Magnavox NB500MG9 freezing? Any advice?

[JarettS]

i wish i could return it. bought it unopened on ebay a while ago for $200 incl shipping. now i see walmart has it for $129. well, you get what you pay for i guess. maybe ill try to have magnavox or funai or whatever send me a new one - if it still happens i can then demand a replacement or refund for there sub-standard product. i might be out of luck because they might not honor warranty because of ebay.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by JarettS

i wish i could return it. bought it unopened on ebay a while ago for $200 incl shipping. now i see walmart has it for $129. well, you get what you pay for i guess. maybe ill try to have magnavox or funai or whatever send me a new one - if it still happens i can then demand a replacement or refund for there sub-standard product. i might be out of luck because they might not honor warranty because of ebay.

That sucks Man, I feel for you.

[dangerous]

First post here.

I'm not sure if this related to this thread.. but I just bought 2 NB500MG9 Magnavox units ($128 ea at walmart). I figured, Consumer Reports said they were good, so i will try. .

I put in a DVD+R/DL and i got the error:
--Please eject the Disc.-
Playback feature may not be available on this Disc.

I burned again with just +R media, then tried one other. no go.

so, i opened the second unit, same issues.

I'm taking the first one back as i opened the box, and well.. it's going back. The second one will go back unless i can get an answer somewhere regarding my issue.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by dangerous

First post here.

I'm not sure if this related to this thread.. but I just bought 2 NB500MG9 Magnavox units ($128 ea at walmart). I figured, Consumer Reports said they were good, so i will try. .

I put in a DVD+R/DL and i got the error:
--Please eject the Disc.-
Playback feature may not be available on this Disc.

I burned again with just +R media, then tried one other. no go.

so, i opened the second unit, same issues.

I'm taking the first one back as i opened the box, and well.. it's going back. The second one will go back unless i can get an answer somewhere regarding my issue.

Not all BD players will play all formats. especially burned discs.

[dangerous]

Originally Posted by callas01

Not all BD players will play all formats. especially burned discs.

I read the specs on this unit, it said
DVD +r / DL and dvd+R.

well, i took one unit back to Wally World, got Credit for $214. for something i paid $138 for.

will take the other back and hopefully get the same credit.

[dangerous]

Originally Posted by callas01

Not all BD players will play all formats. especially burned discs.

Do you have recomendations on a unit that will?

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Well, I give thanks for the creation of this thread because I've been looking at generic brand blu-ray players on ebay as well. Looks like I'll be changing my mind. I'll just save my money for a PS3.

[dangerous]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Fanatic

Well, I give thanks for the creation of this thread because I've been looking at generic brand blu-ray players on ebay as well. Looks like I'll be changing my mind. I'll just save my money for a PS3.

how does the PS3 do playing DVD+R, DVD-r and DL's ? I'm probably right there with ya on saving for the PS3

[callas01]

Originally Posted by dangerous

Do you have recomendations on a unit that will?

I believe that the sony 550/350 and the panasonic 35/55 all do, I know that the panasonic 35 doesn't play Divx, but the 55 does. search at crutchfield for these players and see if you can download the owners manuals. they usually have the .pdf file for most of the equipment online. For panasonic I know it will be in the first couple pages what formats the players play, I am pretty sure sonys manual is similar.

[get1080pnot720p]

I also dove into Blu-Ray with the $128 Funai ("Magnavox" on the front and remote means nothing...not that "Funai" says much), and it had been playing without a hitch until today; froze for the first time during X-Files:IWTB for no particular reason (previously unrented copy from Netflix). Waited for the player to reboot, reloaded the disc, and it played through the same scene perfectly through to the end of the film (though I suppose I wouldn't have missed much if it hadn't).

When I used to have an HD DVD player a year ago (by no means a fan of the technology...it was simply cheaper at the time), it would routinely stall (with no apparent relationship to the condition of the disc), and I had sincerely hoped that this problem wouldn't reoccur with Blu-Ray. Perhaps it's just the cheaper players, but from what I've read, no player is immune to this issue, even after (numerous and continuous) firmware updates. I know two people with new 350's that are routinely stalling, even after updating.

Is it possible that it's simply an unavoidable fault of the finer beam and smaller pits (my HD DVD played ZERO Netflix rentals without stalling/freezing (even perfectly new ones) (I would always have to flip to the DVD side to finish the film (if provided)))?

I would simply be shocked, however, if Funai released firmware for the unit, as they're already in the process of replacing it (Magnavox is certainly not going to support it, since they don't even have Blu-Ray on their website). Even if they did, it's not going to help each new (newly produced disc) rental one would get from Netflix (or worse, purchased).

In short, I'll give mine another month, and if it stalls 25% of the time (note that I am using the unit ONLY for new movies from Netflix, not older films or discs (I have no intention of rebuying my DVD collection (minus the original three Jones' films))), I'm putting it on e-bay and will give the 350 a chance.

If that doesn't work as it should, I will return to reliable ole' DVD (never seen one stall...ever) and wait unhappily for the next technology to arise, having walked away from optical HD greatly disappointed and unsatisfied (if it isn't reliable, it's not worth using, IMO (missing the last five minutes of a movie that stalls is simply unacceptable)). Just my thoughts here; could be wrong.

[JarettS]

yea i actually thought about the fact that firmware might not be available for this player before i bought it, but then i read somewhere that firmware wont effect the movie files, but just the extras such as bd live, web links, etc. i have read things since then that have contradicted that. it doesnt make sense to me either because firmware upgrades are often put out for stablilty, right?

ive only had problems with 2 disks out of about 10, so its not too bad i guess.

does anyone here know about that? can the raw (.m2ts) movie files be affected by the firmware version? im pretty sure the answer is yes, but im assuming you guys figured that one out a long time ago. this forum is great, a lot of smart people giving great advice