Panasonic DVD-S25 won't play DVD

[Rich]

Hi All,

This multiformat DVD,CD Audio, SVCD, etc format, plays all formats
except the proper DVD.

When DVD disk is inserted, it keeps searching and returns noPLAY.
Tried several DVD's to make sure.
Tried a VCD and worked fine. Audio CD's play fine too.

The unit is still under Panasonic parts warranty, but the labor may be
more than the cost of new unit.

Anyone seen this happen?

Regards,

Rich

 

[b]

Hi All,

This multiformat DVD,CD Audio, SVCD, etc format, plays all formats
except the proper DVD.

When DVD disk is inserted, it keeps searching and returns noPLAY.(snip)

Have you tried opening the unit and cleaning the lens (gently) with a
q tip and pure alcohol? this solves 99 percent of read errors......
Ben

 

[Rich]

----- Original Message -----

noPLAY.(snip)

Have you tried opening the unit and cleaning the lens (gently) with a
q tip and pure alcohol? this solves 99 percent of read errors......
Ben

Thanks Ben,

Yes, have done that rightaway, but made no diff. The unit has seen
very little use - at most a dozen DVD have been played on it.

Rich

 

[Mark D. Zacharias]

Have you tried opening the unit and cleaning the lens (gently) with a
q tip and pure alcohol? this solves 99 percent of read errors......
Ben

BULLSHIT. I've been doing this professionally for many years and while
cleaning does often help with cd players, it's MUCH more rare for it to help
on DVD players. The pickups die like flies on dvd's, and that is likely the
OP's problem.

Mark Z.

 

[Rich]

Hi Mark,

BULLSHIT. I've been doing this professionally for many years and while
cleaning does often help with cd players, it's MUCH more rare for it to help
on DVD players. The pickups die like flies on dvd's, and that is likely the
OP's problem.

If the pickup died, would that not keep any format from playing? In
my case CD's do play fine.

Rich

 

[b]

BULLSHIT. I've been doing this professionally for many years and while
cleaning does often help with cd players, it's MUCH more rare for it to help
on DVD players. The pickups die like flies on dvd's, and that is likely the
OP's problem.

Mark Z.

Bullshit? maybe to you.
In my experience the vast majority of dvds rejecting discs etc can be
repaired through careful cleaning. I've seen only a handful of bad
pickups over the years. So I disagree - it isn't as rare for it to
work as you make out.

So I stand by what I suggested to the OP - It is perfectly possible
that his pickup failed, but what's wrong with cleaning first? Or I
suppose you would immediately replace the pickup, and blow the
expense?

B

 

[Mark D. Zacharias]

Hi Mark,



If the pickup died, would that not keep any format from playing? In
my case CD's do play fine.

Not at all. It's quite common to fail on DVD's and still play CD's. A shame
pickup parts prices are so high while replacement of entire units so low.
Makes go / no-go repair decisions problematical.

Mark Z.

 

[Mark D. Zacharias]

Bullshit? maybe to you.
In my experience the vast majority of dvds rejecting discs etc can be
repaired through careful cleaning. I've seen only a handful of bad
pickups over the years. So I disagree - it isn't as rare for it to
work as you make out.

So I stand by what I suggested to the OP - It is perfectly possible
that his pickup failed, but what's wrong with cleaning first? Or I
suppose you would immediately replace the pickup, and blow the
expense?

B

Definitely my experience with Sony, Pioneer, Onkyo, Denon, Panasonic,
Yamaha, etc. Glad your experience has been more positive. Sorry I was so
bitchy.

Mark Z.

 

[b]

Definitely my experience with Sony, Pioneer, Onkyo, Denon, Panasonic,
Yamaha, etc. Glad your experience has been more positive. Sorry I was so
bitchy.
Mark Z.

No worries Mark
Ben

 

[t.hoehler]

Add Apex to that list. My cheapie Apex player developed thermal problems
about a year ago, it would play fine for about an hour, then it would lock
up or start mistracking. I punched a two inch hole in the top and put a
cooling fan in, tapped into the +5 rail to run it. Now it plays on and on.
Kludgey fix, but it works.
Regards,
Tom

 

[jakdedert]

Hi All,

This multiformat DVD,CD Audio, SVCD, etc format, plays all formats
except the proper DVD.

When DVD disk is inserted, it keeps searching and returns noPLAY.
Tried several DVD's to make sure.
Tried a VCD and worked fine. Audio CD's play fine too.

The unit is still under Panasonic parts warranty, but the labor may be
more than the cost of new unit.

Anyone seen this happen?

I had the opposite problem on a Magnovox unit. It was intermittant for
about six months before it quit playing CD's, but continued to play DVD's
normally. Eventually even that failed.

Turned out to be (I think) poorly seated ribbon cables...or cleaning. I
don't know which, because I did both operations at one sitting...opened it
up and reseated every ribbon I could find, in addition to cleaning the
lense. Over a year now...no problems whatsoever. Given the intermittant
nature of the symptoms--and the complete alleviation thereof--I lean more
toward the cables being the source; since the environment has not changed at
all.

I also have a very old Magnovox full-sized VHS camcorder (bought used, over
ten years ago) which fails entirely every two or three years. The same
treatment has always restored it's full functionality, although it's in need
of attention again....

jak

 

[Wayne Tiffany]

So what's the fix for the camcorder?

WT

 

[jakdedert]

So what's the fix for the camcorder?

Same as the DVD: remove and reseat all the ribbons. I thought I made that
clear....?

I guess not.

jak

 

[Wayne Tiffany]

Oh, sorry. I read it as the same thing you do to the camcorder each time
fixes it, not that the same thing you do to the DVD player fixes the
camcorder. Thanks.

WT

 

[jakdedert]

Oh, sorry. I read it as the same thing you do to the camcorder each
time fixes it, not that the same thing you do to the DVD player fixes
the camcorder. Thanks.

Do you have a dead one? In my case it was desparation. I wasn't gonna
spend any money on the old relic, but the kids use it occasionally; and it's
nice to be able to pop a tape out of it which works immediately in anyone's
VCR. We had an important annual family party that particular night, and the
wife really wanted a record of it...so I pulled the myriad of screws that
hold it together and looked for obvious flaws.

Seeing none, I decided to go ahead and perform the process of reseating
everything (just in case) and voila': functional machine...few years later
it died again, I went through the same process (this time I cleaned the tape
path as well--being fairly confident that it would work), and again
everything worked fine.

It needs it again....

jak

 

[Ken G.]

Never use alcohol to clean anything.

I work on alot of new DVD players ( store returns ) of all kinds and
maybe 1% work after a lens cleaning .

Having so many on hand i try switching lazor assemblies and that normaly
fixes the problem .. other times its the driver board

 

[Rich]

I work on alot of new DVD players ( store returns ) of all kinds and
maybe 1% work after a lens cleaning .

Having so many on hand i try switching lazor assemblies and that normaly
fixes the problem .. other times its the driver board

Sounds like contacts on the laser assy plug get some film on them.
Switching them around just rubs off the oxide.

I have never removed the laser assy (not a tech), but don't you have
to align them in any way? I'd be tempted to just pull it out and put
it back in, if that's possible. I'm the OP in this thread.

Regards,

Rich

 

[Mark D. Zacharias]

Sounds like contacts on the laser assy plug get some film on them.
Switching them around just rubs off the oxide.

I have never removed the laser assy (not a tech), but don't you have
to align them in any way? I'd be tempted to just pull it out and put
it back in, if that's possible. I'm the OP in this thread.

Regards,

Rich

If one is just swapping, then normally you'd swap the entire, pre-aligned
mech. Additionally, some newer DVD player have all or mostly software
adjustments, even auto-adjustments.

Mark Z.

 

[hungcd]

Hello
Try this:
-Initialize the player .Method : press and hold PAUSE SKIP/SEARCH<<
OPEN/CLOSE buttons on the player
-check the laserdrive current .Method:with no disc in the player,press
DISPLAY button on the remote control while pressing PAUSE and
OPEN/CLOSE buttons on the player.If the value is more than 70 (mA)
,replace the optical pickup
I've meet many cases with this problem and after initialize ,80%
work ok,about 20 % require Optical Pickup replace.I thinh this is a
software fault problem !?
Hope this helps.

Vo Hung from Vietnam

 

[Bradley26]

You all may know this, but I found that a video camera, like the small PC
camera can see the laser beam very well, when the laser appears off by eye.