LiteOn LVD-2002 DivX/MPEG-4/DVD Player

[CatZilla]

Ok, the drive in my LVD 2002 died on me a few months ago - the tray mechanism broke. Now I finally got around to fixing it.
I'll buy a dvdrom in a few days off newegg, but for now I replaced it with a cdrom, which works fine, because almost all my .. err.. recordings are on cd's, not dvds.
I also tried a hard drive, but not even the liteon logo came up. So putting a hard drive in place of the cd-dvd rom is useless.
I'll try to remember to post an update, when I finally get a new drive.

[Ander]

Hi guys,

My Liteon LVD-2001 has worked great since 2004 (after I updated the firmware). Now it's finally starting to wear out.

On reviewers' recommendations, I tried these three players:

LG LDA-831
Pioneer DV-400V
Sony DVPNS78H

They all played DVDs fine, but none played our DivX discs as well as the Liteon. (The Sony's DivX playback was terrible!)

I was disappointed to learn that Liteon has stopped making standalone players. Can you recommend any other DVD players that have consistently good DivX playback? Thanks!

[CatZilla]

Hey... sorry that I didn't remember to post here, but since i'm apparently subscribed to this thread, an email notification came

Anyway, my LiteOn is working properly with the new dvd drive installed, which is by the way also a LiteOn. I love it.

[Ander]

Hi again,

Okay, I now see that people have asked "What DVD player should I buy?" all over this forum---so don't bother to answer unless you really want to. Obviously a good place to start is with the list of officially-compatible players on the DivX website.

Video Jockey2002: Thanks for your excellent post about replacing the drive inside the Liteon Player. Armed with confidence from your post, I opened our player and examined the drive to try to figure out why the tray had started to require multiple button-presses before it would open.

I applied a dab of silicone lubricant to the geared track along the inside of the tray, which the open/close gear engages---and it works great! It's also good to know that when the drive finally poops out, it can be replaced so easily.

Cheers, ander

[bmwracer]

I finally junked my lousy LiteOn and bought two Philips DVP-3960 DVD players for $40 each at Wal-Mart.

Great bang for the buck: DivX/xVid compatible, HDMI 1080i output, Region hackable via remote...

The remote isn't anything to write home about, but it gets the job done.

Philips now has a DVP-5982 with the above features along with USB and 1080p support as well for about $60-$70 in a black case (others have been silver).

[Ander]

bmwracer > I finally junked my lousy LiteOn...

Sorry it didn't work better for you. After trying the 3 new players (mentioned above) with our new Sony 32" 720p TV, I tried the LiteOn just for fun. I was amazed. DVD playback was just as good, and DivX compatibility and quality was obviously the best.

You said that on your LVD-2002, the "drive mechanism was getting flaky". Do you mean the drawer was refusing to open/close? If so, as it turned out, I didn't even have to open my LVD-2001's case to fix it. With the tray open, I used a Q-Tip to smear a bit of silicone lubricant on the track where the gear moves the tray (being careful not to touch any other parts, such as the gear drive belt). I can't believe how easy it was.

bmwracer > ...and bought two Philips DVP-3960 DVD players for $40 each at Wal-Mart... Great bang for the buck: DivX/xVid compatible, HDMI 1080i output, Region hackable via remote...

Great. We've been looking for a second player, so we'll try one of those. Thanks for the recommendation.

[bmwracer]

You said that on your LVD-2002, the "drive mechanism was getting flaky". Do you mean the drawer was refusing to open/close? If so, as it turned out, I didn't even have to open my LVD-2001's case to fix it. With the tray open, I used a Q-Tip to smear a bit of silicone lubricant on the track where the gear moves the tray (being careful not to touch any other parts, such as the gear drive belt). I can't believe how easy it was.

It was beyond that: it wouldn't open at times when the tray was empty, requiring a tap on the top of the player to release whatever was binding... And it began to have problems reading some discs, requiring a total shutdown of the player to reboot the hardware... And for some discs, it still didn't work.

It was a nice player at the beginning, but not very reliable. My six-year old Sony still works like a champ, but it doesn't support MP3s, DivX/xVid, or anything out of Region 1.

bmwracer > ...and bought two Philips DVP-3960 DVD players for $40 each at Wal-Mart... Great bang for the buck: DivX/xVid compatible, HDMI 1080i output, Region hackable via remote...

Great. We've been looking for a second player, so we'll try one of those. Thanks for the recommendation.

Sure thing. Hope you like the player as much as I do.

Two other nits to pick about the Philips (and it probably applies to all of their players): it doesn't save where you left off if you shut down the player, so you have to start at the beginning on power up, and it has a screen saver-shutdown mode that you can't disable, so if you were to pause for over 10-15 minutes, the machine shuts itself off... Irritating at times, but not a deal breaker for me.

[Ander]

bmwracer > It was beyond that: it wouldn't open at times when the tray was empty, requiring a tap on the top of the player to release whatever was binding...

Yes, that's exactly what was happening to me. If you decide to try lubricating the track, just be sure to use silicone or another non-solvent lubricant that won't damage the plastic (or nylon, or whatever it is). And it doesn't take much.

[bmwracer]

bmwracer > It was beyond that: it wouldn't open at times when the tray was empty, requiring a tap on the top of the player to release whatever was binding...

Yes, that's exactly what was happening to me. If you decide to try lubricating the track, just be sure to use silicone or another non-solvent lubricant that won't damage the plastic (or nylon, or whatever it is). And it doesn't take much.

I tried using a small amount of white grease lubricant (lithium, I think), but it didn't help.

After taking the top cover off and examining the tray mechanism, I discovered that the clamp to hold the disc to the spindle was magnetic: with a disc in the tray, the magnet has less of a hold on the tray, while without a disc, the magnet's hold is stronger and enough to keep the eject mechanism from pushing out the tray.

Why it didn't occur several years earlier is beyond me, other than maybe the eject mechanism got weaker over time.

I just got fed up with the fiddling, so I pried open my wallet and bought the Philips... For considerably less than what I paid for the LiteOn at the time ($120).

[Ander]

bmwracer > After taking the top cover off and examining the tray mechanism, I discovered that the clamp to hold the disc to the spindle was magnetic: with a disc in the tray, the magnet has less of a hold on the tray, while without a disc, the magnet's hold is stronger and enough to keep the eject mechanism from pushing out the tray... Why it didn't occur several years earlier is beyond me, other than maybe the eject mechanism got weaker over time.

You're absolutely right... My silicone thing must've just been a fluke, because the tray is refusing to open again.

I've opened the drive and seen what you've described. That's a darn silly thing---are all CD/DVD drives like that? By adding the magnet, they just assured the tray motor would wear out sooner. There must be a better way. (The lower spindle does move up to engage the disc. Couldn't they have just spring-loaded the upper spindle?) The term "planned obsolescence" comes to mind...

From his earlier post:

VideoJockey2000 > You can replace the drive with any IDE burner or IDE reader. Anything will work. The only real challenge is cosmetic appearance after the mod.

I take it he meant the problem was that the replacement drive would be too tall to fit into the LVD's case. Any tips on that? (Unfortunately, VJ2K doesn't seem to be monitoring this forum anymore.)

[bmwracer]

bmwracer > After taking the top cover off and examining the tray mechanism, I discovered that the clamp to hold the disc to the spindle was magnetic: with a disc in the tray, the magnet has less of a hold on the tray, while without a disc, the magnet's hold is stronger and enough to keep the eject mechanism from pushing out the tray... Why it didn't occur several years earlier is beyond me, other than maybe the eject mechanism got weaker over time.

You're absolutely right... My silicone thing must've just been a fluke, because the tray is refusing to open again.

I've opened the drive and seen what you've described. That's a darn silly thing---are all CD/DVD drives like that? By adding the magnet, they just assured the tray motor would wear out sooner. There must be a better way. (The lower spindle does move up to engage the disc. Couldn't they have just spring-loaded the upper spindle?) The term "planned obsolescence" comes to mind...

I doubt that all/any drives aside from the LiteOn are like that... Seems like a kluge fix for a bad design.

I take it he meant the problem was that the replacement drive would be too tall to fit into the LVD's case. Any tips on that? (Unfortunately, VJ2K doesn't seem to be monitoring this forum anymore.)

No tips other than have the replacement drive external to the case, ugly as that may be... Eventually you'll get sick of it and just buy a replacement player. :P

[Ander]

bmwracer > No tips other than have the replacement drive external to the case, ugly as that may be... Eventually you'll get sick of it...

Not me, I'm a geek. (Hmm, the cooling would be better, too... ) My wife would tire of it, though, being a normal person.

Well, I'm off to buy a Philips DVP5982. From what I've read, the PQ may not be quite as good as the Liteon's, but it seems to have comparable DivX compatibility. Thanks for pointing me in that direction.

[bmwracer]

Well, I'm off to buy a Philips DVP5982. From what I've read, the PQ may not be quite as good as the Liteon's, but it seems to have comparable DivX compatibility. Thanks for pointing me in that direction.

I just bought a DVP-5982 from Amazon for $60...

I woulda bought it at Best Buy, but the walk-in store wouldn't match their online price of $60... So screw them.

[kato51]

According to their policy, they're supposed to price match their .com price.

What if I find a lower price at another Best Buy store or on BestBuy.com?
If an item you purchased at Best Buy is advertised at a lower price at another Best Buy store in your local area or on BestBuy.com within 30 days of your original receipt purchase (14 days for select categories*, 60 days for HDTVs purchased from 6/3/07 through 2/2/08), we will refund you 100% of the price difference. Simply bring in your original Best Buy receipt to the customer service counter while that lower price is still in effect. Clearance items, open-box items or Web-exclusive offers advertised on BestBuy.com are not eligible for price matching.

[bmwracer]

According to their policy, they're supposed to price match their .com price.

What if I find a lower price at another Best Buy store or on BestBuy.com?
If an item you purchased at Best Buy is advertised at a lower price at another Best Buy store in your local area or on BestBuy.com within 30 days of your original receipt purchase (14 days for select categories*, 60 days for HDTVs purchased from 6/3/07 through 2/2/08), we will refund you 100% of the price difference. Simply bring in your original Best Buy receipt to the customer service counter while that lower price is still in effect. Clearance items, open-box items or Web-exclusive offers advertised on BestBuy.com are not eligible for price matching.

Thing is, you still have to BUY the item online, then bring the receipt into the store... Once you factor in shipping and taxes, it most likely negates the price difference.

That's lame.

I had a similar issue with Sears, but they honored their online price and sold me the item for that price. *thumbs up*

Buying it from Amazon IS a better deal: free shipping AND no sales tax. *big thumbs up*

[Ander]

bmwracer > I just bought a DVP-5982 from Amazon for $60... I woulda bought it at Best Buy, but the walk-in store wouldn't match their online price of $60... So screw them.

Hmm... I live in Canada, and I've been looking at BB's in-store and online (www.bestbuy.ca) prices---and so far, they've all been the same. Maybe you're living in the wrong country.

[Ander]

Okay, I got a Philips DVP5982 player today and tried it with our Sony KDL-32S3000 (32") LCD TV.

Our Liteon LVD-2001 player gave a 1080p signal using Component Video (it doesn't have HDMI).

I know the Philips player upconverts only over HDMI. However, I've read that most digital TVs upconvert as well as DVD players. Many people say you get better PQ by leaving the player at 480 and letting the TV do the upconverting.

Since HDMI cables run about $50, I thought I'd try Component Video first.

With the DVP5982, the TV shows a 480p signal. (It actually says "480p SD", if that's important.) But it's not upconverting; the picture is noticeably lower-res than with the Liteon.

If the TV upconverts, is it supposed to do that automatically? I can't find any settings on the TV to activate that, and the manual has no references to "upconvert", "upsample", or "upscale" (the three terms I've heard about this).

So do I need an HDMI cable after all? Or am I overlooking something?

[Ander]

Never mind---I've figured it out. In fact, I've figured it all out.

I reconnected the Liteon player and got it working long enough to do some testing. After cycling several discs through 480, 720 and 1080, I realized the TV was automatically rescaling to its native 720. It didn't matter what format the player was sending it, or even if the player rescaled at all---using Composite, or HDMI, or my uncle's toothbrush. It was all the same.

The only advantage I found was that at 480, I could use the TV's "un-zoom" to show the image at its native 480 size---using about 20" of the 32" TV. And when I did that, you know what happened? It finally stopped looking crappy!

That's when I finally got it: With standard DVDs, there's no advantage in a bigger display. Standard DVDs were designed for CRT TVs. That's the highest resolution they have. When you show them bigger than 20" or so, they just get fuzzy. And the bigger they get, the fuzzier they get.

So unless you're willing to shell out for a true HD TV---and start your video collection all over again, with HD versions of everything---bigger isn't better. It's worse. What a laugh. What a bill of goods we've been sold!

I guess I should've realized all this sooner. It just shows you how the lure of "more, more, more" can cloud your logic.

I'm returning my 32" TV for a 20", and I'll try to get my family to understand why they'll be moving their chairs back closer to the screen.

Thanks for your indulgence.

[bmwracer]

I know the Philips player upconverts only over HDMI. However, I've read that most digital TVs upconvert as well as DVD players. Many people say you get better PQ by leaving the player at 480 and letting the TV do the upconverting.

I've read the contrary: since the data on the DVD is digital, better to let the player do the upscaling and upconverting before piping it out to the HDMI connector.

Since HDMI cables run about $50, I thought I'd try Component Video first.

Only if you let yourself get ripped off: I just bought three HDMI cables from Amazon for a sum total of $16, including shipping... And the 35 reviews it got were all five stars.

With the DVP5982, the TV shows a 480p signal. (It actually says "480p SD", if that's important.) But it's not upconverting; the picture is noticeably lower-res than with the Liteon.

If the TV upconverts, is it supposed to do that automatically? I can't find any settings on the TV to activate that, and the manual has no references to "upconvert", "upsample", or "upscale" (the three terms I've heard about this).

So do I need an HDMI cable after all? Or am I overlooking something?

The upscaling and upconverting only works with the HDMI, since that's the only digital data stream coming out of the player... Composite and component video are analog.

[bmwracer]

That's when I finally got it: With standard DVDs, there's no advantage in a bigger display. Standard DVDs were designed for CRT TVs. That's the highest resolution they have. When you show them bigger than 20" or so, they just get fuzzy. And the bigger they get, the fuzzier they get.

I don't think that's necessarily true: if you look at the packaging for most DVDs, there's a line that says they're "enhanced for widescreen TV" or "16x9 enhanced," which means you'll get a better picture than a regular TVs 480i/480p lines... If you set things up right.

And depending upon the source, the upscaling and upconverting (if done right) should give you an improved picture on an HDTV...

At least that's what I think.

[Ander]

Okay, I'll keep trying things, and struggling to understand this... But so far, I've not been able to get decent PQ from any DVDs. It always looks artifacted---you know, that effect that looks like there's foil around everything. I suspect that nothing can be done about it because the TV's native resolution is always different from the disc content's, so some rescaling is always necessary. I don't know.

What I do know is that whenever I saw (non-1080-native) TVs on display, I always wondered, "Why are they using low-res sources? Don't they want to show how sharp they can be?" But apparently they were showing that.

I've read that software DVD players are superior to hardware players, so as soon as there's time, I'll try the TV with my PC. I doubt that'll change the resolution problem, though.

[CatZilla]

I don't know about you guys, but I personally put a normal 5" drive inside the player. If you wish, I could post a photo after my finals are over.

[Ander]

Okay, I take back all my ranting and raving... I've just connected an HDMI cable ($12.99 at a PC shop!) to our Philips DVP5982, and DVDs look fantastic.

The Philips clearly outperforms the other several players I tried (which were more expensive, too). So thanks, bmwracer, for your great advice.

We watched MONSTERS INC. tonight, and it was amazingly sharp. I've read that Pixar transfers their movies directly from their computers to digital media. You sure can tell.

[bmwracer]

So thanks, bmwracer, for your great advice.

I accept cash.

[Ander]

Yikes---do you know my ex-wife?

[bmwracer]

Yikes---do you know my ex-wife?

Nope.

But does your ex-wife know my ex-wife?

[Ander]

Possibly... Is she a bounty hunter or outlaw biker?

[bmwracer]

Possibly... Is she a bounty hunter or outlaw biker?

Nope, just a big spender.

[Ander]

Ack. Sympathies.