Toshiba DVR620KU Makes title named Blank Title, when I finalize a disc.

[Dim29]

Just got a Toshiba DVR620KU. When I finalize a disc, it shows all of my titles plus an extra title at the end that says "blank title". How do I get rid of that 'blank title' that is displayed on my final disc. I just want it to show the titles that I have actually made. It is probably something simple, but I cbnnot find it in the instruction manual or figure it out.

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

[loster]

All of the standalone dvd recorders I use do this. No soulution except to re author on a computer.

[Dim29]

I have an old DVD recorder, that would erase that blank title when I finalized the disc. That seems strange that every disc you make would have a blank title listed on it.

[hech54]

I have an old DVD recorder, that would erase that blank title when I finalized the disc.

I've never seen one of those.

[orsetto]

Not all DVD recorders do this, mostly its only those made by the Funai company as OEM for brands like Magnavox, Phillips, Toshiba, Sylvania, RCA, etc. Users have been complaining to Funai about this for six years, the complaints fall on deaf ears because Funai firmly believes the "Blank Title" or "Empty Title" is an important and obvious indicator of remaining disc capacity: it is hard-wired into the Funai "+VR" dvd recording format

There is no quick way to get rid of the annoying "Empty Title". The easiest method is the following:

1. Once you are ready to finalize a disc, DON'T.
2. Make sure the recorders tuner is set to a "live" channel, or that your cable/satellite box is turned on: you need to have a video signal visible onscreen.
3. Load the disc in the recorder and display the menu.
4. Highlight/select the "Empty Title".
5. Change the recording speed to HQ or SP, using the REC MODE button.
6. Click "OK" and select the "OVERWRITE" option. The red "REC" dot and PAUSE will appear onscreen.
6. Press the PAUSE button to begin recording over the "Empty Title" with whatever is showing on your TV screen.
7. DO NOT attempt to stop the recording manually: let the machine stop on its own when it uses up the entire disc. For example, if you have a 23 minute "Empty Title" you want to get rid of, the recorder may take anywhere from 20-30 mins to shut down depending on how much bitrate is needed for the dummy video it is overwriting with.
8. When you notice the machine has reached the end of the disc and stopped recording, go into the disc title menu and highlight/select the dummy recording you just made. Press "OK > Edit > Delete". Confirm the Delete request when the recorder asks you.
9. NOW you can finalize the disc: since you used up every last second of available recording time, then deleted the resulting unwanted filler title, there is no longer an "Empty Title" visible in the disc menu.

This method is not really ideal for a couple reasons. First, its time consuming and tedious to make the placeholder recording and then delete it, plus you have to remember to do this every time you want to get rid of the "Empty Title" before finalizing the disc. Second, the placeholder recording is not truly deleted from the disc, only from the menu as shown in most DVD players: many types of PC software and alternative playback hardware will still display the placeholder recording and make it visible again. This is the best one can do without resorting to ripping and re-authoring every single DVD on a computer, which is mega-tedious and sometimes difficult due to the somewhat peculiar file format used by Funai-made recorders.

Unfortunately the recorder market is now so dead that 3 out of 5 brands have contracted with Funai to make their recorders for them, meaning most recorders on store shelves will stick you with this "Empty Title" business. And of course if you want the amazing benefits available with a premium DVD/HDD recorder, the only options remaining in the USA are the excellent Magnavox H2160A and MDR513H, both made by Funai, so most of us have been forced to accept this "Empty Title" nonsense. If you really hate the "Empty Title" feature, Panasonic is a good alternative recorder choice that will not create unwanted "Empty Titles" in disc menus. Current Sony/Samsung and JVC/LG models also do not do the "Empty Title" thing, but they are less reliable brands than Panasonic or Funai.

[Dim29]

Thanks orsetto. That is the info I was looking for. Since I never had a recorder that displayed the blank title, I thought something was wrong with my new one. I am only using it to copy old home movies off of tape, so it is not life or death that I get rid of it. I am just a bit anal and it bugs me. I had thought about trying to record the whole disc space and then delete it, but I wasn't sure if it would work or not. I think I will give it a try just to see. Thanks again for the detailed answer. Now I know I am not crazy!

[orsetto]

Actually, you're not that anal, Dim29: anal would be a person who records an entire T120 tape of dead black off a professional signal generator, then plays this into his Funai-based DVD recorder to fill up the empty title space neatly.

Oh, hell, did I just incriminate myself?

[Dim29]

LOL - Cool. BTW, I just tried your trick and it worked fine. It doesn't show up as blank title on my DVD player. That is good enough for me. Thanks again!