Uncripple the DVR-117 in your G5.

[MacBytes]

Category: Tips and How To\'s
Link: Uncripple the DVR-117 in your G5. (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20041208100756)
Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)

Approved by Mudbug

[Flying Llama]

???

so that means you get a nice, 16x dual layer dvd recorder, but apple "hides" it?! :confused: :confused: :eek:

[telecomm]

Yeah, that does seem crazy. Is it really the case, though, that you couldn't take advantage of that burn speed using iDVD, or any of the other iApps? Is Toast, or some other third-party product, required?

[blackfox]

Interesting. Unfortunate that they had to move the drive to a PC to flash for the full-functionality.

I guess I would have to agree with the assumption at the end of the article stating that Apple is holding off on full-functionality until their own apps can handle it effectively. Not that I agree with that decision from a user standpoint...

Apple is pretty sneaky...

[coconn06]

Yeah, that does seem crazy. Is it really the case, though, that you couldn't take advantage of that burn speed using iDVD, or any of the other iApps? Is Toast, or some other third-party product, required?

I believe so. In the article, it mentions that Apple wanted to include the drive but didn't want to take the time to upgrade the iApps to support it for that release.

The question is whether Apple, once the iApps are upgraded to use the 16x dual layer drive, will allow those of us with the drive to "unlock" it's true capabilities. Or whether they'll leave us in the dark, thinking our optical drive is crappier than it actually is.

[technocoy]

my 1ghz superdrive ti came with what was later found to be a crippled 2x DVD burner... a lot of people upgraded theirs by flashing it.

[stoid]

if Apple's holding back the hardware, then at the very latest, they'd better fix it for iLife '05. :mad: I don't have these capabilities, but still!

[2GMario]

if u goto hardmac.com theres another article posted above this one with the files to patch the drive on a mac

they also used a program called Patch Burn 3 to use iLife with the "new" drive.

in my dual 1.8ghz G5 i bought sometime june / july of this year, i have a 107d dvd burner in it. in the article it mentions the specs of the 117d is the same as the 107 but im having trouble finding out of this patch will work on my drive

but, im still researching it.

-Mario

[gekko513]

It could also be that it's crippled all the way from Pioneer, and that Apple pays less for the modded version. As far as I can see that could only be the case if Pioneer produces more dual-layer drives than currently is demanded or to few 8x single layer burners to fill up orders or current deals.

I don't see any reason for Apple to pay for a more expensive drive and have it crippled in firmware for no reason, so if they pay more they must be planning to unlock it later with som update, but that just seems strange.

[Little Endian]

It could also be that it's crippled all the way from Pioneer, and that Apple pays less for the modded version. As far as I can see that could only be the case if Pioneer produces more dual-layer drives than currently is demanded or to few 8x single layer burners to fill up orders or current deals.

I don't see any reason for Apple to pay for a more expensive drive and have it crippled in firmware for no reason, so if they pay more they must be planning to unlock it later with som update, but that just seems strange.

Yes Apple is very strange when it comes to crippling Hardware. I see no reason why Apple Can't Upgrade machines during mid Product cycle. The PC world does it all the time as new, faster, and improved components become available at the same or sometimes even cheaper prices. I cannot imagine apple is paying more for these 16X crippled burners which as of right now retail for as low as $68!! If you think about it Apple pays much less now for a 16X crippled burner than they were paying for the 8X burners 6 months ago which usually retailed over $100 back then.

Apple's Crippling of Hardware is one my only real complaints of an otherwise perfect company making perfect products. Think about the ibook and imac fiasco where Extended Desktop mode using Dual Monitors actually is possible and other not so dubious things such as choices of Video Cards, drives, and other components thruought it's product line. But hey it's Apple's sales right? They could make products more attractive but they don't.

[bpd115]

I plan on getting the OEM DVR 108 for my Rev. A Dual 2.0 G5 from NewEgg for $74....going to throw the 4x into my PC.

[2GMario]

Apple's Crippling of Hardware is one my only real complaints of an otherwise perfect company making perfect products...

look at it from a manufacturing stand point. i wasent happy with the ibook not doing multiple monitors out of the box, so i ran the patch thats out there.

(not clear on specifics between ibook and powerbook) but for a person who has the money, REALLY wanted multiple monitors, that feature may have pushed them to a powerbook instead of a ibook.

Dont forget, majority of people dont read tech news, and even more arent about to start screwing with flashing thier firmware, if they even knew a optical drive had firmware in it.

it goes the same with the drives in question. be it to fill orders, not wanting to produce multiple versions of the same drive, what ever, its alot easier to turn off a few features and use the same drive across multiple products, than it is to redesign a optical controller board just to turn off dual layer feature.

weather u agree with it or not, theres alot more that goes into bringing new hardware to market than there is software. if i was gonna write 2 programs, and the main difference was 1 was a demo and 1 was a full blown copy, im not gonna dev a 2 whole versions. im gonna dev 1 version, make 2 copies of it, and delete the code i dont want in the free version.

build 1 drive, 2 different purposes, 1 just does 8x dvd -r, and 1 does 16 dvd-r and dual layer. alot easier than choosing a different chip, redoing the paths on the board, etc...

-Mario

[Nermal]

in the article it mentions the specs of the 117d is the same as the 107 but im having trouble finding out of this patch will work on my drive

I think it was trying to say that the speed is the same as the 107. I'm pretty sure the hardware itself is the same as the 108. I think, essentially, that it's a 108 with 107 firmware.

Having said that, MacBidouille isn't renowned for flawless translations ;)

[shamino]

I guess I would have to agree with the assumption at the end of the article stating that Apple is holding off on full-functionality until their own apps can handle it effectively. Not that I agree with that decision from a user standpoint...
Either that or Pioneer isn't making the DVR-107 anymore in sufficient quantity, and they don't want to release an upgraded SuperDrive until the next generation G5 system is announced.

And I don't like their decision either.
Apple is pretty sneaky...
This isn't the first time. Many people may recall that several PowerBook SuperDrives could support DVD-RW/+R/+RW/-RAM, if not for custom Apple firmware disabling these features.

[shamino]

The question is whether Apple, once the iApps are upgraded to use the 16x dual layer drive, will allow those of us with the drive to "unlock" it's true capabilities. Or whether they'll leave us in the dark, thinking our optical drive is crappier than it actually is.
Of course they won't unlock them. Those drives are DVR-117's, not -108's :mad:

[shamino]

they also used a program called Patch Burn 3 to use iLife with the "new" drive.
Patch Burn is a common utility you can download. It plays some games with an internal MacOS database so that the drive is recognized as supporting "Apple disc burning", thus allowing Apple's bundled apps to use the drive.

AFAIK, it doesn't actually do anything other than set the "I am compatible" flag. It works because most drives made today are compable with Apple Disc Burning, even though Apple's database only includes those models that they have explicitly tested.
in my dual 1.8ghz G5 i bought sometime june / july of this year, i have a 107d dvd burner in it. in the article it mentions the specs of the 117d is the same as the 107 but im having trouble finding out of this patch will work on my drive
I doubt it will work. The way I read the article, the DVR-117 drive is a -108 mechanism with crippled firmware. If you have a -107 mechanism, that firmware probably won't get you any additional features, and it may damage the drive (by trying to activate features that don't exist.)

[shamino]

It could also be that it's crippled all the way from Pioneer, and that Apple pays less for the modded version.
Maybe, but this would surprise me. It is more likely that Apple can't get DVR-107 drives from Pioneer anymore, so they have no choice but to use the -108 mechanism. The firmware hack is probably so they don't have to go through all the work of updating and testing all their apps with the new capabilities.
I don't see any reason for Apple to pay for a more expensive drive and have it crippled in firmware for no reason, so if they pay more they must be planning to unlock it later with som update, but that just seems strange.
You assume they're paing more for the drive. When you buy in the massive quantites that Apple does, the price differential between the models may not be very much, if anything at all.

[kurisu]

Having said that, MacBidouille isn't renowned for flawless translations ;)

Sorry, I can't proofread all the stuff my fellow editors at hardmac translate. We're a small team, scattered around the globe, and sometimes that doesn't make it very easy.
Thanks for the good feedback on the article, though.
cheers

P.S. : there is now a firmware flasher that works on Macs. No need to transfer the unit in a Windows PC anymore : http://www.hardmac.com/niouzcontenu.php?date=2004-12-07#3340

[balconycollapse]

anyone care to enlighten me further on the patchers for the imac/ibook?

I am planning on buying a taplop soon and was thinking of getting an ibook but turned off by the fact that I can't connect up to a big monitor at school and so forth. Don't want to spend all that more for the pbook. How about the imac g4? It would be especially great if it worked on the imac g4 older versions too :) eh, eh, eh???

[gekko513]

Yes Apple is very strange when it comes to crippling Hardware. I see no reason why Apple Can't Upgrade machines during mid Product cycle. The PC world does it all the time as new, faster, and improved components become available at the same or sometimes even cheaper prices. I cannot imagine apple is paying more for these 16X crippled burners which as of right now retail for as low as $68!! If you think about it Apple pays much less now for a 16X crippled burner than they were paying for the 8X burners 6 months ago which usually retailed over $100 back then.

Apple's Crippling of Hardware is one my only real complaints of an otherwise perfect company making perfect products. Think about the ibook and imac fiasco where Extended Desktop mode using Dual Monitors actually is possible and other not so dubious things such as choices of Video Cards, drives, and other components thruought it's product line. But hey it's Apple's sales right? They could make products more attractive but they don't.

I disagree with Apple's decision to cripple the iBook to separate its features from the PowerBook, but I do see that there may be some calculated business strategy in it.

But to cripple the top-line would be totally stupid, so I still think it is part of some deal with Pioneer that gives Apple some economic benefit from this.

[cornfedgrowth]

OK, so i read this article earlier and i was really intrigued so i thought i'd give it a try. When i read it, i assumed that 117 was a typo because there were several instances where 107 was used and i even saw 177.

So, i'm wondering if all G5s have the Crippled 108? or do some have the older 107s. the label of my reads DVR-107PD. After i tried flashing the firmware and it wouldn't let me (and a re-read of the article) i think i decided that my Drive must not be the same as the one in the article and i got stuck with an older drive.

this however, now pisses me off. When iLife 05 comes out, or whatever the next version is, that includes 16x and DL, (assuming apple updates the firmware), i'm gonna have an old drive that is still crippled while the guy who bought a g5 a month after me will be upgraded. For this reason, apple will probably not ever release an official firmware upgrade for the superdrive. Plus they want you to go buy another one anyway...

[iMeowbot]

It could also be that it's crippled all the way from Pioneer, and that Apple pays less for the modded version. As far as I can see that could only be the case if Pioneer produces more dual-layer drives than currently is demanded or to few 8x single layer burners to fill up orders or current deals.

I don't see any reason for Apple to pay for a more expensive drive and have it crippled in firmware for no reason, so if they pay more they must be planning to unlock it later with som update, but that just seems strange.
Yeah, I think this is exactly how these things happen, suppliers are simply filling orders that meet the specs of existing supply contracts. The internal hardware details might change over time, but Apple still receive exactly what they ordered.

[Mainyehc]

Yeah, I think this is exactly how these things happen, suppliers are simply filling orders that meet the specs of existing supply contracts. The internal hardware details might change over time, but Apple still receive exactly what they ordered.

Yes, but probably Apple IS aware that they are receiving a crippled version of some piece of hardware. And it shouldn't be too hard to test it, or in the worst case scenario, it shouldn't be too hard to "half-cripple" it: the system could recognize it as a 16x drive, but the iApps could be set not to let the user take full advantage of the drive. Later, an update would allow that...

Apple crippling their high-end machines, or letting some supplier sell them crippled hardware without taking advantage of it is just plain stupid. They could just make mid-cycle upgrades, what's wrong with that? A friend of mine is going to buy one of those cheap-o PeeCees (in the -$1000 range) with a dual layer DVD burner, yet, because of some stupid contract system, Apple won't sell you a machine with a fully functional decent dual layer burner :mad:

Is this related with legal issues? I dunno, but I don't think Dell would let this happen (and I don't like PC manufacturers that much. I think buying branded PC hardware is somewhat obscene, as you may as well spend a little bit more [actually, a LOT more, but things are getting better in Macland anyway] and get a Mac. Otherwise, build the box yourself or ask someone to do it for you if you *really* want or need a PC :rolleyes: ).

Yes, Apple IS sneaky and that is the only thing I absolutely hate in them. How I would love to have "Shuffle Songs" on my 3G iPod's main menu (no one in their right mind would sell a 3G and buy a 4G JUST because of some stupid menu item, so it's not like they would be losing sales or anything. Battery life and the clickwheel are enough to convince those who have the cash to renew their hardware frequently to do so. Damn Apple on that one too!!!)

</rant>

[shamino]

Yeah, I think this is exactly how these things happen, suppliers are simply filling orders that meet the specs of existing supply contracts. The internal hardware details might change over time, but Apple still receive exactly what they ordered.
I don't think this is what happened. Please remember that the printed label on the drive says DVR-108AA, while the firmware says DVR-117.

If Pioneer ran out of 107 mechanisms and was selling hacked-up 108's as 107's, the label would not say -108. It would say 107 with some suffix. And the firmware would report the same number as the label.

Drive manufacturers are not careless enough to ship an entire production run with incorrect/misleading packaging. Stuff like that gets you in trouble with law enforcement in many countries.

[shamino]

Apple crippling their high-end machines, or letting some supplier sell them crippled hardware without taking advantage of it is just plain stupid. They could just make mid-cycle upgrades, what's wrong with that?
Apple is famous for not slipping minor updates in the middle of a production run. They accumulate them so they can ship a new model Mac with a large laundry list of new features.

Slipping a faster drive into existing production runs (with or without an announcement) would dilute the impact of announcing the next revision Mac.
Is this related with legal issues? I dunno, but I don't think Dell would let this happen ...
First off, Dell doesn't do product-rollout announcements. All of their systems are in a continual state of flux. The system you order today may not be available at all next week.

If Dell was making quarterly product roll-out events at trade shows all the time, you can bet they would be doing what Apple does. Otherwise, your rollout is greeted by yawns of "so what?"

Second, Dell plays much worse games with their hardware. For instance, they use a power supply that looks like a standard ATX supply, and has the same connectors, but isn't ATX compatible. If your PS blows and you swap the Dell supply for an ATX supply, you wind up with blown hardware.

Other PC vendors (like Compaq and Sony) customize other parts (optical drives, hard drive mountings, video cards and sometimes even memory DIMMs) such that not only are the parts crippled, but you can't replace them with commodity parts when they break.

Yes, Apple is playing silly games with their SuperDrive firmware. But those games are nothing compared to what PC vendors do. If you don't like the drive you get from Apple, there's nothing stopping you from replacing it with a different one (or in this particular example, flashing new firmware into it.) Which is an option you don't always get from other vendors.

[mpw]

if Apple's holding back the hardware, then at the very latest, they'd better fix it for iLife '05. :mad: I don't have these capabilities, but still!


From the article I guess this doesn't apply to the G5 iMac. If it had been the cynic in me would've said that the patch from Apple would come when people paid for the upgrade to iLife'05. If the Pro-Apps can make use of it now I can't see any reason to downgrade it that'd made by Apple.

[shamino]

From the article I guess this doesn't apply to the G5 iMac.
Definitely not. The iMac uses a slot-loading drive. A completely different beast from the DVR-108.

[iMeowbot]

I don't think this is what happened. Please remember that the printed label on the drive says DVR-108AA, while the firmware says DVR-117.

If Pioneer ran out of 107 mechanisms and was selling hacked-up 108's as 107's, the label would not say -108. It would say 107 with some suffix. And the firmware would report the same number as the label.

Drive manufacturers are not careless enough to ship an entire production run with incorrect/misleading packaging. Stuff like that gets you in trouble with law enforcement in many countries.
No, you are still confusing the OEM's models and what the customer (Apple) buys. It's reflected in how Apple sell these components with their own part numbers. The OEM delivers a product that meets the customer's specifications, and any existing base product that is used to produce that is secondary. Small customers end up having to buy off-the-shelf models, but Apple have always gone with the more complicated route when sourcing drives.

[shamino]

No, you are still confusing the OEM's models and what the customer (Apple) buys. It's reflected in how Apple sell these components with their own part numbers. The OEM delivers a product that meets the customer's specifications, and any existing base product that is used to produce that is secondary. Small customers end up having to buy off-the-shelf models, but Apple have always gone with the more complicated route when sourcing drives.
I'm not doubting this for an instant. But if the drive came from Pioneer with firmware reporting DVR-117, they would've printed that on the label, not -108AA.

It is illegal in many countries to knowingly ship products with incorrect product labels. Shipping an 8x drive with a label for a 16x model counts.

Pioneer isn't that stupid.

[cornfedgrowth]

It is illegal in many countries to knowingly ship products with incorrect product labels. Shipping an 8x drive with a label for a 16x model counts.

Pioneer isn't that stupid.

Except that if the drive can only do what the lable and box say it can do, then it is fair labling. Just because it CAN do more, Pioneer is telling you exactly what it can do right out of the box.

[shamino]

Except that if the drive can only do what the lable and box say it can do, then it is fair labling. Just because it CAN do more, Pioneer is telling you exactly what it can do right out of the box.
Not without hacking the firmware.

That's like a car manufacturer saying that their 125hp engine is really 150hp, because a mechanic at a garage can make some modifications to reach that power level.