Pioneer DVR-530H:Cannot burn to DVD-Rs, works with DVD-RWs

[boba_dk]

My Pioneer DVR-530H has been acting up lately.

After recording to the HDD, it cannot copy to a DVD-R disc, its says "Copy err" and it sounds like the discs cant get up to speed.

However it works when i use a DVD-RW.

I've tried other brands of DVD-Rs with no luck.

Is there any technical/mechanical difference to how it records onto a R/RW? I'm a bit dumbstruck over this.

Any advice to get this thing working?

Hope that someone can help.

Regards,
Henrik, Copenhagen

[orsetto]

This is common and due to the burner aging. The reason RW works is because its spinning at a slower speed and using an old dye formula, most DVD-R media available today is much faster 16x-rated which is the first thing to "break" when burners start wearing out. In later Pioneers, failure with 16x DVD-R is mechanical: the disc clamp loses its grip at higher speeds. With older models like your 530, the laser/firmware loses compatibility with newer forms of 16x media first, then 8x, then RW. See if you can purchase some 8x Taiyo Yuden (TY) DVD-R media to test on your failing 530. This may work better than the 16x, but more likely will also fail. Still, its worth a try if it will let you burn a hundred more discs before the drive finally dies for good. If 8x DVD-R does not work, the burner needs to be replaced: nothing else will cure this behavior on a Pioneer 530.

It is possible with some effort to replace the burner in a 530 yourself, at low cost. You need to search the eBay site in your country for an old Pioneer DVR-109 or DVR-AO9 pc burner that still works properly. When you get it, you need to remove the burner from your 530, open its case, and exchange its custom controller board with the one in your replacement burner before installing the replacement in your 530. Complete details on this procedure can be found in the thread:

http://forum.videohelp.com/topic353746.html

[boba_dk]

I tried recording in Optium-mode and that works.

It burns on playback speed, so it takes longer, but atleast im getting the content off the HDD.

Thanks for your help.

[gilligan103fan]

Even with older models like the DVR530H, sometimes cleaning the disc clamp or spindle may help. After cleaning, I can now do a high speed copy to a 8x Taiyo Yuden disc. Also, the motor is a lot quieter than before cleaning (I removed lumps of dust caked onto the spindle with some isopropyl alcohol).

[jjeff]

Cleaning the spindle does wonders for old Panasonics but it was my understanding that gaining access to a Pioneer spindle was all but impossible......how did you gain access to the spindle to clean it?

[gilligan103fan]

Older models like the 530H have a burner that is detachable (like my 2006 Panasonic) whereas other Forum posters have reported that later models like the 540H /640H (x40H, x50H and x60H) have burners that are more integrated into the DVD recorder's motherboard. ps. the Pioneer badge that covers the disc tray opening should be removed before you remove the front panel (with the machine POWERED ON, OPEN the tray, pop up and remove the Badge, CLOSE the tray and then POWER OFF). Also, the ultra thin ribbon cable underneath the burner looks like it can easily be damaged but it needs to be unplugged if you want to open up the burner.

ps. I just had a look at the FATAL FLAWS Sticky. Apparently the 530H wasn't widely available in America whereas the models that you did get in America, the 531 and 533, are the ones with burners that are "almost impossible" to remove.

[jjeff]

Thanks for the follow up gilligan103fan, that makes sense then because I've read from numerous Pioneer users how hard/impossible it is to gain access to the spindle on the Pioneers but as you said I don't think anyone was talking about the 530 model.
I think the very first Panasonics may also be quite hard to gain access to the spindle but luckily all mine('04 and newer) are quite easy to clean which is good since if I couldn't clean them most would have ended up in the trash. After a good cleaning even the oldest will burn OK quality 16x media, I prefer to not burn total junk in my DVDRs, I save those for my PC.....