5-element Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I probably can already answer my own question with "Go and buy another one!" BUT...The DVD reader we have, was bought nearly 2 years ago - not top of the range, more the middle range. We have hardly used it. One of our criteria was to make sure it could play ANY DVD, i.e. not just shop-bought ones. So far so good.The trouble started with a DVD hired from a video shop, the film stopped in the middle, started, and stopped and started again. We mentioned it back at the video shop, they played it and for them there was no problem.Then someone lent me the 4 DVDs of "Northern Exposure" (all Kosher and shop-bought!) which I was really looking forward to watching again. After many tries, it did play the first disc, but over and over kept insisting that "No Disc" - even after I cleaned and replaced it. Then it wouldn't even recognised the presence of any of the 3 other discs. "No Disc" was what it announced every time.Then, another rented DVD, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (not that this has any relevance whatsoever!!!) - again it stopped and coughed and started several times in the middle. Thankfully we managed to see it through to the end.We asked our friends who did buy a top of the range DVD player... and theirs has done exactly the same thing. They bought a second one, a 39.99 euro wonder, which seems to work better. The shop manager told them to scrap the "real" DVD player, gallic shrug etc...Now - is this totally normal? Should one only buy disposable DVD players now? Does anyone else have this "No Disc" experience, over and over again? Anything else I should do?Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugsy Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Before you throw it away it's worth investing in a 'head cleaner' (not the correct term, but I can't remember the name). It looks like a cd but when you place it in your machine it cleans the reading head and other stuff. Not expensive and available from any place that sells cds/dvd's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Try holding down the "off" and "stop" buttons at the same time and see if your machine "reboots" - this occasionally works. I have had this happen to me too, I think about a week after the guarantee ran out. I managed to coax it back to normal but the problem kept coming back, more and more frequently. They seem to be really sensitive little souls. Unless you have a huge TV which will show up all the flaws, I should think about doing as your friends have and getting a really cheap one and accepting that it will go "bang" sooner than you would hope. If you invest in a pricey piece of this kind of electronic equipment, it's one of the few times when I think an extended warranty is worth it. It seems an almost criminal shame that this sort of kit is so "disposable" and that replacing with new is the cheapest way to go as having them fixed is so expensive, even if it's possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Here's the piece of kit Gary speaks of - worth a tryhttp://www.amazon.fr/Hama-Disque-Nettoyage-Lecteur-00048215/dp/B00006JCWB/sr=1-2/qid=1166347894/ref=sr_1_2/403-1248381-7290826?ie=UTF8&s=electronics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-element Posted December 17, 2006 Author Share Posted December 17, 2006 Gary and Lola... you are such fast workers!!! Thank you so much, I will follow all your suggestions before I get rid of the DVD reader - I so loathe the idea of throwing anything away and adding to the mountains of waste and pollution, it is becoming harder every day to try and save, repair, recycle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 [quote user="5-element"]Gary and Lola... you are such fast workers!!! Thank you so much, I will follow all your suggestions before I get rid of the DVD reader - I so loathe the idea of throwing anything away and adding to the mountains of waste and pollution, it is becoming harder every day to try and save, repair, recycle...[/quote]me too, grrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Try the manufacturer's website to see if a firmware update is available, sometimes some DVDs have compatibillity issues.Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-element Posted December 17, 2006 Author Share Posted December 17, 2006 I can confirm that the problem seems to be with needing to clean the head - I have just put in (again) disc number 2 of Northern Exposure, which had been previously unrecognised as per "No Disc" notice, and this time, it did start - with some hiccups - suggesting that I do, indeed, need a "Disque de Nettoyage" - thanks for the link Cooperlola, now on that amazon site it looks like they have only SIX left - so even for these items, there is a stampede it seems?????? Too bad if I have to wait to buy one, it seems a great idea anyway... and I can pass this on to my unlucky friends too. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Have no fear, Pixmania (great site) flog 'em toohttp://www.pixmania.com/fr/fr/88510/art/fellowes/disque-de-nettoyage-pour.htmlI'm also sure I've seen them in Boulanger and LeClerc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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