So your dvd player stopped working...

[triste realtà]

Ok, so my DVD player stopped working. The laser would try a few times to read the disc, all the while making a clicking sound, then give up and say No Disc. I went to the Internet and searched. I found a solution on fixya for a portable player that would stop working after a few DVDs. Some lady called their service reps and they told her it was defect and how to fix it. Just open the player, slide the laser carriage all the way back and forward twice, pop in a CD and let it play all the way through so the laser recalibrates itself. I read that this worked for a another brand and it worked for mine which is a third brand of player.

Is this common knowledge? How many players have any of you been through? How long did they last and what were their symptoms when they stopped working? What did you do?

I have a feeling all you had to do is what I just typed. I post this cause I get the impression it is common experience that a player will last only a few years than you have to buy another one when perhaps this is all that was needed. (I cleaned the laser lens with a qtip and alcohol a number of times but it had no effect.)

[Skippy911sc]

If this were my forum, I'd make this a sticky topic.

Ok, so my DVD player stopped working. The laser would try a few times to read the disc, all the while making a clicking sound, then give up and say No Disc. I went to the Internet and searched. I found a solution on fixya for a portable player that would stop working after a few DVDs. Some lady called their service reps and they told her it was defect and how to fix it. Just open the player, slide the laser carriage all the way back and forward twice, pop in a CD and let it play all the way through so the laser recalibrates itself. I read that this worked for a another brand and it worked for mine which is a third brand of player.

Is this common knowledge? How many players have any of you been through? How long did they last and what were their symptoms when they stopped working? What did you do?

I have a feeling all you had to do is what I just typed. I post this cause I get the impression it is common experience that a player will last only a few years than you have to buy another one when perhaps this is all that was needed. (I cleaned the laser lens with a qtip and alcohol a number of times but it had no effect.)


I still own my very first dvd player and it is still functioning without issue...but if I do have an issue I will try this. I wonder if it works for cd players???

[axlish]

I have a feeling all you had to do is what I just typed.

I'm not sure, but I'll give it a go should the problem arise :)

[Yojimbo]

I have had a dvd player go to hell on me, but it was a cheapo off brand made in Korea and bought for very little so I did not shed tears.

Wish I had tried your suggested fix at the time, though! I will keep it in mind just in case I ever have another problem.

thanks brother!

[triste realtà]

It did it again, which is making me think that the player is going bad. This time I tried it a bunch of times and it didn't work. I took a flashlight to see if there was anything on the lens and noticed a layer of grainy dust on the metal carriage around the lens. I then took a qtip and put just a hint of rubbing alcohol on it and cleaned the lens but didn't dry it because that may scratch it. I then moved the carriage in and out a couple times and a CD finally played.

So it seems you have to clean the lens, as recommended in another thread I found out there, and then move the carriage in and out, then play a CD (don't know if that's necessary). It seems both steps are necessary. This probably won't work on players that have that screw carriage transport mechanism. Mine has white plastic gears and are easily moveable. It's been playing ever since but it skipped tonight (something it almost never does) and I think there was sync drift when I played my Return 2 homemade disc (which I have to go back and sync scene by scene because it didn't match up with just a time stretch).

[Eyebiter]

Unless you can fix it yourself, recycle it and get a new DVD player.

[triste realtà]

Unless you can fix it yourself, recycle it and get a new DVD player.

I recommend taking it into the woods, bashing as many animals heads in with it as possible, then leave the remnants scattered about the place.

I see this thread needs a simplified version.

If your player starts clicking and then reads NO DISC:

clean the lens with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol
slide the laser carriage all the way out and in two or three times
play a CD to recalibrate the laser

[Danny]

you can get dvd players for £10 nowadays region free, i'd rather just say "fuck it" and buy another if i hadnt moved onto blu-ray already.

[triste realtà]

Well mine was $70 with 100watt 5.1 speaker system and I don't want to replace that, even though it is a cheap for a 5.1 system. It should last longer than 4 years dammit.

[Danny]

Well mine was $70 with 100watt 5.1 speaker system and I don't want to replace that, even though it is a cheap for a 5.1 system. It should last longer than 4 years dammit.

i think a lot of things a more of an estimate when your given a lifespan, like a mouse may be good for so many years on paper, but what if one person uses it 4 times as much as someone who doesnt?, then surely it will last 4 times less right?
I use these headphones when editing called Sony studio Masterseries or something similar they were only £12 but for ue in filmmaking from editing to using with boommakes when filming there very good, but ive used mine almost every day and there starting to fall apart and give off crackling sounds when connected to a source, a friend form film class used his about 20 odd times but had them twice as long adn work fine.
When it comes to exuipment ive learnt to not think about how long ive hada product, but how much use ive gotten out of it, because regardless of how much you paid for an item it will last a long time if its left alone but every time you use it the chance of its breakdown increases, how much you get out of a machine really depends on you.

[AcesandEights]

I still own my very first dvd player and it is still functioning without issue...but if I do have an issue I will try this.

Yeah, my first DVD player (a Sony) still works and I don't even know how old that sucker is.

[DjfunkmasterG]

I still have my first DVD player, a Pioneer model, and of course newer models as well, but my first one is still a trooper, 13 years old and counting.

Out of my newer ones the Sony died after 9 months, sent it back and they sent a brand new replacement which died 9 months later... I threw that in the garbage.

My Region free Samsung is still kicking, but doesn't get much playtime because I am strictly HD these days, and most of my Blu-Rays and HD DVD's are region free. That unit is 3 years old.

The Toshiba HD DVD player is what I use to play standard DVD's simply because the upres of that player is the finest in the world, nothing beats it. Thats 2 years old and neary an issue with it, but if it does conk out I have backup units. :D


My PS3 is now 22 months old I think, and not a single problem with it. Strictly used to Blu-Ray moving watching and it is turned off after every use as well as cleaned once a week.

The only product I have had serious issue with is that SOny DVD player... what a Piece of shit that thing was... glad its gone and sitting in a dump some where.

[triste realtà]

Since it happened again, I am pretty sure this is a dirty lens issue. The first two times I didn't use enough alcohol on the q-tip. Cleaned it properly and it is working great know (although I probably just jinxed it).

Not sure about the other steps aside from the cleaning of the lens.

(Other issues that I read about are the motor needing oil or the ribbon cable to the laser coming loose or breaking/burning up.)

I wonder if high def players are even more sensitive because of the smaller laser.