7.) Work on your drives' reading abilities, especially error correction (scratches/bad burns), and speed (faster ripping for DVD 9 pressed media).

Agree totally, Its stupid burning a disc and not being able to play it back on the same drive, I've tested 3 different types of media, none play back, DVD drives are used mainly for backup so it should be able to read back discs

Nick

Media qualty changes . Learning abilty that works well and a compleat set of tools for media testing and drive adjustment.

A slighly more attractive bezel?

And take a look at cdr strategies, as they seems to burn some media at much lower speed than rated (this for ND-4550A, don't know other drives)

Of course, I agree with who asks for IDE light fix, media testing software.

Here too.

- better media support by older models
I have a nec nd-1100a a and I used a lot of brands and I was only able only burn them at 2,4 due to the fact that the brand/model dvd wasn't supported. I used an ILLEGAL firwmare to upgrade my brander to a nd-1300a and now the problem is solved. I never wanted a unofficial firmware but waiting more then half an hour for one dvd.....
The other problem which I had with the original firmware (I used the latest one) was read errors with verifying a disc in nero. And somethings the image freezes when I played a dvd. Witch the hacked 1300a firmware this is fixed
-Bitsetting hack
It was necessary to do a bitsetting hack for using my backups (of the desktop) in the laptops......

I know this has been suggested by many members here already, but oh well.....strength in numbers......

Please provide bitsetting support for +R and +RW media. I can do without +RW, but it would be nice to have.

Mh, this drive is not old, it's antique.
If manufacturers would always support those obsolete drives, they would have no time to support their new models...

My ND3540A cannot read less than a year old 4x DVD-R discs manufactured by Princo and burned on a Pioneer DVR107D drive. Discs are not damaged (no scratches, no dark spots, etc) and they can be read by the ND4550A. It reads them very slow but at least it can read them. So what I want is better reading of DVD media. If ND4550A can read those discs then ND3540A should be too.

Improve the PI/PIF testing on 355x/455x drives, since the results of the current firmwares are TOTALLY useless! PI/PIF values are way too high and not constant, there's no way to convert them to usefull values by simple math.

Please finally release the 2.R8 firmware for the 3500. As far as I know from reading the reviews from the few people who were lucky enough to test it, there are no known issues with this firmware. And there are plenty of people on this forum dying for it. Like me. Allthough I bought a new 4551, I can't part from my trusty old 3500. In fact, I bought another used 3500 áfter I bought my 4551.

What's wrong with the bezel? It's fine for me, and for many others. Or would you prefer a bezel like the BenQ's? If I'd ever decide to buy a drive with BenQ technique (I'm close sometimes), I'd prefer a Philips.

Err, excuse me but... has any suggestion from this thread actually reached NEC?

I would like to add that ND-3540A is the worst CD reader I have ever owned. If the CD is just a bit dirty or scratched it won't read it at all, while any LiteOn drive eats it for breakfast (i.e. has no problem reading that same disk).
I understand that it is a DVD drive but I really can't bother to keep CD-ROM drive just to be able to read CD's which this mofo refuses to read.

So again, the most important thing for me should be improvement of reading quality for both DVD and CD media.

A drive a "mofo"?? I'd like to "see" that, better not.

Have another look to the need for DVD-RAM drivers.

NEC says there is no need as the O/S does have it, but if you use FAT32 formatted discs under win98SE or win2k the O/S requires s driver to "see" the drive and disc and write to it as if it is an external HDD, with no need of writing software.
Only win XP can do this with no driver.

Ok, InCD can format the discs as UDF and write to them with no need for specific drivers, but it is a packet writing software and we know about the associated problems.

Having a driver that can live together with InCD would be a must.

i'd like to second that...i got it after read'n you guys review here(long time ago just use'n it more now and find'n out all the problems)...the media capability needs to improve big time...i got 2 50 pack dvd's that won't burn at all...works fine on my lg 4163....i got 3 different 50 packs that don't burn at rated speed work fine on the lg


NEVER BUY'N A NEC AGAIN.......LONG LIVE LG

RAM2 discs specifications have been approved, drives using the new fast discs have at least been announced, and one manufactured made public that "some" of their older drives will not read the new discs.
The first time DVD-RAM drives were announced by NEC (the present 4550/1) they were said to do 16x, besides the actual models in the market only do 5x.
We know RAM2 discs are not yet in the market, and the same aply to the announce drives, and when 4550 started to sell the norm was not yet official.
NEC being involved in the technology and a manufacturer of essential parts for the new models to com (pick-up ans lenses) is in a good position to clarify the point:

Will present models be able to read the new RAM2 discs?
Will NEC allow it via a firmware update, if this is required?
What shall we expect from NEC on this respect?

Note: Yesterday I did post a new thread on this subject, and I'm not surprised it got no answers, as it was a stupid action and it should have come directly to this one, as appropriate.

how about improving the machanism so it doesnt wake up the whole house. NEC 3550 sounds like a jet engine.

Everything i want to say has been said. But i guess no one at nec listens. I have emailed them and asked about booktyping, but all i get is an automated reply, not anything from a real person.The reply asks me when my problem happened and try updating firmware. They don't care!!!

I think nec should improve the firmware download page. There was lack of grouping. Finding the firmware for a type of driver is uncomfortable.

http://www.de.nec.de/softwareoverview2.php/id/557

- Improove appearance
- Red light for burning
- Improove CD burning
- Improove overburning
- Do not moan about crossflashing or anything else



Why do I think that its the mainboard that decides about this?

Oh, I forgot an important one:

- Do not slow down at lead-out

-Make different drives (Hardware) to avoid crossflashing. (At least, it would stop duzens of posts and discussions in cdfreaks )

Release a PI/PO able to scan firmware for 3500! Or we will riot in front of your headquarters

...release to the public. :P

I guess after the current crossflashing hassle, there's noone left who'll risk leaking the 2.R8

Sure, but NEC should 'release' such a firmware. No interest in leaked things.

Agree, but since NEC isn't intending to release the 2.R8, and probably never was, our last hope was that it would leak some way or the other to the internet. Just one used 3500 sold second hand would do the job. But that hope has disappeared a few weeks ago.

I still regret not being able to scan with both of my 3500's, because the 4550, which I bought mainly for scanning (and partly for RAM), is completely useless for this. I still have to decide whether my next drive wil be an LG (for it's unsurplussed reading of damaged or protected discs) or a BenQ (for its features and firmwares), but it won't be NEC anyway. Congrats, NEC!