otis71

Hi i'm new here and i'm hoping someone can help me...i bought a standalone Toshiba dvd player last year and only occasionally used it...but it worked fine...played dvd's and vcd's without incident ...then one day i put in a disc i had watched before (a storebought dvd) and half through it it froze...since then EVERY disc i put in spend a long time "loading' then eventually it says 'incorrect disc'...this happenes on every disc!...dvd, audio cd, vcd...all of them...nothing works, it always says "incorrect disc"...i haven't been able to use it for anything since...unfortunately i can't find the receipt for the bloody thing...has anyone had this problem?...thanks for any input/help - Otis

lxl

Most likely the player is broken

Mr. Salty

I doubt it.

otis71

hmm what a drag, if it is just simply broken...i wonder why...it was never moved around, was used very little, was bought brand new...just stopped working...so you don't think it could be something as simple as the aforementioned "dirty lens"?...i might add that since it first happened, i left it alone for a month then it did manage to play half a dvd before stopping...but ever since then it has always said "incorrect disc" with every disc.

Mr. Salty

I don't know what "poll" you're talking about, but this is bad advice without knowing what the OP's needs are. The battle between HD-DVD and BD is far from over. In the meantime, prices will only fall in the future, while the players will get better. If Otis doesn't have an HDTV and doesn't plan on getting one for a while, he'd be better off waiting a year or so. In the meantime, a cheap DVD player will suffice.

jonw9

I don't know what your needs are, but I saw on BBs website that a decent upconverting player can be had for under $100. I have a Sony progressive player that has worked fine for 4+ years I may replace just for the upconversion.

otis71

my needs are largely regarding playability...mp3 cdrs...vcd's...dvd...and reg. audio cds...also i need to be able to play international formats, specifically PAL and NCTS (or whatever it is called)..i live in north america but download stuff from europe/u.k. too.

what would be nice, being as how i now have a dual layer dvd burner...is to have it be able to play them on the standalone and also be able to play the music from dvd data discs (but this is not nessecary as i believe those are more expensive)...the main thing right now is price...i have an old t.v....a piece of shite really...so i don't need some super hi definiton player...i'm more about being able to play my home discs and of course rented/store bought ones..also i don't want it to to break down on it's own like this one for no good reason (i think i will stay away from Toshiba this time around).

with that in mind i am open to suggestions...i was thinking of getting a Sony...but really know little about it other than the Toshiba which should be still working fine crapped out after just a few spins. thanks.

Mr. Salty

Sony's players are not easily convertible to multi-region and PAL-compatible.

otis71

can someone suggest a player that is "multi regional" (i guess that's the term)...are they uncommon?...do they come as multi regional already or must one convert them?...if so is it diffcult or can one do it themself with a special disc or something?...also are dual layer players more expensive?...thanx for the help i am completely new to dvd's...but now that i have a cheapy dual layer dvd burner in my p.c., i desperately want a standalone player, (so my friends needn't cram around my p.c. screen), that will play my discs....thanx for all your input!

Spiky

You could look into the many threads in the International forum. That is really the main forum for multi-region discussion.

The Oppo players are very popular as a good player for a bit more money. Many have preferred the cheap Philips players for the price and compatibility with many video codecs, although the picture quality is subpar. Many other players are available, too. I have/had multi-region players from Denon, Malata, JVC, Philips, GoVideo. Panasonic, Sony and Pioneer are tough to find in multi-region, so you are probably looking for something else.

Mr. Salty

All DVD players are dual-layer players and always have been.

Generally, you change region code with your DVD player's remote. There will be a particular string of keys you hit to access the player's service menu, then you change it in there. This is specific to each player, so just poke around and ask questions in the International Forum.

otis71

thanx

ernestrp

This Poll:

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=487856

Sorry for all the bad advive about the disc cleaner or HD-Dvd. I have no future plans to buy a new player at this time but if I need a new player I would atleast look at what is current but price would be a factor in my decision.

My vote went to Plan to Buy Both so I could see what the results were.

emoxley

Try this..................
In your owner's manual, it should tell you how to reset it to factory settings. Usually a matter of holding down two buttons, at the same time. If it works, you need to go through the setup again (turn DTS on, etc.)

You might also want to check with Toshiba, and see if there have a newer firmware version, for your player.
Good luck!

Spiky

That's true for stamped discs, and most of them are DL since around 2000. But I think some players have had issues with DL burned discs, which was the original question. You won't find this data in the specs, though. Best to go on anecdotal evidence. Most should work fine, but there's always some...

otis71

someone has offered to sell me a "Citech T201 dvd player"...it's still in the box taped and suposedly new, (this is a work aquaintace of my wife)...he said 60 (canadian) although i might get him down to 50...problem is i know nothing of this brand (i think it's affilated with Citizen or is Citizen), i do know it's a cheapy...but it says on the box it plays cdrs and mp3's etc....it's not the long slim kind as the box was almost square...and i couldn't really find any info on it on the web...can someone give me some advice?...it is cheap and reportedly brand new...but will i probably regret it 3 months down the road?...hmmm...it also might have said (i don't have it here) "portable" on the box but i could be mistaken...however if it is "portable" will that work normally on my t.v.?...again i'm not certain it is but just in case.
p.s. i must admit the cheap aspect is appealing after xmas and rent today ...but would love some feed back first...thanks