DVD Recorder Problems Copying HDD to DVDs

[Novice20]

I'm beginning to have a problem copying programs from the HDD to +RW DVDs on my Mag MDR513H DVD Recorder . I've had problems now with three or four DVD disks. I copy two programs at a time. In one case the Mag gives an error that it can't write to the Disk halfway through the copying. In one case it copied the two shows but the PC software (VLC Media Player and WinX DVD Ripper Platinum ) couldn't read the disk. In the latest case it copied the two shows but there is something wrong with the "end of file" indication after the first show. The DVD index shows two shows but when I try to use WinX DVD Ripper Platinum to copy & convert just the first show to MP4, it doesn't recognize the "end of file" indication and continues ripping the second show in the same output MP4 file with the first show. It's even stranger in that VLC Media Player shows the two shows as separate files on the DVD but when it plays the first show it also doesn't stop at the end of the first show (file) but continues playing the second show.

While I've re-used these DVDs about fifty (50) times and I know they are supposed to be re-usable for well over one hundred times, I also know that +RW disks can go bad. It's just that these problems have been happening over the past week which leads me to suspect the possibility of the problem being with the recorder. The Mag manual does not list any regular maintenance for the unit, only that servicing must be done by an "authorized service center".

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem(s) could be? I doubt that there is any "authorized service center" for this device left. And shipping it, if there was one, would likely not be practical.

Thank you

[usually_quiet]

I'm beginning to have a problem copying programs from the HDD to +RW DVDs on my Mag MDR513H DVD Recorder . I've had problems now with four or five DVD disks. I copy two programs at a time. In two cases the Mag gives an error that it can't write to the Disk halfway through the copying. In one case it copied the two shows but the PC software (VLC Media Player and WinX DVD Ripper Platinum ) couldn't read the disk. In the latest case it copied the two shows but there is something wrong with the "end of file" indication after the first show. The DVD index shows two shows but when I try to use WinX DVD Ripper Platinum to copy & convert just the first show to MP4, it doesn't recognize the "end of file" indication and continues ripping the second show in the same output MP4 file with the first show. It's even stranger in that VLC Media Player shows the two shows as separate files on the DVD but when it plays the first show it also doesn't stop at the end of the first show (file) but continues playing the second show.

While I've re-used these DVDs about fifty (50) times and I know they are supposed to be re-usable for well over one hundred times, I also know that +RW disks can go bad. It's just that these problems have been happening over the past week or so. The Mag manual does not list any regular maintenance for the unit, only that servicing must be done by an "authorized service center".

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem(s) could be? I doubt that there is any "authorized service center" for this device left. And shipping it, if there was one, would likely not be practical.

Thank you

Re-writable DVD media can fail right out of the box or after more than 100 uses. I would suggest that you go to AVS forums and review the official Magnavox DVD recorder thread. If the answers you seek are not available there, post your questions again in that thread.

[hech54]

Stop messing around with RW discs and get some quality Verbatim discs. Yes you cannot erase them and reuse them but at least this MAY give you some extra time with the recorder to get your stuff off of there and retire it.

Stop messing with "ripping" programs. Your discs have no copy protection.

[lingyi]

Your laser is dying and since RW's are less reflective they're harder to burn. Follow hech54's advice and use Vertbatim Write Once discs until your recorder dies.

As for repair, refurbished units run ~$300 on eBay, highly likely less than a proper repair.

[Novice20]

usually_quiet:

Thank you for your suggestion. I will post the issue there.

hech54:
I am converting the DVDs onto my regular disk drive, in MP4 format, for permanent storing.

lingyi:
I expect that you are right about the costs but it would probably make more sense to just replace the whole unit with a newer model. My purchase of the 513 was based upon recommendations received here in this forum so I will have to inquire, in a separate thread, as to which model people are recommending now.

[LMotlow]

hech54:
I am converting the DVDs onto my regular disk drive, in MP4 format, for permanent storing.

But re-encoding your "archive" is a lower-quality archive. Why not keep the original DVD intact?

lingyi:
I expect that you are right about the costs but it would probably make more sense to just replace the whole unit with a newer model. My purchase of the 513 was based upon recommendations received here in this forum so I will have to inquire, in a separate thread, as to which model people are recommending now.

The Mag was recommended in the past and is still being recommended because there's no other choice. Whether the label says Magnavox, Toshiba, or even Panasonic, they are all basically the same machine made by Funai. None of the big names have manufactured their own DVD recorders for some years now.

[orsetto]

Try other blank disc formats, as suggested above.

If the problem continues or worsens, one advantage the Magnavox units have over older "premium brand" recorders is easy availability of affordable replacement burners. See this specific post on the gigantic trainwreck Magnavox thread at AVS forum. New burners cost approx $68 direct from the mfr phone hotline, and are user-installable following instructions buried somewhere in that unwieldy thread.

[Novice20]

hech54:
I am converting the DVDs onto my regular disk drive, in MP4 format, for permanent storing.

But re-encoding your "archive" is a lower-quality archive. Why not keep the original DVD intact?

Because of space. It takes relatively little space to store MP4 copies on already existing disk drives. I frankly don't have the space to keep multiple DVD storage trays. In addition, I copy the MP4 version to a second Disk so I have backups of each file.

lingyi:
I expect that you are right about the costs but it would probably make more sense to just replace the whole unit with a newer model. My purchase of the 513 was based upon recommendations received here in this forum so I will have to inquire, in a separate thread, as to which model people are recommending now.

The Mag was recommended in the past and is still being recommended because there's no other choice. Whether the label says Magnavox, Toshiba, or even Panasonic, they are all basically the same machine made by Funai. None of the big names have manufactured their own DVD recorders for some years now.

Thank you, lingyi. I have heard that the other ones, especially the Toshiba label, are far less reliable. But even within the Magnavox label, there are different models. As I recall, most everyone was happy with the 513 and with some, but not all, of the other Mag models, at least that was four years ago. With current (newer?) Mag models I expect people have found reliability and/or function differences among them.

[usually_quiet]

As I recall, most everyone was happy with the 513 and with some, but not all, of the other Mag models, at least that was four years ago. With current (newer?) Mag models I expect people have found reliability and/or function differences among them.

You have another thread on this subject. Orsetto says the MDR557H/F7 with a 1 TB HDD is the only Magnavox HDD recorder still being made. I listed a couple of other models available as refurbs, the MDR537H/F7 and the MDR535H/F7 with 500 GB hard drives. If you have the cash, go with the MDR557H/F7. Reliability is not that much different from current recorder, and you will get a manufacturer warranty. Otherwise hunt for one of the other two refurb models at an acceptable price, and look into buying a SquareTrade warranty.

[Novice20]

Try other blank disc formats, as suggested above.

If the problem continues or worsens, one advantage the Magnavox units have over older "premium brand" recorders is easy availability of affordable replacement burners. See this specific post on the gigantic trainwreck Magnavox thread at AVS forum. New burners cost approx $68 direct from the mfr phone hotline, and are user-installable following instructions buried somewhere in that unwieldy thread.

Thanks for the link, orsetto. Though there is a lot of detail in the link, I am not at all experienced with working with the insides of hardware - my username is what it is for a reason - so this will likely not be an option I would undertake to use. A second link from there refers to build-up on the spindle because of holding the disk with a finger in the center. I had thought, apparently incorrectly, that it was safer to hold the DVD that way then holding it only at the edges.

[orsetto]

The "spindle" issue is more of a problem with Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony recorders: the Magnavox burners are much less finicky.

Replacing the DVD drive would be a cinch for any teenager who's cracked open a PC case: ask around, odds are you know someone who could do the job for you. It takes me about ten minutes to replace a Pioneer dvd drive, the Magnavox should be even quicker.