A reset back to factory default settings may help. Offhand I can't say how to do this for your particular model, but no doubt that's what they will tell you to try if you call Technical Support. Failing that, they will want you to send it in to them, or take it to an Authorized Service facility. You may want to consider the possibility that it really has had a failure and won't pass self-test, and never will without repair. In that case swapping it for another unit at Best Buy may be called for, or if you are concerned that the next unit may have a similar failure, getting your money back and looking into other models.
DMR-ES15 Problem: U61 Error
All,
Just wanted to post this as my ES15 has been working great until this evening. I did a 1 hour timed recording of a show off of my Tivo which is all that I ever use the ES15 for. When I got home I saw that a U61 error was showing on the TV. It said to hit enter and see if the problem gets resolved. It didn't. The manual says that a U61 is a self check failure. I powered off and on about 4 times and the same error came up every time. As a final attempt I unplugged the ES15 for about 10 minutes then powered it back up and received the same error.
I also tried putting several different DVD's in the tray prior to restarting the unit thinking that maybe the DVD+RW that I was recording onto was the source of the problem. That didn't have any effect, nor did rebooting with the tray empty. I can't think of anything else to do. Would appreciate if anyone has worked through this or has any ideas. I have the BB receipt, and also a 3 year warranty so returning it if it is bad should not be a problem. I have recorded about 6 hours of video before the problem happened. This was my first recording using a fixed 1 hour time block though.
Robert
Just wanted to post this as my ES15 has been working great until this evening. I did a 1 hour timed recording of a show off of my Tivo which is all that I ever use the ES15 for. When I got home I saw that a U61 error was showing on the TV. It said to hit enter and see if the problem gets resolved. It didn't. The manual says that a U61 is a self check failure. I powered off and on about 4 times and the same error came up every time. As a final attempt I unplugged the ES15 for about 10 minutes then powered it back up and received the same error.
I also tried putting several different DVD's in the tray prior to restarting the unit thinking that maybe the DVD+RW that I was recording onto was the source of the problem. That didn't have any effect, nor did rebooting with the tray empty. I can't think of anything else to do. Would appreciate if anyone has worked through this or has any ideas. I have the BB receipt, and also a 3 year warranty so returning it if it is bad should not be a problem. I have recorded about 6 hours of video before the problem happened. This was my first recording using a fixed 1 hour time block though.
Robert
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
Try to leave it uplugged for a good 5 hours or more. Plug it in and power it up. I am just giving a suggestion though. Also do what bobKart said. The last thing I want to hear about is a major flaw with this unit. No one likes these surprises. 
Well,
I tried it again this morning. I was pretty convinced this would work because the ES15 is sitting right on top of my A/V receiver which was on all day long. It seemed like it might be a heat issue. This morning I turned the receiver back on and noticed that the ES15 was still on with the error message. I had left the ES15 on all night, but the receiver was off. The unit was cool, not even warm to the touch.
Anyway, the power off/on still gave me a U61. I will actually unplug it for an hour and see if that works. Stay tuned...
Robert
I tried it again this morning. I was pretty convinced this would work because the ES15 is sitting right on top of my A/V receiver which was on all day long. It seemed like it might be a heat issue. This morning I turned the receiver back on and noticed that the ES15 was still on with the error message. I had left the ES15 on all night, but the receiver was off. The unit was cool, not even warm to the touch.
Anyway, the power off/on still gave me a U61. I will actually unplug it for an hour and see if that works. Stay tuned...
Robert
Exchange. You don't want to live with the worry forever.
.02
.02
I think if this happened only after a few hours of use, and you have the option of a smooth and seamless return, it may be a good idea to return it within the return window and not spend any more time troubleshooting it. I have been hammering mine for months now (es20) but never got a U61.
IMHO, you would be foolish to return the unit w/o trying a "RESET," as bobkart suggested above. It appears you haven't tried that yet?
Quote:
According to the manual, a U61 error is supposed to do an automatic reset after a power interruption. Since the self-reset isn't happening, I'd be exchanging the unit ASAP.
| Originally Posted by wabjxo IMHO, you would be foolish to return the unit w/o trying a "RESET," as bobkart suggested above. It appears you haven't tried that yet? |
Wabjxo,
Don't have the manual in front of me right now so I don't even know if there is a "master reset" button. I would tend to think not because if I recall correctly there aren't any settings that get permanently stored such that they would prevent the unit from rebooting correctly.
The U61 self test I would think is a kind of CRC check on the code that gets run on the processor. If the code gets corrupted and the CRC check fails then it probably reports the U61. If that is indeed the case, then returning the unit will probably be the way to go, unless the "master reset" button if it exists copies another version of the code into the area that has gone bad.
Just speculating here, I'll have more to report after I get home from work and try it out. One of the reasons I bought the ES15 was because of the universally good reviews that the ES20 had. And the ES15 had a couple things the ES20 didn't.
Robert
Don't have the manual in front of me right now so I don't even know if there is a "master reset" button. I would tend to think not because if I recall correctly there aren't any settings that get permanently stored such that they would prevent the unit from rebooting correctly.
The U61 self test I would think is a kind of CRC check on the code that gets run on the processor. If the code gets corrupted and the CRC check fails then it probably reports the U61. If that is indeed the case, then returning the unit will probably be the way to go, unless the "master reset" button if it exists copies another version of the code into the area that has gone bad.
Just speculating here, I'll have more to report after I get home from work and try it out. One of the reasons I bought the ES15 was because of the universally good reviews that the ES20 had. And the ES15 had a couple things the ES20 didn't.
Robert
Any kind of power interruptions / storms that might have glitched the machine?
Quote:
Ever since I ruined my Dad's $1000 television by not leaving it unplugged while not in use, I have this tendency to unplug almost any electronic item when it's not in use (Tvs, Gamecube, DVD Player, Computer, etc.) . When people visit me and my family, they find this behavior so bizarre as if it were like "Monk". Living in Florida though, it's the only sure way that you know lightening can't get to it.
| Any kind of power interruptions / storms that might have glitched the machine? |
That's a pretty sure way, yeah. I have a fully online double conversion UPS, takes the wall AC to DC, charging the batteries, then that DC goes back to AC to power my entertainment center. Virtually impossible for lightning-induced surges to get through to the protected equipment.
Ok,
Got home and I still had the U61 after the unit was unplugged all day. Took the ES15 back to BB after work today and they gave me a new one no questions asked. Just told them that the U61 error appeared every time I turned the unit on. New unit is working fine doing it's first recording as we speak. Will post back if I have a similar problem with this one.
I don't believe that I had a power failure during the recording as the other DVD player on the same power strip still showed the correct time. Sure was a lot easier hooking it up the second time around ;-)
Robert
Got home and I still had the U61 after the unit was unplugged all day. Took the ES15 back to BB after work today and they gave me a new one no questions asked. Just told them that the U61 error appeared every time I turned the unit on. New unit is working fine doing it's first recording as we speak. Will post back if I have a similar problem with this one.
I don't believe that I had a power failure during the recording as the other DVD player on the same power strip still showed the correct time. Sure was a lot easier hooking it up the second time around ;-)
Robert
rnowicki, You did the right thing. Hopefully you got a lemon. I know ncaahoops has stated that he recorded something like 500 dvds with his dmr-es20 and it's still goin' strong. I think I've only recorded maybe 110 with my dmr-e30 and I've had it for over 3 years. I have recorded probably 10 dvds so far with the dmr-es15, so, I really have used it much.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
AVS Forum
A forum community dedicated to home theater owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about home audio/video, TVs, projectors, screens, receivers, speakers, projects, DIY’s, product reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Top Contributors this Month
View All
WilliamR
1036 Replies
BASSAHOLIC
557 Replies
Abominable
414 Replies
Recommended Communities
