DVD Burner Failure?

This may be slightly off-topic, but this seemed to be the best place I could find. I'm wondering if I need to replace the LG DVD-RW drive on my PC. The drive appears to read CDs and DVDs just fine, but the trouble occurs when I try to burn video DVDs (haven't tried any data DVDs yet). The write process will appear to have been successful, but when I go to play the disc back (on various players), only the first 5 minutes or so is playable - after that, the video goes jerky and/or freezes. I've tried burning several discs with different content, and with different levels of compression, and have noted something odd. The problem seems to occur at a certain physical place on the disc, regardless of the content. For example, if I burn a disc at 100% quality, the video cuts out about five minutes in. If I burn the same content at 50% quality, the video goes about ten minutes before it cuts out. Examining the disc itself showed something else very odd. The first 1/4" of the written area (from the center) has a darker appearance than the rest of the disc. Previously burned discs that turned out OK do not show this symptom - the entire surface of the disc (the written area anyway) is the same color. All have been recorded with the same media, hardware, software, and settings. At this point I suspect that the laser is crapping out after it warms up - would I be right? This drive has (successfully) burned hundreds of CD's and DVD's in it's two-year lifetime, so failure would not surprise me. But I'd still like to make sure before I shell out $50 for a new one.

Reply to
Chris F.
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This may be slightly off-topic, but this seemed to be the best place I could find. I'm wondering if I need to replace the LG DVD-RW drive on my PC. The drive appears to read CDs and DVDs just fine, but the trouble occurs when I try to burn video DVDs (haven't tried any data DVDs yet). The write process will appear to have been successful, but when I go to play the disc back (on various players), only the first 5 minutes or so is playable - after that, the video goes jerky and/or freezes. I've tried burning several discs with different content, and with different levels of compression, and have noted something odd. The problem seems to occur at a certain physical place on the disc, regardless of the content. For example, if I burn a disc at 100% quality, the video cuts out about five minutes in. If I burn the same content at 50% quality, the video goes about ten minutes before it cuts out. Examining the disc itself showed something else very odd. The first 1/4" of the written area (from the center) has a darker appearance than the rest of the disc. Previously burned discs that turned out OK do not show this symptom - the entire surface of the disc (the written area anyway) is the same color. All have been recorded with the same media, hardware, software, and settings. At this point I suspect that the laser is crapping out after it warms up - would I be right? This drive has (successfully) burned hundreds of CD's and DVD's in it's two-year lifetime, so failure would not surprise me. But I'd still like to make sure before I shell out $50 for a new one.

Reply to
Chris F.

I'm inclined to agree - it's probably the drive. Although you could try a different brand of blank disks, they may work better with it.

Have you used the burner a lot? They do wear out.

Usually the disk's colour change where written is less obvious when a laser is dying.

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Reply to
Peter Hucker

On Mon, 3 Nov 2008 10:26:17 -0800, "Chris F." put finger to keyboard and composed:

Try burning at the lowest possible speed. That should require a lower laser intensity. A lower speed may also compensate for servo problems, which could also be related to a weak laser. The laser needs to track a "pregroove" on an otherwise blank disc.

It might also be worth noting whether you have the same problems when burning CDs.

Another possibility could be that your drive is using P-CAV or Z-CLV modes:

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This means that the transfer rate is lowest near the hub and increases as the laser moves toward the circumference. A weak laser could have problems at higher speeds.

- Franc Zabkar

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Reply to
Franc Zabkar

The laser is sticking part way down the rails ! Probably dirt, dust or other debris. If you want to open it up and clean the rails with a dry cotton bud and then one damped in very fine oil it should get it working again.

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Reply to
Baron

Replace it.

Reply to
Meat Plow

Strange co-incidence. I have an LG HDD-DVD RH 200 (i think) standalone unit and the drive has failed. At first mine would not record, then wouldn't recognise dvd-rs of ny kind, and finally failed to read anything.- cleaning didn't help. I have no idea where to get a new drive....it's an ide, but the mountings are not the same as a pc.

Anyway , at least with a PC any off th shelf burner should work, you could ask on freecycle . scrap PCs often have the fitted so you could get one for free.

-B

Reply to
b

Back in the early days of consumer CD-RW drives I had a drive that "mysteriously" started doing a similar thing. I would start to burn a disc,and then it would lock up at about 33%,everytime. I had to physically power-cycle the PC to regain control.

I later learned that this was caused by my switch from Adaptec software,to Nero. Apparently they have different drivers,and if one isn't installed over the other correctly(blah,blah,blah)it will hose the firmware in the drive! OOPS! I was not happy when I read that. $300 drive toasted. Grr.

Many years later I lucked out,and got a brand new 52x drive for $15. (and it is still working fine in the server.)

Reply to
PhattyMo

Reply to
Chris F.

I've seen bad disks from all brands. I don't think there is actually any difference at all.

With one exception, some disks have a better protective coating, others are ruined just by putting them face down on a desk!

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Reply to
Peter Hucker

Only with very old drives without burn-proof (anti buffer underrun) technology - the ability to stop and wait for the computer.

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Reply to
Peter Hucker

I just rendered Windows Vista 64 bit unbootable by installing Roxio.

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Reply to
Peter Hucker

I'm glad it's sorted out. Blank DVDs vary a lot in quality. I just had a spindle of Philips DVDs that recorded (and verified) fine, but the last 20-30 minutes of the disc was unplayable on all but one of my DVD players. A new spindle of DVDs works fine, and I tired 3 different burners. Andy Cuffe

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Reply to
Andy Cuffe

I bought a 100 spindle of Sony 16x -R. I started having recording problems with them in two different drives. Odd that the discs and packaging described them as 16x but the media descriptors on the disc identified them as 20x. I ended up tossing about half away after experiencing an unacceptable failure rate. I now use Maxell brand which media descriptors identify as Ritek.

Reply to
Meat Plow

"Peter Hucker" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@fx62.mshome.net:

Both surfaces need to be protected as the media is accessed thru the bottom surface and is locate on the top surface (on single layer media) just under the printed label.

Anything that obscures [a large enough area on] the bottom or deforms the top will destroy data or make it unreadable.

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Reply to
bz

On a DVD, the data is alwasy in the middle. So, for single sided DVDs, the top (label side) doesn't really matter.

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Reply to
Samuel M. Goldwasser

And the label side is pretty thick anyway as it's a label, or something tough enough to write on.

I've always seen scratches on the underside.

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Reply to
Peter Hucker

Anyone had any success with dual layer disks? I've tried a few different makes both on a Sony domestic DVD recorder and a couple of Dell PCs. They appear to record fine, but playing them back results in extreme problems reading the disk when it gets to the second layer.

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Reply to
Peter Hucker

So if you scratch the reflective coating (label side) it won't harm the DVD? I thought the #1 layer was the reflective coating and #2 was under that for a DL disc. Guess I could scratch on and see :)

Reply to
Meat Plow

If that were true, explain how a double sided two layer DVD is constructed. :)

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Reply to
Samuel M. Goldwasser

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