Hard Disk Recorder SVR-HDT500 Playback Issues

[steve489]

My recorder SVR-HDT500 has started having playback issues:

1. The list of recordings is very slow to load - about 4 minutes
2. On selecting playback, there are video dropouts, picture break up and stuttering sound
3. Other menu items cannot be selected until the recording list loads

I've done a system reset, factory reset, disk repair & format and re-flashed the recorder to the latest version which was already installed to no avail.

Are there any known fixes for this? I'm next thinking of removing the hard drive to exam it and delete all partitions. Usually when you insert a clean dis the recorder re-formats it. Will that work on this Sony recorder?

[steve489]

Update - I removed the drive and checked it connected to a PC. The data transfer rate was abysmally low which explains all the symptoms. I concluded the disk has a weird problem in its interface electronics. I could replace the drive but this is impossible since special software from Sony is needed to link the serial numbers of the mainboard and disk drive for it to operate.

[steve489]

Update - My interpretation of the Service Manual was wrong. I was able to replace the hard drive with a similar version and the recorder now works after formatting the drive in the recorder. No special Sony software is needed to register the new drive. The fault was due to a weird problem in the original drive which reduced the data rate from the drive.