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Upgrade Doubles +R Speed For Some Lite-On Drives

Binsbergen writes "Owners of a Lite-On 451S (lowest price $ 69.50) and a Lite-On 851S can load the firmware of the Lite-On 832S and burn their DVD+Rs at 8x speed and also write to double-layer media. Before this seemed impossible, because many manufacturers have told us that upgrading a 4x drive to a double-layer writer was impossible due hardware differences. Of course it's important to note that 'overclocking' voids your warrantee and should be done after have carefully read the instructions. Read more about the procedure, the results and others experiences in the official 451S@832S, 851S@832S -- It works! thread. That's a dirt-cheap upgrade!" (Sounds similar to the NEC upgrade mentioned in May.)

20 of 195 comments (clear)

  1. Don't bother if you don't own one already. by garcia · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you don't currently own a 451S don't bother with purchasing one. The mad rush that this is going to cause will only raise the cost and the wait time for this specific unit. After a quick search I found the Lite-On 8x DVD+/-RW drive that does double layered writing for $89 (see here at newegg - BTW, I just did a quick search for Lite-On, I don't work for newegg or even recommend them).

    Seems to me that paying $20 more (without even checking anywhere else) to purchase a drive that is meant to write at 8x (apparently in both + and -) and won't void your warranty is a much better deal.

    1. Re:Don't bother if you don't own one already. by afay · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Actually the 832s at newegg is $86 with free shipping. After you add shipping to the $69 price of the 451, it turns into $79. So you save $7 and void your warranty... definitely not worth it. Also, the upgrade only upgrades burning of +R discs at 8x not -R.

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      Best slashdot comment
    2. Re:Don't bother if you don't own one already. by zakezuke · · Score: 4, Informative

      Seems to me that paying $20 more (without even checking anywhere else) to purchase a drive that is meant to write at 8x (apparently in both + and -) and won't void your warranty is a much better deal.

      Unless you plan to void your warrenty from the get go. I'd have to double check the number of things you can mod the liteon drive to do, but from memory you can have faster ripping speeds, multi region ability, booktype editing (i.e. this dvd-r gets labeled as a dvd-rom), and generally a vast number of useful things. Also from my understanding. In short, if you are going to screw with it anyway, might as well save the $20.00 assuming all things are equal.

      But that's the thing... I haven't bothered to mod my drives because i'm happy with them at present, and I wouldn't bother modding my drives until such time the cost of the DL media drops to single digit numbers.

      --
      There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
  2. Hm... by xenostar · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...There are some articles that, no matter how much you try, you just can't think of a funny comment to.

  3. Where Can I find Dual Layer Media Awyways? by jameskojiro · · Score: 4, Informative

    This patch is fine and dandy, but I cannot find any dual layered discs anywhere!

    --
    Tsukasa: All I really want, is to be left alone...
  4. Same Trick for Apple Powerbooks by artlu · · Score: 5, Informative

    The TiG4 Powerbooks had the same type of firmware 'fix'. I can't find the link to the upgradable firmware, but it doubled the speed of the MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-815A. Definitely was a major improvement over the standard 1x DVD burning that came with my powerbook.

    GroupShares Inc.

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    artlu.net
    1. Re:Same Trick for Apple Powerbooks by justMichael · · Score: 4, Informative

      It is here I did it months ago and have seen zero problems.

  5. Tried it by k4_pacific · · Score: 5, Funny
    --
    Unknown host pong.
  6. NEC 2500 by Hollins · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have the NEC 2500 that can be firmware-upgraded to the 2510 dual-layer model. People have been reporting that the new firmware works fine, but no one on any of the message boards has yet verified that dual-layer DVDs burned with the new firmware will play on standard DVD players. I'd be curious about the same issue with Lite-On models until there is more testing.

    Also, dual-layer media is still very expensive. A DL disc costs much more than twice as much as a single-layer.

  7. This has been around for a long time. by fallenangel99 · · Score: 4, Informative

    The "hack" was released around December/January I believe. Kinda late there /. Anyway, Lite-On has some excellent burners. I got mine during Black Friday and let me tell you, the 4x burns at 8x =)

  8. Wait, wait... by wbav · · Score: 5, Funny

    Load firmware for another drive? Seems to me it's like chopping off your toes to fit into the shoe, Yeah it might look better, but it could also hurt. A lot.

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    Unix is very user friendly, it's just picky about who its friends are.
  9. Easier R upgrade by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

    Upgrade Doubles +R Speed

    Just get a "type R" sticker at AutoZone, glue it on your drive's tray and voilà, instant speed increase. Works with every drive on the market too...

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  10. What about the Sony's? by grolschie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Aren't the Sony DVD writers just a re-packaged Lite-on? Or vice versa? Pretty much the same writer I read somewhere, just comes with a different logo and software package.

  11. Re:OK OK OK NOW HERE'S THE SERIOUS QUESTION by hawkbug · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can burn xbox games with single layer discs, and have been able to for 2 years now. The tough part is that the xbox data is burned backwards... from the outside of the disc in from what I understand. This means that no, you can't put an xbox game in your computer and just "burn" it. You have to read it with your xbox while having the xbox modded and running linux, and then copy the data over the network to your computer via ftp - and then burn the thing using Nero or whatever. Then, you have a copy that will load on the xbox. Having a dual layer burner has nothing to do with it.

  12. Lite-on isn't alone by Jugalator · · Score: 5, Informative

    There's tons of other burners that can do dual layer with unofficial firmware upgrades.

    Even my el cheapo drive (Pioneer DVR-A06) might be able to do the trick, although I doubt Pioneer will release their hacked firmware for it just for the heck of it. ;-)

    I once knew the link to pages summarizing the recorders where dual layer firmware was available but have lost it since then. :-( Maybe someone else can provide one?

    Anyway, if your recorder supports recording 8x discs, chances are that it has a modified firmware for dual layer recording floating around somewhere, as one of the requirements -- a 140 mW laser -- is a common requirement for 8x DVD+/-R burning and DL burning. Philips has confirmed this, but says that in some cases the Optical Pickup Unit is still not of high enough quality. Obviously not always, since DL burning with modified firmware has been done by people upgrading their drives like this.

    Finally, it's still a risky business and you might bust your DVD-ROM drive by upgrading to a hacked firmware. And I doubt warranty applies. ;-)

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  13. Re:What's with the... by ch-chuck · · Score: 4, Insightful

    aside from the "fun factor", is there any real point to doing it?

    education, learning, exploring; tackling a challenge and the resulting sense of accomplishment (when it works); fighting back against 'the man' who would use technology for customer control. Hackers who know how things work make better shoppers who can cut thru marketing bullcrap, thus contributing to a more efficient and honest capitalist marketplace, promoting freedom and the persuit of happiness throughout the universe.

    Some of the worlds greatest inventors, like Tesla, Edison, Watt, Volt, Amp, Henry and Ohm were hackers who enjoyed experimenting with consumer products to see if they could be made to do things prohibited by law.

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    try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
  14. More possible upgrades by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 5, Funny

    it's amazing how many things run faster by simply doubling the voltage. Blenders, Toasters, Fans, even light bulbs burn brighter!
    Now, manufacturers CLAIM their devices were not intended to be used in this manner and that faster devices use different hardware, but just plug it up and see for yourself that they are obviously profit-mongering scumbags!! I see it running faster, what other unseen differences could possibly exist? Why would they even design their products similarly or base one version off another if they werent actually the exact same thing underneath?!

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    -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  15. Re:OK OK OK NOW HERE'S THE SERIOUS QUESTION by stratjakt · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Oh for FUCK SAKES

    Stop spreading these MORONIC "the discs go backwards so piracy is un-possible" rumours.

    The Xbox does not spin backwards, nor read inside-out. It uses drives that are as close to stock as you can get, regular toshiba, phillips, samsung drives with modified firmware. It has a proprietary game format. There's a short video session (a video clip saying "this is an xbox game not a movie you idiot") which is all your PC will see, since it does not know about the format of the disk. This COULD be overcome in software, but it would be difficult and would require hacking the firmware of some PC drive and writing all the filesystem shit, etc..

    Anyways.

    Gamecube discs do not spin backwards, nor PS2, nor dreamcast, nor Sega Saturn, nor TG-CD. This rumour has come up about every single disc-based game console to date.

    It would require refitting media pressing factories, custom mastering equipment, etc, etc, all KINDs of ridiculous infrastructure, when if the purpose is copy protection, existing schemes work great (usually broken by a weak link elsewhere, ie; bunnie lifting the MD5 key to decrypt the xbox' bios - if that hadn't happened, it would still be "unhackable")..

    Anyhow... THE DISCS WORK LIKE EVERY OTHER DISK, THEY JUST HAVE STUFF WRITTEN ON 'EM THAT YOUR COMPUTER DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT!

    Ahhhh... One of those lame rumours that supposedly "intelligent geeky" people spread.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  16. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  17. easy +1 funny by svallarian · · Score: 4, Funny

    So how fast does it go if you add a "Type -R" sticker on the front bezel?

    Does a "Type +R" go any faster?

    Steven V>

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    I patented screwing your mom. But it got revoked for "prior art."