Re: Toshiba TV/DVD-DVD Trials and Tribulations


"JR North" <junkjasonrnorth@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:RKGdnX5-48oI4_zbnZ2dnUVZ_oCmnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks for the input. I played a 1 hr CD (Rock Classics '66 if it matters)
and it played fine. The Toshiba splash screen was displayed the whole
time, so I assume the power dissipation of the unit was similar to playing
a DVD. The track/time dialog worked fine. I then loaded the multi title
disc, and played the first title (Clash of the Titans); a 2 hr long flick.
Played fine, no anomalies. I let it shift to the second title (The Golden
Voyage of Sinbad) and it froze 1 minute into the play. I reloaded the disc
and selected the second title; it started OK, then went into it's thing.
I think this rules out heat as the primary culprit, and also the laser
pickup. It seems the encoding in the second title is somehow just not
exactly right for this DVD unit, although the disc plays fine in other
units. These multi-discs are ones I burned in a Toshiba DVD/R BTW. They
are DVD-R 4X discs.

JR

OK. The fact that it plays a CD ok, in general rules out mechanical problems
such as sticking sled mech, dirty laser, and generally spindle motor, as any
probs here usually show up even worse on a slower rotating CD. On the other
hand, playing a CD ok, but not a DVD, is usually a sure pointer to the laser
itself. Bear in mind that there are usually two different wavelength lasers
in the same optical block. It is a near infra red for CD, and a shorter
wavelength visible red for DVD. A further pointer is if it struggles with
home burn discs over factory pressed ones, as the reflectivity of home burns
is lower, so any lack of laser performance is further exacerbated by this
type of disc. A final test that you might try, if it seems to read factory
pressed commercial titles ok, is playing a film beyond an hour or so. After
this time, the laser will have reached the edge of the disc, and be working
its way back on layer 2. This layer is harder for the laser to read, as it
is reading through the first layer, which is semi transparent. If you start
getting skips or freezes after this time, or you see the layer change take a
couple of seconds to happen, this is also a good pointer to a worn laser. If
the player can read all disc formats, you might try +R or +RW, or even just
a different brand. The ones that I use come from a local supermarket and are
real cheap 'own brands', but work in just about every player / recorder that
I get in for repair. Just in case, I take it that you have cleaned the
laser's lens anyway ? If the player had not had a lot of use, it's just
possible that the lens may be a little filmy, particularly if it lives with
smokers. I have known such a film to affect the performance on CD and DVD
play differently.

Arfa

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