DVR-108 vs. DVR-109

[Tidy]

Okay I am sure I am opening Pandora's box here but here goes anyway. I own a DVR-108 and I am wondering if there is enough difference between the DVR-108 and the DVR-109 to warrant yet another upgrade? I do not burn DL nor do I plan to in the future to that is not a concern. What I am wondering is if the burn speeds with the 109 are significantly better than the 108. the reason I ask is that the 109 touts CAV which theoretically means that if it is pure CAV then it should burn an entire disc at 16X all the way through if this is the case I might be able to shave a couple minutes off of burn time which for the volume I burn is a major improvement.

Let me know your opinion on this one but please DO NOT START DISCUSSING AND SUGGESTING I BUY OTHER BRANDS.......PIONEER IS FOR ME!!

[RottenFoxBreath]

ive got both,and i tend to use the 108 more,i get better burns off that,tried 16speed media,+r,and it sucked,but iget great burns off datawrite grey,with a fuji dye at x12 speed.i found the firmware of the 109 to be too flaky for me,refusing media,failed burns on certain media,now up to 1.50 firmware on it,and still not really impressed,whereas the 108 with nils or gradius firmware is great.

[lordsmurf]

109 is fine, but if you have a 108 and no desire for DL media, no, no reason

[lumis]

i recently purchased a 109, its a pretty good dvd burner.. $57 is what i paid, and is an incredible price for a dvd burner this good.

i did the firmware hack and upgraded it to an A09 (faster rip speeds, quite drive, etc)..

newegg currently has it going for $54 shipped, pretty damn good deal.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827129161

not that you need one, but at those prices you cant beat it.

[Tidy]

109 is fine, but if you have a 108 and no desire for DL media, no, no reason

I fogured this was the answer but wanted to make sure. I think you had said before smurf that PCAV on the 109 was only certain media and it seems nobody knows which media. I am happy with my 108 I think I will stick with it.

[lordsmurf]

Well, MCC03RG20, for example, is PCAV 16x

At the time of my last comment on "nobody knows" the firmware was still being developed almost weekly with updates for new media, and new media was also coming out.

At this point, there is probably a list somewhere that shows which ones are PCAV and ZCLV.

Some discs, like MXLRG03, can even burn 12x with excellent results (though I still do 8x most of the time, as rated).

[blinky88]

Hi Tidy,

I had the 106 and now have the 108 with Piodata F/W from Gradius v1.18 and both burners are extremely reliable machines. When I bought the 108 I was also shown the 109 at the same price, I chose to go with the 108.

The only questions you need to ask yourself is:
1. Do you want the last run of a proven design
..or..
2. Do you want the first run of a completely new design.

There are plenty of posts from members who have bought the 109 and are disappointed with its performance.

[brimx]

lumis, or anyone that can help me....

where can i get more info on the upgrading the firmware on my 109 to make it rip faster and burn higher speeds on lower discs? please let me know cuz i just got it! thanks

[Poppa_Meth]

I have a 109 and using TYG03 Taiyo Yuden 16x Media which is suppose to be PCAV I believe, it never gets to 16x. I haven no end of issues with CAV media on the 109. It tends to lock up right at the end of the burn frequently. Check CDFreaks forums and you'll see a few people have this issue with it. I have to say I'm not impressed at all with it.

[sunderland]

you should also consider if you want bitsetting then maybe go for the benq or the liteon which do it