LG GSA 4120 or 4160 ?

[dodecahedron]

i've been deliberating a long time about getting a DVD burner.
i was considering the LG.
till now the 4160 was not available here in Israel.

i finally made in impulsive purchase (see here) and bought the 4120.

now, 3 days later , i see that the 4160 has finally made it to the holy land.

i might be able to return the 4120 and get a 4160. question is: should i?

i'm reading up @ rpc1.org. things are'nt too clear right now as far as i can tell.
apparently 4120 supports bitsetting, 4160 not (yet anyway).

anyone know more info? someone knowledgeable about these drives?
is the 4160 gonna get bitsetting?

anyone got opinions/experiences about 4120@4160?

TIA

[dhc014]

Upgrading GSA-4120B's to GSA-4160B's seems to be flawless... Plus if your drive started out as a 4120B, then you get bitsetting. It seems to me like the 4120B is a better buy. Especially if bitsetting is important to you.

[dodecahedron]

Upgrading GSA-4120B's to GSA-4160B's seems to be flawless... Plus if your drive started out as a 4120B, then you get bitsetting. It seems to me like the 4120B is a better buy. Especially if bitsetting is important to you.

really?
having read the Flashing a LG GSA-4120B to a 4160B possible? thread at rpc1, it seems to me still to be quite experimental. worked for some, not for others?
the bitsetting i mean. acutal burning is OK but bitsetting doesn't alwys work, right?
dave, do you have more info on this ?

if i were sure the 4160 would get bitsetting capability in a future firmware, i'd try to replace my 4120.
seems a reasonable expectation to me, but i guess we can never be sure.

[ramlin]

dodecahedron, I am intrigued - where can you buy a DVD burner in Israel that can be returned for a different burner, if there's nothing wrong with the original burner?
Like you, I am thinking of buying my first burner in the holy land - my choice is the benq dw1620. My only problem with buying this burner is that it will soon be overtaken by the benq 1620pro - so, if there's any retailer or other seller out there in Israel that is willing to take back a return on the basis of an upgrade - then let me know ...
todah
Clifford

[MediumRare]

my choice is the benq dw1620. My only problem with buying this burner is that it will soon be overtaken by the benq 1620pro

You should be able to upgrade the 1620 to the pro version with new firmware. Have a look at this thread (in particular Ian's last post).

G

[dodecahedron]

went ahead and exchanged the 4120 for the 4160.
i'm pleased

now just gotta wait for LG to realease a firmware that supports bitsettig

[dodecahedron]

dodecahedron, I am intrigued - where can you buy a DVD burner in Israel that can be returned for a different burner, if there's nothing wrong with the original burner?
Like you, I am thinking of buying my first burner in the holy land - my choice is the benq dw1620. My only problem with buying this burner is that it will soon be overtaken by the benq 1620pro - so, if there's any retailer or other seller out there in Israel that is willing to take back a return on the basis of an upgrade - then let me know ...
todah
Clifford

hi there clifford.
well they didn't take it "on the basis of an upgrade" exactly.

the drive was unused (although i had removed the plastic shrink wrap and opened the box. but had not installed the drive or use it, or the software.
so they were willing to take it back for an exchange or a store credit (vouchers).

there are some stores that will let you return a product, but not many i admit. Office Depot has a 30 days (15 for electronics products) no questions asked return policy. they say, even if you opened the product. though i haven't actually tested that (opened product clause. i have returned stuff a few times).
a big plus for Office Depot. though they are usually expensive where computer products are concerned.

i bought the drive @ Shekem Electric. when i called to ask i was told that if the drive was in it's original packaging i could return it for a store credit no problem, and i belive you can do this at most stores. the sales guy who sold me all the other stuff (read the other topic i linked) was nice enough to let me return my opened drive, and even said that if i insisted, he might be able to refund my money (he would try anyway).

as it turned out, when i explained to him that i purchased the drive after having deliberated for a while and then surprise 3 days later the 4160 starts selling here, he said no problem i can return my drive (even though it's been opened) and what's more, since it was only 20 shekels (about $4.5) difference for the more expensive 4160, he simply swapped the drives and didn't change me for the difference.

[myckee]

It is too bad you didn't wait a little bit longer. At the end of this month the GSA-4162 or 4163 ( info found at cdfreaks) which has all the features that the 4160 should have, but doesn't, will be released. Thread at cdfreaks with specs etc:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=113066

[ramlin]

dodecahedron,
Thanks for letting me know the info. I bought my printer from office depot (Kanyon Ayalon) and the price I bought it for (NIS1450 for an HP PSC 2410, back in Feb of this year) was amongst the cheapest. I hope all goes well with your new burner - I am still mulling whether to buy the benq 1620 now or wait until the pro version comes out - what is strange, however, is that the cheapest place I can find it is Bug (not known for its bargains) at NIS680 - which does make it somewhat expensive compared to the competition....

[dodecahedron]

after myckee's post, i read up a bit at cdfreaks and rpc1.org (and got into a little hot ware ). thanks for the tip, myckee!

OK the 4160 is safely back in the store where i had bought it (presumably in the display case right next to the 4120 it had replaced ).

i will now await the release of the LG GSA-4163B

[dodecahedron]

@ramlin:
office depot, well sometimes they're as cheap as anybody else.
printers, scanners, fax machines, phones etc....
but sometimes they're more expensive.
flash memory for example - ridiculous prices.
digital cameras - as cheap as any other B&M shop, but you can get better prices at online shops.
media can be gotten cheaper than their prices.

bottom line - you gotta do research.