Panasonic Troubleshooting Guide for DMR E55 DVD Recorders

Troubleshooting guide

Before requesting service, make the following checks. If you are in doubt about some of the check points, or if the remedies indicated in the chart do not solve the problem, refer to the “Customer Services Directory” on page 46 if you reside in the U.S.A., or refer to the “Product information” on page 45 if you reside in Canada. In other areas, consult your dealer.

The following do not indicate a problem with this unit:

pRegular disc rotating sounds. The sound of the disc rotating may become louder especially when finalizing a DVD-R.

pPoor reception due to atmospheric conditions.

pImage disturbance during search.

pInterruptions to reception due to periodic satellite broadcasting breaks.

Power		Page
No power.	pInsert the AC power supply cord securely into a known active AC outlet.	7
The unit switches to the	pThis is a power saving feature. Change “Off Timer” in the SETUP menu, if you would prefer.	36
standby mode.	pOne of the unit’s safety devices is activated. Press [POWER /I] on the main unit to turn the	—
	unit on.
Displays
The display is dim.	pChange “Front Display” in the SETUP menu.	37
“12:00” is flashing on the	pSet the clock.	38
unit’s display.
Compared to the actual	pThe displayed recording/play time is converted from the number of frames at 29.97 frames	—	Reference
recorded time, the remaining	(equal to 0.999 seconds) to one second. There will be slight a difference between the time
time displayed is less.	displayed and the actual elapsed time (e.g., actual one-hour elapsed time may display as
	approximately 59 minutes 56 seconds). This does not affect the recording.
The time recorded on the disc	pTimes shown may disagree with actual times.	—
and the available time shown	pEven if you erase recorded content from the DVD-R, there is no increase in disc space.	—
do not add up.	pMore disc space than the actual recording time is used after recording or editing the DVD-R	—
The play time shown for MP3	200 times or more.
does not agree with the actual	pWhile searching, the elapsed time may not display correctly.	—
time.
TV screen and video
Television reception worsens	pThis can occur because the signals are being divided between the unit and other	—
after connecting the unit.	equipment. It can be solved by using a signal booster, available from audio-visual suppliers.
Status messages do not	pSelect “Automatic” in “Status Messages” in the SETUP menu.	37
appear.
The blue background does not	pSelect “On” in “Blue Background” in the SETUP menu.	37
appear.
The 4:3 aspect ratio picture	pUse the television to change the aspect. If your television does not have that function, set	27
expands left and right.	“Progressive” in the Video menu to “OFF”.
Screen size is wrong.	pCheck the settings for “TV Type”, “4:3 TV Settings for DVD-Video” or “4:3 TV Settings for	37
	DVD-RAM” in the SETUP menu.
There is a lot of after-image	pSet “MPEG-DNR” in the Video menu to “OFF”.	27
when playing video.
When playing DVD-Video	pSet “Progressive” in the Video menu to “OFF”. This problem is caused by the editing method	27
using progressive output, one	or material used on DVD-Video, but should be corrected if you use interlace output.
part of the picture
momentarily appears to be
doubled up.
There is no apparent change	pThe effect is less perceivable with some types of video.	—
in picture quality when
adjusted with the Video menu
in the on-screen menus.
The images from this unit do	pMake sure that the television is connected to the VIDEO OUT terminal, S-VIDEO OUT	7
not appear on the television.	terminal or COMPONENT VIDEO OUT terminals on this unit.
Picture is distorted.	pMake sure that the television’s input setting (e.g., VIDEO 1) is correct.	—
	pThe television isn’t compatible with progressive signals. Press and hold [w] and [TIME SLIP]	—
	on the main unit at the same time for about 5 seconds. The setting will change to interlace.
			RQT7301

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