Page 1 of 4KUS PROBLEMS ???

I have made mostly successful tape-to-disc recordings on my 4kus DVD recorder from ASDA, but recently some of my 4 hour EP recordings have ground to a halt when anything between 15minutes and 1hour into the job.

This means the recorder STOPS ITSELF for no apparent reason.

At first I thought it was the cheap TESCO discs I had taken a risk on (25 for a fiver!), but when reverting back to my normal branded discs I have found the same thing happening.

Interestingly, this refusal to continue recording seems to happen when I am attempting to transfer a compilation tape with the stereo sound turned off on the VCR (there is a music soundtrack dubbed over the top of the images) - coincidence?

Any ideas on what may be causing this problem?

And it happened again today, this time the DVD recorder stopped its EP recording in between two films I was transferring to tape.

Considering the 4kus has decided to stop in a gap between two different taped sources - like in the above compilation tape which contains clips from many different movies - could there be some kind of automatic shutoff at work here?

Something that makes the 4kus stop recording if it detects the end of a transmission, or break in the source material?

Appreciate any thoughts!!

This item was edited on Friday, 29th April 2005, 20:23

Does it freeze up or does it just totaly go dead, no lights ect,I think that the machine is getting to hot and is locking up, I have a mico that was doing the same,I could not believe how hot the unit got,it would just lock up while recording and I had to un-plug the unit and let it cool down, it had no side vents to aid cooling and you could fry a egg on the processor(spll),I put some holes in the sides of the casing and fitted a heatsink to the processor,after three hours use (recording straight) the unit was just warm to to the touch and has never locked up since,what pointed me in this direction is because about twice a year my computer starts locking up because it gets to hot, I have to clean the heatsink and fan of dust and fluff then it runs normaly again for another six months. :)
This is also confirmed by temprature reading from the on board monitor in my computer,also my DVD recorder was a second hand faulty machine and cost me peanuts,the fault was locking up. :) :)

This item was edited on Saturday, 30th April 2005, 11:41

Good idea, but I don`t think this is the problem -

The 4kus may stop itself recording after only 15 minutes in some cases, and there is no reason to think the machine may be overheating.

A typical scenario goes like this: I`ll press PLAY on the VCR and RECORD on the 4kus, and they`re both away OK. 10 minutes later, a quick check shows the recording ticking away nicely. Then I might return to the machine an hour later, and find the display showing "5-1" on the front of the recorder - not STOP, but of course the "5-1" is my standard display when the machine is sitting switched on but doing nothing. A quick check on the disc status shows me the DVD recording has stopped after, say, 15 minutes or an hour while the source tape is still playing.

So it`s as if the machine is somehow "resetting" during recording of certain source material - as mentioned above, this sudden refusal to record any more seems to triggered when the source material is made up of consecutive different recordings (such as the compilation tape, and the two films that run one-after-the-other).

I`m sure the 4kus must be sensing that the source material has "ended" once that particular signal changes, and taking it upon itself to stop!

Someone else try recording a similar tape made up of different recordings please, and let me know any similar results...!?

Thanks

It may be the damn thing`s misreading a wobble in the signal as copy protection and stopping. The problem is if you stand over it with a large spanner it`ll probably record everything you want it to.

I doubt if it`s overheating as the 4kus is one of the few machines with a built-in fan, unlike the better-built but thermally-challenged CyberHome CH-DVR750 that ASDA is currently doing for £99.96.

You could always take it in under warranty and swap it for a CyberHome. You should get a few quid back and the CyberHome does a 3hr recording speed which the 4kus doesn`t do. Just remember to keep the CyberHome well ventilated (ideally with a small fan playing over the grille at the back to be on the safe side).

J Mark Oates

---

The only good politician is an ex politician
(In the parrot sense of ex-)
Vote for someone who`s not in politics for their own end.
You never know, there might be one.

If memory serves me correct the 4KUS is a rebadged Liteon unit, I don`t think its a heat problem although reading some views at www.liteonusers.org.uk helping the unit to run cool is not a bad thing.

I also dont think that copy protection is kicking in - as the liteons only seem to check for copy protection at the start of recording unlike other makes that check at intervals throughout.

You could also check to see if you can upgrade the firmware, failing that just take it back.

If it ain`t broke hit it harder
Damn Nicotine

I too have suffered with this model. I originally bought it in January and it seemed fine for a while but then I started noticing it playing as if in strobe motion effect like you get on a camcorder`s effects. It only seemd to happen when recording WWE on SKY. I assumed it must be something to do with copy protection as I have also been recording from Hallmark sucessfully. Anyway, I bought a 5 pack of RW+ from ASDA, the TDK ones. The first one I used kept locking up at random times, pausing, unable to carry on playing. The same disk, which had been done in SP mode played back a lot better in another DVD player, although it did still freeze every now and again it did still play to the end. The same disk also locked up similarly on a HALLMARK program so I assumed bad disk. I understand even if you`re using the correct +/- it still doesn`t like certain makes of disk. You get a list of disks to use in the box but these TDK`s weren`t the same item id number. So I took the recorder back to ASDA and got a replacement and having just recorded smackdown, it stopped around 1 hour into it. I started it recording again and it stopped again 2 mins later and flashed on stop for ages then came up with write failed. It also seems to have the strobing effect when you view it live without recording. I haven`t tried the heat aspect. It`s currently sat above 2 vtr`s and has sky box above it. I have had trouble with sky boxes overheating in the past so I reckon I`ll pop the 4kus in the fridge and run it from there!

Ben

Quote:
It may be the damn thing`s misreading a wobble in the signal as copy protection and stopping. The problem is if you stand over it with a large spanner it`ll probably record everything you want it to.

That`s my conclusion now too, as everything else with a straightforward "smooth" signal records just fine.

And yes, it`s fine until the moment you leave the room....

Quote:
I also dont think that copy protection is kicking in - as the liteons only seem to check for copy protection at the start of recording unlike other makes that check at intervals throughout.

...but you`re right too, I noticed this to my delight when successfully copying a macrovision original last night - without any hacks!

If the 4kus isn`t stopping for reasons of copy-protection when detecting this signal wobble though, I reckon it`s something similar that`s giving the machine the hump.

I`m going to stick with it for now, as I imagine all 4kus machines will be the same and the limited checking for macrovision is an unexpected bonus!

:D :D :D

Another query about this machine, if anyone can help:-

Having experimented with quality reproduction using the available recording speeds, I see the main diffference between High Quality (1 hour) and Super Long Play (6 hours) is the presence of jerky "blocking" in the picture towards the longer recording speeds.

Fair enough, but when copying a retail DVD in Standard Play (2 hours) the reproduction is not what I expected: the colours are deep and vibrant, but the picture is so DARK in places...!!??

I am transferring from pure DVD to DVD+R (Sony, TDK etc) - am I right in thinking that any duplicate made onto the DVD+R format will never be as good as the original, professionally produced source disc?

Slight picture jerks and blocks are understandable, but it seems the DVD+Rs are condensing the darker areas of the original picture into one big black glob - even though the bright bits remain very light and clear.

Recording on HQ it seems the difference between source and recording is negligable, but of course this 1 hour option is no good for copying films.

I was always under the impression a SP recording to a DVD+R would transfer the source material pixel-for-pixel (including the correct shading for the darker parts of the picture) - can anyone shed any light (ha!) on this ?

Cheers