DVD player won't play a few DVDs

[funpilot]

I have a pretty good DVD player Sony DVP-S360 from a few years back. Certain DVDs (even a few new from the store) come up as 'unreadable' (C0013). I can't see any scratches or finger prints on them.<br /><br />I considered buying a new one, but I don't want a silver unit in the middle of my black audio stack.<br /><br />Do people take their players in for repair... an alignment or something, or is this unit just to picky on what it will read?<br /><br />fp

 

[JB]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Howdy, FP.<br /><br />Have you tried using one of those cleaner disks to clean the laser?<br /><br />That worked for me on a CD player that started not reading a few CDs.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[funpilot]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Thanks JB,<br /><br />I'll check into the cleaner disk and report back.<br /><br />fp

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

I had the same machine, same code. Got it cleaned and realigned under warranty. It was good for about 3 months then started doing it again.<br /><br />Its now an anchor.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[Xcusme]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Perhaps this might be of some help. You mention that yours is a Sony, but a lot of players can suffer from the same design faults.<br /> DVD Player

 

[funpilot]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

That is a really cool thread Xcusme. Congratulations on doing such a thorough and generous job on sharing your discoveries. Do you think a Sony would be similar in design? I'm definitely taking mine apart if the lens cleaning deal doesn't work.<br /><br />fp

 

[PierBridge]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Of course a $36 Apex will solve your problems they play everything DVD +, -, rw, ram, CD's,Mp3's,WMA, Jpeg, and they do have black models.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Originally posted by funpilot:<br /> That is a really cool thread Xcusme. Congratulations on doing such a thorough and generous job on sharing your discoveries. Do you think a Sony would be similar in design? I'm definitely taking mine apart if the lens cleaning deal doesn't work.<br /><br />fp

Similar design? Sure, basically the same principal, perhaps even the same loader. Repairing these units becomes a labor of love and at some point becomes Not cost effective time vs. cost.<br /><br />As Ggoody points out, they're cheap and newer one's can have more features than your older unit

 

[funpilot]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

NUTS!<br /><br />The cleaning process with the 3M cleaning disk didn't solve the problem.<br /><br />Now I HAVE to take the Sony apart. <heheheheeheh> Don't sound very sad, do I?<br /><br />As Ggoody says... there is always a new one around the corner if I screw it up.<br /><br />thanks, I'll keep y'all posted.<br /><br />fp

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

I've found that they can be used for targets when they go bad. Also those AOL disce that they keep sending work to! I wonder when are they gonna learn that they are sending free targets to the rednecks? Works for me.. <br /><br />Thats my solution on repair, shoot it, get another...

 

[funpilot]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Well... the Sony unit doesn't have little springs supporting the head mechanism, the spring action is built into the three rubber bushings which have thin wall sections at the lower part of the bushing providing the rebound needed. The unit was dust free, and I could see no mechanical restrictions of the lens, the carrier, or the electrical tapes going to the head mechanism.<br /><br />I did get it to play the two problem DVDs once or twice... and then it would go back to the 'unreadable disk' error. I guess I'm headning for a new unit. It was fun, and thanks so much for the help!<br /><br />fp

 

[Xcusme]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Just for grins, since you've decided on a new player.<br /><br />Look at the rear of the laser PCB (usually you'll see a ribbon cable connected from the laser PCB to the main board)<br /><br />Look to see if it has 2 very small trimpots. They may be labeled DVD and CD. Try tweaking the DVD trimpot a bit, and I mean a small amount. What you are adjusting is the bias current to the DVD laser. Too much current and poof, the laser is toast. No harm really , as the unit can't play dvd's anyway. The proper way is to connect an oscilloscope at test points and make the adjustment.

 

[funpilot]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Bwauk... Bwauk, Bwauk.<br /><br />Yes, that's me being chicken. Xcusme, I said I was going to buy a new player (probably at a service organization's silent auction next weekend) But I didn't say I wanted to toast my current player. I saw those pots last night, and decided to leave them alone. I did go on-line and find a diagnostic routine. I realigned the heads for single layer and dual layer DVDs and found my DVD has zero CD playing hours and 690 DVD playing hours... in four years.<br /><br />The DVP-S360 will still play most discs. It has trouble with some discs which cheaper players will play. So... I will take the S360 and set it up on the upstairs TV, (Wife thinks that's a cool idea) and buy a new player for the downstairs home theatre.<br /><br />Thanks again for your suggestions. Research reveals that I'm not the only person with this problem with this player, but Sony won't acknowledge our plight.<br /><br />fp

 

[Boomyal]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Xcusme, did I catch, in your link, that it was not good to keep the DVD player powered up in standby? I have a cheap Mintek that is less than a year old, with minimal use. I have no problems with it but as there is no 'off' position, it stays in standby 24/7.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Yup, exactly. With the Apex units (and others I'm sure) the power supply is HOT all the time unless the power button is off. The trouble is the filter caps go bad (bulge and leak). If your player doesn't have a power button, I'd keep it unplugged when not in use or plug it into a power strip with a ON/OFF rocker switch. The unit won't fall prey to A/C line voltage spikes and other nasties when it's idle.

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Some DVD's simply should not be played, bought, or made.

 

[funpilot]

Re: DVD player won't play a few DVDs

Well, an update.<br /><br />Thanks again for all the comments and interesting posts.<br /><br />I went ahead and purchased a Sony DVP-NS575P. It does have quite a few features that I didn't have before. I was going to switch brands, but the remote was so darn similar to my Sony Receiver that I decided to stick with Sony (I hope I don't regret it! lol) I went feature rich, because I figured the $50 between cheap and this unit at $90 was inconseqential. The sales guy said there is a difference in picture quality and digital output options between cheap and my price point.<br /><br />The steepest part of the learning curve is setting the suround and DTS settings to agree with the receiver to maximize the effectivness of the theatre system. I kind of wish they didn't have those functions built into the top level of the remote. I know they will get screwed up once in a while, and I'll have to figure out again what they need to be set at. (My brain functions in such a way that I rarely remember things that I can figure out again.) Hey wait, I'll write it down right now on the manual... lol.<br /><br />Anyway, time will tell, but no more 'disk reading errors'!<br /><br />take care,<br />fp