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Peripherals: Mystery drive converts DVD+RW to DVD-ROM?
Posted on Nov 29, 2004 - 09:13 PM by zmcnulty
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Topic: Other
Category: Peripherals
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I am perplexed as to the value of such a feature, but it looks like a company called "Utobia" has hacked the firmware of NEC's ND-3500A DVD burner to include the bizarre capability to convert DVD+RW discs to DVD-ROM discs.

Don't ask me why, either. Is -ROM more widely compatible or something?



Utobia has released a DVD recording drive called the "DDW3510RS," an internal ATAPI drive, that features the capability to convert DVD+RW discs to "to ROM" while burning, as well as burn DVD+R/DL thanks to an original firmware. It costs 8200 to 9418 yen.

The somewhat questionable drive is inside of a black box depicting a logo called the "R Designation." o­nly simple specifications such as recording and reading speeds are written o­n the box, but inside was NEC's "ND-3500A" drive with a sticker that has "Special firm up version" written o­n it.

According to ZOA Akihabara, the drive features "Romization" to convert DVD+RW to DVD-ROM while recording, is region-free, and has no DVD-Video ripping speed limitations, thanks to an original firmware. Utobia hasn't said anything about this, but ZOA has confirmed that the drive does indeed contain these functions.

The recording speeds, DVD+R DL at 4x, DVD+-R at 16x, DVD+-RW at 4x, CD-R at 48x, and CD-RW at 24x, are the same as the "ND-3500A."

While the company has not clarified any details about the aforementioned, although it seems to have the image of a "Drive of Enigmas," it seems to take after the "ND-2500A+" previously released by the same company.



Inspired by:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/akiba/hotline/20041127/etc_ddw3510rs.html

Utobia:
http://www.utobia.co.jp/

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Comments (must be registered to post)
MCCoy
30.11.04, 01:11
I dont' know if it's the same, but I also have a hacked firmware for my NEC ND-1300A wich permits you do something like that. It lets you change the Bitsetting or Booktype (two names for the same thing) of the DVD-R or DVD-RW you burn, so it "looks" as a DVD-ROM (you can change a DVD-RW to DVD-R, and such things, but I don't see the usefulness of that). What's this useful for? In my case, for being able to play security copies of my DVD movies in my Thomson Home Cinema, wich doesn't accept in any way non-original DVDs. Well, thanks to this, now it does :). I don't know if this burner tampers with the Booktype or it's another thing, but if it's so, there's a lot of other DVD burners (some LiteOn for example) capable of doing this thing with factory's firmware, no need for hacked ones, they even include an windows utility for setting it.

Here's the "official" release of the firmware, if anyone is interested: http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?t=21114