Info : Pioneer DVR-111 Firmware AB09

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-111D:
Firmware Revision: AB09

No, never even considered that I might want to.

Is "AB09" an Apple-only firmware?

I've got the MAC PRO that came with the SONY D150A.

However, for "ergonomics reason", i need to add another DVD-RW (external) on the other side of my desk.

So I am using the Pioneer DVR-111D (in an external firewire casing) that I've just bought.

after hooking it up in an external casing, "About this Mac" shows firmware 1.23 for this DVDR-111D.

Should I update the firmware to 1.29 (usng a PC?)

Thanks!
Regards,
[Charles]

Should I update the firmware to 1.29

That's up to you. If your drive isn't causing you any issues and is behaving as expected then you might not want to update.

I updated to 1.29 on my Mac Pro. It probably voids the warranty, but manufacturers generally do upgrades to handle more media and increase performance on already supported media. If I had an "accident", I could have turned the drive into a brick, but the 111 only costs about $35. I want all the performance that I can get.

Dave

Should I update the
firmware to 1.29

That's up to you. If your drive isn't causing you any
issues and is behaving as expected then you might not
want to update.

Drive burner firmware is updated regularly to contain information on the characteristics of new blank media. I think it is a good idea to remain current.

Steve

Drive burner firmware is updated regularly to contain information on the characteristics of new blank media.

True. Although that does not always make it useful.

I think it is a good idea to remain current.

Not always. As I said previously, if the drive is performing perfectly there really is not reason to change firmware given the potential side-effects of doing so.

For instance, someone who uses the same brand media, Verbatim for example, all of the time and they know that it works, and it works as expected, where's the gain?

Drive burner firmware is
updated regularly to contain information on the
characteristics of new blank media.

True. Although that does not always make it useful.

I think it is a good idea to remain current.

Not always. As I said previously, if the drive is
performing perfectly there really is not reason to
change firmware given the potential side-effects of
doing so.

For instance, someone who uses the same brand media,
Verbatim for example, all of the time and they know
that it works, and it works as expected, where's the
gain?

Maybe the newer firmware will write faster, or more accurately (error correction), to that Verbatim media.

This is rediculous to argue.

If it breaks something, then flash it back to the previous version. It's not the end of the world.

Steve

If it breaks something, then flash it back to the previous version. It's not the end of the world.

You might want to read the Pioneer firmware update documentation before saying something like this. Pioneer firmware CANNOT be downgraded.

Pioneer firmware CANNOT be downgraded.

Not with Pioneer (or OSX for the DVR-111) software, but it can be done under Windows.

According to Pioneer…

http://wwwbsc.pioneer.co.jp/product-e/ibs/devicee/dev00001re.html

… for the DVR-111, actually for them all, they state "Once updated to version 1.29, this drive will not revert to older firmware versions.". This has been the case as far as I can recall and I've been using Pioneer DVR drives. Now, whether other non-official firmware updates (such as region free patches) are downgradeable then that's another matter.

Dear Ned,
You are right about the Pioneer disclaimer. The first time I read that I thought it was not possible to flash to old versions. I think that disclaimer might be there to get users to think twice about upgrading. However, over the years I have been able to downgrade Pioneer 109, 110 and 111 without any problems.

The Pioneer 111D firmware version 1.29 adds these changes:
Support New 8x DVD-R Media
( 8x writing:E-top )
Support New 16x DVD-R Media
( 16x writing:Leaddata, AMC, Must Tech )
( 12x writing:E-top, Infosource)
Support New 8x DVD-R DL Media
( 8x writing:Taiyo-Yuden(That's), Maxell )
Support New 8x +R Media
( 8x writing:E-top )
Support New 16x +R Media
( 16x writing:MBI, Optodisc, Ritek, Prodisc )
( 12x writing:VDL ODMS )
Support New 8x +R DL Media
( 8x writing:Ricoh, Ritek )
DVD-R DL Writability has improved.
DVD-R DL Readability has improved.
+R DL Writability has improved.
+R DL Readability has improved.
+RW Writability has improved.
DVD-RAM Readability has improved.
CD-R Writability has improved.
CD-RW Writability has improved.
CD-ROM Readability has improved.

If you are not having problems there is probably not a need to upgrade. However, I usually upgrade as you never find out about these issues until you run into a roadblock.

I believe the more interesting firmware change is the ability to cross flash the Pioneer 111D to a Pioneer A11XL. It provides DVD-RAM write capability. I cross flashed a Pioneer 111D on a PC with the PIONEER DVR-A11XL firmware found at http://tdb.rpc1.org/#DVR111D

After the cross flash the Pioneer 111D accepts newer firmware patches found for the PIONEER DVR-A11XL. It acts as though the drive was a PIONEER DVR-A11XL from the beginning. The A11XL provides DVD-RAM write support which is what I wanted.

Obviously, you do this at your own risk and you might turn the $35 Pioneer 111D into a door stop but I have flashed quite a few Pioneer DVRs and never had a problem. It seems that the power going out during the flashing process is the real concern.

You can see more on this in the SuperDrive section of the AMUG Mac Pro review found here:
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/intel/macpro/