NEC ND-3550A 16x Dual Layer DVD Writer $36 shipped free

Shop4tech ND3550A

OEM bulk-bare drive

Our Price: $39.99

Mfrg: NEC
Mfrg Code: ND3550A
Item SKU: NEC-3550/BLACK
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How did you get it to $36? I'd buy two at that price.

~Doc

Edit: Yeah, I caught that annaconda. I forgot to apply the coupon code "techbargains10" to get $4 off per drive. You were posting as I was editing.

Schweet. My current ND-3500AG will go to another box as soon as I get these two into my rig - and hack 'em.
 
do u rememeber when dvd burners first came out 1X and it was priced at $999. my friends uncle bought one....... look how far they have come.......i think i was like 10-14 back then? im 20 now so what ever.
 
looks like dvd-ram support..

can someone give me an example for the use of dvd-ram? is it better that the -r/-rw?
 
according to wikipedia, you can "write" stuff to a DVD-RAM without the use of burning software, kinda like a standard hdd... seems nice, ordered one, thanks OP !
 
Jason711 said:
looks like dvd-ram support..

can someone give me an example for the use of dvd-ram? is it better that the -r/-rw?
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wikipedia said:
Advantages of DVD-RAM

* Long life — without physical damage, data is retained for 30 years minimum.
* Can be rewritten over 100,000 times (DVD±RW can be rewritten approx. 1,000 times).
* No DVD burning software required – discs can be used and accessed like a removable hard disk. Windows XP and Mac OS (8.6 or later) supports DVD-RAM directly; earlier versions of Windows need device drivers or InCD.
* Very fast access of smaller files on the disc.
* Automatic hardware verification of written data, no need to verify manually via software.
* Robust plastic cartridge protects the disk, similar to a CD Caddy (where applicable).
* In video recorders, DVD-RAM can be written to and watched (even separate programs) at the same time, much like TiVO.
* Supports time slip recording and recording without border in/out writing
* Finalization not necessary

Disadvantages of DVD-RAM

* Type 2 discs do not always come in a case.
* Most DVD recorders do not support DVD-RAM.
* DVD-RAM video disks do not play on older DVD players nor on some new models.
* The medium is more expensive than DVD±RW.
* DVD+RW can be written faster than DVD-RAM when writing large amounts of data.
* Windows XP can only write directly to FAT32 formatted DVD-RAM discs. For UDF formatted discs, which are considered faster, compatible device drivers or software such as InCD or DLA are required. This is a non-issue with Linux however, which allows the use of virtually any file system of the multitude that ship with the operating system, including UDF. Mac OS can read and write HFS, HFS Plus, FAT and UDF formatted DVD-RAM discs directly.
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wikipedia entry here
 
cool beans.. i like the fact that u dont need software to burn.

what about creating images?
..

yeesh.. those discs are a bit on the pricy side..
 
yeah, no kidding... and LabelFlash is Lightscribe except proprietary for NEC and using blue, 2$ disks. A little faster though, and the results are supposedly a smidge better, says Tom's
 
ive seen a pic of the two side by side... i like lightscribe better.. i suppose its preference though. and if you want the image to be blue or not.
 
Jason711 said:
ive seen a pic of the two side by side... i like lightscribe better.. i suppose its preference though. and if you want the image to be blue or not.
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I always wondered if the pictures on toms were misleading. Everytime they said something good about NEC's tech, I looked at the litescribe version and thought it looked better.

All pointless, because I'm not buying disks until they drop in price....kinda like DL means nothing to me till they cost around 2x a regular DVD.
 
bit :D
wasnt planning to buy a burner for my sff so soon but I will make my budget work :)
thx OP
 
jumped on two. Do I need dual DVD burners? Probably not. But that other PATA port on my motherboard is looking pretty lonely, and I have the spare slot in my Stacker.
 
Did anybody who ordered this actually receive it yet? I ordered mine on the 23rd w/ 2-Day Shipping, and I haven't even received tracking information yet. I've tried contacting their customer service, but that's a joke -- there's one guy on their customer service team and he's never at his desk.

I recently got taken for 700 bucks on eBay for a 360; as such I'm a little bit jumpy when it comes to internet purchases. So if somebody could tell me that they bought one, and yeah, it took a little longer than expected, but it did arrive; that'd be great.
 
savagexp said:
Did anybody who ordered this actually receive it yet? I ordered mine on the 23rd w/ 2-Day Shipping, and I haven't even received tracking information yet. I've tried contacting their customer service, but that's a joke -- there's one guy on their customer service team and he's never at his desk.

I recently got taken for 700 bucks on eBay for a 360; as such I'm a little bit jumpy when it comes to internet purchases. So if somebody could tell me that they bought one, and yeah, it took a little longer than expected, but it did arrive; that'd be great.
Click to expand...

yes, I received the two I ordered this monday... Paid by paypal on march 22nd, shipping confirmation on march 23rd and received it on march 27th... something must be wrong with your order, sadly...
 
Just bought one. Shouldn't have, but did anyway. The coupon still works btw.
 
I flashed my drive to the 4551 and now have DVD-RAM and Labelflash. Easy as pie. You can't beat the price, I think newegg's is similar too. Its a great drive.
 
Received mine yesterday, picked it up 2day :D

benamaster, can you link me the steps to flash it to 4551A? Did you use the link that was originally posted but used the 4551A firmware instead?
Thanks in advance
 
Mine hacked successfully :D
I did the firmware update a lil bit different though
I just download the latest firmware update from here:
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Firmware/SingleModel.aspx?DriveId=1328

Unzip the files and run the .exe prog. It will ask if you want to update from version N/A to version 1.08, click flash, let the prog do its thing. then reboot and you're good to go :)

Its a lil simpler than using binflash I think. And its the latest firmware too :D
 
CRaZYMoFo said:
Mine hacked successfully :D
I did the firmware update a lil bit different though
I just download the latest firmware update from here:
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Firmware/SingleModel.aspx?DriveId=1328

Unzip the files and run the .exe prog. It will ask if you want to update from version N/A to version 1.08, click flash, let the prog do its thing. then reboot and you're good to go :)

Its a lil simpler than using binflash I think. And its the latest firmware too :D
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hmm, it didn't complain that the drive was a 3550A?

Edit: Now that I think about it, you used that site too change the "boot code" then flashed it with the official firmware?
 
Mine says that the target drive is not found correctly when I tried to flash to 1.08.
 
hey - working on doing this but not sure how this part works

# run NECBFL.EXE in dos window (tested under win9x and XP) from current directory, - how do I get a DOS window under XP?
# you'll see list of all drives, type LUN or drive letter (with slashes) of your NEC drive, - my drive letter is D ... what does the slahes part mean? What do I enter ?
# enter your required target drive model, - do Ijust put ND-4551A?

sorry if these are lame questions but ... :(

Thanks!
 
Strange.... what firmware version did the original steps update you to?
Maybe that firmware version was a cracked one :(

MePopeye,
1)After you unzip the NECBFL.EXE, simply open the folder where you unzipped it to and double click on it.
2)You have to enter the entire line of characters, from "\\.\D:" to "1.05" inclusive.
3)About your 3rd question, it is a part of #2 so I already answered it.

No your questions are not lame, it took me a few tries till I got it lol
 
Hey .. I just got done doing it on my own (before read your reply) ... wasn;t too hard when I just gave it a try BUT ... I didn't type

"\\.\D:" to "1.05" inclusive.
I just typed
\\.\D: and hit enter??
It rebooted fine and now shows as ND-4551A. Do I need to do it again or what?

I have not updated the firmware yet. When I execute the NECBFL.EXE now it show this:
set PLSCSI=0.0.0 // @ WDC WD 12 00jb-00cra1 17.0maybe
set PLSCSI=1.0.0 // @ _NEC DVD_RW ND-4551a 0.05
set PLSCSI=\\.\C: // @ WDC WD 12 00jb-00cra1 17.0maybe
set PLSCSI=\\.\D: // @ _NEC DVD_RW ND-4551a 0.05


Thanks!

EDIT - well I updated the firmware and it looks good to me regardless. It reads fine ... don;t have anything to burn yet. This is what my drive shows now.

IDE\CDROM_NEC_DVD_RW_ND-4551A____________________1-Z2____\5&E088E23&0&0.0.0
 
nerdtank said:
yes, I received the two I ordered this monday... Paid by paypal on march 22nd, shipping confirmation on march 23rd and received it on march 27th... something must be wrong with your order, sadly...
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Or shop4tech forgot about me.

Which appears to be the case, because shortly after posting my question, I used their "contact us" page a second time to inquire about my order status, and about ten minutes later the order information was updated with shipping info. Quite odd.

Anyway, UPS says I should have it tomorrow. Which is great, but I should have had this thing two days ago.

The moral of the story for me, anyway, is to spend the extra dollar fifty and deal with NewEgg.
 
Too Freaking Cool.

I was having trouble with the instructions from the 1st post.

But the use of the NECBFL.EXE to change the bootcode and then cdrinfo firmware update worked great. For those that need to know, use "\\.\D:" with quotes to get the desired results.

Another interesting thing is that Binflash 1.24 can get you the desired results, but the bit-flipping-firmware-heads over at c.d.f.r.e.a.k.s locked it down as of 1.25 because they are under fire from some manufacturers for enabling these features free of cost.

Turns out that the Labelflash is proprietary and for every drive made with it there is a tithe to be paid to the originator.

One's been converted, now to do the other one.
 
I just got mine from newegg, 36.99 with free shipping and 5 free dual layer disks. Ordered thurs. afternoon, got it monday. Can't wait to flash it.
 
There was a time when I highly recommended the nec 35xx line (I am currently using a 3520a myself) but I now suggest buying a benq dw1650 for $35 instead. Not only does it do all of the NEC's tricks with the same quality, it is one of the only DVD drives that can overburn DVDs (the other is the very expensive plextor px-716). If you want lightscribe buy the 1655 for $10 more.
 
Most DVD+R media will only support 200 more megs.
But that is the difference sometimes between getting something onto the DVD and being fustrated into breaking it up into two discs, etc.

If you are backing up your DVD videos, 200 more megs can be a 5% increase in video quality which can be seen in faster moving parts.
 
I don't know if this is a mistake or not, but I just ordered the NEC+Discs from Newegg, and lost my free 3-day shipipng because of it. I already sent them an email about it.
 
mavalpha said:
I don't know if this is a mistake or not, but I just ordered the NEC+Discs from Newegg, and lost my free 3-day shipipng because of it. I already sent them an email about it.
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You might want to try their online chat feature. They respond very fast.
 
mavalpha said:
I don't know if this is a mistake or not, but I just ordered the NEC+Discs from Newegg, and lost my free 3-day shipipng because of it. I already sent them an email about it.
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You didn't lose your free shipping. I thought the same thing at first when I ordered mine. The shipping is free for the NEC but shipping for the discs costs $6.00. If you hadn't added the discs to the purchase, the shipping would be free.
 
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