Okay! Back from Circuit City with a replacement Panasonic DVD recorder in hand.

Why a replacement you ask?

Well, things were going swimmingly there for a while, but I ran into a problem when I put in a disc that the machine didn't like

Granted, none of my machines liked this particular disc, and I'm getting it replaced. But none of my other machines reacted to the bad disc the way the Panasonic did.

It freaked out. It refused to eject the disc.

After some whirring and thumping from within, the Self Check message appeared on the machine's display, and according to the manual, that meant there was a power out (there wasn't) and that I should leave it alone until it finished resetting itself.

It sat on "Self Check"mode for 10 minutes.

Then it read Read, for a few minutes. During that time I tried again to eject the offending disc.

Nothing much happened except that it put the machine back into Self Check mode.

Ten minutes pass, then it goes to read... still won't eject, so I unplug the machine and plug it back in.

Back to Self Check mode... all the time whirring and thumping and clicking away internally.

Eventually the disc came out.

The machine works. But here's the rub.

Ever since the evil disc episode, there's been an extra thunking sound coming from the machine every time I eject a disc.

Fortunately for me, I was 6 days unter the 30 day limit.

I've always liked Panasonics, so I replaced it with the same model. Hopefully this was a one time deal.

But if not... I've got another 30 days.

By the way, the only way the exchange could have gone easier is if I'd gotten a clerk who wasn't in her first day of training.
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Geez, what kinda disc got stuck in it? The DVD-RAM disc?

BMW

A DVD-R that I'd gotten in a trade.

It was a coaster. Wouldn't play in my Zenith, JVC, Poloroid, or in my computer.

But that's the thing. With all the other machines, they simply tried, and failed to start the disc. I ejected it, and all was well.

The Panasonic simply overreacted to beat the band.
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Geezer wrote:

BMW A DVD-R that I'd gotten in a trade. It was a coaster. Wouldn't play in my Zenith, JVC, Poloroid, or in my computer. But that's the thing. With all the other machines, they simply tried, and failed to start the disc. I ejected it, and all was well. The Panasonic simply overreacted to beat the band.

Hmm, I'll have to be wary of that with my recorder...

Of course, I woulda taken thaat fool thing apart to extract the disc.

Geezer wrote:

I've always liked Panasonics, so I replaced it with the same model. Hopefully this was a one time deal.

One doesn't usually consider that hardware can have "bugs", but it can

It's possible sometimes for things like this to be fixed in a firmware upgrade too. So if you have to call support about ditzy hardware you could try asking if there is a firmware upgrade available if you haven't done that already.

So, are you going to try that funky disk in the new drive?

loris wrote:

It's possible sometimes for things like this to be fixed in a firmware upgrade too. So if you have to call support about ditzy hardware you could try asking if there is a firmware upgrade available if you haven't done that already.

I checked the Panasonic site last week and there wasn't any firmware upgrade available...

And I haven't found any hacks for the recorder either. Shucks.

Quote:

So, are you going to try that funky disk in the new drive?

Only if he has a death wish.

BMW

Had it not come out on its own, I would have found a way to extract the disc. I have a Milwake reciprocating saw. I have 5 16 oz. plumbs.

For me, the truely ominous thing was the additional metalic thunk that started happening after the bad disc incident.

The disc tray always made its own noises. But this was a new one, after the tray had cycled, that only cropped up after the System Check nonsense.


I figured it was best to be rid of that machine before that thump grew into a display message that read
Hi there! I'm a Panasonic ES10 Paperweight!
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loris

If I didn't already have a replacement disc on the way... I probably would.

It's a really good series.
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Oh, and just to clear something up:

I don't get firmware upgrades, or add ons, or anything else for a brand new machine I buy retail.

It either does what it claims to be able to do when I buy it, or it goes back.

If there is something on a machine that needs to be fixed, it damned well should have been fixed at the factory before it ever reached a retail shelf.
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Geezer wrote:

BMW Had it not come out on its own, I would have found a way to extract the disc. I have a Milwake reciprocating saw. I have 5 16 oz. plumbs.

Now you're talkin'

Geezer wrote:

I don't get firmware upgrades, or add ons, or anything else for a brand new machine I buy retail. It either does what it claims to be able to do when I buy it, or it goes back. If there is something on a machine that needs to be fixed, it damned well should have been fixed at the factory before it ever reached a retail shelf.

I can't argue with that, the consumer is king (well, should be).

Sadly, I know from personal experience that some manufacturers will put out slightly "undercooked" products because they know that 99% of their customers won't see the known warts. And they figure they'll just clean things up with an upgrade later. Got to meet their deadlines and get their bonuses

Geezer:
I recommend that you stay away from any off-brand dvd-rs. Also be sure to check for any blemishes on the dvd-r before recording in the Panny. Any slight blemish on a dvd-r will cause the Panny to make a corrupt disc.

I remember that I received some blank DVD-rs from a trade (from someone outside of the US), and that disc was stuck also. I had to take apart the Panny. It was pretty easy actually. The front pops off, and there was an internal eject button.
But then I'm the adventurous type, I like to open electronics and pcs. (which means I'm a geek also... lol).
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Amrayu

The disc in question was from one of the most reliable traders I've ever known. It was one of a batch of more than 30 discs, and it was one of only two that were duds.

Hey, when You trade, you take your chances.

As to taking the player apart... Well, if I'd gone past the 30 trial period, I probably would have.

Unfortunately, I'm not a geek. I'm a doofus. And once we take something apart, it tends to stay apart.
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Geezer wrote:

The disc in question was from one of the most reliable traders I've ever known. It was one of a batch of more than 30 discs, and it was one of only two that were duds.

So, were these blanks? We're not talking about reliability of traders, but brands that come from different countries.
The blanks that I received were brands that I've never even heard of.
A few coasters from a spindle of blanks isn't unusual. I blame it on the media...

My Panny is still working great after 4 years of abuse.
In the past 3 days, I've transferred 13 Sp mode VHS tapes to DVD-r and my Panny is still chugging along.
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SARS High Quality Asian Drama FanSUBs:
http://www.sars-fansubs.com/
..dorama & fansubbing obsession blog.. http://blog.goo.ne.jp/amrayu78/

amrayu wrote:

I had to take apart the Panny. It was pretty easy actually. The front pops off, and there was an internal eject button.

I surmised that something like that would exist inside the box...

Quote:

But then I'm the adventurous type, I like to open electronics and pcs. (which means I'm a geek also... lol).

You gotta love a gal that doesn't fear technology.

As far as I know Panasonic has not released a firmware upgrade for their 2 newest models one of which is the ES10. In the middle of may they did release firmware upgrades for the following dvd recorder models below at this panasonic site

* DMRE30
* DMRE50
* DMRE55
* DMRE60
* DMRE65
* DMRE75
* DMRE80
* DMRE85
* DMRE95
* DMRE100
* DMRE500
* DMRHS2

Amrayu,

No, the disc in question was supposed to have two episodes on it.

My problem wasn't so much that the disc was a dud, though the disc was evil. My problem was in the way the Panisonic reacted to it.

Not giving the disc up. Developing ominous thunks. All very unsettling for a machine less than a month old.

I've always loved my Panasonics. I've had a series of Panasonic VCRs over the years. But truth to tell... for all the electronic bells and whistles that came with the Panasonics - which made them so attractive in the first place -- the best VCR I've ever owned was, is, my Mitsubishi. The thing is a tank.

But as I said, I exchanged the Panasonic for another Panasonic. I'm hoping it was just a glitch in that machine.
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Geezer wrote:

But as I said, I exchanged the Panasonic for another Panasonic. I'm hoping it was just a glitch in that machine.

One way to find out is to put that disc in the new player... If you dare.

bmwracer wrote:

One way to find out is to put that disc in the new player... If you dare.

What is that saying: Fool me once, fool me twice?

If you do become the adventurous type and try that disc again, if it does the same thing, you might want to send it to Panasonic and tell what is happening. That could be a serious flaw that needs to be fixed.

Geezer wrote:

No, the disc in question was supposed to have two episodes on it. My problem wasn't so much that the disc was a dud, though the disc was evil. My problem was in the way the Panisonic reacted to it. I've always loved my Panasonics. I've had a series of Panasonic VCRs over the years. But truth to tell... for all the electronic bells and whistles that came with the Panasonics - which made them so attractive in the first place -- the best VCR I've ever owned was, is, my Mitsubishi. The thing is a tank.

Ahh... i see now. Well, the best thing to do with that dud disc, is to check on a computer. This is the best way. Try to rip the disc to a hard drive also. I'm guessing that it's a bad burn. I think most dvd players will all react the same way to a bad disc. Usually, if I place a bad disc into my Panny, it pops up with a U11 reading. Then I can pop it right out again.

I still have a Mitsubishi VCR. I'm using it right now!