Our DVD player will not play certain DVDs - advice needed please

[suein56]

We bought our new combined Phillips DVD and VCR player last year here in France. Now the DVD player, after very little use, has become very choosy about what it will play. We want to watch bought DVDs, not anything we have recorded ourselves, but the machine will only play some old DVDs and nothing new.

We have done all the usual - check nobody has changed any region options, nobody has put on a parental lock or otherwise attacked the machine.

Can anyone make any positive suggestions or recommend a self-help website before we take it back to the shop where we bought it?

Thanks in advance.

Sue

[Clair]

I have usually found the Philips website a good start.

I have emailed them before and got quick and useful replies.

[suein56]

Duh, why didn't I think of that ...I'll give it a try, thanks Clair.

Sue

[Simon]

Does your DVD have new firmware available from the Phillips website, this can solve many compatibility issues.

Simon

[Martin963]

... or you could try cleaning the lens using one of those automatic cleaner discs.   It's only a few euros.

laters:  and if you really want to depress yourslef take a look at

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=326808

[suein56]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]... or you could try cleaning the lens using one of those automatic cleaner discs.   It's only a few euros.

later:  and if you really want to depress yourslef take a look at

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=326808 [/quote]

Martin - I've just had a look at the site and, you're right, it is a tad depressing. First time we've bought a Phillips appliance for years and years too.

The player is under guarantee for 2 years so if the firmware update by doesn't work then I'll take it to be repaired. Which should be fun. [:)]

and Simon

'Does your DVD have new firmware available from the Phillips website, this can solve many compatibility issues.'

Thanks I'll give it a try when I can find out how to do it.

Crikey, all this puts me off buying anything.

Thanks for all the input - my OH and I are very grateful.

Sue

Edit: How do posters manage to get 2 different quotes in to one reply, I tried and it didn't work for me.

[Martin963]

It is a shame 'cos we have a friend who worked for Philips all his life and ensured that his part of the business was top notch.

However,  we ourselves have bought two DVD recorders and they have such YUKKY klutzy software it isn't true.   Only Philips could come up with a machine that when you insert a DVD and hit play it tells you you can't proceed by displaying a no entry symbol.   Truly ill-thought-out software.

But they transcode SECAM to PAL faultlessly,  so they are spared the scrap heap....

[Bones]

I know it's too late now but a good idea is to buy a cheap divx player - they'll play anything and at under 50 euros with a year or two guarantee you can't go wrong.

We bought a mega cheap mini unit, it stopped working after six months and you couldn't update the firmware (to play certain audio codecs etc) so we had our money refunded and bought a Tokai one from Geant with all the latest guff.

It's larger and so probably disperses heat more efficiently, still pretty slinky though. No problems so far, plays my dvd -r discs faultlessly and just about everything else.

Cheap as chips at 35 euros!