My DVD recorder sucks

[dafoe]

I recently bought a Panasonic LFD-311 DVD recorder. I wanted to be able to record TV programs on DVDRAM on my set top DVD recorder (DMR-E20) and edit them on my PC.

However, the PC drive won't read anything recorded by the set top that was recorded on RAM. They are both made by Panasonic. However, DVDR reads and records in both units.

Does this make any sense to anyone? Is there anything I can do to fix this?

[Baldrick]

Does your dvd-rom support dvd-ram? because most don't.

[dafoe]

No, my DVD Rom doesn't support DVD RAM- even though I was told that it would. But my DVDR/RAM burner wont read any of the RAM discs recorded on the DMR-E20.

At first I thought that maybe it had something to do with the file structure of the discs being recorded on the DMR-E20, but the DVDRs I've recorded om that machine read fine in my PC.

The whole point of buying that drive was so that I could record tv shows on RAM and then edit them without having to buy expensive DVDR. This way, I can use cheap DVDR media. If I get a burning error or faulty media, I still have the original on the RAM DISC.

[Digitizer]

Did you try using different brand disks?
Where did you buy the drive? If it was some small pa&ma store, it's probably refurbished, returned, or defective.

[dafoe]

The DVD burner came from a place called Broadfield Inc. They are an electronics distributor in NY that I found over the net.

I own a business (not electronics) and occasionally sell on Ebay. At the time, the Terapin VCD recorders were hot so I ordered one to test. I was going to sell them on Ebay. When I got the unit, not only was it defective, but when it did work the CDs looked like crap. I didn't want to sell that kind of junk so I sent it back and refused a replacement.

They held my money hostage for over a year only offering store credit. So when I built my new PC, I used the credit to buy this drive. It is "OEM

As far as the Ram disc, it is Optodisc- not a name brand. However, I have recorded things on my PC and they read fine so I assume that it's a hardware problem.

Also, I live in Maine. We are behind on everything. The only thing that comes out on time here are CDs and movies. Almost every electronic item I own came from the net. There isn't a place in this state where you can just walk in the store and buy a DVDR or DVDRAM. I think I saw a DVDRW at Staples once for $40. That's ridiculous! There's no place to get anything up here. It sucks

[Digitizer]

In NY you can order from places like J&R. Of course, I can always visit their only off-line location The store is like a high-tech shrine. It's just fun walking around their.
Better try B&H at www.bhphotovideo.com for best price and service. I hope they can deliver purchases to you guys since they specialize in hi-end equipment for much less (their turn-around is HUGE). You can get a DVD burner for $50 less than at J&R. Both places serve factory-fresh equipment so you are very not likely to have the problems that you do.

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[dafoe]

Thanks a lot for the advice! I really appreciate the help. I will DL the software as soon as I have the time.

I know RAM isn't very popular so I didn't look as hard as I normally would for the info. Sorry.