Pioneer 220 won't recognize blank DVD-R any more.

[Brent G.]

I've been using the same blank media in my Pioneer for months without a problem. (Verbatim or Fuji) This afternoon after recording a movie I popped in a blank DVD-R and it took much longer for it to accept it. Then it says "Incompatible or unreadable disk". I tried several other blank DVD-R's and even other brands. The same thing. I unplugged it for about a minute and tried it again, and I get the same message. It then opens the door to eject the "bad" media. I can play recorded DVD-R's of the same brand or different brands, it just won't accept blank media any more.

Is my Pioneer 220 toast? What gives?

TIA
Brent

[Frobozz]

Get a laser cleaning disc to see if that is the problem.

[Brent G.]

Do these lens cleaners really work?
Are certain brands better than others?

TIA
Brent

[Frobozz]

I've read posts on other forums where people say the lens cleaner fixed recognition and playback issues with recorded discs. I can't recall anyone saying it fixed issues with recognizing blank media.

I don't know about brands. Normally I avoid Memorex for anything but a large mail order firm I respect sells that brand of lens cleaner (powermax.com). Mostly I think it is just a brush to remove dust.

[sunnycrest]

If you bought yours at Costco, take it back. My Pioneer cooked with the same symptoms at about 15 months. At first it wouldn't recognize -RW then it stopped recognizing -R's. I didn't try the lens cleaning. I took it back, they looked up the 15 month old purchase and gave me full purchase price back.

[Brent G.]

:My Pioneer cooked with the same symptoms at about 15 months.

It looks like you might be right. I turned it on this morning and it worked fine, so it may be heat related (I had it on for a couple of days). Is there a fan in it? Do they die out? (It's not easy for me to check it because there its in an awkward location.)

TIA
Brent

[Frobozz]

I'll just add that the 220 is a very good DVD recorder and much superior to the 233 that replaced it. It may be worth it to get it repaired if that turns out to be necessary.

[Brent G.]

Ok, I'll bite. :P

What's wrong with the Pioneer 233?
Also how good is the 10hr record mode?

TIA
Brent

I see the Pioneer 220 is discounted to around $129 (CDN). I paid $299 less than a year ago. They also had it around $99 for XMAS. I put it throught the wringer and it stood up really well.

[Frobozz]

The 233 doesn't have the manual recording settings and only has one set of line inputs on the back. It does offer the 10-hour record mode but I don't want to watch low-quality video and would never use that mode anyway.

You can download the 233's manual from pioneerelectronics.com and compare its features with those described in your 220's manual.