This DVR-5100H has been well looked after and sits on a bespoke hifi unit and has not been moved since it was first put there.

Now, after 2 years of faultless service, this machine has become temperamental when loading DVDs. It won't play any DVDs - it just gets stuck in the Loading phase and then "spits them out!"

Nor will it allow me to Divide a program recorded onto the hard drive.

Has anyone had similar problems with this machine? I have tried re-setting it as per the instruction manual but to no avail.

Hi

Lasers in DVD Recorders are only rated for around 5000 hours of use, with some failing sooner, some lasting longer. (Blu-ray may even have a shorter life!). So it is possible to wear out the laser in 2 years.

It may be worth trying a DVD laser cleaner to see if that helps. I am not sure why the divide function would suddenly stop working, could this be because you have the hard-drive set for Video mode compatibility after a factory reset and perhaps that doesn't allow a divide? Not sure as I forget how the 5100 works.

Regards

Phil

Luckily mine did this inside the 12 month warranty.
So I got it repaired,sold it on ebay for £311 then bought a 420 for £299 the week after.
All I can suggest is contacting Pioneer about a repair

I have the same problem with my 5100 with the DVD drive.

Its been working fine for 2 1/2 years but recently has refused to play discs and when I copy stuff from HDD to DVD although it appears to copy fine nothing gets recorded.

Any idea how much repair would be?

Mark

Sorry,haven't a clue.
But the 5100 is a bit long in the tooth now.
Why not treat yourself to a new Pioneer.
Faster burning from HDD to DVD,an RGB input (not on 5100)and you should get a new one under £300

Thanks Philip L. Pioneer eventually managed to answer the dividing problem - the hard drive was full and so had no space to perform the divide function. I have since deleted a saved item and then successfully performed the divide function.

As for the laser wearing out, I had no idea! Someone suggested that the laser may need re-aligning - any thoughts on that?

Unfortunately the nearest approved service centre is quoting at least 3 weeks before anything could be done. Very frustrating when a lot of good money is paid for a machine that only lasts two and a bit years!

Thanks Mongosito. I've done this and am too far beyond the warranty period to cover any of the costs. Good idea re eBay.

I've been quoted £30 just to have it inspected, with an open-ended bill thereafter! Not very reassuring. As I paid between £700 - £800 for this DVR-5100H at the time I am a tad reluctant to throw any more money after it if that cost starts to approach the cost of a newer, better and warranted machine. Caveat emptor, I suspect!

PhilipL - I initially had the same thought as you regarding the DVD cleaner, but Pioneer advised against using a laser cleaner as these can, apparently, scratch and do more harm than good. It would also stand a good chance of invalidating the warranty, I suspect!