Can anyone advise on how to inprove the consistancy of this unit? Most of the time when I record direct from TV, the unit indicates it's recording and then when the disk is done and I try to play it the display says "invalid disk". Attempting to 'finalize' doesn't help becuase the player won't recognise the disk at all. In other words, recording completes and then when I play the disk back ... no success. (invalid disk is the result) I have used Maxdata, Ritek, Princo and Data Bank DVD-R's and 8 out of ten times I end up with coasters. Also, very often after a successful recording and finalizing, I can't play the disk in other DVD players at all. I have also recorded VHS to DVD using this unit and often it won't recognize the disk when I come to play it again, even after I've watched the same disk in the machine already once before ...'invalid disk' appears again. Any advice?
If the unit is still under warranty then return it. If the unit has been in operation past the warranty period then try manually cleaning the laser lens with Windex and a Q-tip. You'll need to remove the cover and perhaps another cover on the DVD section. I was having some similar problems with an Emerson recorder after about year of problem free operation. Remember the laser both reads and records with the same lens. If you can find a wet type DVD cleaner disc then try that instead.
Ditto that advice. I just returned a 5005 to Walmart yesterday. Even made money on the deal! (Walmart, at least in Canada, appears to have a virtually no questions asked return policy up to 90 days, so I moaned a bit about the bad performance of late to the customer service person and two seconds later I had a full refund on my credit card. Bought the same unit for C$40 less! This was after 88 days of hard use of the machine. Maybe I just wore it out! [g]). GAZburner's problems seem to be carbon copies of the troubles I was having in the last month. So turf it back to the store or to LiteOn in CA if you can. LiteOn's Customer Service Dept. seems to be great. One way or another you'll wind up with a repaired or new machine. Bet on it!
