Pioneer DVR-720H unfinalised VR mode discs

[MindF]

I have a Pioneer DVR-720H DVD recorder.
It must be over 6 years old and it's now got a faulty power supply.

I've got a lot of unfinalized VR mode discs made with this recorder,so the plan is to get another Pioneer DVD recorder to continue using these discs and having access to the material stored on them.


If i can't get hold of this exact model(very unlikely),what other Pioneer model is going to be able to use these discs?

Im guessing it's going to have to be equal or greater than the one i have?

A Pioneer DVR-LX61D model is available at the moment.Would this be suitable?


Thanks

[hech54]

Investing in CDRoller or ISOBuster is cheaper and probably gives you better odds of gaining "access to the material stored on them".

[DB83]

The manual usually states that VR disks will only work with the SAME model. Even another model by the same manufacturer is likely do have a different firmware - many recorders are simply 'badged' and you then rarely know who made the guts of it.

But if it is just the power supply that is faulty that can surely be rebuilt by any competent electronic repair workshop. But, again, you could be throwing good money after bad - a 6 year-old is more likely to fail for any reason.

Invest in a new recorder and the software as rec above to extract the data from the disks. And, make new disks in Video Mode as that is the only one guaranteed to be compatable over different models.

[orsetto]

I know I'm several weeks late responding to this thread, but just for the record:

Pioneer kept the same recording/VR/finalizing formats for the entire run of its recorders from 2003 thru 2008. Any unfinalized or VR-mode Pioneer DVD can be played, copied and finalized in any Pioneer recorder model (with the exception of the very earliest 2002 model and a couple of rebadged 2005 DVD/VHS combo units). It isn't widely known, but many Pioneer DVD players could also play unfinalized Pioneer recorder discs: not sure which models, and I don't think the ability was carried over to the Pioneer BluRay players, but its worth trying one out if you can find one (some shops still have leftover Pioneer BD players). You could do an analog copy from the Pio player into another recorder, or a PC. One more option is to find someone with a compatible Sony recorder: Pioneer and Sony sold essentially the same recorders between 2006-2008. The Sony RDR-HX680, 780, 880, 890, 980, 990, 1080 and 1090 are able to finalize Pioneer discs, because they use the same DVD formatting and editing software (the entire interface is the same as lookalike Pioneers, i.e. the Sony HX1090 was twin to the Pioneer LX70).

Unfortunately Pioneer dropped out of the DVD/HDD recorder business in 2008, and since then second-hand units have skyrocketed in price. You could have your 720 PSU repaired, but you risk the DVD drive failing in the near future (few make it to the six year mark, you've been very lucky). The repair usually involves replacing just a couple of power caps, the parts cost in virtually nothing so you mostly pay for the labor involved. If you can find a tech who will do it for reasonable cost, its probably worth it to save the hassle and cost of finding another used Pioneer. An excellent guide to repairing the power supply can be found here, the article is specific to the followup 530 model series but the symptoms-parts-repair advice are similar.

The DVR-LX61D is a great recorder, if its still available and you can afford it you will love it. But if you don't especially need a new high-end Pioneer like the DVR-LX61D, and are simply interested in finalizing the left over discs, you could look for one of the older non-HDD models such as the DVR-3100, DVR-310, DVR-220. These sometimes turn up at cheap prices. After finalizing the discs, you would be free to move on to whatever other recorder you prefer.

Worst-case scenario, if no other Pioneer is available or the cost of a new LX-61D is too high, you could download ISObuster as recommended by hech54. The free trial features are minimal: you need to buy the full license key to turn on all the advanced recovery tools. ISObuster isn't the easiest tool to figure out, and you may need additional software to help reconstruct the DVD. If you have more than a dozen unfinalized DVDs, its a lot of work: I'd get the 720 repaired, and finalize all the discs asap while the burner drive still works.