Well the Memorex DVD+R discs i have here are made by Prodisc,which is on the second section of worthiness in that list,so not too bad.If you try that DVD Identifier program you can find out for sure.Maybe you can use them on your PC instead
Don't hold your breath rlim. I have not yet found an R+ that this machine will finalize to play in another machine, and I have several. I went out and purchased a new one after Sanyo said my other units are too old to recognize the R+ format. That didn't work either. The RW's do though. My next project is to copy the RW on my computer DVD writer and then I can reuse the RW's. I'm not confident in anything at this point except this Sanyo is a piece of junk.
Thats pretty much my conclusion Karen,although i havent had any problems playing the +r's on other machines.Maybe you need to exchange yours if thats happening
Well, I tested recording Riddick onto the Memorex +R, finalized it, and played it on my IBM Notebook DVD player ..... JOY ... it worked !!!! However, my 6 yrs old Toshiba DVD player does not recognize the media. It wouldn't accept some of the movies recorded from my brother's computer DVD recorder, making me believe the Toshiba is probably too old and incompatible with the format. I guess I'll try the Riddick on another DVD player as another test of the Memorex media.
hmm,sounds like the Tosh was one of the first models to come out around 98 then,that could have a lot to do with it.If you know someone else with a more recent player,maybe you could ask them to test some of your recordings.
I originally bought my sanyo DRW500 a few months ago, I set it up to record VHS tapes to disks, so I never actually set it up to watch anything just record, couldn't find a dvd r where I didn't get a "no disk" message, but the dvdrw worked okay (think they were memorex). And because I couldn't find a dvdr to work, I stopped using it until I could. In the mean time I haven't used it for awhile and even unplugged it for a few weeks. So here I am with no receipt, no box (I bought it at Wally World more than 90 days ago anyway) Here I am trying to set it up for my mom to watch a pre-recoded dvd as she is recovering from flu, pnemonia, hospital etc. I pop in the dvd of course all I get is Loading for what seems a half hour, then the &%$*&* "NO DISK" thing. I try another dvd still "NO DISK" I then tried the dvd that came with that I had recorded on and still "NO DISK" Sanyo this thing is a piece of junk, I have not found one easy thing about it, even the manual has if you need help call blah blah printed on every page this sould tell you something Does this thing not play pre-recoded dvd's? Can anyone tell me what to do besides toss it into the Puget Sound. I will never buy Sanyo again, I trusted this to be a good brand, normally I buy Emerson as this is about the best I can afford. Then I thought I'd treat myself with a Sanyo, because the price was so good. There is also wavy horizontal lines when I turn the tv/dvd on, but this could be the way I have it wired although all I have is an in and out antenna. I've NEVER had any problems with electronics before, usally can get them to work without the manual. HHHEEEEELLPPP anyone!!! Thanks I'm not always this grumpy
It sounds like you have a defective drive. I bought a Sanyo DRW-500 from eBay which arrived yesterday. I also have a Sanyo DVR-500 which I bought locally in Canada which looks exactly like the DRW-500. Anyway, when testing the DRW-500, the unit recorded movies fine but will not recognize VCD, Picture CD, or any CDs. As soon as I insert the CD into the unit, I get the "NO DISK" message. I wanted to flash the DRW-500 with the latest firmware posted by Sanyo and couldn't with this flaky unit. I took apart the DVR-500 unit and swapped out the drive with the DRW-500. I turned on the DRW500 and everything worked fine... tested recording, loaded picture CD, etc. I was able to load the new firmware. In comparing the internal components between the two units, the only difference is the DVR500 have upgraded dvd drive and chip/processor. I assume they are upgraded/updated since the label on the drive is marked with the model #200 as oppose to "100" for the DRW500. The chip/processor display a newer revision. So far, I have been successful with Memorex media (+RW and +R). Have you tried testing with movie DVD (original)as oppose to pre-recorded? You may want to look into replacing the drive and continue your test from there. Good Luck.
Whats the difference between Pre-Recorded and DVD Movie(original) ? Aren't original DVD movies pre-recorded?
usafret -- Thanks for the time you spent trying to figure out my freeze problem. I have recorded several other shows without the freeze problem. My wife tells me that she often sees movies freezing like that on the TV channel that I recorded. So the freezing might not have been caused by the DRW500 after all. Stan
Here is my experience with the DRW500. The good news is: I can record from TV cable and tape onto KHypermedia DVD+R. After finalizing I was able to play back the discs on two different players -- a Sony and a Memorex. The picture quality and sound quality are as good as the original TV and tape - which is very good. The bad news is: The DVD+RW that came with the unit will play back on the DRW500 but cannot play on the Sony player. I did not try the Memorex player. I found the DRW500 to be quite annoying to operate. There have been times when I had to wait a long time after stopping before I could record again. Sometimes I had to turn the machine off and on again to record. I found that I could sometimes overcome this by going through the choice of input sources again. I think that the instruction book is poorly written. The worse part for a newbie like me is that the picture of the remote names each button but doesn't explain its function or when you would use it. The names are already on the remote. To help me understand the controls, I drew a tree diagram of how to get to every setting. I never did discover how to label the chapter titles though. If anyone wants a copy of the diagram, I can fax it to you. My TV is "picture in picture" so I can watch the TV feed and the DRW500 out at the same time. The recorder out picture lags by 3 seconds. A lag makes sense because it should show what has actually been recorded. When trying to record from tape though it is hard to coordinate the starting of the two machines precisely because the red "record" light on the recorder does not come on for about three seconds. I finally decided to stop struggling and returned it to Walmart. They cheerfully returned my $179 + tax. I found with google that Walmart's Pioneer DVR-220-S has a good reputation and more features at $245. I ended up paying $295 for a Pioneer DVR-320-S at beachcamera.com because I wanted its digital video camera input terminal (IEEE1394) plus other extras. It shipped today, I should have it in a week. Stan
After reading through this forum, I am ready to return my DRW-500 for credit at Wal-Mart. I don't think I have read posts from more than a half-dozen satisfied owners (but then who writes to a forum when satisfied?) I got the DRW-500 as a gift about a week ago. Not knowing much about DVD Recorders, I tried to do my homework on the Internet before opening the box. This forum is one of the few places on the Net that even mentions the Sanyo DRW-500. THANK YOU! Because of what I have read, my DVR-500 is STILL IN THE BOX. I have over 500 Beta Tapes and over 600 VHS tapes that I hope to convert, but it is important that I will be able to convert tapes to DVD's for other family members and fiends. (They gave this thing to me). Thanks for all the input everyone. I am usually not one to "give up the ship" without a fight, but in this case I probably will look to another DVD Recorder.
Hi yukon and welcome.. Just wanted to let you know that I am a satisfied owner of drw500 and learned from this site how to set it up and operate it. Like you, I had about 300 vhs tapes, now they are all on dvd's! Do what you feel best but for the price (in your case, free)the drw500 is ok.. All the posts you see on this site is because people have problems and need help, not necessarily that the drw500 is bad. Good Luck to you. Jerry
Hi faerykiss! Have you calmed down yet? :-} First things first; take a deep breath, a drink of likker, and a valium (just kidding). A dozen things could have caused your dvd not to work after you stored it a few weeks. Something as simple as moving it from a cool storage area to a warm room will fog up the lens until the unit adjusts to the temp change. Also, you were so irritated you could have set it up wrong..... My suggestion is to start from scratch and set it up like you did initially, be sure the disk that came with it is still clean, then if it recognizes it format it! I have used memorex and now HP dvd+r with no problem so you might try the HP and then install the update.. Hope things go better for you and I will try to help any way I can. Jerry
Might be, Cult. But it's moonshine here in Tennessee! Glad to see you jumping on all these problems again; you sure were a gigantic help to me. Jerry
culttvguy, you're correct ... prerecorded and original are the same .. my bad! Yukondave, my dvr500 worked fine. If you're looking for an economical, no frill DVD recorder, the Sanyo fits the bill. I'm in the midst of migrating my VHS tapes to DVD and the quality is good. Well, the quality is as good as the speed the VCR is recorded on. So far, I'm happy with my unit for the price.
shilliard, I read that in the manual, but only if you have your original receipt I don't, I think I must have tossed it a while back, it's not where I had it last time I saw it. I may try calling Sanyo and see what they will do for me, or give it a try at Wally's World, since I have the original manual stating that it has to be returned to Walmart, I kind of found it odd that this manual was written specifically (sp?) for Walmart and you have to hand carry it back to them? I've never seen that before. I'm about ready to throw it onto the front porch in the rain along side the Panasonic phone/answering machine, that I spent over $100 for less than a year ago, that is also a piece of junk.
usafret, the recorder never left it's dust free, warm, non humid enviroment of my stereo cabinet in my living room. For some reason it will recognize audio cd and play "them" great $248. is a little much for a cd player. I have reprogramed and tried several old and new just opened dvdrw and it's still doesn't recognize them. My only recourse is to contact Sanyo and go medieval on them LOL. I am beginning to realize before I buy ANY electronics I need to search out customer reviews on them first, which I will do for a new phone, I won't buy Panasonic and or Sanyo anymore, once bite twice shy as the old saying goes
Jerry, Rlim and other satisfied users, Thank you everyone. I guess I felt so much of the pain and anguish of others in this forum having problems, that I ordered a LiteOn 5005. It DID have quite a bit of of favorable info on the Net, but I will probably be in the same boat of pain if I can't find a group like this. I still have the DRW-500 in the box, and I am hopeing Wal-Mart will at least give me credit for the thing. Why the LiteOn? Price ($220), multiple formats, and good reviews. Also they have been in business since 1975 and their PC DVD burner made to #1 spot in PC World Magazine. Sanyo has been in the TV and VCR business forever, but they are relatively new to DVD players/recorders. I will be checking back in when the unit comes to see how the group is doing, and see if I can get the foot out of my mouth if needed. LiteOn-5005 review site. http://www.dvdrecorderworld.com/review/61
