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Can DVDs Kill DVD Players?

Posted by Cliff on from the death-by-disc dept.

aidanpryde asks: "In the weirdest situation I've ever seen. My DVD player died on Saturday while watching the episodes of a favorite sci-fi series. I was watching disk 5 with my wife and noticed that it was getting jumpy. I took the disk out to see if it was dirty or scratched, but seeing nothing, we put the disk back in. Now the DVD player won't read anything, not the Season 5 disk, none of our other disks...nothing! So, we take the DVD player as a loss. Hardware failure happen all of the time, right? So I go downstairs with my wife on another day and try it on her DVD player in her computer. We get through one episode of the disk and it starts to jump again. We take it out, try another disk and sure enough -- nothing works. Has anyone ever run into DVD's that kill DVD players? Is there any way that I can get compensation for my dead DVD players? Is there any ideas as to why this has happened. Can I download firmware updates for the computer drive that may fix the problem?"

11 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. firmware updates by XO · · Score: 5, Informative

    There are also often firmware updates for non-computer based DVD players as well.

    I know that CyberHome and Panasonic have released firmware updates for some of their players over the past, and I'd bet others have too..

    it works like:
    burn a CD with the firmware file using a computer
    put the CD into the DVD player
    press "Play".

    Hope you didn't fry it. :D

    --
    "Champagne for my real friends - and real pain for my sham friends!" http://ericblade.postalboard.com/
    1. Re:firmware updates by MadChicken · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yeah, I have had crashes when trying to play home-brewed KDVDs. I had to unplug the machine (RCA 5240, I think). In some cases it didn't crash, but was glitchy in everything. I had to put in a real official (known good) DVD and it got better.

      --
      SYS 64738 NO CARRIER
  2. Yep! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    I have a copy of Shaolin Soccer that killed a
    Hitachi dvd player. I tried this copy on my Cyberhome
    player but it refuses to play (suggesting something
    wrong with disk). I got another copy of the movie
    and that copy works okay. Apparently the crap
    Hitachi player had something happen and now it won't
    read any disks.

  3. Shintaro Blank DVDs by thegrassyknowl · · Score: 4, Informative

    I have seen a warning on the back of Shintaro blank DVDs that says not to use it with Pioneer (some specific models that I can't remember) drives.

    Apparantly unless you put in some after-market firmware the drive will be irrepairably damaged by burning onto these Shintaro blanks.

    Wierd!!!

    --
    I drink to make other people interesting!
    1. Re:Shintaro Blank DVDs by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 3, Informative

      Pioneer DVD burners that max out at less than 4x had problems with 4x media and could spin up too fast and damage the media or the drive.

      A simple firmware fix from Pioneer corrected this problem.

      --
      A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
  4. Re:Disc balance ? by MBCook · · Score: 4, Informative
    Something mechanical like this would be my guess. I would think it would have upset the mechanism as the parent said. Making the shaft the DVD sits on slightly crooked or off place, maybe hitting the laser or something so that it doesn't aim/focus correctly. If you're willing, open up the drive (or the drive in the stand alone player) and see if you can see anything. The disc might have scratched the lens or some such. My guess is it's something reparable like that. It may be something you can fix with an adjustment screw and a little time.

    If it is something "good" though (like scratching the lens or something), then go after the manufacturer of the disk or the place that rented it to you (if you rented it) and ask that they do something about it. They should be nice enough. If not, you may want to go through small claims court as another poster suggested. And if you keep the "killer" disc, you'll have great evidence.

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
  5. Heard of something similar by Ondo · · Score: 4, Informative

    A similar incident was mentioned on the DVDAuthor users mailing list. Here's a link.

  6. Not a DVD but... by floydman · · Score: 2, Informative

    I bought the new Metallica album (St. Anger), and guess what, it ruined my CD player(which was aactually a HIFI system). i tried to read it on my PC CD player. same thing. Now the funny part is that i took it to the music store, who actaully gave me a new copy, and told me this should work with out any problems!!!!(For fuck sake, what do you mean without any problems, its a DAMN CD)

    Luckily my HIFI was still under gurantee.

    Out of the subject, but the album SUCKS big time

    --
    The lunatic is in my head
  7. Some players unfreeze by doc+modulo · · Score: 3, Informative

    after you disconnect the power cord for a while.

    --
    - -- Truth addict for life.
  8. Re:Disc balance ? by lythotype · · Score: 3, Informative

    You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?

    The infamous "click of death", was not because of "...read heads were ripping off..."

    The following quote is from the link provided above, "The clicking sound itself is nothing more than the sound of the heads being retracted from the cartridge into the drive then immediately reinserted."

  9. Heat by CmdrPorno · · Score: 2, Informative

    It sounds as if you may have used the DVD player for an extended period of time. Heat buildup may be the cause of the failure. That's no excuse, but it's the best explanation I can come up with. I know this was a huge problem with my first DVD player (Panasonic DVD-A110), but I never experienced it probably due to infrequent use.

    --
    Sent from my iPhone