Recording from tv??

Question

I tried to record a tv show onto a DVD-R. The setup I have is a dvd and vhs recorder. You can change vhs to dvd. When I tried to record the show it said it was recording but afterwards when I tried to play the dvd it said it was an empty disc. What did I do wrong??!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Hi.
The wording of your question may give us a clue here. Is the VHS and DVD a single unit? (Having both a DVD tray and also a VHS slot?) If it is, then what you probably bought is called a "DVD player with a VHS recorder". Meaning, that the unit "plays" DVDs but only "records" onto a VHS tape. My guess is that if you paid less than $100 it is not both a DVD recorder and a VHS recorder. The wording on these things is very tricky and can be misleading. DVD recorders alone usually start at around $140. So my guess is that the box says something like "DVD player/VHS recorder" which is correct if it only records to VHS. My guess is that you will find your show recorded on your VHS instead of the DVD.

Now, if I'm wrong and you actually do have a unit that records on a DVD, then the problem may be defective blank DVDs.
I have had this happen to me once. It was very irritating because as you said, everything says "recording" and things look okay. But then there's nothing on the disc when you play it back. Even if you're using the wrong kind of DVD it would probably let you know and it wouldn't allow you to record. So I don't understand why it looked like it was recording and then gave you an "empty disc" message. (Unless the discs are defective.) Look on the recorded side of your recorded disc and see if you notice two tones of color (meaning there is actually a recording on the disc.) If this is the case, it could be that there is something on the disc keeping the TOC (table of contents file) from being read by the DVD player. You can run the disc under warm water and clean it with your fingers and a drop or two of dishwashing liquid. Do this until it is squeaky clean and then dry it completely with a soft cloth or paper towel. Then pop it in and try playing it again.
But if you looked at the recorded side and it looked like one color tone, then it truly is blank and nothing got recorded on it. So, my guess is that you have either defective discs or the DVD recorder is defective. Try playing a prerecorded movie DVD (store bought) on the unit and see if it plays that properly. If it does, then it's probably bad disks.

Good luck...I hope you solve the problem.

Answer 2

Are you plugging into the appropriate inputs? Check to see if the DVD recorder has separate inputs for the DVD and VHS.