my standalone DVD player it just says STOP after trying to play them. Before update they used to work

Using latest Nero on Win XP

I noticed something else as well, before update when I burnt with Nero the max speed offered by Nero was 2x but with new pioneer bios update it is now 4x. Why then have pioneer been claiming in there sales literature that this drive is 4x but with firmware 1.0 it is only 2x....?

Just recall these drives and sort out these problems and not use us as guinea pigs.

Thanks alot pioneer:(

Pioneer site has new firmware and Media compatibility list. Also a program to check media writing speeds. Just bought a Cendyne/Pioneer 105 and seems to work ok so far. Burned 4 PS2 games with no trouble using Compusa brand dvd-r. Only at 1x but PS2 reads them no problem.

http://wwwbsc.pioneer.co.jp/product-e/ibs/device_e/dev00001r_e.html

batman2

I updated Nero to latest 5.5.10.0 and had the same problem so I went back to 5.5.9.9 and all was back to normal.

Ive Stuck With The Same DVD Throughout And Not A Problem To Date, Thats The White Label 1x (Dark Blue Disks) & The 2x Bulkpaq (Light Green Disks) Only Use Them For Mp3 BackUp

They 2 Get My Vote

I think that is the problem MR2-UK.
I have gone back to the old version of nero, however I am out of media and am waiting for new media to arrive.
Most online stores are closed until around the 6th for deliveries, any open at the mo...?

Anyone use Ebay for media? Just bought Verbatim 2x DVD-r cheap. 45 @ $1.80 each with the shipping. Hopefully will burn at 2x since they are on Pioneer's recommended list.

Brand new at this. Just got 105, burns fine except obviously at only1X. I take it from reading these posts that it is solely due to a media selection? Don't know much about DVD-R media brands? Help would be appreciated.

Same here got my A05 about 2 weeks ago, up to now have been burning x1 on Bulkpaq Gen 3 (r2) DVDR (with frosted white centre spindle!) no problem at all, worked in every DVD player I've tried (ones that play copies).
Also purchased the sample pack from SVP, but haven't got round to using them yet, as the above disks working great, even though at x1, takes around an hour per disk, but no rush.

Spot on Tony. Buolkpaq Gen 3 work perfectly for me too. All my 3 standalones play them fine.

As for sample pack they all work at 1 speed too. I just had problem with ice white one

Which dvd players have you had the bulkpaq's playback in? Ive got a acoustic solutions 321 has anyone played them back in one of these players? I'm about to buy some so id just like to know if they are going to play in my player or if im going to have to buy some other dvdrs for movies and just use the bulkpaq for xbox games.

I played them in Pacific 1000 and 1002 and Alba 108 no problems.

If you use them for xbox games then why not try one for a movie?

No, i dont have any to try yet, i know they work for xbox games as ive bought games from people on bulkpaq gen 3's media before.

Have updated firmware. will tell you how I get on.

hi, have f/w 1.0 and can write to the following:
White label x 2
FWS x 2
Datasafe blue x 1
Datasafe 4 gen x 2
Monarch x 1 .... can only write at 1 speed but have no problems playing any of the disks in various standalone players..However i have my "settings" set to PIO !! seems most of you are set at DMA ??? duno if this will make a difference, but was told by a "educated" m8 to alter the settings? i haven,t tried them on DMA as everthing seems to work ok ...other than writng at 2 x?? hope this helps abit.........cheers

How do you alter the settings?

i am running windows 2k. u need to find IDE ATA /ATAPI controllers(DEVICE MANAGER) ,go to advanced then find the right connection for your drive..alter it there..think there is only 2 options..

Do you know the difference between the two ?

DMA /PIO. not sure what they do?? but my m8 says its, always DMA for CD-R !! but not for DVD?

Nope. It didn't make a difference.

2 what? u can,t have written a disk already?? LMK,

My Bulkpaqs fail, and my datasafe classics gen4 write at only 1x.
When switched to PIO, they did the same thing.

right sorry m8, u sure you set the right Drive to PIO? or have u only 1 drive?
just checking..

Only one drive. Yep I changed the DVD writer to PIO but no difference. I don't think it would affect it anyway since Pioneer have done this on purpose to make sure we use their expensive own brand discs. but here's hoping someone will make hacked firmware which will allow us to use all media 100% !

ok m8, sorry it wasn,t any help, b lucky............cheers Satcat

Here is a link to Pioneers Site where it show which media is supported at higher write speeds. They talk about the 105 reading the write strategies imbedded in the media. I take this to mean if the 105 doesn't see this information on generic disks it will probable default to 1X.

http://wwwbsc.pioneer.co.jp/product-e/ibs/device_e/dev00003r_e.html

How long does it take for someone to make hacked firmware?!

Can someone tell me the name of the person/team who made hacked firmware for the 104 because I want to ask them about 105 hacked firmware.
I am bored of sitting around with a 1x DVD writer. I bought a 4x writer, so I should be writing discs in 15 mins. But even still, 30 mins is much better than an hour!!!

white label, gen 3 + 4 bulkpaq,traxdata,choice gen3,all datasafe,verbs,aladdin,riteks,all work fine with my 105.the newest datasafe from svp also burn at 4 speed with no probs yet.my firmware is 1.21.

your all on about changing the pio settings,but are you also enabling the pio mode to 4 in your mother boards bios before you change it in your windows platform.if you dont change it in your bios your windows platform may let you think your changing it but infact you are not changing it at all.
as for speed of the write,not all software at the moment will not let the 105 let u burn above 4 speed,nero is one such proggy.try prassi and vob.

the people who are having write failures are u using full retail nero burning rom
as i have had probs wiv nero i downloaded off net would burn but not work
seemed to burn ok i was pullin my hair out in fact its all gone now
anyway got the full retail version & hey presto all up & runnin fine
just my input guys

check this link out! mid way down the page there is some info on datasafe 4x and 2x disc Suggested for use on the following DVD Writers: Pioneer A05/105. i recently purchased a 105 it works fine.

http://www.blankdiscshop.co.uk/acatalog/SVP_Communications_Special_offers_____WHILE_STOCKS _LAST__15.html

I just bought the 105. I can return it and get the 104. Should I downgrade to avoid these problems?

Has any 1 upgraded there filmware for the pie?105 to 1.21

any info will be cool this is a link

hope its ok to do this me does not want a ban#####

http://www.*******************/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=189&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

:confused:

updated earlier this week to pioneer firm 121.not had any probs yet.using nero,prassi,vob and record now.everything is fine.

Upgraded to 121 firmware a few days ago and have been burning with DVD XCopy 1.2.2 using FWS dvd-r (avail from bigpockets.com) without ANY probs at all ( gonna get some more ) .. got my Pioneer 105 off Santa and am very happy ;)))))

@GTIR, I really don't like that site since they ripped off our/my DVD size list. However relivant external links are fine, well as long as they don't also contain content contary to the rules of this site.

I'm at .052 in this thread there is talk about ver 1.21,on the pioneer site is a ver 1.22 listed as A05s,my unit is labled A05u,I've been sucsessful in making coasters from MEMOREX ver2 disks,could someone point me in the right direction,the drive burnt the disk that came with it fine.

Which Pioneer site are you referring to?
And are you sure you're looking at the DVR-A05, and not the DVD-A05 ?

thanks for pointing that out,and yes it is dvd,has going from ver 0.52 to ver1.21 benefited anything?been playing with stomp and prassi and they react the same to the memorex ver2 disks,they test ok,burned 2 into a white wash now burner won't start with them in.

can you burn at 2x ?

I don't remember now,stores will open in couple hours,I'm going to get some TDK's I think that was the only other brand they had and if they burn at 1x I'll try the 1.21 for speed,if they burn at 2x I'll hold off on updating,I'll post back in a few with info.

I'm having problems burning Datawrite Classic 2speed. I get a power calibration error in nero and unable to read sector ....... in prassi. I have the latest firmwear. Any ideas?????

Before xmas I was having a lot of trouble, I was using white label and bulk pack. Burn one, ruin 2. I bought some FWS. The failure rate went down but only a little.
I have since upgraded my computer from a Duron 800 to an xp1800+.
So far I have had 100% success rate at 1 speed. I have ordered some
Brand called Superior which are supposed to record at 2 speed. I will let you know how I get on.

power calibration = uncompatible media. try changing your IDE controller to PIO on your BIOS.

made no difference for me

Incompatible media. Try something else. Some of us have lucky writers, some of us have unlucky writers. I have been deemed an unlucky writer...

i have had three different dvd writers now,all pioneers.only media i had probs with were from computer fairs.all media i have bought from reputable dealers have been fine.just a thought.
my mewest pie which is a 105 works with all the media i have ever tried except one pack of choice which struggled to burn on my other pies.the next pack i bought all worked fine.just another thought.
in my opinion,and i have burnt thousands of dvds,is that traxdata,whitelabel,alladdin and bulkpaq are the best cheap range dvdrs.

I am not a cheapskate but I can't fault Bulkpaq gen3.

Play on all my standalones(3)

Shame I can't trade with them because of the reputation they have.

has any body tried these dvd-rs in the pioneer
105,,any results..from svp,,,,,i tried 1 data safe
branded,before firmware updated,and it had a
milky burn,,just wondering are these any better,,
as it states on the website,they can be used in the 105..

Datasafe Unbranded 2X 4.7Gb DVD-R

as i read from start to finish in this sticky,,it looks
like were giving up the fight,,more and more people
seem to be happy writing at 1x,,mise well go out and
buy a 103\104 if i wanted to write at 1x...we should
bomb bared pioneer every day with emails,,looks
like cendyne has gone into hiding,,,this last firmware
update was rubbish,,it didnt address half the problems,,,
im giving them a little more time,,then its going back,,,,

Everyone is moaning about their burners not diong what they had hoped but infact the real problem is the discs. How many people do you see complaining about their Virbatum discs not working, I've never seen a single one because they are top quality discs.

You buy cheap and you get cheap, there is no consistancy in the quality of cheap discs.

Have you ever seen posts where someone has said.
"I burned a disc and it won't play in my player"
What is the usual answer ?
Try another brand of disc.
I've never seen anyone say try another burner.

P.S.
I don't work for Pioneer. :)

fw 1.21

Traxdata 1x -perfect burns, work in everything! :tup:
BulkPaq Gen 4 Green 2x - perfect burns, work in everything! :tup:
BulkPaq Gen 4 Silver 2x - wont work :tdown:

I thought the Bulkpaqs would have been the same just different colours!

why do most of these cheap discs work
in the pioneer 104,,they made the changes,,
and expect us to live with it,,,why do the same
brand work in one pioneer 105 and not in another,,
i would buy a better media,but i dont like the rip
off prices they charge,,i expected the same results
as the 104,,,i even thought it be better than the
104,,we souldnt have to live by their rules,,

just recieved my replacement bulkpaq 2x silver tops, have burned 3 and non of them work, either in standalone or the writer itself, they are unreadable. I had bulkpaq greentops last and they were great, whats the difference between them?

I read about people using Bulkpaq Gen4 and they said they were the mutts nutts so I got some and you know what, (you guessed it) they didn't work !

INCONSISTANT QUALITY OF CHEAP MEDIA

Or did I already say that :)

I bought some Superior Gen4 2X and half way through the pack the discs changed. What I mean is that half had a serial number printed on them and the other half didn't. The 1's that didn't have the number didn't work.

Need I say more ?

It's confirmed!!! Green bulkpaqs 2x work.
But guys, do they burn at 2x? coz thats all im after

I think I will add a bit to this. I got my 105 3 weeks ago. I got some test discs with it. All the test discs are a deep purple colour on the writting surface. They all bunt fine.(rws,traxdata,bulkpaq,ritek printable) I also got a datasafe dvd-rw which works great also. I ordered some bulkpaq gen 4,some white label(blue top) and some FWS. Being new to the dvdr scence I thought the bulkpaq and fws's would be the same as the test discs I used, but they arn't. They all have a paler purple writting surface, and the only disc that will write is the bulkpaq, but only in nero. Out of the bulkpaq only 1 of the 4 discs burnt worked, but only on my p.c( im burnning movies).
The white label and fws get ejected by nero, usually with a callabration error. I took all the discs to my mates to test on his 104. He uses dvd factory(makes his own movies) and all the discs were rejeted. He gave me a couple of his discs to try and they worked fine. They had the dark purple wriiting surface, but I dont know what brand they are. He said he paid a £1.00 each for them. I have updated the firmware from pioneer with no noticable changes. I have changed the pio settings in the m/b bios. Im not sure about this dma thing. I have just started using xp pro, so I dont know where it is. Also recordnow max wont accept any blank dvd-r media I put in to it now, but it did a week ago, its just stopped, no idea why. I have also tried some mirror dvd-rs, and they work ok, but nothing will burn over 1x. Thats my bit ..

hi all, a bit of info for all u lot wondering who or what type of dvd-r discs you are using.
if you go to vcdhelp.com and under OTHER go into dvdr media and at the top
Read here how to get the DVD-R/W Manufacturer ID using ADVDInfo.
download the prog ADVD info
this will tell you who made your disc
under.. OE pre recorded infomation lead in ( remember to put your blank dvd-r in your dvd burner and select it )
my disc's are as
neo premium x1
00 42 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 50 00 02 79 0E 0B .B...@....P..Y..
FE FF 80 00 03 52 49 54 45 4B 47 00 04 30 33 00 .....RITEKG..03.
as you can see this disc is made by RITEKG..03. ritek
datasafe white top x1
00 42 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 50 00 02 37 0E 0B .B...@....P..7..
FE FF 80 00 03 52 49 54 45 4B 47 00 04 30 33 00 .....RITEKG..03.
this also is made by ritek and is the same disc as neo
bulkpaq green top gen4 x2
00 42 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 50 00 02 98 0C 13 .B...@....P.....
76 78 80 00 03 54 44 4B 47 30 32 00 04 30 30 30 VX...TDKG02..000
30 30 30 00 05 88 80 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 000.
this is made by TDK
and the last of my colection
datawrite by datasafe x4
00 6C 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 52 00 02 35 0E 0B .L...@....R..5..
FE FF 80 00 03 52 49 54 45 4B 47 00 04 30 34 00 .....RITEKG..04.
00 00 00 00 05 88 80 00 00 00 01 00 06 06 0F 12 ................
A8 88 80 00 07 88 80 00 00 00 00 00 08 06 1B 0D ................
10 06 0B 00 09 96 09 10 0B 80 88 00 0A 80 00 00 ................
00 00 10 00 0B 06 21 13 A8 87 95 00 0C 99 99 88 ......!.........
this is also made by ritek
so if you can post this info ,when telling us all about how you go on with different discs.......... syd

green bulkpaqs burn at 2x and so do the silver ones when they do burn. unfortunately, although the green come out great, the silver do no work at all.

i had a bit hit and miss with green bulkbaq 2x,,,

i say 75% worked,,out of 3 tubes,one tube had a
lot of fails,,some came out milky white,,but still
managed to play just about in my dvd player,,
had to eject it a few times,,,and some were
unreadable,,,,

guess that's settled it. silvers suck. greens .... are great!!

anyone try unbranded 2x data safe,,,

OK, what media is comfirmed to work at 2x, as i'm stuck with 20+ datawrite classics that dont and, really dont want to end up stuck with more DVDr. Is there any news on a hacked firmware or should i just sell my datawrites to someone with a AO4/A03?
Cheers
Bob

get green top bulkpaq gen4 2x's. burn perfect and 2x too!

I got a DVD A05 2 weeks ago and have spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out what was wrong with it messing up or not reading different brands of dvdr. I also mailed Richard at pioneer UK who just said he didnt have a clue what was wrong but suspected the media i was using was faulty or poor quality. I didnt beleive him as i had tried so many brands with very mixed results. Its only since i read this forum that i now know the truth. I am hopping mad, I waisted all that time tearing my PC to bits, experimenting etc and all along Richard at pioneer knew that it was pioneers selective firmware causing the problems and not my PC. He could have told me from the start and saved me weeks of stress and lots of waisted money on useless media. I am know considering taking the DVR A05 back to the dealer for a refund and getting a sony..

dont worry mate your not the only one
hopping mad,,,think pioneer should be
taking to court..your post is a prime example,,
of the hundreds of other people out there,,,
that dont know really what is happening,,
in fact as far as im concerned the unit
is at fault,,,

does take the piss

any e-mail address we can complain to?

or patition?

Originally posted by xdeity
just recieved my replacement bulkpaq 2x silver tops, have burned 3 and non of them work, either in standalone or the writer itself, they are unreadable. I had bulkpaq greentops last and they were great, whats the difference between them?

same here mate, both advertised as Bulkpaq Gen 4 so you'd think they would work the same! :mad:

Just to recap, are you guys saying that Greentop bulkpaq burn at 2x?

ive been using FWS discs and never had one fail, but waiting an hour to burn a dvd on a 4x drive is starting to really piss me off.

where could i find greentops?

techmgr@cendyne.com

try this man at cendyne for complaints,,,
his name is scott,,

Has any-one mailed a link of this thread to Pioneer, so they can see how p*ssed off people are getting with the 105?

Im well p*ssed off as I cant get any good quality media...Unless I pay silly money for it

I agree with Glas$jaw ........ i've been using FWS disc's without ANY problems at all (and yes 1x burning on a 4x drive is a pisser but i'd rather have my 80p each disc's work!!). I've burned loads of DVD-R's with only 1 coaster (my fault).
I don't claim to know owt regarding which media is best,only my personal opinion.After all i've only had my 105 since i got it from Santa !!

Btw i just tried some Bulkpaq disc's (purple gen 3's - £9.57 for a spindle of 25 from SVP) and Hmmmmmm the VERY first disc i did burned ok , but when i tried it on my player downstairs i wasn't very keen on playing!!

I think i'll stay with FWS for now until i can get some decent 2/4x media that seems fairly reliable.
Anyone with any tips on decent "cheap" media is very welcome :)

greentop bulkpaqs 2x. they work perfect and write at 2x

The bulkpaq gen 3 purples are great for x-box games and data backups. They arnt compatible with many dvd players though.

I've ordered 25 bulkpaq purples and 25 white tops from svp hopefully they will turn up tomorrow. I noticed that now svp no longer have any FWS or the white tops for sale anymore.

Oh and http://www.playstationmods.com/cdr.htm reckon that there will be some 4 speed neo dvdr out soon. They use ritek dye.

Any-one know pioneer uk email addy?

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/CDA/Forms/FormContactUs/1,2377,60,00.html

i found this pioneer site uk...


http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/support.jsp?category=support

where can you buy Greentop bulkpaq 2x in the uk

I see the price of 4X media is starting to fall :)

Wish i'd known about Bulkpaq gen 3 purple disk's being only good for XBox etc as i would have got another brand instead! I'll just have to buy an XBox so they don't go to waste!!!

Ho Hum i suppose i gotta try all the sweets in the shop eh? :)

I guess i'm lucky as i live 5mins from a comp. shop who sells FWS disc's for £20 for 25 hehe.

What2097 where dod you get the greentop bulkpaqs 2x you mentioned from???

Cheers

yeah SVP are selling 4x media, 10 for £17 at least its a step in the right direction.

I've backed up 3 DVD movies using my pioneer 105 with firmware 1.21 and DVDXCopy using ES Buy Brand 4x DVD-Rs at 4X without a hitch. I watched one of the movies...it played perfectly on my Apex 1500. I hope this helps...

-Transient

cheers mate..

where can you get those 4x dvd-rs,,,,,,looks like at the moment
only mainly 2x is the prob,with the odd exception,,,,,,

Bulkpaq gen 3s work in both of my dvd players, but not in my xbox or dvd-rom drive for some reason.

I just got hold of some of these NEO Premium.

Stuck one in my 105, burned it and it won't play in my set top.

Whacked one in my 104, burned at 2X and that works. (FW - hacked 1.40)

I even managed to do one at 4X using the swap trick, my 105 has no problem burning them, they just won't play in my Alba 108. I'll have to test them on other players.

BUMMER !!

i found theres odd alba 108`s that
arent good at playing dvd-rs,,,3 or 4
dvd-rs wouldnt play on mine,,but played
on my brothers and mates alba 108,,,bringing mine
back,,

Have burned 30 PS2 games at 2X no problems. Not one coaster using Nero retail version and Verbatim 2X media. 105 will default to 1X if it does not find write strategy (speed data) on media, most no names will default to 1X if the drive does not see this write stategy. Verbatim can be CHEAPER than generic if you buy from sites like Ebay, bought 45 more at final cost of $1.75 each shipping included. The 105 is a great drive for the price, got mine for $169 at officemax (bagged as a Cendyne). No firmware upgrade is neccessary if the right media is used, IMO.

I've had my Alba too long so I can't return it (bought from Argos), it's strange that a NEO burned in my 104 will work but one burned in my 105 won't. I wonder if it's anything to do with the 1.21 FW.

Perhaps one day I'll be able to sell this 104 to recoop some money. Untill these problems with the 105 are sorted I'll have to keep it. The upside is that I can now burn two discs at the same time. :)

Just want to let you know, i burned another bulkpaq gen 3 purple, it burned fine but when i play it back after about 25minutes it starts going all dodgy.

Does anyone know any good cheap 1 speed dvd-rs that will burn and play properly?

i tried a couple of white label 1x...
they played ok for me,,,

Datasafe datawrite gen 4 2x. you will most likely get 1x writing, but the DVD playback is great on PC, XBOX, PS2 and DVD Players.
If you want 2x discs, and possibly the best quality discs which are reasonably priced, then go for the bulkpaq green tops. i repeat greentops, not silvertops. green are excellent, but silver don't work at all.

Can't anbody with a 0.52 copy of the firmware, copy it from their drive, and upload it for others to use, because the 0.52 firmware seems to be the firmware which works normally.
If you don't know already, Pioneers excuse is that they upgraded lots of drives from 0.52 to 1.00 before they shipped so that "cheap media wouldn't make coasters" and that "it stops the disc from being burnt and spoilt". Thats a load of rubbish, but anyway, some peoples drives are 0.52.
SOMEONE PLEASE GET THIS FIRMWARE!!!

Hey all. I found out something.
0.52 firmware works well, AND there is software which allows downgrading called flashfix. if we get the 0.52 firmware and flashfix, then we will be able to downgrade to 0.52 and use cheap media !!!
YEY :D

How did you find that out?

Because the software exists (people on other forums have used it) and the 0.52 firmware works cause everyone I ask who has 0.52 firmware says their drive is perfect

My firmware is 1.00 so I can't help. :(

Mine is 1.00 and its fine.

Just letting you know that Bulkpaq gen4 2x (GREEN TOPS) are in stock at http://www.bigpockets.co.uk everyone keeps saying how good they are for burning 2x on the 105. So i'm going to try them.

it depends,,i had 3 tubes of bulkpaq gen 4 2x..
2 of them i had a number of fails,,and the other
seem to be better,,,so to me there is a quailty
issue here also,,,,

what do we do when theres no green tops ?

think i`ll put a picture frame around my 105..then hang it on the wall,,,

i found this site,,it just gives an email and
its not in english,,i came across another
site with flashfix,,,but it was for macromedia
flash,,so the site below ? unless you can
translate,,,

http://flashfix.cjb.net/

Here's the URL for flashfix.

http://happy.f2g.net/flashfix.htm

I haven't tested it. It would be interesting if someone can backup
their A05 firmware with this. The person who hosts this website has had success with his Liteon cdrw and dvd rom drives, but it should work
with our devices.

Thanks for that!
Now all we need now is to find someone with 0.52 firmware, and a way of hacking it out of the drive into a file

Hold on a second. I remember reading something about the 105 is the same drive as the Lite-On something.
I will find out what drive it is!

Couldn't find it :(

found it! its a teac!

http://forum.firmware-flash.com/viewtopic.php?t=9684

i dont think theres new firmware out for it yet
ill keep looking for stuff though!

Is the Pioneer a Teac or is the Teac a Pioneer ? :)

I think the Teac is a Pioneer seeing as Pioneer is a bigger company.

Originally posted by garysbootlegs
Does anyone know any good cheap 1 speed dvd-rs that will burn and play properly?

Bulkpaq Green Gen 4 burn fine at 2x and worked in everything I tried ... Bigpockets have some in stock at the moment, works out about £25 for 25. :tup:

£18.25 for 25

Originally posted by What2097
£18.25 for 25

exc P&P ;)

Got this email from WCW Media today:-

Dear All,

Happy and a prosperous New Year.

This weeks new additions are:

Datawrite 4x DVD-R for a Pioneer A05/105. £17.50 for 10 or £155.00 for 90 These work at 4x so you can burn a Full DVD in around 15 Mins.

http://www.wcwmedia.com/productinfo.asp?productID=216

Datawrite 4x Printable DVD-R for 4x on Pioneer A05/105. £18.00 for 10 or £157.00 for 90. These work at 4x so you can burn a Full DVD in around 15 Mins

http://www.wcwmedia.com/productinfo.asp?productID=218

Seems cheap enough for a 4x DVD-R has anyone tried it yet...?

I have been using "Superior" DVD-R 2x Gen 4, all have come out fine with no errors so far. I think they are popular since WCW Media are sold out at the mo.

On my Pioneer 105 (firmware 1.21) & Nero 5.5.9.17. The new Nero gave me probs, so went back to this version.

I've nearly cracked it!
I know some people who have the Teac drive, and I think I've found extracting software: http://www.tksystems.co.uk/justcdr/guides/liteon_flash_recovery/
read it. it says you can back up your firmware, but I don't understand how.