Topic: "Unsupport Format" error... busted player or just dirty lens?

[LEXing LUTHOR]

Hi all,

  lately ive been getting some disc errors on my generic player (di sikat ang brand.. Kingsonic) Namimili sya ng divx file to play.. what it used to play before, di na nya maplay now . Sometimes in a disc with 20 files, about 2 to 6 will show this error..

   I tried claning with a dvd lens cleaner, pero ganun pa rin. Actually sometimes when i try again, naplaplay na nya uli yung ibang files..

  Question sa mga hardware experts... sira na ba ang player, or can it still be cleaned/ fixed? If its just simple cleaning sa service center that will cost 200 to 300 pesos, then pagawa ko pa.. pero if more than 500 e bibili na lang ako ng bago, 1,000 na lang ngayon mga dvd players e... :-)

 The thing is I already have 4 dvd players in the house... 2 (including this one) is namimili na nga and  1 cant play divx... if i buy another 1 e 5 na players ko... hehe 

even if its busted and irreperable, sayang naman itago or itapon, can still probably play certain dvds, vcds, play FM radio, play games, and play divx using the USB reader...

[av_phile1]

This can be traced to a lens focus or misalignment problem. But based on experience this normally happens after a few years of use, not mere months.  An "unsupported format" or "no disc" message on your player's display means the lens could not properly read the disc header information at the inner tracks and hence, would not know how to id the disc. If the message is displayed while the disc is playing, it means the track location could not be found either due to disc damage or incomplete information retrieved at the inner tracks.   The lens assembly may have developed obstruction on its glide path to read the inner tracks and simply opening the player and cleaning/lubricating the metal railing over which the lens travels might solve the problem. 

But again, this shouldn't happen on a player that's just months old. Most players are sealed but I noticed some of the new generic players have vents and cooling fans directed inwards so they can cause the lens to accumulate dirt or moisture to cloud it.  Some DVD/CD lens cleaner work better than others and if a dry cleaning system won't work, you can use a wet system where a cleaning fluid is applied to pads attached to the dummy disc. 

This is not the first time I've read about such complaints over the last 2 years.  I sometimes have to wonder what level of robustness those newer generic players costing less than 2T have on their laser/lens assemblies.  My first Promac player that cost me 6T back in 2002 is still working fine today in the hands of someone else.  The new ones may be using plastic lenses that can easily deform due to heat and will certainly put the laser out of focus.  If that happens, no amount of cleaning will correct it.  You will have to replace the entire laser/lens assembly. The glide paths are supposed to use stainless steel, and if they start using plastic for cost reduction, that could introduce problems early on.    I hate to say it, but it seems those new generation generic players are now truly disposables. 

[Alfie]

If the player can still decode USB inputs, then it's the lens, so rejoice, there's now an 8gig usb thumb drive with a pqi brand going for only 1.5k at the CDR-King.

It can hold up to 9 700-800mb divx titles.
It's in FAT format so DVD files saved should be vob files. ISO files beyond 3 gigs are outrightly rejected.

Nowadays, I  transfer my divx files and watch them via the card reader or usb drive in my player(Xenon),in order to preserve my player's lens.

[LEXing LUTHOR]

This can be traced to a lens focus or misalignment problem. But based on experience this normally happens after a few years of use, not mere months.  An "unsupported format" or "no disc" message on your player's display means the lens could not properly read the disc header information at the inner tracks and hence, would not know how to id the disc. If the message is displayed while the disc is playing, it means the track location could not be found either due to disc damage or incomplete information retrieved at the inner tracks.   The lens assembly may have developed obstruction on its glide path to read the inner tracks and simply opening the player and cleaning/lubricating the metal railing over which the lens travels might solve the problem. 

But again, this shouldn't happen on a player that's just months old. Most players are sealed but I noticed some of the new generic players have vents and cooling fans directed inwards so they can cause the lens to accumulate dirt or moisture to cloud it.  Some DVD/CD lens cleaner work better than others and if a dry cleaning system won't work, you can use a wet system where a cleaning fluid is applied to pads attached to the dummy disc. 

This is not the first time I've read about such complaints over the last 2 years.  I sometimes have to wonder what level of robustness those newer generic players costing less than 2T have on their laser/lens assemblies.  My first Promac player that cost me 6T back in 2002 is still working fine today in the hands of someone else.  The new ones may be using plastic lenses that can easily deform due to heat and will certainly put the laser out of focus.  If that happens, no amount of cleaning will correct it.  You will have to replace the entire laser/lens assembly. The glide paths are supposed to use stainless steel, and if they start using plastic for cost reduction, that could introduce problems early on.    I hate to say it, but it seems those new generation generic players are now truly disposables. 

thanks for the tip av_phile... ill try to clean it first with a wet dvd cleaner ( i only used the dry type).
I can also try to have it cleaned by the neighborhood tv/dvd repair shop... but i wuld HATE IT if i get charged 300 - 400 pesos only to find it still wont work (this happened to me once before)

You're right, seems the generic dvd players are almost disposable... 

I bought a Lexing 906 on Oct 2006 (that when i registered here as LEXING Luthor, I checked :-) ) I bought a new one (the Kingsonic) within a year because I wanted a player with a USB reader.. actuallyu maganda itong Kingsonic.. it has both a USB reader and an SD card reader... I havent seen any other player now so far with BOTH readers...

so the Kingsonic lasted barely a year before this problem. 
And I just found out the Lexing (which I use in the living room) also has the same problem, but not as bad as the Kingsonic..

I have 2 other working players though... one is branded Panasonic that cant read divx files, and another is a DVD recorder/player... something I dont want to use regularly to preserve the lens.. i just use it to record stuff.

So i guess Ill just see if i can have it cleaned, otherwise Ill go buy a new one :-)

For 1,000+ bucks, thats a week's worth of Gas... easily worth it for 1 year service life if you use it daily like i do (its like 100 pesos a month service fee).  The funny thing is I wouldnt think of buying a good or branded dvd player for 2,000- 3,000 pesos even if the arguement is it will probably last for several years longer.  I consider them an "expensive" investment (lasts 3 years) compared to the "cheap, disposable" player (1 year, 2 years if ur lucky). Weird, I know. Go figure! :-)

Perhaps im also thinking that in 1 or 2 years time there will be added features (look at them before.. first games and radio was added... then divx functionality ... then USB readers... I wonder whats next?

Im hoping that someday they include other emulators aside from NES... maybe PS1 or N64 Roms capable (wishful thinking) :-)
and then of ourse, its just a matter of time before we have Bluray generic players....

[LEXing LUTHOR]

If the player can still decode USB inputs, then it's the lens, so rejoice, there's now an 8gig usb thumb drive with a pqi brand going for only 1.5k at the CDR-King.

It can hold up to 9 700-800mb divx titles.
It's in FAT format so DVD files saved should be vob files. ISO files beyond 3 gigs are outrightly rejected.

Nowadays, I  transfer my divx files and watch them via the card reader or usb drive in my player(Xenon),in order to preserve my player's lens.

But boss...  for 1.5k, I can buy a new dvd player! (with change to spare ) :-)

Actually i do use the usb card reader... but i use a 2 gig sd card plugged into a usb adaptor.. thing is, sometimes it can be jerky... I normally use it just for watching a newly downloaded TV episode...

for other er, stuff... i burn 4 or more files on a rewritable disc to watch on the player...

the 8 gig thumbdrive sounds tempting, but aside from the price, most of my collections are on dvds anyway, so....

[steelcrazy]

namimili na ng bala yan player mu ako may 3 dvd players me d2 sa haus  1 generic  1 philips and 1 sony both sony and philips are hdmi players. usually wen i burn dvds i try i on the generic but most of the tym the quality of the picture gets pixelated weh i tried the same copy sa philips o sony ko the movie runs smoothly w/o any error. 1 more thing yun color gamut ng mga generic dvd players is not the same as the color gamut of branded dvd players. Try watching Music and Lyrics the movie. forward it to the last scene the concert scene where hugh grant sang WAY BACK INTO LOVE w/ haley bennet. the clothes worn by haley bennet is BLUE wen played on a generic dvd player but when played on a branded dvd w/ hdmi output the clothes haley is wearing is SATIN BLACK.