I just bought a DVD burner so – hush hush – don’t tell anyone because I don’t really have the time to burn DVD images for others. You know what I fear most is when people tell me to burn DVD movies for them.
Originally, I bought the LG GSA-4163B which is basically a DVD burner that can burn DVD±R, DVD±RW, dual layers for both formats and DVD-RAM. It sounded good enough. It’s just what I need. The idea of DVD-RAM seemed appealing to me too.
_(The box of LG GSA-4167B.)_
I asked for the specification of LG GSA-4163B and the shopkeeper at Computer Ambience System House (CASH) told me that this set does not come with a box. He fetched the box of another DVD burner and show it to me. I read through what’s on the box and found the DVD burner to be pretty good. It was then I noticed that the box has a different model number – LG GSA-4167B.
I pointed that out to the shopkeeper, after which he immediately replied that it is exactly the same in features. He seemed rushed. I was buying a DVD burner at half past eleven in the morning and – trust me – there is no one in the shop except us. Why the rush?
The LG GSA-4163B that the shopkeeper showed me has no boxing and is hence cheaper than the LG GSA-4167B or so that’s what the shopkeeper said. The difference in model number seemed suspicious but the shopkeeper managed to convinced me otherwise and I was under the impression that the change in model number is nothing more than a fireware upgrade which – by the way – seemed possible to me at that point of time.
I paid for the LG GSA-4163B and was given a so-call driver CD that includes Nero Burning ROM. The CD is white in color and is just like any normal CDs that I burn and hand to my friends. It is just a CD-R with the words Nero written on top. Was it supposed to be this way? It kinda looks pirated to me.
Then I returned home and mount the LG DVD burner. I placed in the driver CD. There was no driver inside. It’s just a Nero Burning ROM software, the full version. I am not supposed to have the full version. I should just have Nero Express OEM edition according to the box of LG GSA-4167B. It was pirated.
That wasn’t all, I went to a search engine and search for LG GSA-4163B and take a look at the specifications. LG GSA-4163B is not like LG GSA-4167B. The burning speeds are different! LG GSA-4163B is less superior to later-released LG GSA-4167B. And I am pissed off; I got cheated.
And so, yesterday, I returned to Computer Ambience System House (CASH) to complain about it. First it was the difference in specification which to me is rather significant. Second is that there was no driver and just a pirated version of Nero 6. I top up extra to get the LG GSA-4167B and returned the LG GSA-4163B and the pirated Nero.
The boxed up LG GSA-4167B comes with – well, I supposed – the LG GSA-4167B device itself, the warranty card, the audio and data cables, the pieces of manuals and a CD that comes with Cyberlink PowerDVD and Nero Burning ROM Express.
Ah, that’s more like it. The speed is what I want. DVD±R at 16x, DVD±RW at 8x, DVD-RAM at 5x, CD-R at 48x and more. I am not a satisfied customer of Computer Ambience System House (CASH) but I am happy with my LG product. It works smoothly and writes my anime, Tenshi na Konamaiki, with no errors. It’s pretty fast too, I finished burning my anime in about 10 minutes.
I have yet to try the Panasonic DVD-RAM disc that I bought. I bought Taiyo Yuden discs and they work fine for LG GSA-4167B.
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Tags: computers, shopping, technology
Optical drives do not need drivers, they comply with the ATAPI standard and are autodeteced in Windows.
Many drives I bought were bulk rather than retail with all the extras and a box. The manual I have got from LG support sent by email for free and as I said, no drivers needed.
I hope you have bought removeable DVD-RAMs, as mentioned earlier
by Nafcom (Oct 11, 2005 at 2 AM)PS: Which Panasonic is it? your blog post sounds like you have checked the media list in advance?
by Nafcom (Oct 11, 2005 at 6 AM)PPS: By the way. just saw a DVD writer review, the GSA-4167B won (they compared 10 DVD drives on a German IT site).
by Nafcom (Oct 11, 2005 at 9 AM)The model names kind of confused me… but I think I got the general idea of you being cheated. You should have been mean and reported him haha
by Milky (Oct 12, 2005 at 3 PM)@Milky: It’s like you buy a new toaster. The “expert” in the shop says: “Yeah, it’s good, but it doesn’t come in a box.”
You read on the box, that it needs 15 seconds to turn the colour of the toast (from white to black), but the other one only needs 10 seconds. But the “expert” tells you: “Oh, this is nothing, you can increase the heat and you get the same result”.
The manual of the toaster says, that a free slice of non-toasted national toast is included in the package, but yours includes an American toast slice which is already toasted and you also read that the one you have just purchased as fewer toasting power (watts) than the one the “expert” didn’t recommend to you, eventhough it’s way better!
Result: You have got fooled!
A pirated toasted American toast slice and a toaster with low watts!
by Nafcom (Oct 12, 2005 at 6 PM)Nafcom: I never hear of optical drives requiring drivers too. I did buy those DVD-RAMs, it’s by Panasonic and it’s not in a catridge form. I bought the Panasonic 120 min DVD-RAM, single-sided, rewritable, with 4.7 GB, it burns at 2x to 5x.
It’s good to hear I made the right choice in that DVD burner.
Milky: I didn’t report them. I am not buying from there again. It’s a bad shopping experience.
by Mr. Dew (Oct 12, 2005 at 6 PM)Mr Dew:
Is is in the DVD-RAM media list? Doesn’t seem like it.
There are drivers for ATAPI drives, but for DOS. The universal ATAPI DOS drivers do not support full speed or media insert detection.
If you need any help, I am always ready to answer questions
I have never seen any DVD-RAM without cartdrigde here. Only removeable and even they are very hard to find. I have bought the Verbatim (DataLifePlus) DVD-RAM 4.7GB M01J3002 3x , seems like they got a good judging in the database!
by Nafcom (Oct 12, 2005 at 7 PM)Nafcom: Actually, I bought this DVD-RAM (Panasonic | LM-AF120MU | 4.7GB Jewel | 5x Speed DVD-RAM Media). I don’t think it’s in the media list. I didn’t consult the media list for DVD-RAM. I wasn’t intending to purchase one of those initially. In the end, I bought it apparently, hahaa… So I just go by branding. I remember seeing Panasonic on the list and it seemed reputable enough.
(Panasonic | LM-AF120MU | 4.7GB Jewel | 5x Speed DVD-RAM Media)
by Mr. Dew (Oct 14, 2005 at 6 AM)Mr Dew; Maybe you could read its media code and add it to the listen then?
I just bought it because it was the only removeable one for a reasonable price they have offered.
by Nafcom (Oct 14, 2005 at 6 AM)I bought 5 of them and I do not regret it
Nafcom: Mine doesn’t come with the cartridge. A listen list? Well… I don’t have one. Maybe I’ll get one, hahaa…
by Mr. Dew (Oct 14, 2005 at 6 AM)Mr Dew: Oh sorry, i meant to “the list”. heh. you seem to be online right now, you should come on ICQ
by Nafcom (Oct 14, 2005 at 6 AM)Nafcom: I was online but I left for work soon after. I get what you mean already I think. I don’t have a software to read the code of the DVD medium. What software do you use?
by Mr. Dew (Oct 18, 2005 at 8 AM)Mr Dew: Well, there is the needed prg on that media list homepage.
by Nafcom (Oct 18, 2005 at 7 PM)Infact mine were always listed so never needed to use that
Nafcom: I see, there are so many mediums around that it can be quite hard to keep track, hahaa
by Mr. Dew (Oct 19, 2005 at 7 AM)Mr. Dew: Yep, mine were always in the list, yet.
But yours are not. That’s why I think it was nice if you would add it and read the media code
For such kinds of list, participation and completition is essiental.
Shouldn’t require too much time and enegery to download the prg to read the media code from that homepage and add the media to their database
by Nafcom (Oct 19, 2005 at 6 PM)Well, I don’t really know how to fill it up. I have posted it anyway. I hope it’s done correctly, hahaa… You can see it here.
by Mr. Dew (Oct 22, 2005 at 11 PM)Mr Dew: Important is the sentence at the top of the list:
“This list is based from user reports. If you can’t find your media please then add new DVDR or DVDRAM media information here. Read here how to get the DVDRW Media code using DVDInfoPro / DVDIdentifier / DVD Media Inspector(MacOSX).”
DVDIdentifier, clicking on that link opens the page with detailed explaination and screenshots and the download links. Please correct/add the media code, so.
by Nafcom (Oct 23, 2005 at 10 AM)Nafcom: I added the media code already.
by Mr. Dew (Oct 23, 2005 at 11 PM)@Mr. Dew: Great, thanks!
by Nafcom (Oct 24, 2005 at 4 AM)Help,
“Invalid block address” with GSA-4167b
by Misil (Dec 4, 2005 at 1 AM)Hi Misil, there may be a lot of reasons for that. You can try other brands of DVD media. I personally use Taiyo Yuden discs and have no problems with it so far. It could be a problem at the wires too I think. You can try lowering the burning speeds too.
by Mr. Dew (Dec 4, 2005 at 5 AM)@Misil: Well, you can also try LG technical support, they are pretty skilled.
Mr Dew: Actually, I got a pretty interesting case. when I removed a DVD-RAM out of its cartidge (remember, I boutght removeable ones!), it didn’t format becuase of “being damaged” as the error message said. I did it with another one didn’t work either.
So 2 of 5 DVD-RAMs did not work. I sent an email to Verbatim Germany, it got ignored. I sent an email to all the other locations of Verbatim (Spain, France, UK, etc) and got a reply from Verbatim UK saying they dispatched 2 for me
Weird, never experienced any damaged media from Verbatim ever in my life.
I am a nasty customer, I pester companies till they reply to me
If you follow my blog you can notice that. Shame on me!
by Nafcom (Dec 4, 2005 at 9 AM)Verbatim UK sent me an DHL Express Mail parcel including not only 2 DVD-RAMs, but 2 of their 5-packs! (One with cartidge, one without). So I cracked up the ones with cartridges and got this way 5 for free! =)
by Nafcom (Dec 7, 2005 at 1 AM)Nafcom: Wow! That’s very nice of them actually.
by Mr. Dew (Dec 7, 2005 at 1 PM)@Mr Dew: That’s Verbatim’s Life Time Warranty!
by Nafcom (Dec 7, 2005 at 5 PM)Nafcom: They certainly live to their words.
by Mr. Dew (Dec 11, 2005 at 3 PM)