Magnavox MRV700 VR won't turn on.

[kevin75]

Hello all,

I have my father in law's MRV770VR DVD recorder that I have been using to transfer some video tapes to dvd. the most recent burn i have tried a couple of times and the unit would get stuck and not finalize so i turned it off, thinking it was a bad disc and i would try again. the old disc (and video tape) are still in the unit, so i turned it back on and it said that it was 'reading disc'. it did that for about 30 sec. or so and then it shut off with no explanation. i have tried unplugging it with no luck and it still will not start. is this dead, or is there something i can do?

[Megahurts]

Kevin,

I would try to get the DVD out of the unit. Maybe a pinhole in the front of the DVD player you can insert a paper clip to manually eject the disc.

[kevin75]

do you mean something like a reset button? if so there's nothing like that on the front. i took off the cover to see what i could see but that doesn't seem to help.

would it do any good to take a knife or screwdriver and pry open the disc tray or would that pretty much kill it?

[wabjxo]

Look on the bottom, some Panasonics have a disc eject mech. on the bottom.

[kevin75]

i managed to get the power on and ejected the tape, however, when i tried to open the disc tray it said 'blocked'. the disc inside doesn't sound like it's become loose. i have tried to find the manual disc eject button or switch but i haven't been able to find it. argh!

[Megahurts]

I downloaded the service manual and found this on page 1-8-8

HOW TO INITIALIZE THE DVD RECORDER

1 Press and hold the [DVD STOP] button on the DVD recorder.
2. Insert the AC plug to an AC outlet.
3 Release [DVD STOP] button after 5 or 6 seconds.

If this doesn't work, I'll send you the page that has a detailed description of manually ejecting a DVD.

[kevin75]

megahurts,

thanks for the help. i tried what you suggested and it just says that it's initializing but the tray doesn't open. that is similar to something i read elsewhere on the net but it also said that there shouldn't be a disc in there when you do that either and in my case, there is. i don't know if that makes a difference or not. if you do indeed have the page showing how to manually get the dvd out, i would greatly appreciate a copy. let me know what i need to do.

thanks.

[Megahurts]

Hope this helps

[kevin75]

oops. megahurts, i just noticed that my first post and the thread title listed two different model numbers. the correct one is the 700. does that make any difference in what you just posted?

[Megahurts]

The manual I used was for model MRV700VR. Does it not look like this?

[kevin75]

that's the unit, thanks. i printed out the picture and tried to follow the directions. i didn't have a tool quite like that but i had a staple remover which has a similar rounded end on it so i tried that. i got it pried in underneath the front plate but when i tried to pull up on it, it just bows out. i am not sure how much pressure i am supposed to put on it to catch the release.

[wabjxo]

Try one of those hand lid/can openers with one sharp-pointed side and one flat side for lids?

[kevin75]

i tried that too. as i said, i am not sure what is supposed to happen once i start prying on the front. i could very easily put more pressure on it, but i don't know if it would break off, or if there is a release button of some sort underneath that i am supposed to be hitting.

also, i don't understand what the tape is for.

[wabjxo]

The tape is prob. so you don't scratch the case edges.

[Megahurts]

Slide the tool under the tray panel then pry up and out. You may have to do it to both sides.

I agree with wabjxo about the tape preventing scratches.

[wabjxo]

From that sketch, it looks like a "press fit" and you're just trying to pry the bottom edge out enough that it becomes "unpressed" due to bending the bottom edge out? It prob. runs the whole length of the door so that's why they show prying from the center?

However, w/o a top view, you can't be sure... it might just be "tangs" that fit in the groove at certain points rather than a solid piece running the length of the door?

[Megahurts]

I agree it's a press fit. Once you get something behind the plate, pry it straight out.

The other pic shows 2 release points so I would try 1 at a time.

Kevin, If you're worried about braking the tray panel, I'll give you the part number and where to order. Cost is $8.63... so go for it.

Here is a closer view of the release points.