Panasonic DMR E30 Help getting frustrated! (1 Viewer)

[Dennis Buszko]

Hi,
Have not posted here a lot and I'm looking some information from the experts as I'm still an infant when it comes to DVD recorders. I have the panasonic dmr e30 dvd recorder and I'm getting frustrated with it The trouble i'm having is inconsistent playback of recorded dvd made on the unit played back on the unit.
When recording a PPV that is 2:40 + minutes around the 1:50 minute mark I get some blocking and close to the last bit of the disk it becomes unwatchible lots of blocks and some times locks with an scrolling window shade type lines across the screen.
Also the blocking that I'm getting is not the typical blocking you would get from low bit rate recording
I would like to add that pre-recorded DVD play flawlessly no complaints there
This not always consistant as I have tried several blank media types memorex worst,imation 2nd,TDK 60% errorless playback , Fuji is more around the 80 to 90 to 100% error less playback.
The fuji media has given me the best result but not 100% of the time. The media is always handled with great care as is the recorder and cleaned regularly . I'm wondering if it is the media that i have used?, the unit and if this is just the nature of the beast.

Any information,suggestion,tips,technics would be a great help

Thanks
Dennis Buszko

 

[Michael Reuben]

What setting are you recording at? I assume it's not SP, because a 2:40 program wouldn't fit on a single disc at that speed.

M.

 

[Dennis Buszko]

Hi,Michael
I'm using the flex record feature for best picture quality. Also the blocking that I'm getting is not the typical blocking you would get from low bit rate

 

[Michael Reuben]

From what I've read here, it appears that Panasonic may have implemented flex recording (FR) differently on different recorders. At least one person has reported that, on some models, the FR setting causes the recorder to "downshift" to a lower quality setting at some point during the recording. That has not been my experience with the E80, and if the blocking you're seeing isn't the kind associated with extreme MPEG compression, then the problem lies elsewhere.

In general, I've found that filling a DVD-R to its utmost capacity really puts the quality of the media to the test. That may be what's happening here. It's one of the many reasons I went for a model with a hard disc, so that you can have a second chance if you get a DVD-R that can't handle the entire recording.

M.

 

[Dennis Buszko]

Michael that is a very good point as some event's that i recorded not using the flex record feature seem ok with plenty of blank space left on the disk but picture qualiy suffers and plus viewing on a 55" big screen it really show's up then on a regular tube tv.


thanks again very much.

 

[Dennis Buszko]

I want to first thanks you all for the help. I went head and bought another recorder last night the Panasonic DMR E85H. I tried 2 of what i thought were bad disc's and they played perfectly on this unit. Now I'm wonder if in my dmr-e30 if the laser pickup assy is bad. In my panasonic a310 the older one with built in ac-3 processing 5.1 out . Needed to have the LPA replaced along with the circuit board . A costly price but at the time not as costly as a new player with all the features. Let me know guy if you thik I maybe on the right track and if it would be worth send the dmr-e30 out for repair.


Thanks again
Dennis

 

[Rob Mac]

Since you are talking about an older model, is it possible that you need to clean the lens? Could be dust build up is causing bad playback if discs are playing fine elsewhere.

 

[Derek N]

Commenting on media (from your other thread), I have had no problems with the Panasonic dvd-r or dvd-ram disks I use, nor with the tdk spindle dvd-r (2x disks). I realize that the panni disks certainly aren't the cheapest around but no problems equals no disappointment.

Congrats on the DMR-E85H, thats the unit I use and its a nice piece. The hard drive is the way to go! I couldn't imagine having a recorder without one. It allows the HDD recording of "once view" material without bothering to burn a dvd and the editing of things that you want to keep. Now, the editing is time consuming and not as well thought out as it could be but it works for the most part. I know I am very happy that I waited and spent a little more to get this unit.

Derek N