Help! Video Problem..Can't figure it out

[boredomHD]

My bedroom player is one of the Wal-Mart Magnavox NB530MGX, and I've owned it for about a year. The video played perfectly until a few weeks ago. Now when I play any blu-ray movie (DVDs still work perfectly in the player) there will be a pink line with little squares in the screen every once in a while, or the picture will become mixed up and conglomerated for a few seconds, or the picture will turn into a bunch of little squares in certain areas and sometimes change color. It does this randomly throughout the movie, but it is not a constant thing. I thought maybe it was the HDMI output, so I tried using a component cable, but the same thing occurs. I don't really know what to do because I don't know that much about how a blu-ray player works, etc. I would just like to try to fix it. I would appreciate any help I can get. I did recently install the lastest firmware via CD, and my player acted weird when doing so. I reinstalled the same firmware again, and this time the proccess was normal and successful, but I still have the same problem. However, before I got this latest firmware, I never had any of the video issues. Could that new firmware be contributing to the problem?

This isn't a problem with my television, for everything else works perfectly. It could have something to do with the blu-ray player's settings, although my tv is 720p and the blu-ray player's output is also set to 720p.

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by boredomHD

My bedroom player is one of the Wal-Mart Magnavox NB530MGX, and I've owned it for about a year. The video played perfectly until a few weeks ago. Now when I play any blu-ray movie (DVDs still work perfectly in the player) there will be a pink line with little squares in the screen every once in a while, or the picture will become mixed up and conglomerated for a few seconds, or the picture will turn into a bunch of little squares in certain areas and sometimes change color. It does this randomly throughout the movie, but it is not a constant thing.

You're getting what's called "artifacts". In my experience, it's due to something interfering with the laser - usually dirt, fingerprints, or other foreign matter on the disc itself. It's the usual culprit.

DVD's tracks are larger, and more forgiving of stuff on the disc, but it can happen on those, too. Make sure the discs are clean. Blu discs are pretty sturdy - you can gently wash them, dry them with a soft towel, and make sure nothing is on the disc. Always handle them by the edges to reduce fingerprints.

Hope this helps.

[boredomHD]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

You're getting what's called "artifacts". In my experience, it's due to something interfering with the laser - usually dirt, fingerprints, or other foreign matter on the disc itself. It's the usual culprit.

I will clean the disks if anything is present, but could it be that dirt or dust is actually on the laser inside the player, instead of one the disks?

[Blu_balls]

Originally Posted by boredomHD

I will clean the disks if anything is present, but could it be that dirt or dust is actually on the laser inside the player, instead of one the disks?

It could be, but I would think the artifacts would be less random and it would be happening at a higher frequency than you describe if it was actually on the laser. I've had the same thing happen occasionally while watching my movies and found that a friend or other family member was looking at the cover and opened the case (as they always do for some reason) and got a greasy smudge on the disc. Greasy smudges ALWAYS cause artifacts in my experience. I never touch the bottom of the disc but I always look now just to be sure it's clean.

[boredomHD]

I just cleaned off Indiana Jones 4, although I couldn't see any ware, and then replayed it. I'm still getting the same results. (Other movies do the same thing, although I haven't cleaned them). Any other suggestions?

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by boredomHD

I just cleaned off Indiana Jones 4, although I couldn't see any ware, and then replayed it. I'm still getting the same results. (Other movies do the same thing, although I haven't cleaned them). Any other suggestions?

Other factors that can cause artifacts are speed variations on the player, where the disc's rotational speed varies slightly during playback, and dirt on the laser or lens. Both are much more rare than disc damage.

I really don't like the commercial "dvd cleaners" out there - they cause more problems than they solve. You may need to have this unit repaired, and the cost of repair would exceed a new unit.

Try a few other discs before giving up. There could be foreign matter on the laser or somewhere else inside, but I doubt that's causing the problem.

[boredomHD]

I will try some other discs before taking any other actions, but is it possible for to disassemble the player myself if that doesn't work? I might as well try because if I can't fix it I'm going to end up buying a new player anyway. I can't stand watching it this way.