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Post by Mod City on Nov 11, 2011 15:42:59 GMT -5
Don't know how many people here have a Blu-ray player, but I've got an issue that's grating on my nerves.
I have a Sony BDP-S360 that has worked great over the past few years. Recently, I picked up Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Aliens on Blu-ray from Walmart. My Sony won't play either one of them. I borrowed them to a friend to test on his player but he hasn't gotten back to me yet.
The Sony plays DVDs, CDs, burned CDs and DVDs and pretty much everything else you can think of, as well as my other Blu-rays. I've updated the firmware via update CD (I'm not connected to the Internet through the player) and it still won't play them.
Incidentally, I had Netflix send me a Scott Pilgrim Blu-ray. They sent out a pristine disc. Tried it last night and same thing - no go.
I've heard this has to do with some copy protection on the disc, but it's hard to find anything concrete. Does anyone have any suggestions or information? I'd rather not have to buy a new Blu-ray player if I don't have to.
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Post by BJ on Nov 11, 2011 17:46:37 GMT -5
Does it do anything when you put the disc in, or is it just a blank screen? I don't recall any problems with either of those titles, and a quick search doesn't bring up anything. Also, I have an S270, and I've never had a problem with a disc, so there's probably something odd going on.
The first thing I would try is disabling the Internet connection (BD-Live) if it's enabled. This causes a lot of problems for people. I know you said you're not connected, but just check to make sure the setting isn't on.
If that doesn't work, and if you have a USB thumb drive attached to the rear port, I'd remove it. If there isn't one attached, try putting one back there. Some discs cause strange memory issues, and the thumb drive can be a focal point.
A last resort is to reset all settings to default, unplug the power to the Blu-Ray player, and wait an hour or so for everything to clear. Like personal computers, a reboot to a Blu-Ray player sometimes works for no real reason.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Nov 11, 2011 18:42:50 GMT -5
I've heard about older players being unable to play newly manufactured discs because Blu-Ray technology was constantly being upgraded. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but that's what I've heard. I've never had a problem with mine, and I've had it for two years.
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Post by BJ on Nov 11, 2011 22:16:52 GMT -5
I've heard about older players being unable to play newly manufactured discs because Blu-Ray technology was constantly being upgraded. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but that's what I've heard. I've never had a problem with mine, and I've had it for two years. Yea, that was a major problem early on for BD players. I originally had a Memorex player, because it offered a ton of features at a low price, but they just gave up on firmware upgrades. Some studios were obsessed with updating copyright protection, and adding terrible features such as java heavy effects, that manufacturers couldn't keep up (I'm looking at you FOX). That's the primary reason I bought a Sony. They have far too much to lose with Blu-Ray, so they can't afford the negative goodwill if players stop working. Fortunately, firmware updates don't seem to be much of a problem anymore. |
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Post by Mod City on Nov 13, 2011 13:50:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback, plissken. I had tried a few of your suggestions but not all of them, but I still can't get them to play. My Star Trek Blu-ray (2009) works like a charm. Frustrating.
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Post by Mod City on Nov 14, 2011 19:19:59 GMT -5
And a brief update: my friend said both discs worked perfectly on his player (new within the last year or so). Of course, he forgot to check what make and model it is  |
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Post by BJ on Nov 15, 2011 13:21:55 GMT -5
Sounds frustrating.
I would try unplugging it for a few hours to clear the memory, if you haven't already. Also, have you checked the system info to make sure the firmware numbers match with the latest upgrade? Every once in a while, you think it's updated, but you're still on the old firmware.
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Post by Mod City on Nov 15, 2011 19:20:44 GMT -5
Got my discs back from my friend and threw in Aliens for the heck of it. It works! I hadn't had a chance to test it since I upgraded my firmware to version 11, the latest. Now it seems to work great.
Pilgrim, however, still doesn't, just like my Blu-ray test copy from Netflix. I think it's disc specific. I've read some opinions that say the copy protection scheme Cinavia might have something to do with this. It either may be time to upgrade my entire disc player (Black Friday?) or just not have access to Pilgrim on Blu-ray for a while.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Nov 15, 2011 21:13:03 GMT -5
That's because Scott Pilgrim is so awesome that your player knows it's not worthy of showing it.
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Post by Mod City on Nov 15, 2011 22:15:37 GMT -5
That was the one I was excited about seeing in HD. I picked up Aliens as an afterthought, since it was cheap and right there. First time I saw Pilgrim I knew I had to check it out on Blu-ray.
I'm not sure it's worth returning since I'm eventually going to have to get a new player anyway. It came with both DVD and BR discs and the price was still pretty reasonable.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Nov 16, 2011 0:51:35 GMT -5
Pilgrim looks unbelievable on Blu. Not trying to rub it in, just stating the facts.
I've watched that movie so many times this year, quite a few of them within the span of the same week. I remember that week well, because I had just read the graphic novels and I was total Sex Bob-Omb fanatic. I think I had a Scott Pilgrim avatar during that period.
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Post by Mod City on Nov 16, 2011 1:35:53 GMT -5
I was really surprised. Didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I did. I've never read the comics.
What machine are you playing your disc on, Torgo?
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Nov 16, 2011 3:07:05 GMT -5
Huh. I just checked mine and it's the same one you're using. I must not have noticed before because I was at work.
Can't really explain that. If it's playing on other players it might be just the player or the disc.
Is it possible to use a laser lens cleaner in a Blu player? I've honestly never tried.
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Post by Mod City on Nov 16, 2011 12:42:49 GMT -5
That's weird. I'm not sure if there are lens-cleaning options available, either, but I don't know why that would be necessary if it doesn't have problems playing any other disc. I'm guessing there are products out there. That might be the next step.
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Post by BJ on Nov 16, 2011 13:30:04 GMT -5
I'd stay away from the lens unless you have problems with other discs. There's always a chance you might scratch it.
I'd still guess this is a memory problem caused by the Scott Pilgrim disc. From what I've read, it's really heavy on the BD-Live junk, and it even slowed down PS3's when it was released. I also just found someone that claims that a lot of people had unplayable Scott Pilgrim discs, so maybe you just came across two duds.
Did you ever try plugging a USB stick in the back? I know your player doesn't have any internal memory, so that may be the trick.
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