Posted by Mike S. on 04/06/06 20:49

In article <1141060579.847808.53690@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
<Exp315@canada.com> wrote:
>Thanks. Should note that the iLO DVDR05 is the same as the Cyberhome
>DVR 1600, and that there are at least 4 variants with different
>components and slightly different capabilties (model numbers ending in
>MU, ME, ZU, and MU1 all have different components). Also several
>firmware revisions have been issued, with slightly different
>capabilities in each revision - usually upgraded for the better, but
>not always (e.g., the 8-hr recording time is in some versions, some
>have the ability to record on DVD-R/RW as well as +, some can play
>DivX/XVid...).

I've been tempted to try the MU1 after all the good press. However
Target stores are a lot more plentiful right around here than
Wal-Mart. Just as Wal-Mart has Ilo as their store brand, so Target has
TruTech. Originally they had a special version of the Cyberhome DVD
CH-DVD300 - the 320, as a weapon in the "lowest price" wars. In recent
months they dropped the other shoe, and now have custom rebadged
versions of all the Cyberhome stuff under the TruTech name.

so .. The Ilo DVDR05MU1 is the Cyberhome DVR1600MU1 is the TruTech
TT1620MU1. Ilo isn't posting firmware for the MU1, you have to request
it. Cyberhome does, though; in both .NRG and standard .ISO formats.
Well, Target has a liberal return policy too, so ...

I just came home with a TruTech 1620MU1, manufactured Dec 2005. Though
the idle screen displays the TruTech logo, I took a chance and flashed
it with Cyberhome firmware. The loader went smoothly, the system
firmware complained that the hardware may not be compatible. What the
heck; I've read this is a bug anyway even when the Ilo firmware is
used on an Ilo machine. I took a deep breath and went ahead. Took
forever sitting at 5% progress; I thought for sure I was going to
return it as crashed. Patience...

Success. The recorder now identifies itself as a Cyberhome instead of
TruTech. Region free hack works. DiVX playback works. And while the
machine is billed as only capable of writing to DVD+R/RW discs, I
tried several DVD-R blanks and it successfully formatted and wrote to
all of them (in +VR format, no less). In fact, it even displays
"DVD-R" on the screen as it loads the blank! So this is really an
"all-write" recorder; however you must be careful. One bug is that the
EDIT screen still allows you to retitle programs on a DVD-R disc; if
you try this the recorder goes into an endless loop and the disc is
trashed.
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