Pioneer DVR-433H Burner drive replacement - HDD Replacement 750GB succesful

linkox · Member Joined: 28 Jun 2008 Location: Italy

Hi guys,
thanks to you all now in my Pioneer DVR-433H there is a working 750GB Hard Disk.
I follow the same procedure wrote for 520H.
I used a PockPc for Remote Control.
In the Lowest quality (MN1) now I can store 2150 Hours and in the Finest quality (XP) now I can store 112 Hours.

Now I would replace also the burner drive with a Pioneer DVR 116D because I'd like to write also Dual Layer Discs.

Is this operation possibile to do?

Really thank you
Smack

orsetto · Member Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Location: NYC

Sorry, but the burner replacement is not as flexible as hard drive replacement. The recorder can only use the exact model of burner it shipped with, in the case of the 433 it was probably the DVR-109 or DVR-AO9. If you find a good condition "x09" burner, you can swap its controller board with the custom board in the recorders burner, and the recorder will accept the replaced drive as if it were the original. But that controller board will not fit into the later "116" burner: the internal wiring is different. And even if you could fit a 109 board into a 116 drive, the recorder motherboard still doesn't know how to burn DL and won't give you the option, even if the burner is capable.

In the USA, the similar model 531-533-633 with x09 burners had DL added as a last-minute feature. It isn't really reliable but it is included. Are you sure your 433 can't burn DL? The feature was listed on a separate yellow instruction sheet that was packed in the recorder box, it isn't mentioned in the main manual.