Generally speaking , Blu ray player failures.

mantis

Ok,
I've been in this business since the 90's. I've seen many different products come and go. DVD has been strong since the beginning and going strong today. HD DVD and Blu ray came out to give all of us a better picture and sound. The roll out was terrible with extremely slow performing players from both camps.
After the war , Blu ray won and is the video disc standard today.

So what I have noticed in the last 2 to 3 years is a high failure rate. It's not one company thats producing bad products , it's most of them. Most players right out of the box require a firmare update. Ok you setup the player for the system it's connected to and then firmware update, it's standard practice now. But what has been happening lately is after the firmware update , given player/s now don't work correctly anymore.
Example. Streaming player A has a Dongle to connect to the Internet / home network. After joining the network , player requires firmware update. Update is performed. Then you go to it's "APP" store and download apps that customer or you want to use. You get Netflix , Vudu and a weather app. You go to Netflix and it says "no connection to Internet", ok you check you settings and try again. doesn't work , so for the sheer hell of it you try Vudu app and stream a movie , seems connected to the Internet. Go back to Netflix and netflix says no connection to internet.
Ok then the player decides to freeze up . Unplug restart and now another firmware is needed.

Example 2 , Universal player works with SACD , DVD Audio etc etc and given player plays a SACD . After 2 days it doesn't play same disc anymore. Put in another SACD and it plays. Then 1 hour later will not play. Firmware update and now plays nothing. Then stops playing everything all together. Has to be pulled and repaired brand new under 4 days old.

Example 3. High end Universal player plays everything for 1 year 6 months. Firmware updates have been performed over the last 18 months on a regular basis . Latest firmware breaks the ability to play Blu ray movies. Player still plays ALL OTHER FORMATS. Call Tech support , learn that the latest firmware breaks player. Tech support sends out a disc to load and should fix given player. No Internet fix , you have to wait for the disc. Disc shows up after 4 business days. Person loads disc in player , performs Firware repair and then peer cycles player. This is suppose to fix player and have it play Blu ray disc's again. problem isn't fixed. Hign end player now has to be send back to company for a repair. Person out of Blu ray player for over 2 weeks now and pissed.

History: DVD players did not require any firmware updates. Most DVD players that I have worked with except DENON never broke ever. I have Installed just about every single brand made. Hardly no failures in the DVD camp just DENON. Pioneer , Sony , JVC , Panasonic , Toshiba , Memorex , Oppo , Marantz , Lexicon , etc I have Installed many over the last Decade and never had to go back to so many house for any disc repairs except DENON.

Over the last 3 years I've been to countless service calls due to Blu ray player failures , firmware update and dead on arrival players. Some of these players cost 199-399 and other 499 and up to very high end. All players today seem to break , it's just a matter of time no matter who you buy it from. Sony I can't speak strongly of as I have only Installed a few recently but all early Sony Blu ray player all work and work perfectly. Wondering if they are the ones to consider using only.

My question to the forum is what Blu ray players have you owned and did you have to have any repaired or replaced? If so what happened?

I'm strongly wishing Disc players go away and streaming gets to Blu ray quality soon and beyond. This way you can watch anything you want anytime , don't have to store all the jewel cases , don't have to go out to the store and find the movie you want. If companies can't produce reliable players , whats the point of making them? If you have a high return rate , prices are already as low as they ever been , I don't see profit in making crappy players.
HDMI I know has a huge roll in this as since it came out , it's been nothing but issues. Component never had any of these issues and can pass 1080p all day.

Slinger182

My first BDP was a Sharp I got for free with my TV. I think it might've been Sharp's first player. It was awful slow and didn't even do all the new HD sound. But I still was quite amazed with with the picture. Next I got a Sony bdp 360. Never had any issues with it. Don't use right now but not getting rid of it anytime soon. Now I have the Oppo 83. I like it but it seems a little finicky at times but I can always get it to work though.

Isn't the main reason for most of the firmware updates because of the studios keep changing their copyright stuff on the discs so we can't steal the movies?

Conradicles

The PS3 is superb in this regard. No issues ever. Amazing unit.

michael1947

My experience is that DVD players in general, variety kind under $400, will break within 3-4 years, all brands. It's one of the things I buy extended warranties on.

chumlie

I guess i've been lucky then. Sony dvd player i bought 5 or 6 years ago still going, never a problem. Think i paid $100 for it. Same with blueray player LG bd590, never a firmware update, never a problem. Also have a Pioneer dv58av for sacd's, never a problem.

Serendipity

It's been my experience that all players eventually break at some point, just a matter of when. The current BDP's seem to have much shorter time to failure than previous DVD-only units. The best player I have owned from a reliability standard is the Toshiba HD-XA1, but it doesn't play Blu-rays. It's built like a tank though and has survived tons of use in this household.

smglbrth

Well, I didn't get into the BluRay thing until later seeing as my first player was the Pioneer BDP-51FD. Pretty cashy player that I figured would last for years, not so. This you know all too well, as others all over the audio world. My recent player, the Yamaha BD-A1010 is working great but time will tell.

The Pioneer worked with all the various software updates but I can't say for sure if the updates are directly related to failures. Seems to me it's the drive, from what I've read, or something else mechanical.

Slinger182 has a very good question which I've pondered the answer to as well. Why all the updates? Is it actual disc formats for BluRay or just updates for the internet/connectibility stuff like Netflicks, etc...? As you've pointed out there were never any type of updates for DVD and players hardly ever had a problem. However, I've always updated from discs which have been burnt from a download on the manufacturers website. I don't hook BDP's directly to the internet for anything, nor do I plan to. They are a stand alone unit in my system.

It is interesting that Sony players don't seem to have firmware update issues, mechanical yes, but that's it. Didn't Sony kind of "invent" BluRay formats? Hmmm., a conspiracy?

Serendipity

Well, I've noticed the same thing with AVR's. Have to update the firmware to enable Spotify, etc. right out of the box. But at least most AVR's work fine without a firmware update, can't say the same for a BDP. In fact some firmware updates end up messing up BD players more than they help, just like mantis described in the first post.

I kinda miss the era of gear in which things worked reliably, products were built like a tank, and didn't have as many issues. Also, the weight of a lot of gear has decreased exponentially. What happened to the 60+lb AVR's and 20+lb players? Heck, I have a VCR from the 80's that weighs close to 30lbs. It is older than I am and is still working to this day. Also, my Denon weighs 62lbs.

Drenis

I'm looking to pick up a Oppo BDP-83 SE someday. More so for good analog CD playback and ability to play Blu-Rays and DVD's. Yes I have a PS3 but hopefully these failures you talk of aren't necessarily related to that model...

Serendipity

Drenis wrote: »

I'm looking to pick up a Oppo BDP-83 SE someday. More so for good analog CD playback and ability to play Blu-Rays and DVD's. Yes I have a PS3 but hopefully these failures you talk of aren't necessarily related to that model...

Check AVS Forum, in the Oppo owners thread. I would do my research before buying.

Not saying it's a bad player, I personally like the Oppo's too. Just that every player/car/vacuum cleaner/whatever can have its own set of issues (both good and bad).

steveinaz

My Panasonic DMP-BD30 is about 4 years old now, and I haven't had any issues. I have done 6 firmware upgrades, but never needed to do a firmware upgrade to play a particular disc---just did them to keep the player up to date.

zane77

I two Sony BDP570's and have neve had an issue with either one. Software updates have gone smoothly and no problems at all

Glowrdr

I've had my Oppo 93 since day 1 (preordered), and have yet to have any issues. It's seen about 3-4 updates in that amount of time. Everything has it's fair share of problems if you're looking for them I guess. I've never owned a PC that didn't die at one time or another too, but I'm not worried about it.

jon s

DVD players were designed with no updates needed, everything was built in. Blu-Ray players are way different. They use Java (a programming language) to constantly update their copy protection schema as they are hacked to rip the discs. When the Java in the discs are designed with a different protection schema, the player must be updated to be able to unlock the disc. It is the Java that causes the long load times in the discs. If a firmware update prevents the playing of previous playable disc, it is a programming error in the update.

First generation players had longevity issues with the lasers, hopefully this has been rectified. But the recent players seem to be a lot faster and somewhat more durable. I have three Pioneer, two new Sonys and a PS3. I have never had any issues with any of them as long as I was current with the updates.

tonyb

Never any issues with my Pioneer 320, aside from it having a slower load time than newer models. I think you may be touching on built in obsolence. Who is going to put out a product for 200 bucks that lasts 10 years ?

polkfarmboy

Denon 2500 bluray... used to cost 1000, can be had for 300 no issues

kharp1

Been an audiophile for years, but, the BluRay thing is new to me. I have a nice Elite DVD player that works great for regular discs and SACD/DVD audio. I've purchased BluRay players, and Insignia (I know, it was only $25) and a Panasonic and both have performed well except for speed of loading. The insignia I gave to brother in law, the Panasonic I'm still using. I haven't had any problem playing any discs yet and haven't done any updates. I've never had it plugged into the net downloading anything. Have thought about buying an Oppo, but, after reading this I may have to do a bit more research.

EndersShadow

I bought a Samsung BPD-1590. It wont play any DVD's, doesnt matter what firmware version I download and update to it wont play DVD's. I called Samsung support and talked to some stupid lady that said I needed to wait for the next firmware version (2 versions ago). I told her to "F&*# off because its a freaking DVD, which the player should do be default, not an issue like with Avatar where you need a firmware update". She promptly hung up on me and I gave up attempting to get help from them.

As a result I dont recommend ANY samsung blu-ray players and avoid them for TV's as well. Woman was reading directly from a script and studdering like none other when confronted with legitimate facts. She also refused to let me talk to a supervisor.

At this point I just use the darn thing to play blu-rays since it does that with no issues and play DVD's through my Xbox. I plan on getting an Oppo or other higher end blu-ray player in the future as I believe any of the sub 200 dollar blu-ray players suck, both in load times, high failure rates and lack of features.

P.S. dont tell me to get a PS3 as I dont need yet another gaming system lol.

tommyt21

I have 3 Panisonics Blu-ray players never had any issues with any of them. First one I got was over 3 1/2 years ago. The bd 210 in the living room is headed for my daughters bedroom and then I will be looking at either a oppo or one of the pio elites.

jhracer3

I had an LG player, $150ish. It froze one day and never recovered, about 6 months after buying. LG said I had to send it to them and pay $79 for a "diagnostic service" before they would warranty it.

As you can imagine, I no longer do business with LG. No player at the moment, planning on buying an Oppo-93 in the next 6 months or so.

Willow

Conradicles wrote: »

The PS3 is superb in this regard. No issues ever. Amazing unit.

Same here

Drenis

Serendipity wrote: »

Check AVS Forum, in the Oppo owners thread. I would do my research before buying.

Not saying it's a bad player, I personally like the Oppo's too. Just that every player/car/vacuum cleaner/whatever can have its own set of issues (both good and bad).

Well I thought I had done enough... your post paints a different picture by how you wrote it.

drselect

I have had issues with my pioneer bdp-23fd connecting to a network and updating firm ware. Originally it would say it was connected to the network but while trying to download firmware it would say no network found. Then I had trouble downloading the firmware using VISTA to burn on a cd but could only download it on a W7 laptop. Then out the blue it started to connect to the network and this wasn't just after a firmware update. I was considering getting a new pioneer bdp so I could stream but after what I have read about them I plan to hold off. I have had no issues with the sony bdp-s370 I own.

leroyjr1

Oppo BDP-93
Oppo BDP-83
Sony PS3
Sony ES1000
Pioneer Elite BDP-05
Pioneer BDP-51fd


Never had a problem. *knock on wood*

WilliamM2

I have had to do firmware updates to some of my DVD players, the Pioneer DV-48AV and a Marantz 6001. And with the Marantz, you had to send it in and let them update it, at your cost, even though the firmware was available months before mine was manufactured. I chose to return it instead.

The BD players I have had were slow and clunky to operate, a Pioneer, Yamaha, and Panasonic, but none of them failed. I'm currently without a BD player, waiting to see if they ever get it right. It's only been 6 years!

cnh

Sony PS3 (latest firmware)
Sony S-1000ES (latest firmware)
Pioneer BDP-51fd Version 1.71 firmware

Like Leroy, NO problems. "Knock on wood"

Dan, do you know anything about the claims of the above Pioneer and its clone the BDP-05 having massive recent failures.

I use mine primarily as a back up CDP and sometime DVD player so the use as a Blu-ray has been "minimal". And it has worked, slowly (loading), but "flawlessly" for those purposes. Am I looking at a possible failure here. I hope not. Because that's a pretty good CDP for what I paid for it!

Thanks!

cnh

smglbrth

I wonder if some people don't have many issues, if at all, because they change players so often? I usually keep stuff until it darn near explodes...

Kex

Pioneer BDP-51FD. Expensive Blu-ray player from a couple of years ago, and quite a bit bigger than most others. Wolfson? Audio DACs. Worked well, and updated well, but froze up at one point, and required repair under warranty. No streaming capability.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Blu-ray-Disc-and-DVD/Pioneer-Blu-ray-Disc-Players/BDP-51FD

Samsung BD-C6500. Your standard Blu-ray player with wireless. Had it for a while now. Updates regularly without any issues so far. In fact, the updates have vastly improved performance, especially the speed of some operations, in particular: exiting Netflix streaming application, speed of establishing the wireless connection, speed of Pandora application.

http://www.samsung.com/us/video/blu-ray-dvd/BD-C6500/XAA

BeefJerky

LG BD-390 - Had it for about 2 years, and it still works fine. However, it gets used for its ability to play video files off my network more than Blu-rays.

obieone

Now I'm getting nervous about my Oppo that I bought a month ago

mgalbr22

i have not experienced failures with blu-ray. however, after buying an oppo dvd, when i decided to buy my first bd player, i considered all of them, but a simple reading of ratings and reviews (mainly customer), i concluded that it was worth the premium to get an oppo. the number of failures,problems and complaints about all of them except oppo was staggering! and yet, people continued to buy them and suffer with them.
for me, it was a no brainer. spend 100-200 more and get bullet-proof product, performance and customer support.
what i find most outrageous is all the problems with hdmi, sync, handshake, bs and the constant release of newer versions that are designed with one primary objective in mind-separate the customer from more of his/her money.
when i got a jvc 3d projector, i had to upgrade a perfectly good 1 yr old avr for one reason only. hdmi 1.4. 1.3 will not pass 3d, or so they say. i should have simply used the other output from the oppo, which is one of the few with 2 hdmi out, and skipped the new avr with all it's sync problems and cost. hdmi switching is needlessly complex. also consider that you can buy an outboard, remote-controlled hdmi 1.4 switchbox for less than $20!