Pioneer A05/105 Firmware Upgrade Warning

[MBarrett]

I'm seen many posts lately suggesting people who are having trouble burning to 1x media upgrade their firmware to the latest v1.3. I'm not criticizing anyone for attempting to help. I just happened to run across this and wanted to share it to save people some trouble.

Most global companies, and it appears Pioneer is not an exception, tend to have trouble with internal global communication. It appears this is the case here as this is not posted on any other Pioneer site I could find outside of Australia. So just a word to the wise...

For those of you who are thinking of upgrading your Pioneer A05/105 or your Cendyne (Pioneer) CDI CD 00209 DVR-105, the following is an important read. I was considering a firmware upgrade from 1.2 to 1.3 until I found this Pioneer remark.

It appears that upgrading your firmware to v1.3 may actually make your problem worse. Pioneer has warned that upgrading to version 1.3 actually reduces compatibility with some 1x media. As a matter of fact, just upgrading from v1 to v1.2 eliminated my ability to use princo 1x RW media, including the one that came with my drive...

Check out this Pioneer page:

http://www.pioneeraus.com.au/multimedia/software/software_files.htm#dvd-Recorders

You may have to agree to the license agreement. Then scroll down to the new v1.3 firmware download for the A05/105 and click on the "Update Information" button...

Now if you are only interested in increasing your ability/compatiblity with 2x and 4x media, this is not a concern as I believe this upgrade actually increases compatibility with that media. But if you like to burn on the less expensive v 1.1, 1x generic brands, you may want to think twice as you can't undo a firmware upgrade...

Hope this helps.
MBarrett

[Doggiedaddy]

You are correct, every one need to decide for their self if the risk out weighs the benefit or not. I have upgraded to a 3rd party flash, [2x4all] and for the first time I was able to burn a Ritek 03 @ the 2x speed which it was designed for. Personally I hold Pioneer responsible for not getting off there butt’s and writing the firmware correctly. They are too under staffed to do the research and correct the firmware rewrite. I personally am very happy to write a DVD in 30min. rather than an hour+ and so far so good, knock on wood.

Here is a FAQ on the very subject.
http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?t=12632

[ckdexterhn1]

But if you like to burn on the less expensive v 1.1, 1x generic brands, you may want to think twice as you can't undo a firmware upgrade...

Yes, you can undo a firmware upgrade. I have taken my Pioneer A05U from 1.00 to 1.21 to 1.30, back down to .58, and up again to the new region free 1.30 with no problems. In fact, it had solved a problem I was having with the bios recognizing the drive on reboot.

[MBarrett]

I stand corrected and hope I never stop learning, ckdexterhn1. I read the info on the forum Doggiedaddy mentioned and appreciate the info!

Thank you both for bringing me up to "speed".

MBarrett

[graysky]

[quote="ckdexterhn1"]

Yes, you can undo a firmware upgrade. I have taken my Pioneer A05U from 1.00 to 1.21 to 1.30, back down to .58, and up again to the new region free 1.30 with no problems. In fact, it had solved a problem I was having with the bios recognizing the drive on reboot.

I'm still using 0.52 I think... how can I take it up to another verison and then back again if I need to?

[ckdexterhn1]

graysky, try the link Doggiedaddy provided. All the info you need is there.

[Coopervid]

Guys,

Pioneer is just referring to media meeting specs before 2.0. All media that is sold today should meet the at least 2.0 requirements. I'm not a friend of Pioneer's policies, I have the 2x4 patched firmware installed and it works great but nobody should be paranoid about this press release as there IS NO MEDIA ON THE MARKET THAT IS STILL ONLY MEETING THE 1.x SPEC.

[MBarrett]

Guys,

Pioneer is just referring to media meeting specs before 2.0. All media that is sold today should meet the at least 2.0 requirements. I'm not a friend of Pioneer's policies, I have the 2x4 patched firmware installed and it works great but nobody should be paranoid about this press release as there IS NO MEDIA ON THE MARKET THAT IS STILL ONLY MEETING THE 1.x SPEC.

Coopervid, it's not a matter of being paranoid. It's a matter of being cautious with someone else’s investment. I agree there shouldn't be any 1.1 media still out there. Unfortunately, none of us know what some retailers are selling.

Case in point: I just ordered and received a sampler from a "reputable" company that contained discs that were in fact discontinued. I might add this is a company mentioned favorably many times right here on this site.

The discs weren’t labeled with any obvious markings as to what they were. But a couple had part numbers and I was able to look up these on their website. That is how I found one that was discontinued and I don’t think the others are even the ones the company listed as being in the sampler. But I'll have to open them and run DVDInfo to find out what they actually are. The fact that they sent discs they don't even carry any longer in a "Sampler" shows me not everyone selling media is trustworthy. And I thought you could trust everyone in the mail-order business...Yeah right! Guess who I’ll be on the phone with in a couple of hours...

Even if no one out there is selling off old stock, and if you believe that I just got some great discs I'll sell you, 8) I'm sure there are people who still have old discs on hand that may be version 1.1 media. Not everyone who buys a “cake” eats it all at once.

The whole point is that too many of us make suggestions and some people with less experience who are struggling with a problem take it as the gospel. They have been fighting with an issue for possibly hours or days, they have spent hard earned money on something that isn’t working for them and want/need an answer they can’t seem to find on their own. Then in our honest desire to help, we forget that what works for one person may not always work for someone else. There are too many variables involved. And I'm not just referring to firmware upgrades. If we are going to help others by sharing our experiences then with that comes a certain level of responsibility.

Besides, burning firmware isn't always safe, hence all the disclaimers you see. Now I have never had any trouble and I've been working with PCs since the first C64s came out. But that doesn't mean someone else won't. They have and they do. So not to put too fine a point on it, we all need to be responsible in what solutions we suggest and in how we suggest them. This site, the forum, and all the guides are great! And most everyone here has the right intentions. But in our desire to help, let the rule be “first, do no harm”...

MBarret