Need help with Pioneer DVR 220S Intermittent recording problems

[horhota]

I have two Pioneer DVR220s recorders and one of them has started ruining DVDs. It accepts new DVDs and records to them but when I go to play them back it says they are unusable but some of them will play in the other DVR 220S. Sometimes after I have put them in the second DVR220 and then try them again with the first DVR220 it accepts and plays them. It also has ruined some DVD's recorded in the second DVR220 - it tries to load them, says they are unplayable and seems to do something to them that makes them also unplayable in the second DVR220. Sometimes when it tries to load the DVD it just comes up with a STOP message in the LED display, sometimes it actually says the DVD is unusable. I tried cleaning some of the ruined DVDS but it didn't help. The problem is intermittent - sometimes it records and plays what it has recorded fine. Sometimes it records but when I go back to play what was recorded it doesn't show up in Disk Navigator. Is there some sort of index track(like the FAT on a computer disk) that is getting altered just by loading the DVD? Can it mark or do something to the DVD just by loading it? Anyone have any ideas before I take it to a repair shop?

[hech54]

Stop using junk discs?

[horhota]

Stop using junk discs?

Thought about that but these are good quality(Maxell) discs which I've been buying and using for several years. Hardly ever had a bad disc or any other problem with them. Also, these discs work fine in the second DVR220.
Thanks.

[orsetto]

A) The 220 is a 2004 model, and thats ancient in DVD recorder years. Especially if you used them a lot for timeshifting, their burners are on their last legs. Pioneer recorder burners of that vintage averaged a three year lifespan, you've exceeded that by a wide margin.

B) Maxell discs are crap and have been crap for ages, but it isn't just Maxell: all the big names whored themselves out to generic Chinese OEM media conglomerates four years ago when media shifted from 8x to 16x speed ratings. Any major brand of 16x media you find in a store (and this means all of them including Verbatim) is designed for use on a PC, with a new or updated generic burner and updated burning software. Using this media on a new standalone recorder is dodgy enough, using it on a recorder made in 2004 practically guarantees failure.

You have two possible problems that may also be linked: your recorders are dying and/or they can't cope with todays flaky retail media. The first thing to do is buy some of the Japanese-spec 8x media your recorder was engineered to burn correctly: go online to supermediastore.com or rima.com and order some Taiyo Yuden (TY) Premium Silver Lacquer 8x DVD-R. Be sure you specify "premium" do not order the similar-looking "value line" (the value line repacks can include 16x media, defeating your purpose). The premium 8x discs run about $27/100 delivered. Every disc on the spindle should burn perfectly in any existing DVD recorder. There is no such thing as a TY "coaster": if your recorders still act up with this media, their burners are shot and you need to think about replacement or repair.

My answers above are based on write-once DVD-R media. If your problem involves R/W eraseable media, you could try a couple of other brands but will probably not find satisfaction. There are no longer any "old school" R/W brands to try, TY doesn't mfr R/W. You could maybe look at Verbatim R/W, its the best R/W left on the market, but be sure you've been buying 2.4x speed R/W. A newer, faster R/W has appeared on store shelves lately which is nearly unusable in most DVD recorders.

If it turns out your Pioneer 220s are just victims of old age, you'll need to replace them. They are not worth repairing, the cost is astronomical. Instead, monitor the J&R Electronics website for occasional sales promotions on the excellent Magnavox H2160. The refurbs are brand new, repackaged units selling for only $159 (half the retail price). This recorder has a built-in, reliable ATSC tuner-timer and a built-in 160GB HDD. The hard drive eliminates the need for R/W discs and allows nearly limitless record-watch-erase cycles without wearing down the DVD burner. When you want to keep a recording, you push a button and its copied from hard drive to DVD in about 15 mins. This is so far beyond the convenience and utility of the 220 you won't believe you lived without these features.

If you are very sentimentally attached to your 220s, you can attempt do-it-yourself burner replacement, but its difficult and you could spend $50 just to obtain a compatible burner. You need to disassemble the recorders and the burners, swap some circuit boards, and reassemble everything. You may also need a hard-to-find Pioneer service remote and service disc (more expense). This rigamarole is worth doing for a model like the Pio 520 or 720, because those have HDDs and functionality similar to the Magnavox that make them worth the effort. But salvaging an outdated DVD-only unit like the DVR-220 is not practical, not with the Magnavox selling new for $229 at Wal*Mart or refurbished at J&R for $159.

ADDENDUM: Sorry, just noticed you're in Canada, so you won't find the Magnavox locally. You should still be able to order a refurb from J&R, so keep an eye peeled. Canada will be transitioning to ATSC in a couple years, the digital tuner in the Mag will extend its usefulness into the future. Short term, the Sony RDR-HX780 DVD/HDD unit is still available in Canadian stores: its based on a Pioneer design and pretty decent, however it has no future-proof digital tuner and costs an appalling $399 at Future Shop. For that kind of money you can buy two or three Magnavoxes online.

[jman98]

Maxell discs have always been crap. Even 5 or so years ago when it was easy to find high quality media from most of the big name manufacturers, Maxell was still crap. Of all the discs I bought before I learned anything about DVD media quality, Maxell was easily the worst I ever bought. I had more coasters when burning them than any other brand I ever used.

[hech54]

The days of Maxell UD-XL II, high quality cassette tapes are OVER...even TDK "SA" tapes too. Both companies farm out their DVDR business to junk makers.

[horhota]

Thanks to everyone who replied, especially orsetto. The information on the lifespan of the DVR220 was very useful and I am going to look into replacing my units before I try to repair them.