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Pioneer AO3 DVD-R drives selling on ebay for $650....can these work with my Mac?
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: South Dakota, USA
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I have a B/W G3 400 and I do a lot of video editing but am limited to burning VideoCD's. I would love to get apple's new G4 with the superdrive, but even the old models are selling for $2000+ which is way out of my budget.
The Pioneer dvd-r drives that they are selling on Ebay are an internal variety. Can I either put it into my B/W G3, or can I get a Firewire case and use it externally?
Thanks,
lw
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Zip, Boom, Bam
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Yup it's the same drive, yup it will work in your Mac, yup it'll work fine in a Firewire external case.
IE: someone is selling one here: http://www.madlogix.com/piondvrao3dv1.html
I wouldn't pay that price on this page for it, but the price you saw it for is more realistic. I've seen these drives at comp shows for $600 already. I predict they will hit sub-$400 by year's end with DVD-R media sinking to $3-$4.
All you need is some DVD authoring software (IE: iDVD or DVD studio Pro) and/or Toast Titanium 5.0.1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chicago, IL
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I don't beleive the above answer is correct. Something I've read indicates that the model that Apple includes has unique firmware which enables iDVD to work. No other model works with iDVD as I understand it. Although, DVD Studio Pro and Toast supposedly work. I am trying to confirm this myself, but this is what I understand from what I've read so far.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Zip, Boom, Bam
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"Pioneer’s DVR-A03 DVD-R/CD-RW burner is the most comprehensive optical drive to grace our labs. The drive acts as reader and writer for almost all popular optical media. Pioneer rates the drive as an 8X CD-R, 4X CD-RW, 2X DVD-R as well as a 16X CD-ROM and 4X DVD-ROM reader. It’s no wonder that Apple calls this drive the SuperDrive. Yes that’s right; using the IDE interface this drive is both PC and MAC compliant."
http://www.lafcpug.org/feature_dvd_comparison.html
"A03 is Compatible with DVD Studio Pro
Both 103 and A03 work with iDVD"
The DVR-A03 IS indeed the Superdrive used by Apple. Apple merely calls it the 103, but in actuality, A03 and 103 are the same drive. (Another of those magic Apple-only devices--that really isn't-- de-mystified.)
If there were some unique firmware Apple used, the firmware of optical devices is easily upgraded. (Or knowing Apple-- probably downgraded!) The latest firmware releases for the A03 are available at: http://www.wwug.com/forums/dvd_creat...622112427.htm. or http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pi...201100,00.html
Of course you'd need a PC to install them.
Anyway, we have several A03's at work in Firewire cases, they work perfectly with either Macs or PC.
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Portland, OR
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I'm afraid I can't really add much to this discussion, except to say stay away from MadLogix. (The link that CRASH HARDDRIVE posted above.) I had a firewire enclosure from them that fried three motherboards on two computers. Fluke? Maybe, but just to be safe, I'll not be buying any more firewire products from them.
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