I've got a Targa DVD/Hard Drive recorder (DRH5100x) which has given me sterling service.

However now the DVD disc tray carriage won't come out. I can here the mechanism whirring and the little display says open, but the DVD tray won't pop out.

The other day, when the fault first developed, I gave it a little fingernail assistance and it popped out then, and happily opened and closed for a few days adfterwords from the button on the remote.

But now it is completely non-compliant.

Unfortunately I have a large number of recordings on DVD waiting to be labelled and finalised (so they could be played in another player) and (of course) lots of stuff on the hard drive that is destined to be transferred to DVD storage.

Any suggestions.

And if I do need to replace the recorder, then what to buy.

It would be great if any replacement recorder used same recording for unfinalised discs as the Targa, so that my vast collection of unfinalised recordings could be viewed.

Perhaps I should have chosen a more general title for this post.

Let me ask a general question.

Is there anywhere on the net a source for information as to what PVR's wil take an unfinalised dvd recording from a different PVR and play it.

PVR's don't record or play DVD's, they record to an HDD only,

If you're talking DVD recorders, I would suggest you need the identical one to the original to finalise it - DVD recorders seem VERY 'hit and miss'.

I have the same Targa as you, and have on occasions had the same problem, I usually get the machine to function properly again by switching the power off at the wall socket and when the device is powered up it goes through all sorts of error messages on screen and eventually settles down.
Hope you get it working again.

Thanks Captain Pugwash. I haven't tried unplugging it from the wall, just switching off the mains with the power switch on the back of the Targa unit. This, didn't bring it back to life, unfortunately.

With regard to the problem of the mountainous collection of unfinalised DVD's, someone suggested that there might be software on the market that would finalise them in the DVD drive of my PC. Does this sound plausible?

That would at least allow me to view the DVD's in a separate player.

I would suggest it's probably more likely that you could perhaps play them in a PC, and copy them on the PC, finalising it's own written discs.

But if you've got a PC with DVD writer, then try one and see.

Thanks for comment Nigel.

This morning, The Targa, after at least a week of bolshie non-compliance, decided to slide its disc tray out.

Operated the close and open several times - just to remind it what to do - and in and out it went.

Assuming what ever had caused it to stick was now unstuck, I didn't immmediately rush to finalise all the discs.

Mistake!! Two hours later the disc tray was firmly shut as tight as a clam and wouldn't budge.

This is nuts! Perhaps it only works around 9.30 on a Friday morning and I'll have to wait another week for it to respond to an eject command.

I have had all that happen, that's why I said in an earlier post what I have found is, while the machine is switched on and nothing seems as though it will work switch the mains off or pull the plug out for a couple of minutes, switch the electricity back on and it appears to reset itself to manufacturers settings.

Just did that again Captain - still no joy.

I'm wondering whether its mechanical, or fault of software.

When it makes all the right noises on pressing the Eject but doesn't move, I can't begin to imagine what's happening inside, if the eject mechanism is physically engaged.

I would give it a thorough kicking, only its the bottom item in a tower of various other boxes all of which would have to be unplugged.

Thinking about the time when it came to life first thing in the morning, I'm wondering if it might be temperature sensitive. I think the previous night may have been cool.

Yes overheating could be the problem, I remember when mine stopped working some time ago, I took it out of my stack, was about to confine it to the scrap heap (spare room) while I was upstairs I thought what if I connect it to the bedroom TV, and the damn thing worked.
Since that episode I have now put it back downstairs on top of the TV, whilst I've been typing this my girlfriend has just said could dust have got inside the case as mine was buried at the bottom of the stack and that may have been the problem.