When finalizing a dvd-r I get a lot of noise: zzz - zzz -zzzzzz at intervals of a few seconds. It sometimes ends with “finalizing has failed” or something like that.
Has anybody had the same experience and what can be done about it. Tried various brands dvd like TDK and Verbatim.
Ben
I think I’ve got the same problem with my machine (DMR-EH80V). The noises are high pitched squeaks, as though the machine needs oiling!
I also get the finalising fails (in fact, it no longer finalises). Also, it ruins the disc when I try to change the thumbnail of a video after I copy it to the DVD. I’m getting in touch with the people I bought it off tomorrow (Wed 20 Sept) to see what they say, as it’s still under warranty.
Did you manage to sort out the problem?
Same thing happened to my model DMR-ES-40V.
It started making groaning noises while I was writing menus, then it failed and would no longer finalize and it ruined the last disk I was trying to complete (writing a menu for each recording and then finalizing the disk).
That last disk is now not recognized at all, either in the DMR-ES-40V, or my new DMR-ES-46V model which I replaced it with. But, worse yet, the new DMR-ES-46V model does not permit me to finish making titles on the recordings on disks that I had not yet finalized, from the older DVD burner, nor will it finalize those disks. So, what is on those unfinished disks, I can only play on my new Panasonic burner/player, but on no other brands, because I cannot finalize the older disks.
Hard to understand what the Panasonic designers were thinking, when they created newer models which are not compatible with their previous models… 
sorry, it posted twice