Should I expect more from LG after 3 years use???

Smiffy 2

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I am sorry if this is posted in the wrong thread but I am at a loss what to do here.
I purchased a top of the range LG blu ray home theater system just on 3 years ago. Up until about 8 months ago it was working perfectly and I would have recommended it to anyone.
Then I noticed that one disc that I had purchased and was watching for the 1st time froze at a certain point during playback. I took the disc out, made sure it was clean (it should have been it was brand new!) and played it again. Stopped at exactly the same point. I then put the disk in my ps3 which played it perfectly and thought no more of it.
A few months later the same thing happened with another new disc. I did exactly the same thing again (with the ps3) and again it played without a hitch. Thought it was a bit strange, but carried on using the LG system because all of my other blu rays had played perfectly well (and still do to this day).
Things came to a head just after Christmas when my wife bought me the new Sweeny blu ray as a present, along with The Bourne Legacy. The Bourne Legacy played perfectly. No problems. But the Sweeney disc froze about 30 seconds into chapter 19. Here we go again!! We tried it 2 or 3 times and every time it froze at the same point as the first. My wife took the disc back to the shop and changed it for another copy. Put it in the player and at exactly the same point, this one froze as well. I immediately contacted LG customer support who suggested it was a firmware issue and advised me to download the lastest update, which I did. Put the Sweeney back in, expecting it to play, but no...at exactly the same point in the film (30 seconds into chapter 19) it froze again.
On to LG again to say that the update hadn't made any difference, they now suggest it might be an "optical drive fault". I then commented that if it was an optical drive fault, how come the other discs I have in my collection (about 60 or more) play perfectly well but it's only these few that give a problem and the guy couldn't give me an answer, stating that I was right, it wasn't an optical drive fault.
My wife had also pre-ordered the new Skyfall blu ray for me for my birthday which arrived earlier this week. Great. But would it play properly???? Nope! Put it in the player and I get a warning that my machine needs a software update to play the disc. BUT THERE IS NO LATER SOFTWARE UPDATE AVAILABLE THAN THE ONE I HAVE GOT!!
Now LG are saying that it was most probably a US region A disc I was trying to play. Not true! It's a pukka copy purchased from Tesco!
They are now saying it's most probably a firmware issue but have no plans to introduce a newer firmware for my player but "may do" at some future point in time!
So I am left with a very expensive LG home theater system that won't play certain discs until LG decide to update their firmware and may not do at all!
I know I have had the system for 3 years, but as I say...it was their most expensive system at the time costing around £600.00. Should I expect more than 3 years use out of it???
I'm sorry for the rambling post, but I am beginning to get very annoyed at LG's stance.
Rob
 
Try turning off any network or BD Live features, and try spinning your problem discs again. We've seen this type of thing before with a few Sony BDPs. As for Skyfall, you'll have to wait I'm afraid.

Welcome to the nasty side of Blu-ray!
 
Try turning off any network or BD Live features, and try spinning your problem discs again. We've seen this type of thing before with a few Sony BDPs. As for Skyfall, you'll have to wait I'm afraid.

Welcome to the nasty side of Blu-ray!

Thanks for the reply Chester. Network and BD features are turned off. The only time I have gone online with the unit was via Ethernet cable to look for a software update as per LG's recommendation (which it didn't find by the way).
The system doesn't have wi-fi capabilities so this part of it is never used.
I am just annoyed that LG have no plans to introduce a firmware update for this player so it makes the whole thing pretty redundant doesn't it???
 
You're highlighting the main reason why I wouldn't invest in a fully integrated solution. When you hit an issue, it's practically throw the whole thing away and start again.

Just double check that it's really turned off for me would you? Just because it's disconnected doesn't mean it's off, and with the Sony BDPs, disconnecting and leaving these facilities on caused problems. If it's off, perhaps it's time to invest in a stand-alone BDP, if you've got enough inputs to accommodate it.
 
You're highlighting the main reason why I wouldn't invest in a fully integrated solution. When you hit an issue, it's practically throw the whole thing away and start again.

Just double check that it's really turned off for me would you? Just because it's disconnected doesn't mean it's off, and with the Sony BDPs, disconnecting and leaving these facilities on caused problems. If it's off, perhaps it's time to invest in a stand-alone BDP, if you've got enough inputs to accommodate it.

Just checked Chester. Both are definitely "off" in the menu systems.
Appreciate what you are saying about all in ones. I did have seperates before but my wife hated the look of them and the multitude of remotes (I did try a Harmony all in one before but that was a bit haphazard in use, so we gave up on it).
I've got the inputs to get a stand alone player.....but not the room on the very (very) miniscule rack that we have.
 
I sometimes wonder if our other halves know how much of a limiting factor WAF is, and how high up the priority list it is as we love them so much. Wouldn't life be so much easier if... no, mustn't go there, I'll get into trouble!

What a dilemma. Having said that, have you seen the high of some BDPs these days? Some are barely 3/4" tall! There's been many an AVR with 'size 0' dimensions in the past too. I understand the hatred of multiple remotes, but as a Harmony user over many years (currently have a 900), I believe there is a way forward.

But first, persevere and see if LG do come up with some newer firmware to fix your issue. At least you have a work-around with your PS3 and there's no outlay.
 

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