This may be slightly off-topic, but this seemed to be the best place I
could find.
I'm wondering if I need to replace the LG DVD-RW drive on my PC. The drive
appears to read CDs and DVDs just fine, but the trouble occurs when I try to
burn video DVDs (haven't tried any data DVDs yet). The write process will
appear to have been successful, but when I go to play the disc back (on
various players), only the first 5 minutes or so is playable - after that,
the video goes jerky and/or freezes. I've tried burning several discs with
different content, and with different levels of compression, and have noted
something odd. The problem seems to occur at a certain physical place on the
disc, regardless of the content. For example, if I burn a disc at 100%
quality, the video cuts out about five minutes in. If I burn the same
content at 50% quality, the video goes about ten minutes before it cuts out.
Examining the disc itself showed something else very odd. The first 1/4" of
the written area (from the center) has a darker appearance than the rest of
the disc. Previously burned discs that turned out OK do not show this
symptom - the entire surface of the disc (the written area anyway) is the
same color. All have been recorded with the same media, hardware, software,
and settings.
At this point I suspect that the laser is crapping out after it warms up -
would I be right? This drive has (successfully) burned hundreds of CD's and
DVD's in it's two-year lifetime, so failure would not surprise me. But I'd
still like to make sure before I shell out $50 for a new one.