Pioneer A06 vs the 106

[videobruce]

I really don't care about the software. What I really care is the warrenty and support or lack of.
Other than the lack of software, is there any other reason I wouldn't want to get the 106 (OEM) version of the A06? I see people are having problems with support from NEC with their OEM model.
Now, there is a $30 price differential between the 2 Pioneer drives. Just what does the $30 get me other than a pretty box and software??

[Vanderlow]

In fact the firmware that I see as being hacked to burn more and cheaper media is to 106.

[gcutler]

Depending on the OEM, the difference can be big. Cendyne an old popular OEM of the 104 and 105, support was pretty much non-existant. If you needed to RMA the drive or talk to tech support you were lucky to ever get a response. But the question is how many drives went bad after the 30 day return poicy at the store. I know many, many people who went OEM on for their Pioneers and never had a problem till way outside the warranty coverage.

You can get alot of support from here and the pioneer web sites, so unless you need to talk directly with Pioneer tech support or RMA after 30 days, the extra $30 may be a waste???

But then again, if the OEM goes out of business while still under warranty, you are S.O.L, I have seen some retailers (like Staples, Office max) for "good will" loosen their policies to help their buyers of defunct OEM companies, but that is no guarantee they will be there for you.

[MeTaLgEaRsOoTy]

theres absolutly no difference between the A06 and the 106,pioneer will still support it ,and so will any decent retailer.in the uk,you still get 12 months warranty regardless if its OEM or full retail.
my pioneer is a OEM version.
no way was i paying extra for a lousy cardboard box,some crappy software,and a little bit of packing material.
saved myself about £60.

[gcutler]

theres absolutly no difference between the A06 and the 106,pioneer will still support it ,and so will any decent retailer.in the uk,you still get 12 months warranty regardless if its OEM or full retail.
my pioneer is a OEM version.
no way was i paying extra for a lousy cardboard box,some crappy software,and a little bit of packing material.
saved myself about £60.

What do you mean by "Support"??? Yes you will get Firmware updates from Pioneer, but what about a dead drive under warranty. If you buy it from an OEM (at least in the US) the OEM is the return point not Pioneer, Pioneer does not have to even touch the drive. And what good is an 12 month warranty for a company that does not exist anymore (Cendyne for example). Now it may be true that Pioneer may take the OEM drive back if bad, but legally they do not have to (at least in the US) and it is only a policy decision for "Good Will" that they accept it. That can change at any time.

And also there is the issue of rebates. Many who had cendyne rebates in the pipeline was SOL, some vendors like Staples decided to honor the rebates, they were not legally required to.

I also have only bought OEMs of Pioneer as I agree that the extra money has not been a benefit. But all it takes is one OEM seller to go under and Pioneer to decide not to honor and the situation changes immensly. If the person is the type to buy an "Extended Warranty" or extra insurance on their car or home, then the extra money for a Pioneer box may allow them to sleep better at night. I think that both of us are not like those people, but they do exist and they may end up being the smarter ones (even though history leans toward us being more correct)

So it is important that you know what OEM or retailer you are buying from as Cendyne was selling OEM Pioneer drives up to the day that it was forced to shut down by the courts. There were still boxes on the shelves at other vendors and anyone buying one and having it go bad after the retailer return period had to cross their fingers that they could get it repaired/replaced under warranty.

[hhamzeh]

Hi there,
I just bought a retail Pioneer AO6 from Future shop in Canada and when I checked the device manager of my computer it shows DVR-106D. I double checked the lable on the burner which also confirms it is AO6. They are identical. Cheers.

[MeTaLgEaRsOoTy]

gcutler....calm down man.
as i live in the uk,i only said it was different in the uk..
pioneer wont go broke either,thats just laughable.
and as for buy ing something OEM in the uk,we have 12 months on all NEW electrical goods,thats our statutory right.
i know its different in the states,etc,especially with software..over here we can take it back up to 28 days later,and get a refund or exchange,no matter what the individual store says.

[gcutler]

pioneer wont go broke either,thats just laughable.

I never said anything about Pioneer going broke.

At least in the US, if I buy a Cendyne OEM 106 drive. The legal responsibility for support and warranty is thru Cendyne, not Pioneer (My warrenty card is sent to Cendyne, not Pioneer, etc) If Cendyne goes broke and shuts down and is liquidated, and then my drive breaks I have no valid warranty anymore. Yes the warranty is 12 month, but the legal provider of the warranty no longer exists so what good is it.

What happens if you buy a British Whatever and the company that made it goes bankrupt and is liquidated and there is no money left. If 5 minutes after the companys liquidation you realize you need to return the product under the 12 month warranty and the company is now defunct, who in the UK is going to refund your money or repair the product???. Is the UK retailer legally required to refund your money 10 month after buying the product if the provider of the 12 month warranty is now defunct and a memory?, or do they just do it out of Good Will in hope that you return next time to their store???

The only saving grace is for the Retailer or Pioneer to HONOR the warranty. After 30 days (in the US), the Retailer is not typically legally required and Pioneer was never required, but they will often do so out of good will to keep a customer happy and hope they come back the next time they make a purchase.

My statement was just that even thought Pioneer and your retailer have honored defunct OEM Warranties and rebates, they do not legally have to and there can be a point where they say no. So the extra $30 for a Pioneer boxed drive can have some benefit to the buyer who does not want to risk the potential problems of dealing with a Cendyne like company if Pioneer decides they don't care anymore. It is a gamble, which both of us personally think is not worth the $30, but some can validly feel it is worth it.

[freestyler]

If Cendyne goes broke and shuts down and is liquidated, and then my drive breaks I have no valid warranty anymore.

Didn't that just happen?

[gcutler]

If Cendyne goes broke and shuts down and is liquidated, and then my drive breaks I have no valid warranty anymore.

Didn't that just happen?

Yes... I was using Cendyne as an example for my argument, should have said "When Cendyne Went Broke" instead of "If Cendyne Goes Broke" .

A nice quote from Cendyne's Web Site... but not unexpected...

RMAs

For those customers that have sent a CenDyne product with a Return Authorization Number before August 8th, 2003, the warranty service should have been performed and you will receive your product soon.

For those who have sent a CenDyne product after August 8th, 2003, your product will not be repaired. Therefore, you should be receiving it back soon.

CenDyne is no longer providing warranty services.


I know Staples, Office Max and Pioneer have gone beyond their legal requirment and helped the former Cendyne customers, but they did it out of 'Good Will", not out of legal obligation. And could stop any time they felt like it.

[penamty]

I am not sure how common this is with Pioneer’s OEM versions, but I have never been able to upgrade the firmware of my Pioneer DVR-104 burner that I bought from Esystor.com. Back then I posted my problem here and found out that there are some people with the same problem, it seems that at least with the 104 model there are some units that will not accept any firmware upgrade, official or hacked. I have been lucky because I haven’t had many problems with media compatibility, but I did never receive any help from either Esystor.com or Pioneer

[gcutler]

http://www.dvd-recordable.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=33

See if any of these help

This one may be of value on the link I posted (2nd page)
DVR-104 Bios Downgrade
Description: This will allow you to flash *ANY* DVR-104 drive to 1.20 RPC-1, while turning your drive into a "true" Pioneer DVR-104.
Version: Filesize: 1.33 MB
Added on: 07-Mar-2003 Downloads: 3029

[penamty]

I did try all the downgrades I found back then (including the one you suggest) but none of them work. Thanks anyway

[videobruce]

Depending on the OEM, the difference can be big. Cendyne an old popular OEM of the 104 and 105, support was pretty much non-existant.

Are you trying to say Pioneer DOESN'T make the 106 drives?? Or is it just Cendyne just sold them with their name on the box?

Guess I started a good debate! Does anyone know if Verbatium, as in media (if i spelled it right) went out of business also?

[gcutler]

Depending on the OEM, the difference can be big. Cendyne an old popular OEM of the 104 and 105, support was pretty much non-existant.

Are you trying to say Pioneer DOESN'T make the 106 drives?? Or is it just Cendyne just sold them with their name on the box?

Guess I started a good debate! Does anyone know if Verbatium, as in media (if i spelled it right) went out of business also?

I believe Cendyne just bought the drives in bulk from Pioneer and repackaged them with lower quality SW, and a much smaller margin (I guess the margin small enough for them to go broke). I wonder if they even fixed them or just RMAed them back to Pioneer. I believe on the 104s that some companies actually modified the Firmware, but Cendyne was just a repackager...

[PsiDOC]

lol This has gone a bit off topic hasn't it?

Getting back to the original question
The A06 is basically the retail model of the DVR106 (Usually OEM).
If you want the customer support then go for the A06 retail (About £30 more expensive than the OEM in the UK, not sure about the US).
I have noticed that Acer, Teac and Asus now have their own badge engineered versions of the DVR106 in OEM, and in the case of the Teac in retail as well, however customer support from these, I don't know about.
I know I will get my 1 year from my supplier, even though my Acer DVR106 RD is OEM AND has been reflashed to a Pioneer RPC1 firmware because they look on reflashing firmware as part of general maintenance.
Regards,
Psi

[videobruce]

lol This has gone a bit off topic hasn't it?

No, not really, it still has to do with that drive(s).

I see the NEC 1300A is OEM. Is there a retail version number of that, or is it the same # with the retail box? Same question for the LiteOn 411s.