How long do Blu-ray players last?

[Movie shy]

I have a Sony BDP-3200 that I got in April 2014 and last night I kept having problems with one of my blu ray's. Whenever I would try to go back to the movie it was saying can't read disk. I would open and shut where the blu ray disk was and then it would be okay (have had this problem with a few other disks as well). Well after dinner my blu ray player had already shut down but I was still hearing a noise from my player. When I took my blu ray disk out the noise stopped. Sometimes I have to unplug my player and replug it in to get it work. My question is how long do blu ray players last? My former Samsung DVD player lasted me for years (though before this blu ray player hadn't used my Samsung for a few years because of my HDTV and dvd's looking bad.

[Irrob]

Originally Posted by Movie shy

I have a Sony BDP-3200 that I got in April 2014 and last night I kept having problems with one of my blu ray's. Whenever I would try to go back to the movie it was saying can't read disk. I would open and shut where the blu ray disk was and then it would be okay (have had this problem with a few other disks as well). Well after dinner my blu ray player had already shut down but I was still hearing a noise from my player. When I took my blu ray disk out the noise stopped. Sometimes I have to unplug my player and replug it in to get it work. My question is how long do blu ray players last? My former Samsung DVD player lasted me for years (though before this blu ray player hadn't used my Samsung for a few years because of my HDTV and dvd's looking bad.

There is no guidance on expiration date of Blu-ray players. I guess it comes down to build quality. I had a Panasonic 3D player that lasted two years. I have a launch PS3 thats still going strong. I bought an Oppo player this year so we shall see how long that goes. In your case that player died way too soon. Warranty should still be good? Reviews can be helpful in weeding out the players with frequent problems.

[slimdude]

I still have one of Panasonic's first generation blu-ray players (DMP-BD30) and it's still playing without a hitch. It's a oldie but goodie! Panasonic don't make blu-ray players like they use to! The build quality, and size of this player, can make 2 blu-ray players. Here are some photos of the DMP-BD30:

https://www.google.com/search?q=DMP-...sp%3B640%3B225

[sukraj]

I've had mine for over 4 years and it still works.

[AgentOrange]

I had one of the early Panasonic's and it lasted me about 4 years. But man that thing was SLOOOOOOWWWWWW. I was happy to replace it with a brand new Sony 5200, even if it feels like cheap plastic in comparison, it is ridiculously faster to operate and load discs. I don't even care anymore when an electronic is "built like a tank", because that isn't going to stop it from failing mechanically (or just becoming obsolete).

Based on my experience with DVD's and blu-ray players, my over/under is about 4 years for an optical drive that is heavily used. Most of my DVD players seemed to last about that long. When my first PS2 died that is probably about how old it was as well. My PS3 from 2009 is still going strong - but I haven't played movies on it for years, and alot of games are digital. So that probably saves the optical drive a substantial amount.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

I had one of the early Panasonic's and it lasted me about 4 years. But man that thing was SLOOOOOOWWWWWW. I was happy to replace it with a brand new Sony 5200, even if it feels like cheap plastic in comparison, it is ridiculously faster to operate and load discs. I don't even care anymore when an electronic is "built like a tank", because that isn't going to stop it from failing mechanically (or just becoming obsolete).

A blu-ray player, (regardless of it's age) will never become obsolete, unless you're just trying to keep up with The Joneses, and have the latest and the greatest, to impress other people! As long as it continue to play blu-rays, DVDs, CDs and so forth, that's all that matters. Blu-ray players are not like computers.

[Socko]

I've an LG HRX550 (with harddrive) and it's 4 years old.
It already has problems not being updated often enough. Last update is 2 years ago so a lot of newer blu-rays wont play.

So if a blu-ray player has regular updates it should be doing just fine for years to come.

[CHASLS2]

My old Pioneer 51 FD and 05 FD Elite are still going strong. My 2 OPPO83's are still going strong.

[RiFiFi1955]

I got 3 LG's, forget the models but the two higher end ones are still going strong after a few years but the cheaper model has suddenly decided to not play certain discs so that one is on its way out.

[HD Goofnut]

As far as drives with moving parts go optical disc drives have the longest life.

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by slimdude

A blu-ray player, (regardless of it's age) will never become obsolete, unless you're just trying to keep up with The Joneses, and have the latest and the greatest, to impress other people! As long as it continue to play blu-rays, DVDs, CDs and so forth, that's all that matters. Blu-ray players are not like computers.

My old player was substantially slower loading than the new players... annoyingly so. Since it was a very early player, it also completely lacked wi-fi or any internet connectivity. I would call that "obsolete".

That might not be a problem with a well-built new player in 2014 that has all the current features and connectivity. Most likely top end players now are about as fast as they will ever get. Yet that doesn't assure their continued relevance into perpetuity. At some point their online features might be no longer updated or supported.

I still have VHS and DVD players that are are "fully functional", yet none of them are being used and haven't been for years... every room has a blu-ray player instead. I'm guessing I won't have a house full of blu-ray players in 10 years because there will be no point to replacing them (probably 10 years from now everything will be streaming, but I will still have a 4K/Blu player in one room to play my physical discs). Yet that *one* player I will want 10 years from now surely isn't available today, because we don't yet have 4K native players, Atmos, etc.

[The Great Owl]

The first Blu-ray player that I owned, a Samsung that I had purchased for $70, worked wonderfully well for almost two years before it started having trouble reading discs. I went across the street to Target, bought a better Samsung model for $70, and paid a couple of bucks for the three-year guarantee.

I put my Blu-ray player through a lot of abuse, since I use it on a near-daily basis, and I sometimes even watch several movies in a day on a weekend. For this reason, I like the idea of buying the "disposable" players that only cost $70 or so. That way, it won't break the bank for me to get one replaced when I wear it out.

[floridaswamprat]

I have had a Magnivox that I bought at Wal*Mart for 4 years now. It had one update (some years back), but plays everything I put in it.

[Dylan34]

One of my blu players, my cheap sony bdp-1100, has lasted 2 years so far and that's playing it every single day. It has serious mileage on it so, it really just depends on the optical drive. Sometimes you get a great one and sometimes you get a lemon!

[Movie shy]

Originally Posted by Irrob

There is no guidance on expiration date of Blu-ray players. I guess it comes down to build quality. I had a Panasonic 3D player that lasted two years. I have a launch PS3 thats still going strong. I bought an Oppo player this year so we shall see how long that goes. In your case that player died way too soon. Warranty should still be good? Reviews can be helpful in weeding out the players with frequent problems.

Hi Irrob,

I got my blu ray player as a present and there is no extended warranty on it. I agree with you about the PS3 players lasting a long time. Like yourself, my brother got the PS3 at launch and his blu ray on that still works fine (though he doesn't play blu ray's as much as I do). Was wondering if anyone has the same model Sony BDP-3200 that I have and if they had any problems with this unit.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

My old player was substantially slower loading than the new players... annoyingly so. Since it was a very early player, it also completely lacked wi-fi or any internet connectivity. I would call that "obsolete".

It may be obsolete to you, but not to many other people. Basically, Blu-ray players doesn't necessarily need Wi-Fi and internet connection to play blu-rays, which is what blu-ray players are primarily made and used for.

[Movie shy]

Originally Posted by slimdude

I still have one of Panasonic's first generation blu-ray players (DMP-BD30) and it's still playing without a hitch. Panasonic don't make blu-ray players like they use to! The build quality, and size of this player, could make 2 of their blu-ray players, they're making now. Here are some photos of the DMP-BD30:

https://www.google.com/search?q=DMP-...sp%3B640%3B225

Hi slim

That's great that your Panasonic blu ray is still going strong. I was surprised at the build of my Sony 3200 player it feels very cheap in comparison to my former Samsung DVD player that was very sturdy and lasted for years. The one good thing about blu ray players is how cheap you can get them for. When blu ray players first came on the market they were so expensive it felt like a luxury item for the rich and now even poor people like me can have one, lol.

[Sky_Captain]

2008 purchased fat UK PS3, died late last year. Replaced by Sony standalone player.

US fat PS3 bought in 2009 second hand, still going strong.

[Movie shy]

Originally Posted by sukraj

I've had mine for over 4 years and it still works.

Hi sukraj,

Great to hear your player has lasted over 4 years what make is it?

[Movie shy]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

I had one of the early Panasonic's and it lasted me about 4 years. But man that thing was SLOOOOOOWWWWWW. I was happy to replace it with a brand new Sony 5200, even if it feels like cheap plastic in comparison, it is ridiculously faster to operate and load discs. I don't even care anymore when an electronic is "built like a tank", because that isn't going to stop it from failing mechanically (or just becoming obsolete).

Based on my experience with DVD's and blu-ray players, my over/under is about 4 years for an optical drive that is heavily used. Most of my DVD players seemed to last about that long. When my first PS2 died that is probably about how old it was as well. My PS3 from 2009 is still going strong - but I haven't played movies on it for years, and alot of games are digital. So that probably saves the optical drive a substantial amount.

Hi AgentOrange,

A few people like yourself have mentioned 4 years for a blu ray player lasting. Have you experienced any problems with your Sony 5200 like I have had with my Sony 3200?