A TechLore "Ask the Experts" Question...
Question:
My husband and I have a disagreement. Apparently, he's heard from somewhere that it's bad for your DVD Player to pause DVDs. When we need to pause it for a minute or two, he stops the DVD instead of pausing it. I have researched this and haven't been able to find any evidence that it is in fact bad to pause DVDs. Additionally, why would the manufacturers even add a pause button if the consumer is not supposed to use it? When I ask him where he heard that it's harmful, he says he can't remember; yet, he's very adamant about not pausing. Is it harmful, or is this just some rumor that's stuck with him?
-submitted by Tanya_ct2
Answer:
First, your husband is not losing his mind. This is a common misbelief that's been held over from the days of VHS. On a VHS machine, pausing the tape kept the same segment of tape rubbing against the playback drum, which if done for a long enough time could wear that spot in the tape. This could cause any number of picture and sound hiccups, or worse, cause the tape to break. YIKES!
DVD is a different animal all together. Since there is no physical contact between the DVD and the pickup (everything is done with light), the DVD can't be worn or hurt by being on pause. You can play a DVD 1000 times, and it'll play just like new every time as long as you handle the disc properly.
Some might say leaving the DVD player on pause keeps the DVD player's spindle turning (which is true), thereby unnecessarily wearing the DVD player's motor. However, nearly all DVD players continue to turn the disc for 1-3 minutes after you press stop so you don't have to wait through a five second spin-up when you press play. So, unless you need to pause for more than 5 minutes, there's no difference in wear.
Others might say that leaving it on pause keeps the laser on. I've never been able to get a "confirmed answer on this" from a manufacturer, but I would assume that that a paused machine could shut the laser off and simply repeat the frame from a frame buffer. Even so, running the laser a few extra minutes so you can make more popcorn isn't going to make a real difference in the laser's lifespan. Like with the spindle motor, use the stop command if you'll be pausing for a significant amount of time.
You can tell your husband that it's perfectly fine to use the pause button if you need to get a snack, use the bathroom, or answer the phone. If you need to pick up the kids, go to work, or go on vacation, take his advice and use the stop button.
Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com
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