posted
My DVD player (a Toshiba, couple years old) suddenly stopped working. It still turns on and off and opens and closes, but when I put a disc in, it just spins and says 'loading' until I take the disc out several minutes later. It's definitely not the disc because I tried it with one I just played successfully a few days ago.
Is the problem easily fixable? Or should I just give it up as inevitable and get a new player? And if the latter, what should I do with the old one? I hate the idea of just putting it in the garbage, but I haven't been able to find anywhere that recycles DVD players.
Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
You may not have easy access to it. There are several products for cleaning the laser with a disc and some special cleaning fluid.
Or it could just be crap and you'll need to get a new one. Mass-manufactured electronics tend to be non-servicable and have a short lifespan.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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quote: Mass-manufactured electronics tend to be non-servicable and have a short lifespan.
Yeah, that's kinda what I'd figured. I've thought about getting one of those cleaner discs, but since the player's atleast two years old (I'm not sure of the exact age as I adopted it from a friend), I don't know if it's likely to do any good. I've used one before (the kind with an attached brush-thing, no liquid) with a CD player, and it didn't perform any miraculous revivals once the player had stopped working altogether. Still, I suppose it might be worth a try.
And upon further inspection, it actually does get slightly past the 'loading' phase. The display shows the initial chapter reading (in this case '3'), but doesn't go on to actually play the disc. The response time on the open/close command has slowed a bit as well. Hmm.
Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
vonk, that was the first thing I tried. That, and swearing at it. But alas, neither made it work.
And BlackBlade, if you really could use a mostly dead DVD player (and if a cleaner disc doesn't work), you would be welcome to it. Of course, I'm not sure how I feel about enabling a death ray project - sounds rather nefarious. Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by vonk: The fix-all for all electronic media devices: blow into it.
That brings back memories of the old Nintendo. My mom would get all angry and tell me to stop spitting on the cartridge (I wasn't of course - just blowing in it). She finally stopped when I proved to her that it actually worked.
Posts: 1945 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Don't worry too much about the death ray - the lasers are less than a watt. They can't do too much killing. (Although they can probably be used for disinfectant.)
Odd as it may sound, you will be better off with a cheaper replacement. The really cheap players and the region-free players are usually much better at ignoring errors than the high-end players with better DRM implementations.
Posts: 145 | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
I had this happen to a DVD player. In my case, it was, of all things, the spring. When you close the DVD, there's a spring that lifts the DVD up so that the laser head can read it. If the spring gets old, it loses its springiness, and the DVD just doesn't get lifted up high enough.
It sounds simple, but apparently, you can't get the spring replaced. Maybe you can try and get to it and stretch it out a bit, but I think you're probably out of luck.
In general, it's a very bad idea to leave a DVD in the machine when you're not using it. And this is why. That's what screws up the spring. When you get your next DVD player, make sure you don't leave a DVD in the player.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by vonk: The fix-all for all electronic media devices: blow into it.
That brings back memories of the old Nintendo. My mom would get all angry and tell me to stop spitting on the cartridge (I wasn't of course - just blowing in it). She finally stopped when I proved to her that it actually worked.
You know on the back of the cartridges it actually says, "Do not blow or spit into the cartridge."
But hey I say this as one who blew into my Nintendo cartridges, noticed the warning one day, and just kept doing it.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I'd say give the cleaning disk a try. It couldn't hurt, and it might buy you some time. Though it certainly sounds like the player is in its decline.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Lisa, it's possible that that's the case with mine as well. I always take the disc out right away (unless I fall asleep before the end) because I'm slightly paranoid about it randomly refusing to open, but its previous owner might not have done the same.
I tried a cleaning disc - nothing. So it looks like I'll be getting a new one.
And now I have two dead players to dispose of somehow. I'd hung onto my previous player in the hopes that some sort of recycling program would be developed, but so far, no such luck.
There are lots of options for recycling dead computers and printers and such - why aren't there any for other electronics? Or things like microwaves or toaster ovens? I really hate the idea of putting bulky, non-biodegradable things like this in landfills, but I can't seem to find any more eco-friendly means of disposing of them. I'm considering listing them as giveaways on Craigslist/Freecycle, but it still bothers me that they'll probably still end up in a landfill eventually.
Might there be any other options that I'm not aware of?
Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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