DVD Player or DVD-Rs?

[Jazzer52]

I have a recent problem where movies I've recorded on DVD-R are suffering drop-outs and eventually stop playing altogether. Many of these are DVD movies are a couple of years old but I've played them without a fault on previous occasions. I always use good quality DVD-Rs, either TDK or Verbatim, and when I play them on my computer's DVD player they play faultlessly. My DVD player is a Pioneer DV-545. It's long in the tooth now but was a highly rated player in its day and it still plays pre-recorded (shop bought) DVDs without a fault. It never had a problem with movies recorded on DVD-R until recently.

My question: Is the problem likely to be with the DVD-Rs, are they deteriorating, or the DVD player?

[craigarta]

Sounds more like the disc than the player. I have some -R's that would not play on in laws player that is 2 years old. Copied it onto a +R and played like there nothing wrong with it.

I myself have had bad luck with them over the years so I avoid them as much as possible.

[Vianty]

Start from your DVD-R. Check it on your PC, you can use Nero Tool->DiskSpeed->ScanDisk, it might find bad sectors on the disk.

If the disk is ok, your set-top player needs an inspection. The sensitivity of its pick-up might have lowered. Maybe the lense is too dusty. Don't clean it with cleaning disk, it might scratch it, because the lense is plastic. If you are smoker, the lense have to be cleaned using cleaning agent. Ask good workshop to do the cleaning.

By the time DVD players may first stop playing DVD-R disks and after some time the same happen with DVD+R disks, until they don't play any DVD.

TDK isn't necessarily one of the best DVDR's. Use Verbatim instead.

[hech54]

TDK are near the bottom of many people's lists of "quality" blank media.

[lordsmurf]

Use better media -- see www.nomorecoasters.com for a list of what to buy (and not buy)

[jman98]

TDK discs WERE excellent some years ago. Taiyo Yuden used to make the ones they sold in North America, but that hasn't been true for some years now. TDK discs sold in North America have been made by low quality manufacturers for several years now.

[Jazzer52]

Thanks for the advice.
I had my suspicions the player is starting to die. I didn't think DVD-Rs started to deteriorate so soon and they had previously played faultlessly. I will take your advice though and give the lens a good clean first before dipping into my pocket for a new player.