LITEON LVW-5001 @ CompUSA -- Careful!

[tag]

I went out and bought a 5001 earlier at CompUSA. Man, did this ever get ugly in a hurry!

Everything seemed to work fine......for a while. Both firmware upgrades went without a hitch (1141 and 1143). Shortly thereafter, the fun started. I watched this thing disintegrate before my eyes almost inch-by-inch until the point where virtually nothing worked.

I read, in the LITE-ON IT: DC Products' Forum, accounts by several members who had severe problems with the 1143 firmware upgrade. Their machines wound up in about the same state as mine; non-functional and useless.

Anyway, the upshot of this post is NOT about the 1143 upgrade trashing the 5001. It's the CompUSA store where I bought my unit selling these things as NEW when, in fact, they're open box items. I didn't notice until I was packing up the box for the return trip tomorrow that the seal on the disk included in the box was broken. Clearly, someone had already returned my machine yet it was NOT being sold as an open box item but was in the same stack as two other 5001's. Further, it's only NOW that I recall the tape on all three boxes was rather uneven and appeared to have been resealed.

Bottom line = watch out for this little bugger. It bites! I'd suggest opening the box before leaving the store if it is not patently obvious that the box is still factory sealed.

[vcdforme]

That's a bummer to hear about the Lite-on product. I was thinking of
getting one. In the past, I've found Lite-on burner to be excellent.
I was hoping their standalone is also good.
CompUSA is another matter. I've always found them to be
a bunch of crooked bastards.
I hope you shove it up sideways!

[tag]

vcdforme wrote: In the past, I've found Lite-on burner to be excellent.
I was hoping their standalone is also good.

After the fact, I read that this recorder (the 5001) has a few choice issues, not the least of which is heat. Even owners who (rather fervently) support the product readily admit the unit has a heat issue (it has no fan). I even read discussions on the Liteon forum concerning (radical) workarounds such as installing heatsinks, drilling holes in the unit, etc.

CompUSA is another matter. I've always found them to be a bunch of crooked bastards.
I hope you shove it up sideways!

I just got my money back, period. I doubt I'll be making another purchase there for quite some time.

This was a real eye opener; I've never seen a reputable retailer of consumer electronics items shove a return on its shelf without disclosing that the item was an open box item and pricing it accordingly.