DVD Standalone Backups Playback -Not Original DVDs

[emsdallas]

I have an Emerson and a Sylvania, both VCR/DVD Player Combos, that refuse to playback commercial DVD's that have been played before.

Both Players are at least five years old and the brands don't have the best rep/reviews.

Each will playback a DVD that I backed up from the original DVD which had protection.

My backup DVDs do NOT have protection and they playback on each player without any problems.

But I try to playback the original DVD and receive the following message

Disc Error
Playback feature may not be available on this disc

I have tested countless DVDs, both originals and backups. Backups are the only ones that playback. I have unplugged both hoping it would 'reset' itself.

I'm not sure when the problem started on each player. I don't want to have to backup ALL of my DVDs just to watch them. I know it would be cheaper in the long run just to replace the junk, but I'm curious.

It's toooo weird

TIA

[budz]

Buy a new dvd player which is so cheap these days. Get yourself a cheap Philips dvd player.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-DVD-Player-with-Upconversion-DivX-Ultra-DVP3982-F7/11600020

http://www.walmart.com/browse/TV-Video/DVD-Blu-ray-Players/All-DVD-Players/_/N-94iuZaq...33267%2C133267

[emsdallas]

Buy a new dvd player which is so cheap these days. Get yourself a cheap Philips dvd player.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-DVD-Player-with-Upconversion-DivX-Ultra-DVP3982-F7/11600020

http://www.walmart.com/browse/TV-Video/DVD-Blu-ray-Players/All-DVD-Players/_/N-94iuZaq...33267%2C133267

I KNOW the odds are both players are 95% DOA.

I was just curious if anybody had any insight----your reply is a waste. It's typical of today's throw away society. I was hoping to LEARN something.

Do you work for Walmart maybe??

[Psco2007]

Budz was just trying to help you save time, money and aggravation.
A guy on another forum just bought a 10-year-old computer on eBay ( no OS or cds) and now can not get any drivers and is using it as a paperweight.
Anyway, your problem is the lasers are weak and Factory dvds require more than your backups.
Buy a new one.

[emsdallas]

Budz was just trying to help you save time, money and aggravation.
A guy on another forum just bought a 10-year-old computer on eBay ( no OS or cds) and now can not get any drivers and is using it as a paperweight.
Anyway, your problem is the lasers are weak and Factory dvds require more than your backups.
Buy a new one.

Your comment about Factory DVDs was very enlightening. It was just baffling why Factory/Commercial DVDs would not playback, but my backups would.

I knew both players are headed for the recycling center, but I have an answer that I can use and certainly others.

I just have a pet peeve about forum replies that choose the easy, no brainer solution. I wanted to understand--learn.

In fact, I'm going to take at least one of them apart just to get a clue.

Thanks!!!!

[Psco2007]

You're welcome,
I have a number of dvd players and the one I really like is my Philips Dvd recorder (dvr3506.)
I have it hooked up to my surround sound system and with the hdmi and 1080 upscaling it is like being at the movies.
Whatever you get, stick with a name brand and check out user reviews online.

Good luck.

[jimdagys]

I thought I would add to the useless comments. Your DVD player is punishing you for trying to play a movie in which money is paid to Hollywood. Your DVD player will play any disk as long as no money is being paid to Hollywood. I think you could sell that DVD player on Ebay. Don't take it apart and ruin it.

[budz]

Buy a new dvd player which is so cheap these days. Get yourself a cheap Philips dvd player.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-DVD-Player-with-Upconversion-DivX-Ultra-DVP3982-F7/11600020

http://www.walmart.com/browse/TV-Video/DVD-Blu-ray-Players/All-DVD-Players/_/N-94iuZaq...33267%2C133267

I KNOW the odds are both players are 95% DOA.

I was just curious if anybody had any insight----your reply is a waste. It's typical of today's throw away society. I was hoping to LEARN something.

Do you work for Walmart maybe??

Being a smartass isn't going to get you anywhere. Have fun taking apart your crappy dvd players!

[gll99]

I had a really cheap off brand DVD player that we bought because it had a very small case, played mpeg4 (un-certified divx) and was only $25. I'm not kidding but within 2 months, the stupid thing wouldn't play half the commercial discs unless we tipped the unit at a near 45 degree angle. Some discs to the left, some to the right and still others while it was propped up leaning back. That thing ended up in the garbage one month later.

Try some really old commercial discs and see if they play ok. Maybe it's a weaker laser but my suspicion is that some cheaper players can't handle the deliberate errors placed there by the distributors as part of the newer copy protection introduced in the last few years.

[classfour]

Commercial DVDs and recordable media (i.e. DVD-R) have different reflectivity = reading of recorded media works, while commercial does not.

[emsdallas]

I thought I would add to the useless comments. Your DVD player is punishing you for trying to play a movie in which money is paid to Hollywood. Your DVD player will play any disk as long as no money is being paid to Hollywood. I think you could sell that DVD player on Ebay. Don't take it apart and ruin it.

For the record-it's NOT against the law to make a backup copy of a commercial DVD if the backup is for your personal use.

DVD players are everywhere; one household can have multiple players and now DVD players are in vehicles. It makes sense to protect your original DVD and use backups for use in vehicles.

JMO

[emsdallas]

I had a really cheap off brand DVD player that we bought because it had a very small case, played mpeg4 (un-certified divx) and was only $25. I'm not kidding but within 2 months, the stupid thing wouldn't play half the commercial discs unless we tipped the unit at a near 45 degree angle. Some discs to the left, some to the right and still others while it was propped up leaning back. That thing ended up in the garbage one month later.

Try some really old commercial discs and see if they play ok. Maybe it's a weaker laser but my suspicion is that some cheaper players can't handle the deliberate errors placed there by the distributors as part of the newer copy protection introduced in the last few years.

That's too funny about tipping the unit.

I'll try some older commercial dvd's, but my prediction is that both players will be at the closest recycling center soon.