Panasonic won't burn DVD -R DL but used to!!??

[CoastR]

Hi, I have a Panasonic DMR-EX88 model recorder that has so far been brilliant! I was able to burn both single and dual layered DVD's - using the RITEK brand dvd's for a long time. But, at the end of a stack of DVD-R DL discs the last one or two discs would not burn off. I could only buy TDK brand at the time so I used them .... and they would burn off on the dual layer ok. ... But when I bought some more cheaper RITEK dual layer DVDs, it has stopped being able to burn. It says there are scratches or dirt that won't let it burn (but they are brand new discs).

The unit will still burn single layer discs (in a low-end brand DVD).

Is is possible that the Panasonic Recorder has become broken - in the sense that it is still able to burn single layer, but not dual layer?? I guess I just think that if if can burn single layer, you would think that it could still burn dual layer!?

I have checked the troubleshooting information. 1) Have made sure that there is at least 4 HRs in SP mode on the HDD for the burning. That still did not solve the problem. I have also tried a slow burn off (not high-speed). That did not work. As far as I can tell, all other specifications in HDD management are correct (NTSC for Australia, as well as using the "automatic" ratio being 16:9, or whatever it is!)

I may buy a different brand of DVD to try to burn, but that just more loss of money added to the loss from these discs. Repairmen also charge a huge fee just to give a quote "if" the unit needs repair!

Perhaps somewhere here can shine a bit more light on this conundrum for me, before I launch into more tests!! Do these units break down on only one kind of burning (DL but still able to SL)?

Do brands make a difference?

Any other specifications to check?

I cannot re-format the HDD as it will lose all the programs I'm trying to save!

Thanks for you help!?

[TSJNachos]

A few things about your problem:

First off, most people on this site would probably recommend not buying ANY cheap media. Second off, what does formatting you hard drive have to do with cd burning problems? Third off, what program are you using? Perhaps if you use something that forces some kind of Optimum Power Calibration (like IMGBurn), perhaps that will help.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Brands make a difference, DVD-R DL is unreliable(compared to DVD+R DL) but if you must use them then buy Verbatim.

[Bjs]

Hd management should say PAL for Australia

[jman98]

Many times the first sign that a DVD burner is going bad is that it will stop burning DL media correctly. Your burner is dying. If you are lucky it will continue to burn single layer discs for a while, but you are closer to the end of its life than you probably realize.

Despite somewhat hysterical claims around 2005 or so about how DVD+R was tons better than DVD-R (and a few hard core people who argued the exact opposite), honestly they're pretty much interchangeable and modern players have no preference for one over the other. However, that is NOT true for DL and RW media. The reality is that DVD+R DL is superior technology and has fewer playback issues on random DVD players than DVD-R DL media does. This is also true for DVD+RW over DVD-RW. If you really have no choice but use DVD-R DL discs, then you need to buy either Verbatim or (if you can find them at all - they're tough to find in America) Taiyo Yuden. I cannot recommend that you attempt to burn ANY DL disc again as I believe even Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden will fail on your machine but if you want to risk it, you need to only buy those. Ritek and TDK media are now 100% crap. TDK was good some years ago but it's cheap junk now.

I don't know if your recorder can work with DVD+R DL discs, but it's worth pointing out that to get DVD-R DL to work at all the industry group that invented it had to sort of pound a square peg into a round hole and the way it works is really kind of hokey and strange. DVD+R DL has much more well thought out and logical method of working. Do note that if you want to try DVD+R DL the ONLY discs we recommend are Verbatim. Taiyo Yuden does not make DVD+R DL discs. And all the other DL manufacturers are crap.

("hokey" may be an "ugly Americanism". If you don't know what it means in the land of Oz, it means "contrived".)

[CoastR]

Thanks all for reply's.

Bjs - yep its on Pal (my dislexic inattention on that one! Thanks for correction for me to check it anyhow!).

jman - so yeah, not burning off DL a sign of the unit going cactus !? (in Aus - this means defunct!!! ). It was just chance that I started buying -R DL discs. I tried +R DL recently, but this was around the time this non-burn problem started. Of course, the choice of quality discs had to do with availability and affordability at the time. At present, while my unit will not burn to disc, it WILL play the other Ritek DL discs I've previously burn't off. ....

Anyhow,.... another question ... would a DVD Laser Lens Cleaner be of any help (as suggested by tech guy in my local tech store). ??? Perhaps these things are a little hokey??!!! And not worth risking more money in opening the package to try it??!!

Thanks

[jman98]

Thanks for explaining "going cactus" as that is most definitely unique to Oz.

A lens cleaner MIGHT help. You could try it and see. If the drive is going bad it won't help but sometimes problems like yours can honestly be fixed this way (that means that the drive is not going bad but just needed the lens to be cleaned), so if you're OK with gambling the price of one, give it a try. If you search on the internet you may be able to find instructions on doing this yourself on the cheap with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol, but you'll have to open the player to do it.

[CoastR]

Hey - Thanks jman98 for the last reply - it has helped to SOLVE the problem!! aaarrr!! Finally. Can't believe that such a simple thing was needed - just to clean the lens!! You'd think that the troublshooting guide would offer this as a solution! Anyhooo... thanks again, I'm glad to be up and running again! Ps. Freedonia sounds like a pretty cool place to live!

[jman98]

Hey - Thanks jman98 for the last reply - it has helped to SOLVE the problem!! aaarrr!! Finally. Can't believe that such a simple thing was needed - just to clean the lens!! You'd think that the troublshooting guide would offer this as a solution! Anyhooo... thanks again, I'm glad to be up and running again! Ps. Freedonia sounds like a pretty cool place to live!

Manufacturers don't like consumers to open up their devices and mess with them. Certainly some people can do it safely enough as you are proof of that, but it can lead to problems or with a really stupid person a dangerous situation (ie. they aren't smart enough to unplug the device before working on it, they somehow look directly at an active laser, etc.).

I put Freedonia there deliberately for a reason probably not worth going into, but I actually live in the USA. Glad to help. You did get lucky though. Most of the time the lens cleaning trick does not solve the issue, but it is easy enough to try. I'd guess that maybe 20-40% of the time it fixes the issue.

[[_chef_]]

No one got the idea that this thread is in the wrong section!!!