Cyberhome DVD/RW nightmare

Have you tried TOMMYZAX' solution?:

"If a DVD gets stuck, power off, then turn the power back on while holding down the STOP button on the RECORDER (I don't know why it works, it just DOES)"

No joy here. Is there anyway, short of moving the drive to a PC, to get it to open when it's booting?

 

Many, many thanks. So simple to do and it works like a charm.

 

Just to make you folks feel a little better --- I have a stand-alone DVD recorder made by Lite-On, purchased from CompUSA, and it's no better. Mine is still under warranty, CompUSA won't take it back, it's been back to Lite-on twice, and is about to be sent back a third time. Works fine only when recording 30-40 minutes or less; longer recordings produce disk errors. I think it's overheating, and probably unfixable. And their customer service stinks -- for instance, they claim they will respond within "48 business hours"; I think they say it that way to foll people into thinking it'll be two days, when in fact it is 6 business days, which works out to over a week.

Pete

 

i've had my cyberhome for almost 3 months now and, knock on wood, i haven't had any problems yet. i do kee mine completely powered off when not in use and never leave a disc in it. and i haten't messed witht he firmware. i'm gonna try that trick of putting small fans on the vents for cooling, but i figure the unit will give out eventually just like everyone else's seems to have.

i do have a question. when and if mine goes bad will wal mart not exchange it for me? they usually take anything back, but one of the previous posts here said something about wal mart not exchanging it. if they will take it back i'll just exchange for the panasonic they have for $300. anyone know anything about that one?

 

I have been getting more and more out of my Cyberhome the more I've learned to work with it. It's buggy to be sure, but there are work-arounds (like using the vcr tuner instead of the built-in tuner). Another tip I'd like to pass along is to never use warm discs--keep some spare DVD-RW's handy so that if you need to start over you use a fresh cool disc--no errors this way.

I've been thrilled with some of the recordings I've been able to make--great quality.

For archiving tapes in my collection, I use DVD+RW and don't edit in the machine. I don't "make compatible" either. I just pull the raw recording into my computer using "DVD Shrink", edit the start and stops, and save to DVD-R's (cheaper). Also great for preserving quality when the program goes over 2 hours--no need to drop all the way to the 4-hour mode. (My compter DVD recorder supports + and - R, so I can save to whatever format I want.

I love the DVD+RW format, and I would leave the recordings in that format except that I trade a lot and I haven't found the format to be as widely compatible. I've been having problems with edits being recognized by other dvd players no matter what format I use and not matter that I "make compatible" or "finalize". Even Cyberhome players haven't recognized them!!!

After a rocky start, I can say that my Cyberhome is living up to it's promise and making some quality recordings. (I do feel that the research and development people at Cyberhome could have made a better quality product with a little effort. How hard would it have been to create better ventilation or put a fan in, for example? But, I've come to terms with mine. The dvd's it produces are great!

Jeremy

 

I also bought the cyberhome dvr 2500,
at first it worked fine. Now it takes forever to read a disk and then it says no disk. IF i try to open the door it freezes up. I can use source and setup.
but anything with the DVD is a mess. If i can get the door open I'll download the upgrade and flash it.I e-mailed cyberhome but no answer yet. if anyone can help please do. Thanks

 

I purchased a cyberhome 1500 appr. 4months ago and it has already quit working. It locks up in the start up mode and has a display Ch004 ME. Nothing works on the front panel can't even eject the dvd that is in it. I took it back to where I purchased it for repair to find out 90 day labor only and 1 year parts and will have to send it back to the factory. That's where the nightmare begins!!! All day trying to get through to a company rep. and hearing a taped message that my call is important please hold. One hour and 15 minutes before I hung up in disgust! ANY IDEAS OUT THERE, ON HOW I CAN GET THIS FIXED!!!!!!

 

Have you tried pulling the plug from the outlet and waiting 20 minutes or so before plugging it back in. This can sometimes reset electronics. Are you able to get to the set-up menu? Can you change the input source to anything else? Mine locks up all the time, and I can usually reset it by flicking the switch in the back. If the unit is cold, it takes a few flicks only. If the unit is warm, it may take many more tries. Some Cyberhomes owners have reported that it takes them only one click when this happens. It's an annoying bug, which is not addressed by the Cyberhome "fix" on their website even though the fix says it is for the lock-up. Doesn't work, though. However, the lock-up can usually be freed with the button in the back. Other owners have devised means of accessing the reset button on the dvd drive inside itself. I don't know if this will help since I haven't seen mine lock up with that display, but I've found it pays to play around with the settings on my Cyberhome. The button in the back can help a lot (on my unit it can take many, many tries however).

 

I have tried unplugging and using the power switch without much luck. My biggest disappointment is with Cyberhome customer service or should I say lack of it. Tried to get in contact 1st call on hold for over an hour and never got to speak to anyone. Just listened to their recording over an over on how my call was important and someone would be with me in a moment. One lesson I have learned is, I wouldn't ever buy another Cyberhome product again!!!! I think it is a shame a company doesn't stand by their product and make the consumer have to come up with fixes to their equipment.

 

Well, K_DVD_K, here is one very happy Cyberhome owner. Perhaps all the other happy customers are not looking for a thread entitled ”Cyberhome Nightmares”.
I have my unit for 3.5 months (not from WalMart),
I am doing everything you all tell me <bold>not</bold> to do, and it works great every time.

I leave the disc in overnight, every night, sometimes on standby, sometimes turned on. If I forget to erase the +RW every second day, it just records to the edge. No problem.
I start recording movies on +R and go to bed, letting it run to the “edge”, no problem.

I use Memorex 4X +R $ 1.50 each, Memorex+RW for $1.00, and Sony +R for $0.99, (but non from WalMart), never lost one. I set timer recordings for different dates and speeds while on vacation. I record from DirecTV, CamCorder, DVD Movies, VCR and Laser Disc. I do not use the built in tuner, because I use DirecTV. Unit never locked up. No stuck disk, no skipping.
I can play back a movie before or after finalizing.
I always use the remote only.
Military time and optional chapter are just fine.
Yes, the disk gets warm, so does it in my Toshiba player.

When I first got it, I did the January update (124A) before using it.
Not planning on any other update.
I know that is no help to some of you, except for knowing that there are good units out there, just don’t know how many.
Kurt

 

like i said, i've been lucky so far. but i do think i'm gonna go ahead and return mine and get a phillips. i'm just under the 90 day mark at wal mart, so it shuldn't be a problem. i have no problems at all with how the cyberhome works, but i'm gonna get out before i start getting the headaches everyone else has been talking about.

 

Owner of a Cyberhome 2500 which I bought on HSC

Does anyone know of the Internal reset switch Jeremy5

is talking about?

My dvd is either not reciving commands or unable to

carry them out. Everything else works Tuner, setup etc.

Its getting power I know that.

If anyone has any Idea's please post!

Thankyou

 

will wal mart take back electronics that were purchased less than 90 days ago without any problem? i'm around the 80 day mark and i'm gonna go ahead and return it and get a phillips if they'll take it back and give me my money back. also, do i need to prove to them that there's something woring, or just say i'm not happy?

 

The Cyberhome DVD Recorders are crap, they have a 3 month warranty and you're lucky if they make it beyond that. Anyhow, there are links on the Cyberhome website for firmware upgrades. You should check that your recorder doesn't need the updates.

Not all DVD players can read burned discs. Some only play R if they play a burned title at all, so try it on a +r disc and see if it works. If not it could be the player you are trying the disc on.

 

Answer a few folks...
Regarding the internal switch: there was an append earlier in this same thread where someone described how to eject the DVD by removing the cover. I haven't done it, was able to power it on/off with the switch on the back enough times it eventually booted up and let me eject the disk.

Regarding Walmart returns. Technically, Walmart will refund your money on the Cyberhome if you're not happy within 90 days. I was personally amazed when I returned my Cyberhome at about 75 days, they didn't want to refund the money. They insisted that it fell under the category of some 45 day things. I stood my ground, the idiots there didnt know how to read their own policy. They eventually gave me my money back... but it did scare me about the supposed Walmart return policy. Since no store ever has any DVD recorders set up, it seems that they want you to buy and try, otherwise they'd let you try it in the store.

There are a bunch of DVD recorders on clearance now as next years models come out. Walmart has the Cyberhome at $219 online and now has an Aspire model for $218. Has anyone tried that one?

I just bought a Philips DVDR75 for $250 open box sale at Circuit City. Its generally a better unit than the Cyberhome, but still has plenty of its own problems. I figure its still early in the DVD recorder game. Whatever you buy has to be considered disposable. In a couple of years there will be much better stuff for much less money.

 

so i wonder if i should even go through the trouble of returning my cyberhome since i haven't had any problems yet. will wal mart exchange electronics after 90 days?

 

Hope my suggestion about flicking the switch in the back enough times helped somebody.

About the internal switch--I haven't used it myself--I have just read posts about others who have. It is apparently the "pinhole" type reset that computer drives have. Someone described how he drilled a hole in the outsite cover so that he could access this reset when the recorder locked up (which was frequently).

My recorder is behaving better, but still locks up after every timer recording. (It wasn't doing this when it was in military time--maybe I should have left things alone!) Where oh where is the new update to fix these things???

I don't recommend the Cyberhome to anyone and wouldn't buy another one for the reasons others have described very well. I am amazed that even a Cyberhome dvd player won't recognize the edits made after making compatible/finalizing. The problems are described so much by others on the net that I am sure these are not isolated cases. I am able to get the Cyberhome to produce good disks as long as I work around it's problems, but I am envious of those who bought other brands and have told me they have "no problems whatsoever".

 

Like many electronics, CyberHome is not without it's bugs. However, if you contact the customer service folks at 1-888-302-2727 or email them at their website, they appear to be very helpful! Hope that helps anyone who would like to keep their systems!

 

Do you work for Cyberhome or something? Read the 12 pages of messages. I personally know that I emailed Cyberhome 3 times, on legitimate questions and they absolutely never replied. This was like 2 months ago. I've also read on this thread that you can spend 90 minutes on hold being told how important you are, before having to hang up in frustration. I know I finally gave up and returned mine and bought a Philips DVDR75 and couldn't be happier.

 

So then what's the problem? I have had issues with Philips customer service before and had no problems with CyberHome once I got through. I read through all these pages and also know people who have great experiance with these products as well. I understand the frustration, but I was just posting the number in case anyone else wanted to try to contact them in case their service has changed.