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  1. I've owned a Panasonic DMR - EH59 DVD recorder for about five or six years. I use the recorder solely to record TV programs onto the recorder's hard drive. From the hard drive, I will eventually record the material onto a blank DVD. For all this time, I've had no problems other than an occasional disc that won't copy -- and this, I assume, is a disc problem and not a recorder problem.

    Lately, the recorder won't format double layer discs. I get an unsuccesful format message whenever I try to format a double layer disc. At first, I thought I had purchased an entire bad batch of blank discs (Verbatim). So I bought another pack of Verbatim double layer discs -- and the same problem -- none of them will format. So I bought a third pack of double layer blanks -- this time a different company -- and the same problem. All of a sudden, my DVD recorder will not format double layer discs. I don't have any problem with single layer blank discs.

    Anybody know what the problem could be and what I could do about it, if anything?

    Thanks in advance.
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    I can't really think of what might be going wrong. Sounds like you've covered all the bases, good DVDs, tried multiple ones and brands, seem to know you first have to record to HDD then HS copy to DVD(IOW you can't directly burn DL media) etc.
    Do you get the same error when you try to HS copy to the blank disc(telling you that you have to format the disc and then prompting you to format it) as when you go through the functions menu to format the disc? I believe DL media might require a bit more laser power than a standard SL disc so it's possible your drive is failing but I've never ran into what you're seeing. Note I tend to really shy away from DL media as I've had it(even using good Verbatim DLs) kill my DVD drive(happened twice to 2 different Panasonics) so I'm very gun-shy to do it again. I've found with Panasonics I can get pretty decent quality going up to about 2hrs 42 minutes using FR and if the subject matter isn't too demanding I might even do 3hrs/SL DVD and what I record is rarely over 3hrs per title so I try and avoid DL media.
    Note Panasonics have always preferred - media to + media and I always use - media for SL blanks but -R DLs are extremely hard to find if not impossible. I don't believe they are still made and most of the old stock left is Ritek which I've not used in their DL media but I really try and avoid their SL media due to low quality. Verbatim used to make real quality - DLs and I once knew a guy who would order his -R DLs all the way from Japan but at over $2/DVD they were expensive, even several years ago when he was doing it.
    If all else fails I guess you could try pulling the plug on your DVDR for a minute and see if that made a difference but it's a long shot.
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    Originally Posted by pelk12 View Post
    I've owned a Panasonic DMR - EH59 DVD recorder for about five or six years. I use the recorder solely to record TV programs onto the recorder's hard drive. From the hard drive, I will eventually record the material onto a blank DVD. For all this time, I've had no problems other than an occasional disc that won't copy -- and this, I assume, is a disc problem and not a recorder problem.

    Lately, the recorder won't format double layer discs. I get an unsuccesful format message whenever I try to format a double layer disc. At first, I thought I had purchased an entire bad batch of blank discs (Verbatim). So I bought another pack of Verbatim double layer discs -- and the same problem -- none of them will format. So I bought a third pack of double layer blanks -- this time a different company -- and the same problem. All of a sudden, my DVD recorder will not format double layer discs. I don't have any problem with single layer blank discs.

    Anybody know what the problem could be and what I could do about it, if anything?

    Thanks in advance.
    there is no DVD-R DL-RW - https://www.verbatim.com/subcat/optical-media/dvd/dvd-r-dl/
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  4. Originally Posted by october262 View Post
    Originally Posted by pelk12 View Post
    I've owned a Panasonic DMR - EH59 DVD recorder for about five or six years. I use the recorder solely to record TV programs onto the recorder's hard drive. From the hard drive, I will eventually record the material onto a blank DVD. For all this time, I've had no problems other than an occasional disc that won't copy -- and this, I assume, is a disc problem and not a recorder problem.

    Lately, the recorder won't format double layer discs. I get an unsuccesful format message whenever I try to format a double layer disc. At first, I thought I had purchased an entire bad batch of blank discs (Verbatim). So I bought another pack of Verbatim double layer discs -- and the same problem -- none of them will format. So I bought a third pack of double layer blanks -- this time a different company -- and the same problem. All of a sudden, my DVD recorder will not format double layer discs. I don't have any problem with single layer blank discs.

    Anybody know what the problem could be and what I could do about it, if anything?

    Thanks in advance.
    there is no DVD-R DL-RW - https://www.verbatim.com/subcat/optical-media/dvd/dvd-r-dl/
    The Verbatim's I've been unsuccessfully using are Verbatim DVD+R DL 8.5GB 8X with Branded Surface - 30pk Spindle.
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  5. Member
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    Originally Posted by pelk12 View Post
    Originally Posted by october262 View Post
    Originally Posted by pelk12 View Post
    I've owned a Panasonic DMR - EH59 DVD recorder for about five or six years. I use the recorder solely to record TV programs onto the recorder's hard drive. From the hard drive, I will eventually record the material onto a blank DVD. For all this time, I've had no problems other than an occasional disc that won't copy -- and this, I assume, is a disc problem and not a recorder problem.

    Lately, the recorder won't format double layer discs. I get an unsuccesful format message whenever I try to format a double layer disc. At first, I thought I had purchased an entire bad batch of blank discs (Verbatim). So I bought another pack of Verbatim double layer discs -- and the same problem -- none of them will format. So I bought a third pack of double layer blanks -- this time a different company -- and the same problem. All of a sudden, my DVD recorder will not format double layer discs. I don't have any problem with single layer blank discs.

    Anybody know what the problem could be and what I could do about it, if anything?

    Thanks in advance.
    there is no DVD-R DL-RW - https://www.verbatim.com/subcat/optical-media/dvd/dvd-r-dl/
    The Verbatim's I've been unsuccessfully using are Verbatim DVD+R DL 8.5GB 8X with Branded Surface - 30pk Spindle.
    Those aren't rewritible, only write once
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  6. Originally Posted by october262 View Post
    Originally Posted by pelk12 View Post

    The Verbatim's I've been unsuccessfully using are Verbatim DVD+R DL 8.5GB 8X with Branded Surface - 30pk Spindle.
    Those aren't rewritible, only write once
    That's true. But that's not the point. The DL discs won't format. So I can't write to the blank discs even once.
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    jjeff has probably given you the answer. Some types of DVD media are more difficult to burn than others and the symptom which indicates that a drive is beginning to wear out is that it is suddenly unable to burn one of the more demanding types.
    Ignore list: hello_hello, tried, TechLord, Snoopy329
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