my new dvd players will not play some new DVD releases

[luvsufo]

I have a new magnavox HD recorder and a pioneer player and both will not play new factory movies
like "true grit" and "cedar rapids". my old Sony that i played all on broke and thats why i
am using these till i get a new VHS/DVD combo unit. Some other new dvds play and all old dvds
play in these units.If i take these DVDs upstairs to my old Toshiba they play.
Is this a new copyguard thing throwing these units off? I read on a redbox site of a woman
returning true grit several times for non play issues.
I called FOX about cedar rapids and they did not know and magnavox was usless help.
Thanks!! bob

[jagabo]

Is this a new copyguard thing throwing these units off?

Probably. They go to great lengths to try to make discs that are complex in order to fool DVD copying software, but still fall within the DVD spec. Sometimes they go too far and get too complex for some players.

[ranchhand]

Another thought: I don't think Magnavox is a major gameplayer in the industry; I wonder if the problem is in the engineering? I have a cheap Toshiba, and it plays anything. I just rented Battle for Los Angeles, and that thing has so many copy protections (including redundancy repeat, incorrect data size limitation, etc. etc.) it glows in the dark.

[usually_quiet]

Another thought: I don't think Magnavox is a major gameplayer in the industry; I wonder if the problem is in the engineering? I have a cheap Toshiba, and it plays anything. I just rented Battle for Los Angeles, and that thing has so many copy protections (including redundancy repeat, incorrect data size limitation, etc. etc.) it glows in the dark.

Funai has built DVD recorders sold under the Magnavox name for several years. They also build DVD recorders for Toshiba. I don't know if they built any DVD players for these same brands.

DVD recorders are often not as good as DVD players when it comes to playing DVDs. Their playback features are usually more basic.

[luvsufo]

Yes,but my pioneer player does not play them either so i think that throws
the Funai engineering out of the equation. I can't believe i am the only
one having this problem.There has to be some king of answer.

[jagabo]

With any complex specification there are ambiguities. Therein lies the problem. DVD makers try to exploit the ambiguities in a way that fools DVD copying software but 99% of DVD will still play.

[TBoneit]

OTOH the Magnavox DVD Hard Drive recorders do work pretty good for that purpose and I would never use it to play a DVD when I have a Sony Changer and a LG BluRay player.

I use the Magnavox to record the Sub Channels of of clear QAM cable so I can have a Digital TV DVR for cheap. I set it for 30 second forward skip and 10 second reverse skip to help jump through commercials.

A Lot cheaper than Tivo and no monthly fee.

I also would not have those problems since those aren't titles I would watch.

[Cornucopia]

Doesn't really solve the problem, but gets around it:

Load those titles onto a PC and use AnyDVD/DVDFab to make a temp un-borked copy on a DVD-RW. Then wipe the copy once you're done (unless they're your own, in which case...)

you said, "there has to be some kind of answer", and there is: Hollywood goes so overboard screwing "the bad guys" that they also screw some (?) of the good guys. Take them back (OVER AND OVER AGAIN if you have to) if they don't work for you. This is the only way (currently) to legally teach them a lesson.

Scott

[luvsufo]

Thanks for the input Scott! Some great ideas except: I get these movies for free from the library,so takebacks don't teach the big boys a lesson.
The backup idea is great except: most of all these Hollywood movies SUCK anyway,and i am wasting my time just by watching them, so backup
is even a bigger waste.
I usually run them while doing dishes or cooking and stop to really watch if they appear to be any good: sometimes ,but very rare.I saw 90% of True Grit
at the drive in until getting eaten alive by mosquitos, so i just wanted to see the end after suffering for 2 hours. Closure sucks,I guess.
Thanks so much for understanding this is probably a copy issue like i suspected and not a consumer/goofball issue. I have been a service tech over 25 years and am really
good at troubleshooting, but needed to post this problem because its really annoying and i think others will run into eventually.