Hi - I am looking at buying a dvd burner. A salesman at www.dabs.com has told me that the Sony DWU-10A is an OEM version of the DRU-510A. The price difference between the 2 is about GBP 50. Can anybody confirm this?

Also, if I were to buy an OEM version what would be missing?

TIA

It is indeed OEM and as such functionally the same.. However firmware is different so you'll not be able to update WITHOUT a hacked F/W.
Also unless +RW is a factor I'd avoid Sony like the plague. The woe's I had with mine are increddible and they are very picky with 4x media.
You can buy a retail Pioneer A05 for peanuts now and it comes with great software. +RW is still a novelty as far as I'm concerned and I've yet to find any real advantage over -RW. Unless it's a MUSt dont do it. Or at least wait a while until the Liteon's (+/- RW) are over here in quantity.

If you are after a +/- drive then I believe that the A06/106 is now available in the UK... Something to consider.

Yes it is just a little bit cheaper. The only difference between the latest Sony and the Pioneer A06/106 is that the sony will write DVD+RW at 4x and the Pioneer will only write it at 2.4x. If you are going to buy the sony though I would definitely get the retail version for the very reason listed by danman.

thanks for the replies guys - it always helps to get a bit of expert help.