Protron PD-DVR100 DVD Recorder

[silkphoenix]

Hello,

I have just bought a brand new Protron PD-DVR100 DVD Recorder. I was able to hook up to my TV and watch television. However, when I tried to watch a bought DVD, it kept saying "Disc Error". I was able to play the same DVD in other DVD player. The manual came with the player provided no help at all. And there's no phone number I can contact Protron for help (the toll-free number in the manual does not work for my area, for whatever reason). I have gone through all the on-screen set-up procedures and still can't find a solution and I have also set the region code to "0" by using a post from another user in this forum.

Any suggestions/comments to help me to solve this problem is much appreciated.

Thank you.

[CobraPilot]

"Brand new"? I bought one of these several years ago (still works fine) as a closeout, so it surprises me to hear you found a new one. Does it show a date of manufacture on a label? Source of this new unit? Did it come with a warranty? Might be time to return it if you can.

If you go to this forum's section on DVD Recorders (link under "LISTS" on the upper left of every page) and search on "Protron", you'll see comments about this unit (generally favorable), a link to a Protron website (no longer valid, suggesting they're possibly out of business), and a comment about this model's similarity to another brand.

IF there's no warranty involved that would be voided by opening the case, you might be able to see the source of the problem inside.

I had a similar incident with another brand DVD player which suddenly began giving "no disc" messages. Since it was long out of warranty, I opened the case and found some dust bunnies that should not have been there. I blew them out with a little compressed air and then tried to load a DVD: Same problem. However, I noticed part of the mechanism seemed to be meeting resistance, so I turned the unit off, gently (oh, so gently!) tried to move the "sticking" part, seemed to free it, turned on the unit again, and was successful. I probably got very lucky.

Would love to know what you try, what works, etc., should my unit exhibit similar problems. Providing such feedback to us is what puts the "help" in VideoHELP!

[silkphoenix]

Thank you, CobraPilot, for your response. Yes, it's brand new (that's what the seller said). I bought it from Just Deals and I guess since Protron has since closed down (or changed name), there's still an inventory floating around. There's no warranty for this since it's a special bargain and Just Deals do not accept returns as all items are final.

I can't imagine there's anything got into the case since the player was tightly wrapped in a plastic bag. According to the manual, it said as soon as you insert a DVD, it'll play right away! I wish it's that simple. I have bought several other brands of DVD players before and all of them do play any inserted DVDs right away, except this one. I guess the old saying "If it's too good to be true, it probably is"! Maybe I have bought a lemon.

I am still looking around internet to see if I can find a clue how to fix it. Worse comes to worse, I'll open it and check. If I break it by doing so, so what, it's worthless to me anyway if I can't play any DVDs (bought ones, not burned ones).

I'll post my status later on. If any other users have any other suggestions, I'll appreciate very much.

[jman98]

You got taken, silkphoenix. You buy a "bargain" from a place that doesn't take returns, well, don't be surprised if it's not such a bargain. They may have knowingly sold you a defective unit or even had sincere and honest intentions to sell you a working recorder and you just got a lemon. It happens. But you accepted the risk when you made the purchase and now you are screwed. Since this is a weird offbrand, you'll almost certainly be unable to find any useful information about repairing it. Your repair would probably involve swapping out the DVD drive.

Next time buy from places that take returns and buy name brands. If you'd bought a Magnavox DVD recorder (I'm assuming you live in the USA or Canada), sure maybe it would cost more than you paid for the Proton, but almost certainly it would work AND it would be new AND you could take it back. Your attempt to save money failed because now that money is gone AND you have nothing for it.

[silkphoenix]

man98 -- Are you familiar with Just Deals? If not, go to their website, it's a legitimate company and I have purchased items from them before.

Brand name items do not always work as you said. I used to have a Gateway DVD Recorder and it stopped working in less than 2 months. To me, brand name does not mean anything anymore because many of those parts could be made in China or Mexico, or any other Asian countries. I wish I could buy a USA made one but nowadays, you never know what is actually made in the USA.