Lite On HD-A740GX (160 GB) DVD Recorder / HDD Recorder

We bought our HD-740 just over a year ago now.

We chose it over the more recognisable brands such as Sony because it was up to the spec we wanted & significantly cheaper. They also come with a 2 year manufacturers warranty which was another bonus.

On the positive side it is a great machine. It looks good & does everything it says on the tin. It's easy to use &, when it's working properly, it works great.

HOWEVER, these machines are plagued by problems. If you have one & it's working fine now YOU WILL experience these. If you're thinking of getting one, then be prepared to have to get these probs sorted when they arise.

The most common problem is with the drive. IT DOESN'T LAST. This is a manufacturing fault which Lite On are fully aware of. The next problem is with the Firmware (software). This can need updating & until it is you'll have problems using your machine.

First off, our first machine caught fire when plugged in. It wasn't a little puff of smoke, it actually POPPED & we had flames coming out of it in the lounge. Not a good start but we're reasonable people & accept that in thousands of machines there can always be one that has gremlins. The company we purchased from replaced it immediately with no fuss.

Our probs started about 9 months after getting the machine. It became 'fussy' about which DVD's it would play (including brand new ones), taking ages to read them (if at all), & frequently crashing.

To cut a long story short the problems culminated in the machine stopping reading discs altogether. It just spat them straight back out or sat there staring back at us with a 'what am i supposed to do with this?' look on its, now really annoying, face.

We searched the web & read LOADS of forums - & learned that the probs we were having were SO common that a website had even been started dedicated to giving advice on what to do with them.

We called Lite On Customer Service & described the problems. The guy confirmed that the drive had gone & needed replacing. He then organised this efficiently & with no fuss - despite us reading in the forums that the Customer Service was appalling we have to say that our experience with them was first class.

Despite it being New Year the machine was collected when it was supposed to be & returned within the 14 days time frame. It is now working perfectly again.

Whether the drive will die again or whether they have sorted out this inherant problem i don't know - but for now it's fine & we are happy with it.