Problems with Lite-On DD A100X

Consumer Electronics
#1

I have just found this specific forum for Lite-On recorders. This problem was posted on another site forum and I had various answers but would like to ask this again in the hope that someone with a Lite-on can help.

I have a DD-A100X Recorder purchased recently from a high street store. This is the first DVD recorder I have owned although I have been burning DVD’s on the PC for a year or two and have access to five different DVD players.

My reason for buying this unit was to backup my old VHS tapes before they were beyond saving! The requirements were straight forward. Copy the VHS tape to DVD RW on the Lite-on, rip to the PC hard drive; use the likes of VOB blanker to edit out unwanted material and burn permanently to a DVD R.

This process appears to work fine apart from one problem – the burned DVD’s do not play on four out of five other players I have access to. Admittedly the players vary in age from old to brand new (although the brand new one is one of the four that would not play the authored discs). The media is not the problem since I have authored DVDs on the PC to the same media using the same burner and they play fine in all the players. I have also tried different media with the same result.

The problem is the authored discs do play but ‘stutter’ i.e. they play for five seconds then freeze for a split second then play for five seconds then freeze etc.

A recording made directly to the Lite-on from the television and finalised does exactly the same.

Incompatibility is one thing but four out of five players not playing the discs is too much. At least after the VHS/Betamax war was sorted out a tape could be recorded in one player and almost 100% guaranteed to work in another – that’s progress for you!!

Anybody any ideas or comments on this? Thanks. :confused:

#2

Welcome to the forum :slight_smile:

Usually playback problems are due to a bad burned media. Main causes are two:

  1. a low quality disc

  2. a disc burned at the wrong speed (for example a 16x certified disc burned at a speed lower than 8x)

Moreover, rewritable media can give playback problems mostly if they was already rewritten many times.

What discs are you using exactly?

#3

I have used Ricoh DVD+R which, as I already stated work fine with files not from the Lite-On burned in the same burner. TDK DVD-R gave exactly the same results.

Copying between the Lite-On and the PC is achieved by using both the DVD+RW disc which was supplied with the recorder unit (un-branded but reads as a Philips) and Memorex DVD+RW.

#4

Your process has so many steps. I use Plextor ConvertX PX-M402U to capture the vhs to my PC with WINdvd CREATOR edit and burn to a TY TG02 -R disk fewer steps and no problems.

The Liteon playback problem is most likely bad media try some TY +Rs booktyped as DVD-ROM.

#5

I bought a DD-A100GX and ended up returning it because of problems like you mention, in addition to poor AV jack signal quality.

I purchased the Panasonic DMR-ES15 and using DVD-RW’s that I finalize, I no longer have any problems with non-compliant files causing playback and processing issues.

It just flat out works now. No issues with VIDEO_RM and all that. The Panasonic produces a single VIDEO_TS folder when I use DVD-RW, and it appears to be fully compliant, thankfully.

Might be something worth considering.

#6

CCRomeo - I had considered a video capture card but thought the recorder would be of more use once I was finished copying the tapes. I am still not convinced of a media quality problem since I have burned ISO’s from the PC to the media I am using without any problem - the only problem appears to be with files from the Lite-on. I am going to try the booktype change but have a Sony burner which does not allow these changes - however I know this is actually a re-badged Lite-on burner so I intend flashing this to allow booktype changes.

BeardedKirklander - I have considered disposing of the recorder but was afraid that any other one I bought would have the same problem. I had looked at the file structure and considered that the ‘RM’ editing feature may be causing the problem. However I tried ripping a DVD recorded on the Lite-on right down to AVI level and re-authoring it resulting in the usual folders being burned i.e. video_ts and audio_ts. Unfortunately the result was the same. Thanks for the info on the Panasonic - I may well start looking around for a recorder without the ‘RM’ editing type features if this goes on much longer.

#7

I spent a lot of time with the Lite-On and just had to give up. It is amazing how much simpler things work with the Panasonic. It just behaves as it should, and that fact takes all of the stress out of it for me. Sticking with DVD-RW and finalizing produces reliable, constant results that I can simply copy and process without having to run it through DVD Shrink or use FixVTS to clean up the files and make them more compliant. I just got tired of screwing with it and trying to work around all the odd behaviors. You are not supposed to get VIDEO_RM with DVD-R or DVD-RW but for some reason, the Lite-On was still making them, and it was a total pain. Panasonic is so much less hassle and stress. I really like Lite-On, but in this particular case, the home DVD Recorder was just an inferior and buggy product by comparison. Besides, LP level quality is noticeably better in the Panasonic than the Lite-On, and it also can fit 8 hours of video instead of just 6, and does so by compressing the audio without harming the video quality.

All I can do is tell you what I went through and hope that you can avoid the hassles that I had to deal with. I’d recommend a Panasonic ES15 to just about anyone - the Lite-On just doesn’t come close, at least for me.

#8

A Panasonic ES15 would cost me twice the price of a 5005 and I would need an add on for $70-80 to get rid of MV protection so more like 3x the price. For me it would be a wait and see also most DVD players do not like DVD-RAM some don’t like DVD-RW and both media cost more than +R/RW or -R.

#9

Sorry guys, I haven’t been back to this post for a day or two - one thing I haven’t tried is DVD-RW and finalising. CCRomeo, here in the UK there is no difference in the price of the media (between + and - anyway, I haven’t considered RAM?). If this doesn’t work its probably a new DVD Recorder after some investigation!! Anyone want to buy a Lite-On DD A100X, almost new, one careful owner…

#10

i read on another site that the 100x records them as a VR format, it be something to do with this? not sure though.

you may have to convert them.

http://ccgi.mgillespie.plus.com/liteon/smf/index.php?topic=936.0

Standard DVD’s are created using DVD video format however with the introduction of home recorders the VR format came along as this enables more features.

In short, DVD VR is a format that enables you to produce a DVD movie that can be edited. A DVD produced in VR format will allow you to add new video contents, change menu backgrounds, insert chapters, split video clips and even remove unwanted video segments (as long as you have enough space available on the disc). As the take-up of recorders has grown so the producers of video authoring packages like Ulead have included the ability to handle the VR format, this allows us to easily take a disc from the Liteon and edit it on a pc.

Note: the liteons have not been enabled to allow things like changing Menu Backgrounds & splitting Titles, the editing functions are limited to erasing titles and changing the title name. The 5045 model has more editing features and can split and merge titles, perhaps one day the 500x series firmware may allow it.

However, there is one important limitation to DVD-VR and DVD+VR discs - they are a lot less compatible with standard DVD Video players, so if you want to ensure that your recording can be played on all players you could use the program on your pc to burn it as a DVDvideo.

The only difference between a normal DVD-Video disc and DVD+VR or DVD-VR disc, is the file system. This means the contents of both systems can be exactly the same. [B]You only need a player which can handle the VR file system.[/B]

#11

I agree this VR format is probably at the root of the problem - it just means I have to decide on a couple of options. Yesterday I had access to yet another DVD player and this played the copied discs fine!!! Since I bought the Lite-On for its flexibility (records to DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DivX compatability and ‘just fit’ recording option) I am reluctant to replace it. However I am also reluctant to replace 4 out of five DVD players in my home. The only other option I haven’t tried is the burning the edited recordings in the PC to DVD-Video (as explained before I have a Sony burner which does not allow booktyping!). I’ll either have to make the choices with the recorder/players or pluck up courage to flash the Sony drive to a Lite-on and try the booktype change.

#12

thats what you’ll have to do, convert them on your PC first, i think WINAVI will do this.

i’ve just got one of these, so i’ve not tried it out yet, but i’ll be copying everything to Verbatim [B]DVD+RW[/B]

#13

That’s how I do it.

I take the FINALIZED disk from my DVD Recorder and read the VIDEO_TS folder over to my hard drive with a file manager.

Then I can use DVD Shrink (free) or Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 ($49 retail) to open up and process that folder.

Works spiffy.

#14

I have flashed my Sony DVD burner in the PC to a Lite-on and changed the booktype for burning - it made no difference to the playing of the final discs - they play but still freeze every few seconds and audio/video goes out of sync when you skip chapters.

I have ripped the recorded DVD (using DVD decrypter) to my hard drive, converted them to avi’s, re-compiled them to vob’s and burned them to audio/video TS folders - still the same problem!!!

I am keeping the Lite-on but only because it would be too much hassle (from she who must be obeyed) to sell it on and buy a more compatible unit. I will have to do some re-arranging of players in my rooms around the house to make things viewable where I want them. However I think I can manage this now I have found another player which will play these discs.

Thanks for all your help/suggestions but I am now firmly blaming the Lite-on, the VR recording format and the fact the Lite-on does not give the choice to record in this format or switch to normal audio and video TS type format. A Funai recorder £30 cheaper offers this option so why doesn’t the Lite-on? Ah progress, come back VCR’s all is forgiven…

#15

I have had this player for a while now. It has been very good for me, however i recently purchased the James Bond Platinum box set and for some reason it does not recognise any of the discs.

I know there is nothing wrong with the dvd box set as it works in other players and my laptop.

Any suggestions?