DVD Doesn't Play

A TechLore "Ask the Experts" Question...

Question:

I have bought 2 new DVD movies from Ebay. They play for a bit then freeze up. All the used dvds from Ebay and also rented or bought from stores work fine. So, why do these freeze? I have tried them on other dvd players and the same happens. Is there a way to clean a dvd player, IE, the heads on a vcr?

One is, LET IT BE (
Beatles. documentary.) the other is Hells Angels forever, a doc. also. Both
of these are my husbands, but the Beatles one, I bought him for Xmas, hes
been waiting for it for 20 years. The hells angels worked for awhile. But we
have 3 DVD players and it now wont work on any. 1 is a portable dvd I got
for Xmas.
Do you think if we took them to our local video store they can fix it. They
say they can fix them, yes I bet disc dr. also. Please email soon, as my
husband wants to go to the video store yesterday. I dont want to waste the
$5 a disc for nothing.

-submitted by dlh41

Answer:

After examining the information you've submitted regarding your problem, I've narrowed it down to a few possible issues.

  1. DVDs purchased from ebay can come from all over the world. Most commercially produced DVDs are coded with what's known as a "region code". This designation is usually listed on the box and/or the disc. DVD players in the US are designed to play Region 1 DVDs, while Region 2 DVDs are for Europe, Japan, and South Africa. If the DVDs you purchased from ebay are a different region code than your player, they will not play (except for Region 0, which means "region free" and will play on anything). If you discover that the region code is different, the only good option you have is to put them back on ebay for sale, and purchase the DVDs from a store in the US. If you must buy them from ebay, make sure they are the same region code as your player.

  2. Having a video store clean and repair both discs could solve your problem, but first examine the bottom surface of the DVD. If it is heavily covered in scratches and fingerprints you'll want to have them repaired. If they're not obviously mutilated, I doubt it's the problem.

  3. You mentioned your DVD player may have a problem, which is certainly possible. However, you also mentioned that the DVDs wouldn't play in three other DVD players. I could see a problem with one of them, but not all three. The problem has to be with the disc.

Let us know if any of these suggestions help. Follow up with everyone at TechLore in the discussion page by clicking on the link under "Discussion".

Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com

 

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