Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: DVD player problem. Sony.

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 11-08-2003, 07:34 AM:

I recently aquired a Sony DVP-S560D player. I received it after I found that the laser had died and the owner didn't want to repair it. It matches my system, so I decided to do the repairs.

I purchased a new laser assembly which included the platter motor, etc, and installed it. It worked!

I have a couple of discs that will not play on this DVD, but will play on all others. When it doesent play the disc, I get a CODE 13 on the display. Any ideas from the best techs on the net?

Almost forgot: I got into the set-up mode and defaulted all the factory settings for laser adjustments, then had the unit adjust itself to a CD, single layer DVD, then, a double layer DVD. This cured the problems with 98% of the issues with the machine.

I do not want to trash this unit. It is in mint condition. Any suggestions?

Bruce

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 11-08-2003, 03:33 PM:

Code 13 Refers to its ability to play RCE disks. I am not sure why it is displaying this. What disks are they?

Dave

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 11-08-2003, 03:44 PM:

My Sony displays C13:00:00 all the time. Sometimes ejecting and reinserting the disc fixes it, mostly it doesn't. Glass mastered discs or DVD-R doesn't matter. Sometimes the discs are scratched, but sometimes it happens on brand new discs. I figured the player unit was going out, because it's been making funny noises since two moves ago.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 11-08-2003, 06:47 PM:

It messes up on a worn disc of "Ice Age." I have a total of 4 machines around the house that will play this disc perfectly everytime.

The code 13 is the only code that comes up now.

Tonight, I am running a severely scratched disc as I write. It has not skipped even once. Odd?

Is it posessed?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-08-2003, 11:37 PM:

Bruce, what year did you buy your Sony DVD player? I'm trying to remember if the S560D is one of those 1999 models affected by some bad quirks. I replaced my first DVD player, a Sony S530D single disc player, with the 5-disc Pioneer machine I now use.

My old S530D had a number of problems that became apparent around the 1 year mark after buying the player (and conveniently when it fell out of warranty). While playing some discs the player would lose audio synch with the video and even start popping in and out of silence. Eventually the player would freeze up. Certain dual layer DVDs would not even switch to the 2nd layer. For example, Criterion's 2-disc edition of "The Rock" would always hang at the layer change. And when I mean hang it would totally hang. The only way you could reset it was by pulling the power plug out of the socket!

Sony gave me ZERO help on the situation, even though it was a known design flaw of the player and 100% all their fault. Instead of paying Sony a couple hundred bucks to fix THEIR problem, I took my business to Pioneer instead. I will never buy another Sony DVD player again. In fact I'll avoid any of their electronics products if I can.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 11-09-2003, 09:07 AM:

Bobby.

This is not the first time that I have heard about hardware issues with Sony DVD units.

If you have read all my other rants down thru time about my Sony audio equipment, and VCR's, you know that I will never knowingly buy new Sony again.

AMP: Got a parts amp off the net. Working OK now.
VCR: Shows channel on screen when it feels like it.
CASSETTE: Left deck is jammed. Ate the tape
DVD: ????

I'm still fishing around for a new amp. We discussed Denon here, and I like them.

I dont bother calling Sony anymore. They dont seem to really care. After all, they already got the money for the units.

PS: The guy that gave me the unit said he got it in 2000.

BTW: since I dont have the manual for this, anybody know what the DVE button on the unit/remote does? I've got it set at off.

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 11-09-2003, 01:34 PM:

If this is a first or second generation dvd player, they were not very good at every disk, regardless of condition. Quite often the lazer was so finely tuned to a very strict set of guidlines. Now the dvd players are more vaguely tuned and more powerful to allow for all sorts of variables.

You said you replaced the lazer unit, was it new or stock for this model?

Dave

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 11-09-2003, 07:23 PM:

Dave:

Brand new in the box. Even got to unsolder the "shipping bead" that grounded the laser. Observed all static issues in handling, too.

Didn't really think about the age issue.

UPDATE: Now ICE AGE is the only disc that it won't play. All of the other machines here are newer than this one.

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 11-14-2003, 09:30 PM:

quote:
If you have read all my other rants down thru time about my Sony audio equipment, and VCR's, you know that I will never knowingly buy new Sony again.

I've got an 18-year-old Sony TV that still works perfectly. I believe it was the last high-end Sony set (with audio/video inputs) developed before the advent of the XBR series. It's been repaired once - there was a slight crack in the power supply board that caused it to shut off by itself in hot weather. At the time that was fixed, they also adjusted the convergence. I think it still looks better than any reasonably priced TV I've seen demonstrated at retail. In fact, most sets today, especially the high-end sets, look great when playing a DVD, but look like crap when they're playing regular broadcast TV, probably because of the digital processing they apply to the picture.

On the other hand, I bought my daughter a Sony camcorder some years ago that was the top of the single-gun line and after hardly being used, it died. I had it fixed and it died again. And a pre-Sony AIWA walkman didn't do so well either. I've also had a high-end Denon CD player in which all of the logic circuitry failed. And I had an $600 Mitsubishi VCR in which the power supply failed, but it was at least six years old and not worth fixing. It really bugs me when the high-end stuff fails...I can understand when a $70 VCR fails.

The most reliable stuff I have is an Apt-Holman preamp and a Crown power amp. Those have both been in use almost daily for over 20 years without a problem. And I've got an old Kenwood turntable with a stone base that works as well today as the day it came out of the box.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-14-2003, 10:16 PM:

Perhaps that Kenwood turntable was made at a time when there was still some American electronics companies left for the Japanese to put out of business. [Big Grin]

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 11-15-2003, 07:49 AM:

Martin

I'm with you here. I have 2 Sony Trinitrons. One from 1990 and the other from 1993. The 1993 set has failed 3 times due to very poor soldering by the manufacturer. The 1990 set chassis was dropped during a service job (not by me) and was slated to go to the dumpster. I spent the better part of a full day bridging the cracks that radiated out from the flyback transformer in all directions. Got it back together and found an IC on the power supply board had failed due to heat. When I installed the new one, I added a small 220v fan that runs at 110v. It blows air over the heat sinks on the PS board. Works great. As for the fan, I cant hear it running over the blare of insurance commercials that run on local TV constantly.

BTW: The IC was a Sony-only item when I got it. Paid them $36 and shipping for it. Last summer, I found the same part in a catalog for $3. Bought 2 for stock.

The '93 model is getting ready to do something again. I've noticed the width of the pix will change from time to time.

But BOTH of these sets have an excellent image. I have only tweaked the convergence maybe once on each of them in all these years. The 1990 set has 'aging circuitry' on the kine, and I have never touched the 'grey scale' adjustments. They both run several hours a day.

A pal in Atlanta has a 1972 17" Trinitron that has never seen any service of any kind. Looks decent, too.

Posted by Duncan Smith (Member # 1556) on 11-25-2003, 01:07 PM:

Hey Bruce,

I've got an old Sony DVD player from 1998. It's a DVPS-725 I think. According to others I've used the DVE button is digital noise reduction, you're right to turn it off, has some nasty effects on the picture with no plus points I can see. I've also seen the code 13 thing too, according to my manual it means dirty disc but it also does it on dvd-r discs too..? My one doesn't have problems with RCE discs but it does have a multi region chip from a reputable company and a firmware upgrade to rectify old sync problems that plagued the design when it came out.

I am now faced with the problem of unsteady blues coming from the component output into my projector. Might be time to upgrade!

BTW, I recently bought a new DD/DTS amp, pioneer, VSX-2011, very nice it is too. Does all domestic sound formats except the new Dolby prologic2x (will do prologic 2 tho). I recommend it if it's available in the US.

ALl the best, Duncan.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 11-25-2003, 07:17 PM:

Thanks for the reply, Duncan!

I had a feeling about the button...

I've had no issues with the DVD since my last post. ICE AGE is the only non-player.

I think it will be a good machine for me.

PS: The guy that gave the DVD player to me is glad that I had to spend money to get it fixed. Too many times he has given me some piece of equipment that I got working in no time at all!