Need FReeper Help with DVD (Major VANITY)

[hispanarepublicana]

I've scoured the internet, and I just can't find what I consider to be a trusted source on this topic. I have a 2 part question: Our DVD player, a Toshiba SD-V291 (VCR + DVD) has been skipping and doing stop-start "hiccuping" on DVDs (including brand new ones) that play just fine on my laptop, other players, etc. First, why is it doing this (a cleaner has been used to no avail), and second, because we're thinking of getting a multi-DVD changer anyway (but accelerated due to this), what brands/models have my FRiends here at FR had better luck with?

[hispanarepublicana]

PS: I've been playing a DVD this evening with no problem whatsoever.....yet. Any input/advice would be appreciated.....Mr. HR is ready to go back to VHS Tapes and toss this player through a window.

[martin_fierro]

All I can think of are:

1. Some DVD players are more sensitive than others to smudges/dirt on the DVD. Try cleaning the DVD with a gentle soap before playing it in the Toshiba.
2. The Toshiba DVD drive reading head moves along a track from the inside of the disk toward the outside. There might be some dust in that track obstructing the read head movement.
3. The Toshiba DVD-RW drive in my Satellite P25-S607 laptop has been a POS since Day One.

[jdm]

I've had bad luck with Toshiba's too. My advice would be to take it back. Now is the best time since everyone is returning stuff. You probably won't even need a receipt. Just get some store credit at Best Buy or Circuit City and you're good to go.

[hispanarepublicana]

Thanks, y'all. I've wondered whether the unit could be overheating in the entertainment cabinet, since this always seems to happen when the unit's been running an hour or so.

[scott says]

I have several stereo systems set up in my house and have owned many different brands and models.
In my music/office, I have a Pioneer DVL 919 DVD/CD/Laserdisc machine that is excellent.I also have a Panasonic DVD recorder/player that is great.
In my living room I have a Panasonic DVD player which replaced a Yamaha 5 disc changer that broke.
Master bedroom a Sony VCR/DVD all in one machine.
Second office a Technics 5 DVD changer....

Unless you are looking for a serious "high end" machine( the DVL 919 was over a grand)...
I would go to Circuit City or Best Buy ( or equivalent in your area) and buy a " open box" special. You can save a bunch on these items...as far as brands- Sony,Panasonic,Pioneer,Yamaha...there really isn't a huge difference in the quality, they are all good. I wouldn't waste my money on a "knock off brand" when you can get a major brand for about 30% or more off on the open box deal. Most of the time somebody just got the wrong model and the machine is perfectly fine.

[hispanarepublicana]

Thanks. We're considering the Panasonic 5-Disc Changer. By the way, my DVD player just jumped. I ejected the disc and wiped it down w/ a soft cloth. Popped it back in and no probs again yet. Sooooo, it's tempting to explain this away as a dirty disc, but it's been doing it w/ brand new ones too.

[scott says]

I'm not sure what you can do about that machine...but if you do decide to buy a new one, definitely get a " open box", thats what I always do, you save a bunch.Panasonic is excellent, hopefully you can find it at one of the stores for less ....

[Varda]

DVD player quality really varies. The best info source for home theater electronics I've found is the Audio Visual Forum.
http://www.avsforum.com/

Hit enter main forums and you can usually find a thread discussing most electronics topics.

[goldstategop]

My old DVD player just balked at playing brand new discs. So I bought a new player and everything's fine now. The usual solution is to buy a better player. They keep get cheaper and better made. Right now's the time to grab one with year end clearance sales. Good luck.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[lowbridge]

we're thinking of getting a multi-DVD changer

My very first DVD player was a 5 disc player (I dont recall the brand name, but it wasnt a Panasonic. Couldnt afford a Panasonic). Bought it from Best Buy. It broke down after only a few months of use (two DVDs somehow came loose from their trays and fell off the carousel, into the DVD player while I was having the carousel turn around in order to watch a different DVD). Took it to Best Buy to have it repaired. For some reason they couldnt contact their repair center on their computer at that moment, so they told me that I could exchange my player for another that cost the same or less. If it cost more, I had to pay the difference.

Chose my second DVD player. Another 5 disc player (Samsung). Had to pay a 15 dollar difference to Best Buy since it cost 15 dollars more than my last DVD player. The very day I brought it home, took it out of the box, hooked it up to my tv...and it would NOT work AT ALL!!!! Took that back to Best Buy the very next day for repairs. They confirmed that it was broken and told me that it would take 4-6 weeks for the player to come back from the repair center. I was incensed. I asked if I could make another exchange OR my money back. They said no to both options. They insisted on sending in my player to be repaired.

8 weeks had passed (My fault. I had neglected to check with Best Buy after the 4-6 weeks had passed to see if my player came in from the repair center.) and I went back to Best Buy to pick up my repaired Samsung 5 disc DVD player. Took it home, and it finally worked. Months went by and only one month after the warranty had expired, it broke down again!!!!! The carousel would freeze up on me and refuse to change DVDs. And when it did move, it would chose the wrong DVD, or the DVD player just insisted that there was no DVD in the tray when the carousel was full, before the player broke down altogether.

I threw my hands up in frustration, went to Sears (or was it Macy's?), and bought a cheaply priced combination VCR and single disc DVD player (brand: go.video). Basically, I still had hundreds of VHS videotapes lying around that I still wanted to watch (my old, last VCR had broken down years earlier), and I still bought the occasional new and used videotapes from the discount bins at local stores.

That was well over a year ago. So far that VCR/DVD player has given me absolutely NO trouble whatsoever. And if it ever does, I will be able to afford to replace it, unlike replacing a 5 disc player that costs somewhere in the hundreds.

[A Citizen Reporter]

I had the very same experience with a multi-DVD changer, that I believe was a Samsung. It's my personal opinion that the multi-changers really don't have the bugs worked out of them yet. I went to a one-disc model, which hasn't disappointed me (too much) yet.

However, I must admit that I don't give it heavy usage according to today's standards.

[hispanarepublicana]

I'd probably stick with a single-disc unit if our CD player hadn't died a well-deserved death not too long ago (it was 10 years old or so); but I'd like the carousel feature for CDs more so than for DVDs.

[A Citizen Reporter]

Yes, I've had a carousel CD player for at least 6 years, with no problem. (Knock wood....LOL)

[lowbridge]

I'd like the carousel feature for CDs more so than for DVDs.

Me too. I liked the idea of filling up the carousel with DVDs and not having to get off my butt for days in order to change DVDs. However, what with my 5 disc DVD players breaking down all the time, I came to realize that iot just wasnt worth the hassle. Besides, 5 disc player or single disc player, I can only watch one DVD at a time anyways.

[lowbridge]

I had the very same experience with a multi-DVD changer, that I believe was a Samsung.

AFTER my second DVD player (the Samsung) had broken down, I went on the internet to find out what brands of DVD players were the best and the worst. I learned too late that Samsung was considered the worst. Panasonic was considered the best.