Help: Philips DVDR3305-05 will freeze image 1 hr after playing a movie!

[ennebierre]

Hello,

I just wanted to share a strange and annoying problem I am finding with my Philips DVDR3305-05, appreciating that it is an old type and I should maybe get rid of it by now

After playing a DVD for roughly 1 hour (either a rented DVD or one I burnt myself), the image and sound will freeze and the movie will play very very slowly, showing pixelation and rubbish. Things won't move if you try to fast forward or rewind. If you eject the DVD and re-insert it, the problem will still be there, at the same minute and trace as when the previous freezing state was.

I also tried to insert the disc into another DVD player (a Samsung one) and the problem still persist on the same minute and trace, as if something physical actually happened to the DVD itself, suggesting it is not the laser inside the DVD player/recorder causing the problem.

The only 2 ways to get out of this mess is to insert the DVD into my laptop and play it in there or insert the DVD in a very basic DVD player, very very noisy and cheap but which will play everything.

Anyone with the same problem or who has got a clue of why all this is happening?

It really seems to happen with a lot of DVDs, you are in the middle of a movie and after 1 hour everything goes wrong and the experience of the movie fades!

I thought in the first instance it could be something related to over heating of the DVD recorder or DVD itself, but that would not explain why the same problem happens in the Samsung DVD player, just switched on and then at room temperature...

I wonder whether it is the type of DVD I am using (Tesco ones) which are maybe prone to this problem? But that would not explain why I have the same problem with DVDs I rent.

 

[tinytim]

If it was only on home made DVDs then it would be the quality of the media (Tesco's) or the burner in your laptop.

However, I would recommend dumping those Tesco's DVDs anyway & use a quality product like Verbatim. These will be suited to most burners and are very reliable.

As for your DVD player, has it always been like this or is it a recent occurrence?

It would seem likely that it's on it's way out. Maybe a DVD lense cleaner might help.

 

[ennebierre]

This thing happened in the past, but more rarely than now. Recently it has been really bad, happening more and more often.

I will try the DVD lense cleaner plus use more reliable DVDs next times.

This happened also on rented DVDs, though, but I assume I can get different quality of DVDs from the same rental company...

 

[ennebierre]

Just an update on this matter.

I have tried to clean the lens with a DVD lens cleaner but the problem still remains.

I have tried to play the DVD on the day after this problem happens, also fast forwarding and starting from where the image freeze happens, and the movie is ok! I could not see if the problem would be there again after ~ 1 hr since the movie was not 2hr long.

So I am starting to think that it could be something maybe related to the overheating of the DVDrecorder? Something having to do with the lens itself that gets in after getting hot after 1 hour of playing?

This, though, would not explain why the problem then persists if I change to another DVD player (the Samsung one) after the image freezing happens. As if the Philips DVD player would also change something on the disk temporarily.

I do not know. Maybe the Philips DVD player is getting old, but I spent ~200£ ~2 years ago for it and would expect it to last a bit longer than 2 years for thar price!

 

[TEEZR]

I had the same issue with a samsung, but older than 2 years...

It started to freeze at layer change and it doesn't even load the DVDs. Well it loads 5% of the DVD's.

When it loads, it works beautifully, whenever I load the same DVD. When I try to load another one, it simply refuses every time...

I'm using still a PS2 instead...

Also tried the DVD lens cleaner with no luck. Will try to open the machine a clean it by hand with a cloth.

But as far as I see, you and I will have to look for a player... sorry, mate

I suspect a new player will be cheaper than to send it to servicing...

PS: all DVDs are originals, from the Videoclub... I even asked if they had changed their supplier (hoping to infer if there might be some less than legit copies involved) but the reply was negative.

 

[Chris Muriel]

I wouldn't be at all surprised to find it was caused by dried out / bulging electrolytic capacitors in the power supply.
This is a common failing of modern consumer electronics.

Chris Muriel,
Manchester

 

[ennebierre]

Do you think it might be possible to try and fix it by myself by removing the capacitor in the power supply and change it to a newer one? Or is it just wasted time?

I just refuse to think a piece of "good" consumer electronics (at 2 years ago when I bought it) will stop working in 2 years! Again I have other brands like Nikkei etc which I think would survive an earthquake!

This problem is very very annoying, since lately I am forced to watch a movie split up into 2 nights, which just wrecks the whole movie watching experience!

 

[Chris Muriel]

If you can spot any that are bulging then change them.
Difficult to test the rest without an ESR tester.
Or, like you suggest, you could try changing all the obvious electrolytics.
Try to find replacements with a higher temperature rating than the originals - should be marked on the case, e.g. "85" for 85ºC rated (replace that with a "105").
Ensure correct polarity is observed and that any replacements will physically fit.

Chris Muriel, Manchester

 

[IanTHarvey]

The key fact here, as I understand it, is that once the DVD has failed in one machine, it then fails at the same point in another. The only explanation I can think of is that the Philips is damaging the disc, maybe scoring it slightly to the point where it won't play reliably in other machines. The evidence to go hunting around for broken capacitors seems a bit spurious, I'd concentrate on the discs.

 

[Chris Muriel]

I missed the point about the same disc, once freezing at a particular spot, also freezing on another player; based on that, I would agree with Ian T.

Chris Muriel, Manchester (must improve my speed reading).

 

[ennebierre]

I missed the point about the same disc, once freezing at a particular spot, also freezing on another player; based on that, I would agree with Ian T.

Chris Muriel, Manchester (must improve my speed reading).

But why then if I re-insert the DVD say after 24 hours, fast forward to exactly the same trace where the freezing happened before, the DVD seems to be OK???

Again, it seems as if the DVD recorder "changes" temporarily something on the DVD itself, but this change then goes away in time

 

[ennebierre]

If you can spot any that are bulging then change them.
Difficult to test the rest without an ESR tester.
Or, like you suggest, you could try changing all the obvious electrolytics.
Try to find replacements with a higher temperature rating than the originals - should be marked on the case, e.g. "85" for 85ºC rated (replace that with a "105").
Ensure correct polarity is observed and that any replacements will physically fit.

Chris Muriel, Manchester

I have btw downloaded the service manual with board schematics etc.. I saw there are some flow charts about things to do as troubleshooting on the boards themselves. Might have a look and see if there is something there which relates vaguely to my problem... Will let you know!