Posted by Roy Tony on 01/18/07 04:52

Hello,

I've been using the LITEON LVW-5006 like the one here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LVW-5006-Format-Region-capable-Recorder/dp/B00069YILC/sr=1-2/qid=1169085365/ref=sr_1_2/026-6042902-0043667?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Yes I finally made the switch from VHS tape to DVD two years ago and what
a difference it makes to be able to access programs immediately without
the need to fast forward or rewind. Plus there's no tape to ware
out. But once in a while it has problems recording. And the problems that
occur are a major headache. Here's just one example:

I had a FUJI FILM DVD+RW disc that had been half filled up with TV
programs recorded with the same LITE-ON LVW-5006 DVD Recorder. Yesterday
I tried adding another program to the disc, something I've done several
times to other discs with no problem. For this disc it would be the 8th
time. There was plenty of room left to insert a 30 minute program at EP
quality. After recording was finished I pushed stop and waited. The word
"Stopping" appeared for a long time and didn't go away like it's suppose
to. After ten minutes, I held the stop button on the player to finally
stop it. When I tried playing back what I had just recorded I couldn't
get to the page with the newest recording. I could only see and play the
oldest recordings but not the newest. So I played the most recent-oldest
and fast-forward through it to get to the end where the new one should
have started. It played it one second and just froze.

I ejected the disc and noticed it was still clean (no dust or
scratches) and then put it back in. After inserting it, the machine
informed me that it was "preparing" the disc. I tried to stop it but it
wouldn't let me and the next thing I knew, the disc became unplayable! It
seems everything I had taped for the past several weeks is gone
forever! Now it won't play or record on the disc saying that it is a
"Data Disc" whatever that means and can't play it or record on it. It ask
me to change the disc for another one. Other discs play and record
fine. But now I'm afraid to insert any already-recorded DVD+RWs for fear
it will occur again.

How is it that a disc with several title-protected programs that always
played perfectly well on this and other machines, is suddenly erased or
made to not play or record any more? Why aren't there more protections
put into these machines?

When I made the switch from Beta Max to VHS and now to DVD I thought the
least of my worries would be to accidentally erase a disc, let alone
PREPARE an *already* prepared/recorded disc!
Impossible I thought! Surely DVD machines would have to be TOLD to
prepare or reformat - what ever you call it - a disc before it does it,
right?

You know, all these problems just makes me want to return to using
Super-VHS VCR machines (with excellent picture in my opinion), using
Super-VHS tape cartridges that actually have "recording tabs" you
physically remove to prevent errasing!

Tony

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