Cool Kitten

i have a Sony DVP-S565D, and when i play the movie the pic freezes and it stops playing and won't start. Usually happens towards the end of the movie. DVDs are all good.
I can't figure out what's wrong with the player- can it overheat?

palebluedot

Does it happen on all movies or just a couple. Also does it happen only on dual-layer disks? I had a player that had a problem reading dual layer disks towards the end of a movie because the laser pickup would stick when it was going in reverse.

You can tell a dual layer disk by the gold color.

Cool Kitten

happens on all discs, and always towards the end of the first movie i watch.
Doesn't happen every time i watch a movie, but once it starts, you can put any disc in it and it'll just keep on freezing.

palebluedot

Hmmm...sounds like the laser pickup is either having a problem moving or focus. But it could also be something entirely different.

How old is the player...warranty?

If you are handy enough you could take the cover off and blow everything out with some compressed air(in a can). That's how I fixed my DVD player that was sticking.

Cool Kitten

it's a little over a year old- no warranty of course
I have a can of air spray at work, i can try taking the damn_thing apart but i'm not sure i can put it back together

palebluedot

Taking the cover off should be no problem at all...just a few screws.

Mr. Salty

Since your warranty has expired, you might as well try an auto alignment first. It can't hurt anything and is easy enough to do.

I need to dig out the sequence of keystrokes you need to do with your remote control to access the player's service menu. Once you're in the service menu, the player pretty well walks you through the procedure. You need to have a dual-layer DVD, a single-layer DVD and a CD handy.

I'll post back here with instructions on how to get into the service menu as soon as I find them.

Mr. Salty

OK, here's how to get into the service menu of your DVD player:

Have your TV turned on and set to the input you use for the DVD player. Have the DVD player turned off (i.e. in standby mode).

On the DVD player remote, press TITLE, CLEAR, POWER, in that order, and within a second of each other. The player will come on in the service mode. The on-screen menu is easy to navigate.

Mr. Salty

Here are detailed instructions for how to run the auto alignment. Note the instruction not to mess with other items in the service menu, particularly the Syscon Diagnosis feature:

The calibration process requires that you have a working player, but you may be experiencing laser failure. Dual- and single-layer DVDs as well as audio CDs are used to adjust track access, layer change, jitter, skew etc. If a player refuses to recognize any discs, it cannot be calibrated. However, there is a chance that the player may recognize the disks during the calibration procedure. You probably don't have anything to lose by trying.

Here is the procedure:

Most Sony models have the ability to automatically calibrate the playback functions of DVDs and CDs. Typically, disk calibration is done only after many hours of operation, or if there are problems changing layers and/or accessing chapters or if the unit has been bumped hard enough to knock it out whack, but not hard enough to damage it. Should the unit develop playback problems, the disk calibration procedure may save a trip to a service facility. If you are willing to accept any risks which may be involved in executing this procedure, the instructions follow.

Before you start, have ready at least two dual layer DVDs and two single layer DVDs. (Dual layer DVDs usually have a gold color playing surface and single layer DVDs are silver.) You can also run the audio CD calibration if you want. The reason that I recommend having two of each type is that the player might produce an error message on one of the discs due to some miniscule imperfection and you will have another to fall back on.

Before performing any disc calibration procedures, allow the unit to warm up completely by playing a disc for at least half an hour. Then, make sure that the DVD player is turned OFF and in the standby mode. You will be concerned only with items 1, 4, 5 and maybe 6. To escape from all test modes, press the Return key.

To enter the test mode, press Title, Clear, and Power on the remote. This will produce the following menu:

Test Mode Menu

0. Syscon Diagnosis (For technicians only)
1. Drive Auto Adjustment (Automatically calibrates DVDs and CDs)
2. Drive Manual Operation (Prompts before each adjustment)
3. Mecha Aging (Gives technicians auto repeat mode for testing)
4. Emergency History (Shows the number of hours on your machine)
5. Version Information (Shows filmware version)
6. Video Level Adjustment. (Test pattern)

Exit: POWER Key.

Press #1 on the remote and the following menu will appear:

## Drive Auto Adjustment ##

0. All
1. DVD-SL
2. CD
3. DVD-DL
4. SACD

Exit: RETURN

Press #1 on the remote and insert a Single Layer DVD when the drawer opens. Press the ENTER key and the machine will begin to calibrate all of the playback features.

***IMPORTANT***: Press ENTER whenever onscreen prompts ask for permission to proceed with a test.

When calibration is completed, follow the onscreen instructions to return to the above menu.

When the Drive Auto Adjustment menu returns, press #3 on the remote and insert a Dual Layer DVD when the drawer opens. Follow the instructions as noted above. When calibration is completed, follow the onscreen instructions to exit from the Test Mode.

Now you can turn the player back on and try your dual layer discs and see if the layer change has improved.

bubbajack

Hey is it a good idea for everyone to do that alignment thing yearly or something? Do you know how I can find the instructions for aligning a Panasonic DVD-A115?

Cowboy

dchamness

I posted a thread about my new KLH that won't load. Could this be from getting knocked out of alignment? Does KLH have an alignment procedure like the Sony?