Installing Pioneer A03 to a Powermac at DVinfo.net

Felix Jones · March 9th, 2003, 10:25 PM

Hi there,

I just got a G4 Dual1.25 Powermac with the DVD/CDRW combo drive only. I do have a Pioneer A03 dvd writer that I would like to install. Are there any issues anyone knows of? Should I install the writer to the spare ATA66 spot on the mobo? Also how will I eject the drive? Thanks in advance.

Jeff Donald · March 10th, 2003, 02:10 AM

It can be installed in the other open bay, beneath the Combo Drive. The drive has a button on the front that ejects the disk. There is also the keyboard. The button in the upper right ejects the disk on the top drive and I believe Command>Eject will cause the bottom drive to eject. You can also purchase a FireWire enclosure and then you'll have an external burner.

Felix Jones · March 10th, 2003, 10:13 AM

Thanks for the info Jeff. The salesperson where I bought the powermac mentioned if I went with an external enclosure that iDVD wouldn't work with that drive. Any thoughts on that?

Jeff Donald · March 10th, 2003, 01:03 PM

That is correct. Because of MPEG-4 licensing fees that Apple pays and corresponding restrictions, iDVD will not work with an external burner. There are hacks (unauthorized firmware revisions) that will enable this feature. The warranty on the DVD drive will be void once the hack is applied. If iDVD is your primary reason for purchasing the burner then you'll need to go internal.

Felix Jones · March 10th, 2003, 06:00 PM

Ok thanks that made my choice real easy! :)

Brian Pink · March 11th, 2003, 08:26 AM

i believe that iDVD 3 will not work with an aftermarket *internal* drive either ( without applying the hack i've seen in some of the shadier neighborhoods ). although i haven't tried yet.

Jeff Donald · March 11th, 2003, 10:50 AM

I have an AO3 installed in my Dual 450 and it burns fine from iDVD. However, there are some reports of people not being able to burn from self installed burners. A complete reinstall of the system usually fixes the problems. It may not be that severe in your case. Fixing the permissions works for many. It seems to affect newer Dual systems more that single processors.

March 9th, 2003, 10:25 PM	#1
Felix Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Auckland, NZ. Posts: 60	Installing Pioneer A03 to a Powermac Hi there, I just got a G4 Dual1.25 Powermac with the DVD/CDRW combo drive only. I do have a Pioneer A03 dvd writer that I would like to install. Are there any issues anyone knows of? Should I install the writer to the spare ATA66 spot on the mobo? Also how will I eject the drive? Thanks in advance.

March 10th, 2003, 02:10 AM	#2
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	It can be installed in the other open bay, beneath the Combo Drive. The drive has a button on the front that ejects the disk. There is also the keyboard. The button in the upper right ejects the disk on the top drive and I believe Command>Eject will cause the bottom drive to eject. You can also purchase a FireWire enclosure and then you'll have an external burner. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 10th, 2003, 01:03 PM	#4
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	That is correct. Because of MPEG-4 licensing fees that Apple pays and corresponding restrictions, iDVD will not work with an external burner. There are hacks (unauthorized firmware revisions) that will enable this feature. The warranty on the DVD drive will be void once the hack is applied. If iDVD is your primary reason for purchasing the burner then you'll need to go internal. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 11th, 2003, 08:26 AM	#6
Brian Pink Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 94	i believe that iDVD 3 will not work with an aftermarket internal drive either ( without applying the hack i've seen in some of the shadier neighborhoods ). although i haven't tried yet. __________________ This is the way the world ends.

March 11th, 2003, 10:50 AM	#7
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	I have an AO3 installed in my Dual 450 and it burns fine from iDVD. However, there are some reports of people not being able to burn from self installed burners. A complete reinstall of the system usually fixes the problems. It may not be that severe in your case. Fixing the permissions works for many. It seems to affect newer Dual systems more that single processors. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 10th, 2003, 10:13 AM	#3
Felix Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Auckland, NZ. Posts: 60	Thanks for the info Jeff. The salesperson where I bought the powermac mentioned if I went with an external enclosure that iDVD wouldn't work with that drive. Any thoughts on that?

March 10th, 2003, 06:00 PM	#5
Felix Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Auckland, NZ. Posts: 60	Ok thanks that made my choice real easy! :)