CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review - Club CDFreaks

**Dee-27** · 24-03-2007

CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 Review

You can read the review here
Please feel free to comment on the review in this thread

0301orih · 24-03-2007

Excellent! Everybody has been waiting for this. Thank you Dee!

Hiro

*vroom* · 24-03-2007

Makes me wonder if shoud go for the Pio112 or the Samsung182.

*zebadee* · 24-03-2007

Hi

Dee-27
Excellent stuff.

Glad no mention of Mt.Rainer. (as it's obsolete anyway).
(Just drop the comment on single led as most are that way, if not all).

@vroom Samsung vs Pioneer = Pioneer always

steven2874 · 24-03-2007

Thanks for the review Dee and the well-earned "Editors Choice". I've been burning happilly away with my 112D@ 112L for over a month now with no complaints.

**DrageMester** · 24-03-2007

Thanks for the nice review, Dee!

Would it be safe to assume that this is an UDMA 4 drive? Have you tried how it performs in an external enclosure?

Quote:

Originally Posted by zebadee

(Just drop the comment on single led as most are that way, if not all).

Yes, I think this is a lost cause by now. Only the Plextor drives have two-colour LEDs by now, and they're not developing their own DVD drives anymore.

jarrett · 24-03-2007

Thank god! It looks just as good or better than the 111

I took a huge gamble buying this a month ago on a new system build. I can put my worries to rest

*Bob* · 24-03-2007

Thanks Dee. I've gone through 3 112D's Nov 2006 builds and they were crappy DL burners. Might wait and try a different build date when they get some in the store here.

*_chef_* · 24-03-2007

Very good & interesting review.

Thanks Dee.

**Dee-27** · 24-03-2007

Thanks everyone for the comments so far.

@DrageMester
Yep UDMA mode 4 drive.
I haven't had a chance to play with the drive in an external enclosure yet, which reminds me. I need to get a new enclosure as the only one i have free has a broken PSU.

@rolling56
I hope you have more luck with your next one.

jarrett · 25-03-2007

the firmware is only a month old (end of Jan). this drive is going to be even better once we have mature firmware, a lot of wacky results in the scans thread. i was worried about the reading results with cd-speed, but the review reminded me of the specs of this drive/media and confirmed my results. only a few rare cases where it will be reading at 16x

Jimbo · 25-03-2007

Thanks Dee for the time and effort you put into this, I have had no problems with both of my 112's, I am very satisfied with my choice of burners
Jim

PhotoJim · 25-03-2007

Tempting burner, but any burner that won't bitset DVD+R media gets a failing grade from me. I want the flexibility to burn both + and - media and too many modern DVD players intentionally will not play DVD+R media unless it's bitset. (Alas, my otherwise excellent Panasonic DVD changer fits this category.)

*chas0039* · 25-03-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhotoJim

Tempting burner, but any burner that won't bitset DVD+R media gets a failing grade from me. I want the flexibility to burn both + and - media and too many modern DVD players intentionally will not play DVD+R media unless it's bitset. (Alas, my otherwise excellent Panasonic DVD changer fits this category.)

You might have missed it, but the Buffalo firmware solves the bitsetting problem. I have used it on 3 111s and have been very satisfied.

*_chef_* · 25-03-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhotoJim

Tempting burner, but any burner that won't bitset DVD+R media gets a failing grade from me. I want the flexibility to burn both + and - media and too many modern DVD players intentionally will not play DVD+R media unless it's bitset. (Alas, my otherwise excellent Panasonic DVD changer fits this category.)

then that players must be crappy. See, how long is the PLUS DVD format around? Should a "new" standalone DVD player nowadays not support DVD±R and DVD±RW from the start and for PLUS even without bitsetting?
I think it surely should.

And like chas0039 has pointed out, the BUFFALO firmwares also AUTObitset on DVD+R media.
http://tdb.rpc1.org/#DVR112L

Jimbo · 25-03-2007

PhotoJim: It also depends on what burning software you use also, The one I use will bitset for you even if the burner won't. Also agree with Chef about the player

*_chef_* · 25-03-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo

PhotoJim: It also depends on what burning software you use also, The one I use will bitset for you even if the burner won't. Also agree with Chef about the player

To be honest, how should that work?
Bitsetting is enabled or disabled with the firmware. With autobitsetting the firmware controls all that, regardless which software you use...

Antenne · 25-03-2007

There is a 112 and a 112D. As far as I understand, the latter doesn't burn DVD-RAM. Is there a different chipset or can I go for the (slightly) cheaper 112D if I don't need this feature? How about the quality scans with this drive? Are they any good (or reliable)? Is there a difference in q-scan if the chipset is diffent?

*_chef_* · 25-03-2007

Same drive, same hardware, slightly different firmware.

Jimbo · 25-03-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by _chef_

To be honest, how should that work?
Bitsetting is enabled or disabled with the firmware. With autobitsetting the firmware controls all that, regardless which software you use...

DVDFAB Platinum will let you do this if your burner doesn't have auto bitsetting

parch11 · 25-03-2007

Awesome burner & review

PhotoJim · 26-03-2007

I agree that my DVD player is weird - I think it's stupid that it won't play un-bitset DVD+R. However, it plays DVD Audio and does a lot of other things I really like so I'm quite happy with it.

As for bitsetting, alternative firmware is a good option (I use it on my notebook's NEC ND6500 burner to get bitsetting) but it's harder to have the most recent firmware this way. Still, it's an option worth considering.

I agree that I shouldn't *need* to bitset, but I also think that I should *be able* to bitset. Obviously the hardware can do it or else the firmware hack wouldn't exist.

I burn with Nero, which lets me turn bitsetting on and off on burners that support it. I always turn it on with + media.

*_chef_* · 26-03-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo

DVDFAB Platinum will let you do this if your burner doesn't have auto bitsetting

Honestly, it has nothing to do with bitsetting or autobitsetting... if it is not in the firmware then any software cannot just enable that.

mentor · 26-03-2007

Thanks Dee. Have DVR-112D@112L and DVR-212d Great drives

**C0deKing** · 27-03-2007

Excellent review.

Thanks Dee.

24-03-2007	#1 (permalink)
Dee-27 Administrator and Reviewer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Scotland, UK Posts: 8,327	CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review <a href='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a13febf7&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=30&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a13febf7' border='0' alt='' /></a> CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 Review You can read the review here Please feel free to comment on the review in this thread __________________ My Review PC & Optical Drives We came to wreck everything and ruin your lives, God sent us To become a member of cdfreaks.com just click here to join The Forum Rules The NEC/Optiarc F.A.Q. Liggy & Dee's NEC/Optiarc Firmware Page

24-03-2007	#2 (permalink)
0301orih CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Cylon occupied Caprica Posts: 499	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Excellent! Everybody has been waiting for this. Thank you Dee! Hiro __________________ Pioneer DVR-111L 8.29, Pioneer DVR-112D@112L 8.09, Pioneer DVR-112D@A12L 1.15 Samsung SH-S182M SB02 BenQ DW1655 x2 BCDB speedpatched/BCIB LG H55N 1.00, LG H42N RJ11 Speedpatched, LG H22N 1.01, LG H22L 1.00 Lite-On SH-16A7S SATA WS04 FB-EOS, Lite-On LH-18A1P@BenQ DW1800 ZB35 FB , Lite-On LH-20A1H LL0A FB-EOS TOSHIBA DVD/HDX807616 MC08

24-03-2007	#3 (permalink)
vroom CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: .gr Posts: 944	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Makes me wonder if shoud go for the Pio112 or the Samsung182.

24-03-2007	#4 (permalink)
zebadee CD Freaks Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Hiding in backwater. Posts: 5,051	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Hi Dee-27 Excellent stuff. Glad no mention of Mt.Rainer. (as it's obsolete anyway). (Just drop the comment on single led as most are that way, if not all). @vroom Samsung vs Pioneer = Pioneer always __________________ Click HERE to join cdfreaks.com Hi, I'm a BQFlasher: with aWOPC Tool: tendency suffering from MediaCodeSpeedEdit: BenQs' QSuite 2.1: Plus Manual: Meet the family Slysoft (Daddy) AnyDVD - (Mommy) CloneDVD2 - (Son) CloneCD - (Nephew) CloneDVDmobile CD/DVDSpeed: + NEW User's Guide[en]: [Italian ver:] Plus ala42's EnableSolidBurnReg: WinDWFlash: FWCheck:

24-03-2007	#5 (permalink)
steven2874 CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,034	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Thanks for the review Dee and the well-earned "Editors Choice". I've been burning happilly away with my 112D@ 112L for over a month now with no complaints.

Commercial message
<a href='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=ac816a32&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=29&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=ac816a32' border='0' alt='' /></a>

24-03-2007	#7 (permalink)
jarrett New on Forum Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 19	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Thank god! It looks just as good or better than the 111 I took a huge gamble buying this a month ago on a new system build. I can put my worries to rest

24-03-2007	#8 (permalink)
Bob I donated to the Tsunami fund and all I got was this lousy title Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Looking for my zigzags ~ I come from the no place and i go to the no where Posts: 15,296	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Thanks Dee. I've gone through 3 112D's Nov 2006 builds and they were crappy DL burners. Might wait and try a different build date when they get some in the store here. __________________ "You've got a hole in your soul if you don't dig the Blues" .....My New Build is Finished. Click HERE to join CDFreaks.com Formerly rolling56 I'm not responsible for my typing in chat or on the board I have Oldtimers Keith Richards ~ "If You Want The Last Laugh........Join The Rolling Stones"

24-03-2007	#9 (permalink)
_chef_ CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: @FX labs .de ...watching [Benders.Big.Score] [Tripping.The.Rift.The.Movie] Posts: 23,824	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Very good & interesting review. Thanks Dee. __________________ Started with burning capable optical drives (CD-R) in 1997. Bought optical drives from AOpen, HP, LiteOn, NEC, Philips, Pioneer, Plextor, Ricoh, Samsung, Sanyo, Toshiba and Yamaha. *'Things are now in motion that cannot be undone.' [Gandalf, LoTR]* Enable DMA with micrAp$0ft Enable DMA free at your will busTRACE => Upper/Lower Filters Util DevCon *HOW TO ... Delete the Upper & Lower Filters!* If you expect help then please start by using the powerful SEARCH.

24-03-2007	#10 (permalink)
Dee-27 Administrator and Reviewer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Scotland, UK Posts: 8,327	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Thanks everyone for the comments so far. @DrageMester Yep UDMA mode 4 drive. I haven't had a chance to play with the drive in an external enclosure yet, which reminds me. I need to get a new enclosure as the only one i have free has a broken PSU. @rolling56 I hope you have more luck with your next one. __________________ My Review PC & Optical Drives We came to wreck everything and ruin your lives, God sent us To become a member of cdfreaks.com just click here to join The Forum Rules The NEC/Optiarc F.A.Q. Liggy & Dee's NEC/Optiarc Firmware Page

25-03-2007	#11 (permalink)
jarrett New on Forum Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 19	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review the firmware is only a month old (end of Jan). this drive is going to be even better once we have mature firmware, a lot of wacky results in the scans thread. i was worried about the reading results with cd-speed, but the review reminded me of the specs of this drive/media and confirmed my results. only a few rare cases where it will be reading at 16x

25-03-2007	#12 (permalink)
Jimbo CD Freak Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Arizona desert (SW) Posts: 2,201	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Thanks Dee for the time and effort you put into this, I have had no problems with both of my 112's, I am very satisfied with my choice of burners Jim __________________ Jim ( old desert rat ) Windows XP SP3 112L FW 8.25 112L FW 8.25 Taiyo Yuden & Verbatim's only in my burners DVDFAB Platinum, DVD Next Copy

25-03-2007	#13 (permalink)
PhotoJim CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 259	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Tempting burner, but any burner that won't bitset DVD+R media gets a failing grade from me. I want the flexibility to burn both + and - media and too many modern DVD players intentionally will not play DVD+R media unless it's bitset. (Alas, my otherwise excellent Panasonic DVD changer fits this category.) __________________ Verbatim Producer 44 (NEC ND-1300A external) 4-2.4-12 + 4-2-12 - 16-10-40 CD (1.0C) Samsung SH-S162L 16-8-12 + 16-6-12 - 8x +R-DL 6x -R-DL, 48-32-48 CD (TS06) LG GSA-H10N 16-8-16 + 16-6-16 - 10x +R-DL 6x -R-DL, 48-32-48 CD (JL11) BenQ DW1620a 16-4-16 +/- 4x +R-DL, 40-24-40 CD (B7W9) LG GSA-4163B 16-8-16 +, 16-6-16 -, 4x +R-DL, 5x -RAM, 40-24-40 CD (A106) NEC ND-6500A 8-4-8 +/- 2.4x +R-DL, 24-16-24 CD (in my notebook PC) (2.24) CyberDrive DX082d 8-4-8 +, 4-2-8 -, 32-16-32 CD (150B) BenQ CRW5232 52-32-52 TDK VeloCD USB 2.0 external 52-24-50 Yamaha CRW-8824E 8-8-24 (1.0a) Ricoh 6201S 2-2-6 SCSI Retired: BenQ DW800a (sold... good burner!); BenQ DW1620a (died, sniff, but I still have another)

25-03-2007	#16 (permalink)
Jimbo CD Freak Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Arizona desert (SW) Posts: 2,201	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review PhotoJim: It also depends on what burning software you use also, The one I use will bitset for you even if the burner won't. Also agree with Chef about the player __________________ Jim ( old desert rat ) Windows XP SP3 112L FW 8.25 112L FW 8.25 Taiyo Yuden & Verbatim's only in my burners DVDFAB Platinum, DVD Next Copy

25-03-2007	#18 (permalink)
Antenne New on Forum Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Germany Posts: 6	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review There is a 112 and a 112D. As far as I understand, the latter doesn't burn DVD-RAM. Is there a different chipset or can I go for the (slightly) cheaper 112D if I don't need this feature? How about the quality scans with this drive? Are they any good (or reliable)? Is there a difference in q-scan if the chipset is diffent?

26-03-2007	#24 (permalink)
mentor CD Freaks Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Shaolin Temple Posts: 135	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Thanks Dee. Have DVR-112D@112L and DVR-212d Great drives __________________ System 1 LITE ON LH-20A1L OPTARC AD-7200S SAMSUNG SH-S203B PIONEER DVR-215L System 2 BENQ DW1650A NEC ND-3550A PIONEER DVR-112L PLEXTOR PX-PREMIUM System 3 BENQ DW1655A OPTARC AD-7170A LITE ON LH-18A1P PIONEER DVR-112L System 4 LITEON LH-20A1S ASUS DRW-2014L1T PIONEER DVR-212 PLEXTOR PX-PREMIUM System 5 OPTARC AD-7170S LITE ON LH-20A1P PIONEER DVR-212 SAMSUNG SH-S183L

25-03-2007	#19 (permalink)
_chef_ CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: @FX labs .de ...watching [Benders.Big.Score] [Tripping.The.Rift.The.Movie] Posts: 23,824	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Same drive, same hardware, slightly different firmware. __________________ Started with burning capable optical drives (CD-R) in 1997. Bought optical drives from AOpen, HP, LiteOn, NEC, Philips, Pioneer, Plextor, Ricoh, Samsung, Sanyo, Toshiba and Yamaha. *'Things are now in motion that cannot be undone.' [Gandalf, LoTR]* Enable DMA with micrAp$0ft Enable DMA free at your will busTRACE => Upper/Lower Filters Util DevCon *HOW TO ... Delete the Upper & Lower Filters!* If you expect help then please start by using the powerful SEARCH.

25-03-2007	#21 (permalink)
parch11 New on Forum Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Awesome burner & review

26-03-2007	#22 (permalink)
PhotoJim CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 259	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review I agree that my DVD player is weird - I think it's stupid that it won't play un-bitset DVD+R. However, it plays DVD Audio and does a lot of other things I really like so I'm quite happy with it. As for bitsetting, alternative firmware is a good option (I use it on my notebook's NEC ND6500 burner to get bitsetting) but it's harder to have the most recent firmware this way. Still, it's an option worth considering. I agree that I shouldn't need to bitset, but I also think that I should be able to bitset. Obviously the hardware can do it or else the firmware hack wouldn't exist. I burn with Nero, which lets me turn bitsetting on and off on burners that support it. I always turn it on with + media. __________________ Verbatim Producer 44 (NEC ND-1300A external) 4-2.4-12 + 4-2-12 - 16-10-40 CD (1.0C) Samsung SH-S162L 16-8-12 + 16-6-12 - 8x +R-DL 6x -R-DL, 48-32-48 CD (TS06) LG GSA-H10N 16-8-16 + 16-6-16 - 10x +R-DL 6x -R-DL, 48-32-48 CD (JL11) BenQ DW1620a 16-4-16 +/- 4x +R-DL, 40-24-40 CD (B7W9) LG GSA-4163B 16-8-16 +, 16-6-16 -, 4x +R-DL, 5x -RAM, 40-24-40 CD (A106) NEC ND-6500A 8-4-8 +/- 2.4x +R-DL, 24-16-24 CD (in my notebook PC) (2.24) CyberDrive DX082d 8-4-8 +, 4-2-8 -, 32-16-32 CD (150B) BenQ CRW5232 52-32-52 TDK VeloCD USB 2.0 external 52-24-50 Yamaha CRW-8824E 8-8-24 (1.0a) Ricoh 6201S 2-2-6 SCSI Retired: BenQ DW800a (sold... good burner!); BenQ DW1620a (died, sniff, but I still have another)

27-03-2007	#25 (permalink)
C0deKing Advisory Admin Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: In the pack Posts: 9,863	Re: CD Freaks Presents: The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD Burner Review Excellent review. Thanks Dee. __________________ http://codeguys.rpc1.org/ LiteOn Tools: EEPROM Utility, Flash Utility, Settings Utility <-- New Samsung Tools: Patch Utility <-- New v3.2.1 LiteOn Patches: Fast Read (FR) \| Fast Burn (FB) \| Enhanced OverSpeed (EOS) \| Enhanced Online HyperTuning (EOHT) BenQ Patches: Fast Burn (FB) \| Enhanced SolidBurn (ESB) Samsung Patches: Fast Read (FR) \| Remove RipLock (RLR) \| Fast Burn (FB) \| Retain book type (BS) \| Default DVD-ROM (ROMD) The man who does things makes mistakes, but he who doesn't makes the biggest mistake of all - doing nothing. Benjamin Franklin The Forum Rules Click HERE to join cdfreaks.com