VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 2
FirstFirst 1 2
Results 31 to 56 of 56
Thread
  1. Should I upgrade to 1.0g.... what did it fix?? or add??
    Quote Quote  
  2. Member dcsos's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Y No Werk (anagram)
    Search Comp PM
    I can't believe the PX engine update helps as I don't see the DRU-500A
    as a recognized drive in the list.. Georgie are you sure it was the PX update?
    Quote Quote  
  3. The PX Engine also updates the recording software you use. It def worked for me.
    Quote Quote  
  4. Member dcsos's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Y No Werk (anagram)
    Search Comp PM
    Thanks for the swift answer..
    I'm updating today!
    Thanks..
    My 500A has worked with
    STOMP Record Now Max 4.5
    Nero 5.5.17
    and
    Roxio Bloatware EZCD Creator 5 with the current upgrade.. all work great with this DRIVE... although the Roxio product insists its burning a CD-- with an unknown file fomat when it does UDF dvd burn! he-he

    now Prassi too!
    and Prassi (used for 2 years with my PIONEER A03) also is a great app!
    Quote Quote  
  5. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    I installed the PX engine on my 500AX. It didn't help at all. I tried both Nero5.10.7b and RecordNow DX, they all failed. Ritek 4X is not compatible with 500AX. I could burn it at 2X without any problem.

    vcdlover
    Quote Quote  
  6. I thought the 500ax was the latest version of the 500a.
    Quote Quote  
  7. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    Right. The problem could be from the media. I'll try Verbatim 4X to see if I still have the same issue or not.


    vcdlover
    Quote Quote  
  8. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    Verbatim DVD+R 4X really kicks ass. It really burns at 4X, takes 12 min. and 10 sec to write 3.8GB. Ritek 2X takes 25 min and 5 sec. At this point, Ritek 4X is no good to me any more, but the 2X is still perfect.

    vcdlover
    Quote Quote  
  9. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    Here is what I have found on my DRU500A with firmware 1.0f:

    Ritek 4X dvd-r media inconsistantly burned at 4X. Some would complete the burn at 4X, some would start at 4X, then slow to 2X part way through. This would happen regardless of the burning software used (DVD Decrypter, Record Now Max, Gear, Nero).


    Updated to firmware 1.0g:

    Same results as above. Maybe 20% to 30% would burn complete at 4X.


    Installed the PX engine, changed nothing else:

    Have now burned 12 in a row successfully at 4X.


    What does this mean? Probably nothing. 12 in a row is statistically not enough to PROVE that the PX engine was the solution for me. If I can get 20 or 30 in a row, then I will be happy.

    A friend of mine just bought the DRU500AX. He did not install ANY updates (firmware or PX). I gave him some of the Ritek 4X disks from my cakebox. They all worked at 4X for him. GO FIGURE!

    Chips
    Quote Quote  
  10. Member dcsos's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Y No Werk (anagram)
    Search Comp PM
    Note ...I installed the PX engine and I don't see the DRU-500a in the PRASSI interface at alll;
    That is, I can still burn to my A03 using Prassi, but i don't see the SONY device at all....
    None theless the 4x Riteks work for me at 4x With Record Now Max 4.5
    in my sony under Win 2K
    Quote Quote  
  11. Member dcsos's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Y No Werk (anagram)
    Search Comp PM
    Geordie, I re-read your post...
    NOW I SEE I ACTUALLY UPGRADED 2 programs at once with the PX engine upgrade...
    MY PIONEER RECORD NOW DX seems to have been upgraded...as well as prassi..these upgades din't see the SONY DRIVE at all
    but since my 500a is in a FIREWIRE ENCLOSURE, I use Stomp on another system and it still hasn't received the upgrade
    Quote Quote  
  12. I think Sony has pulled a fast one...tried the FWS 4x and they don't work either...Grrrrrrrr I've got 50 of both now which only burn at 2x what a waste of money........
    Quote Quote  
  13. Originally Posted by Wookie
    I think Sony has pulled a fast one...tried the FWS 4x and they don't work either...Grrrrrrrr I've got 50 of both now which only burn at 2x what a waste of money........
    My 500A now records DVD-R at 4x on any 4x media after I went back to version 1.0d firmware. Of course 4x DVD+R is stuck at 2x but who can afford that media. Here is a direct link to download 1.0d if you want to burn DVD-R at 4x.

    http://www.sonydru500a.com/guides/FirmwareUpdateDRU500A10d.zip
    Quote Quote  
  14. Thanks I'll try it so....I'll post results
    Quote Quote  
  15. Member SaSi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Hellas
    Search Comp PM
    I have a DRU-500A and it had f/w version 1.0d. I recently upgraded to 1.0g

    I followed the links provided in the postings (plus some branches that came along) and downloaded a new version of "g" and two ZIP files of the "f" firmware.

    The "g" firmware I downloaded is the same with the one I had downloaded a week ago. (No surprise here).

    The two files with updater + f/w for "f" version contain two different "versions" of "f" firmware. This is crazy(??).

    The interesting thing is that in the US SONY site, the release notes for the "g" version state that this update enables the drive to record to the new 4x DVD+R media. Fine

    A page in a european SONY site states that the "f" version update enables the drive to record to 4x DVD+R media.

    I don't know if I'm crazy, but perhaps there are two different "f" versions between Europe and the US and this causes a whole lot of confusion.

    Additionally, the SONY sites show the DRU-A and the AX drives as two separate devices. By the way, the AX version has a 2.0c f/w version (according to an update page). So it is possible that these two drives are incompatible.

    Now, regarding media, I have never seen a 4X media, however I have seen 2X DVD-R media. I recorded at 2x fist time on a SANYO DVR-R disk, no problem there.

    I have also bought some Princo DVD-R media (no speed reference, so I assumed they were 1X media). With the 1.0d f/w version, both the drive and Nero (5.5.9.14) could not identify the media. With f/w version "g" the disk was identified as 1X (fine) but simulation failed after a random recording time between 7 and 15 minutes.

    Upgrading to Nero 5.5.10.7b, the media was identified as 2X (Whaaat?). First simulation succeeded, so I tried recording. Success!!!

    Lesson: DVD recorders, DVD Media and recording s/w are not yet prepared for DVD. If you are thinking of buying a DVD recorder, think again, wait a bit (1 month or so) and see what happens. I would buy myself a large disk (120GB) instead. Nice to have anyway and you can store the contents there for now and wait until you buy a mature recorder in a mature market. (otherwise you may find yourself wasting as much money in destroyed DVD-Rs)
    The more I learn, the more I come to realize how little it is I know.
    Quote Quote  
  16. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Near Area 52, Hangar 18
    Search Comp PM
    So does anyone know how long it takes to burn a movie at 4X???? A few of you are saying that you're burning at 4X successfully, but no one is posting times.

    Anyone...?
    Quote Quote  
  17. I never did, but it should be around 15 minutes.
    Quote Quote  
  18. SaSi,

    Here what I remember about history of DRU500A.

    - relesed around Sep-Oct. 2002 (if I am not mistaken), original firmware (I don't remember version), a lot of problems with compatibility of cheap media
    - new firmware 1.0d fixed a lot of problems with cheap media
    - new firmware 1.0e was online only day or two, so I assume that this one had bug.
    - new firmware 1.0f came with support for 4x for +R burning (4x for -R was there from the beggining) and improved reading (doesn't apply to DVD-Video, it is capped to 2x)
    - new firmware 1.0g .... not sure what did this changed since text on the web remained same.

    So based on that history waiting month or two will not change anything. If you want to burn, then burn. If not, it doesn't matter how long you will wait. There are going to be problems always.

    You should be able to find them all here

    http://www.sonydru500a.com/
    Quote Quote  
  19. Originally Posted by heretic422
    So does anyone know how long it takes to burn a movie at 4X???? A few of you are saying that you're burning at 4X successfully, but no one is posting times.

    Anyone...?
    It takes about 15 to 16 minutes at 4x on my P4-2.53GHz system. So the whole backup process only takes 45 minutes for me. 15 mins to rip the DVD, 15 mins to run DVD2one, and 15 mins to burn. if the DVD is a DVD-5 then that time drops to 30 minutes for a backup.
    Quote Quote  
  20. Is the 2.0c dru-500ax firmware available anywhere for download????

    Cheers
    Quote Quote  
  21. Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Search Comp PM
    Well, I bought a Pioneer 4X DVD-R and it burns at 4X, so the DRU500AX must not like the ritek 4X DVD's.
    Quote Quote  
  22. Well I have tried all the firmware versions...and I'm still having no luck....some burn @ 4X some burn at 2x..... I think I'll just stick to 2x media in future
    Quote Quote  
  23. I purchased 4X ritek media and it gives me inconsistent results using NERO and firmware G with my Sony. Some burn at 2x some at 4x. I have never been able to burn at 4x with +R media even with the G firmware. Is it possible to go back to F firmware and see if it will burn those cheap Verbatim's at SAM's +R at 4x?
    TeFLoN
    Quote Quote  
  24. I burned about 7 at 2x then decided to have a change.

    So in this order:
    Changed cable to UDMA100 cable and drive to Secondary Slave
    Burned a DVD-RW+ at 2.4x
    Now Ritek DVD-R burn at 4x.

    Dunno if it's coincedence or not, but its worth a go!

    Burned 5 discs at 4x now with firmware 2.0c

    Try it - may work for you
    Quote Quote  
  25. Originally Posted by sidneysides
    I burned about 7 at 2x then decided to have a change.

    So in this order:
    Changed cable to UDMA100 cable and drive to Secondary Slave
    Burned a DVD-RW+ at 2.4x
    Now Ritek DVD-R burn at 4x.

    Dunno if it's coincedence or not, but its worth a go!

    Burned 5 discs at 4x now with firmware 2.0c

    Try it - may work for you
    What is a UDMA100 cable? Is that the old flat cables with 80 or so wires?
    Quote Quote  
  26. Yes - IDE cable with 80 pins - used for the UDMA100 hard drives as opposed to 40 pins for normal IDE cables
    Quote Quote  



Similar Threads

Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!