18-03-2015, 05:08 PM
(17-03-2015, 07:08 PM)Mark Hennessy Wrote: DVD players are built down to a price, and they can't be expected to last forever. But if they are only lasting you a year, it's worth looking at the environment they are being used it. As well tobacco smoke, high humidity might be a factor. Dust levels are definitely worth thinking about, as Nick says...
The lens that is visible when you look from above is just one part of the optical system - there are other lenses and prisms and magic in there. These are normally reasonably hidden from view, but are rarely totally sealed from the elements. So fine dust can settle on these surfaces, affecting the machine's ability to read the disc.
The laser diode will eventually lose output - like all LEDs. Better DVD players will record the usage and will report it in "service mode" (Google your make/model to see how to put it into service mode). I only have Sony machines here, and all of these do that. I decided to buy a small number on eBay a couple of years back as the prices were stupidly low, and they all reported less than 100 hours of use. Nice ones too, which do SACDs and other nice things. The one machine that I paid real money for - about 15 years back - has done well over 1,000 hours - mostly thanks to the kids - and still seems to be reliable.
Note that although it's not obvious from inspection, there are usually two laser LEDs - one for DVD playback and one for CD playback. They are different wavelengths, of course. My Sony machines record the hours usage for each separately. It's entirely feasible that a machine might play CDs but not DVDs because the DVD laser is tired. Or vice-versa, depending on how the machine has been used. So try playing an audio CD to see if that's any more reliable - that might give you a clue...
Don't forget that power supply capacitors wear out. Take care if you go investigating these. The main thing to look for is bulging tops (Google "bad caps" for lots of pictures).
I'm afraid that my boat has one of those pot-belly wood burner stoves and it's what I use to keep warm. The downside is there is a huge dust kick-back which has even been known to irritate my eyes. Also, I have to clean all the time as dust covers everything. Radios that are dismantled I cover with a sheet. I'm sure none of this is good for my health either.
Anyway last night the DVD player was playing and no stops or jumps. It's early days but I'm hoping it will be better.
Some of the DVD players I lost were portable ones with in-built screens. These hate changes of temps which you will get when the boat is freezing and then a big fire lit. The fire can be pretty effective but room temps swing from 0 degrees to about 85 F. That was especially hard on one model where the picture just blurred.
The player I have now is a budget Argos machine and it costs very little. However, I thought it was well built if you don't mind a lot of plastic and the fact I can open it up easier than many other models may be a saving grace. Last night I had quite a good picture.
P.S. I'm a sucker for Lost In Space on DVD. I have all the episodes. Series one is in black and white and good, series 2 wasn't that great and series 3 had its good moments. Sometimes it fascinates me to see an episode where you can see reel-to-reel tape machines in use and all the computers are also reel.
