Pioneer 105 movie DVD playback speed??

[begu]

Sorry for choosing this area for this post. But I didn't find any better place to ask this. So I'm going to buy DVD writer, and I think this Pioneer 105 is suitable for me.

But there is some questions:
- how fast does this drive read the disc, when watching movies?
- is there any speed setting software other than Nero drivespeed for this drive?
- how does the Nero drivespeed work with this drive?
- does the speed setting software (from Pioneer) for Pioneer DVD-ROM 116 work with this drive?
- can it burn at 1x to 2x media (eg. is the burning speed selectable in Nero) ?

There is new hacked firmware for this drive to enable higher than 2x ripping of CSS discs. Now qouple of questions considering that firmware:
- does the original speed of reading DVD-movie discs change?
- can I burn still at 1x to 2x media (if it was possible with original firmware) ?

Thanks in advance for any info. I just want reliable drive, which is silent when watching movies, but can rip at full speed when needed. Also the quality of burn process need to be good for long archiving life of burned discs. I need Your help and experience about this drive.

-begu-

[idbirch2]

Well I've got a 105 - not sure about the exact speed during playback but while running I can't hear the drive over my case fans.

1x is selectable in Nero when using 2x media

I have flased my drive to the new 1.3 2x4all 12x rip firmware and DVD playback is absolutely no differnet in terms of speed/noise. 1x is still selectable in Nero for 2x/4x discs.

I've found the drive very reliable but in my opinion the life of the data has a lot more to do with the media you use than the drive. Ater working through most of the Princo/Ritek crap I've ended up using Verbatims because you know that your getting a perfect disc every time. With Datasafe/Bulkpaq etc its always a gamble - the amount of money you save buying this rubbish is probably all lost in re-burns due to inferior discs.

The best budget media I ever found was Datasafe - they even worked on my PS2. They stopped booting after about 2 months. 2x Verbatims are currently going for £1.30 - Verbs all the way :D

[begu]

Thanks for info, so it really seems good drive for silent movie viewing and for fast ripping / reliable burning. This is all I wanted to know. :)

Well, I'm seeking information about ASUS DVD writer ( DRW-0402P ), because it is Pioneer drive sold by ASUS and it is cheaper than real Pioneer. I need to know if it can be flashed with pure Pioneer firmware. Same way as Teac could be flashed (needed to edit names in a file included in firmware package).
http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?p=48468#48468

[idbirch2]

Looks like you're already looking in the right place. Any info about the ASUS drive will appear on the Firmware Page long before it shows up on here. I think that must be NIL and Gradius' main hang-out and they're the guys who will crack this first.