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Hello all. This is my first post here. After having read an abundance of information in this forum, it's clear that there are plenty of knowledgeable people here, so I look forward to any and all replies to my question(s).

I have the following DVD Burners here, and I am looking for your opinions as to which you would consider the best, which you would prefer yourself, or anything you would have to say about the two drives.

I will have to return one of them, so please help me make the best choice. The cost difference of the two is not important to me, so that will not be a factor in my decision.

Here is what I have:

Pioneer DVR-112D
Cost: $33.00
[OEM]

Samsung SH-S182M
Cost: $49.00
[Junk software included]

I do not plan on actually using the 'liteScribe' function of the Samsung, as I am just as happy using a Sharpie Marker to label my DVDs. Aside from that, let me know if there is anything else you need to know to help me with my decision.

I did see that the "CDRLabs DVD Writer Poll - April" had the following results:

Pioneer DVR-112/DVR-212/DVR-A12
18% [ 4 ]

Samsung SH-S182D/SH-S182M
0% [ 0 ]

I guess many people didn't vote, as is typical with Forum Polls, so I am not comfortable basing my decision on those results alone.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my post, and especially if you have anything to say.

Mr.T

Well, as I am in the market for a new DVD Player, I went into "DVD Players/Recorders" to read through the topics there, and stumbled upon this topic:

Moved: cant decide which DVDRW sata burner to get
http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=23258

Seems like it is out of place to me, but it did reference the Pioneer DVR-112D quite a bit - as it seems to be a well-liked burner. I have also seen in some of your signatures that many of you have this drive. I have yet to see the Samsung in anyone's signature.

My guess is that the Pioneer will be the most recommended, but I will wait and see what you all have to say.

I don't own a 112D yet, but judging by the comments on the forum, its better than the Samsung.

What about the "Lead-in bug" on the DVD-R format with the Samsung SH-S182M ?
http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=23355

Thanks for that - not something I want to deal with.

I think I will go with the Pioneer DVR-112D, and now that that's been decided, my next question is:

What would be the recommended firmware flash?

I see these two, and I don't know what the advantages are with one over the other.

Pioneer v.121
DVR-112D_FW121EU2.EXE

Dangerous Bros Buffalo Firmware
112D_806.ZIP

Any insight or help is appreciated.

Thanks!

The Pioneer firmware is "official" and is supported. The Dangerous Brothers firmware is hacked to provide more functionality (such as DVD-RAM, I believe, along with region free capabilities), but is unofficial and will void your warranty.

Basically, don't mess with TDB firmware unless you are a> very certain of what you are doing and b> willing to give up your warranty.

If you're buying an OEM Pioneer. do you even have a warranty beyond a store's return policy?

Can the 112D be flashed to 112L?

As far as I know same as all the other earlier drives. The 212 might not be as easy, think it uses different firmware but not positive, I don't have one yet...