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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?"

4 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/
  2. 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!
  3. 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.
  4. Heard of something similar by Ondo · · Score: 4, Informative

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