Magnavox ZV427MG9 VHS/DVD Combo Recorder Will Not Play Some DVDs

Hi,

I have a Magnavox ZV427MG9 that is just out of warranty and have used it very little. I ordered some DVDs from China that will play on a computer and other DVD players but not on this Magnavox unit. I don't want to buy another player just for these DVDs. I have tried running a lens cleaner and even copying to a new DVD but it they will not work on this unit. Any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated.

I have a few questions. First, of course, is the obvious Does that player play burned disks? Next, what disk type are the disks you ordered? Are they DVD -R? DVD +R? What are the ones you burned onto? The type of disk + or - makes a difference on certain players. Also, what type of burner are you using when copying the disks? That will also have an impact on whether or not the disk will play in your player.

It has been my experience that most players prefer a DVD-R, and Plextor drives are the best for burning with for the utmost compatibility.

I know you said you don't want to buy another player just for these disks but, I found an excellent Insignia player from Best Buy a few years ago for about $30 that will play anything, no matter the quality or type of disk. $30 is certainly cheaper than spending the extra on a new burner or on disks.

Cobra said:

I have a few questions. First, of course, is the obvious Does that player play burned disks? Next, what disk type are the disks you ordered? Are they DVD -R? DVD +R? What are the ones you burned onto? The type of disk + or - makes a difference on certain players. Also, what type of burner are you using when copying the disks? That will also have an impact on whether or not the disk will play in your player.

It has been my experience that most players prefer a DVD-R, and Plextor drives are the best for burning with for the utmost compatibility.

I know you said you don't want to buy another player just for these disks but, I found an excellent Insignia player from Best Buy a few years ago for about $30 that will play anything, no matter the quality or type of disk. $30 is certainly cheaper than spending the extra on a new burner or on disks.

Click to expand...

3/1/2013
Thanks for your response and suggestions. I have not actually used this unit to record yet, so I can't say if it will or will not play its own recordings. I guess I better make time to try it. The disc I copied was done on my DELL computer. I am not sure what type the burner is, maybe a Samsung. The type of discs I am using are DVD-R. It just frustrates me that the Magnavox combo is not as versatile as claimed. I may indeed wind up getting another player. I am just not excited about making space and connections for it on my stack of components. I do wonder if it matters what brand DVDs I use. The support rep. at Magnavox advised against using Memorex, which happens to be what I have. Any thoughts on that? What brand do you recommend?

Of course the brand of DVDs are going to make somewhat of a difference as the quality of the disc are in fact different. The problem is, you can get a great batch of Memorex, or Maxell, or you can get a really crappy batch. There doesn't seem to be any real consistency with the quality of either of those brands, however, I have found that when you do get the good batches, they are really good for burning on. However, Verbatim, although more expensive, has much better consistency with good discs and the lifetime of the discs I have found are much longer; they give a better burn.

In my experience, the burner makes the biggest difference (provided the disc quality is good). I have burned the same things on the same type of discs on different burners and found that Pioneer burned discs don't play on players that Plextor burned discs play on. I have used many brands of burners over many years, and by far Plextor provides the best quality, most compatible burn. It's not as good of a reader especially when trying to salvage data off of a disc (Pioneer is way better for reading), but it provides a better burn. Also, the speed at which you burn makes a difference as well. Don't burn at full speed. The memorex will say 16X, but I found that if you pass, say, 12X, you get a bad burn.

That's my thoughts on it, and it's all based on experience. Oh, and make sure, before you burn anything, check your discs to make sure that there are no flaws/defects (that's what I mean by the quality of the discs).