A TechLore "Ask the Experts" Question...

Question:

I have a Toshiba SD-K620 DVD Player. Sometimes it works fine and sometimes the movies get garbled. Is the tracking off? Is there anything I can do to correct this?

-submitted by ERIC

Answer:

There can be many reasons why a DVD movie will not play back perfectly.

The most common fix is for you to check the read side of the DVD disc for any fingerprints, smudges, or scratches. On a DVD, the pit size that is read by the laser is seven times smaller than that of a CD, so any defects on the disc can interfere with the player's ability to read the information on the disc.

Another disc realated issue is that the DVD you have is defective. Not all commercial DVD discs are flawless, so a poorly printed DVD (bad printing can cause the data to be corrupted or warping of the disc) can exhibit behavior as you're describing. Try the DVD in another player and see if it garbles in the same place as your existing player.

There are numerous hardware issues that can cause this as well. If the player is in an enviornment with lots of dust and/or relatively high humidity, particles can build up on the player's laser. A cleaning disc can often remove this unwanted debris.

Many other possibilities would require a service center to diagnose. One issue that require servcie is when the laser in the DVD player must be perfectly aligned with the disc surface to read it accurately. If this laser is even slightly off, it can have a hard time reading DVDs perfectly. The laser mech itself could be failing, or the motor that moves it could be having issues as well.

Try to hit any issue that can be fixed yourself, and if they don't work, you'll need to repair or replace your DVD player.

Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com

Did You Know...

Did you know that some DVD players can't read certain types of recordable DVDs? Read the article "Understanding the Different Types of Recordable DVDs" to learn more about the different types of recordable DVDs in the market.

Store bought DVD movies can come in full or widescreen editions. If you're not too sure which one of these types is for you, check out the articles "How various DVD aspect ratios will appear on your TV screen" and "Should I purchase a 'Full Screen' or 'Widescreen' DVD?"

While you're at it...

Do you own a widescreen TV? If you're playing around with your DVD player, check your display setup to be sure you're getting the most from your player. Read more about it in the article "How To Configure Your DVD Player For a Widescreen TV"

Learn More About This Player

Can't find your original manual for your Toshiba DVD Player? Check Toshiba's DVD Owner's Manual Page to see if yours is listed for download.

Check out the archived product page for the SD-K620.