Cannot play new BD or old BD that previously played - Blu-ray Forum

growler · 05-11-2013, 02:00 AM

As I research problems with my Panasonic DMP BD80, I'm starting to hear more stories (In several different threads/posts) about new BDs that won't play & existing BDs in a collection that no longer play despite being clean & scratch free.

“Cannot Read Disc” Error messages.

The reason may not be the same in every instance.

I’m hoping this thread will be active & a resource for various types of “cannot play this disc” issues.

Please post which BD, which player & what troubleshooting steps you took & what was the result. Tried in another player & played or also didn't play, exchanged the disc & the new one played or also didn't play. Cleaned the laser manually or with a cleaning disc & did that fix issue. Had player repaired or gave up & bought new player (I suspect this last one will be the most common)

Older players no longer getting FW updates from the manufacturer probably will lead to new copy protection stopping playing of new releases. Forcing one to buy a new player.

Dusty/dirty laser lens causing problems with select discs--not sure why not all discs.

Failing BD player for example, laser going bad & causing problems with select discs--not sure why not all discs.

The disc itself going bad! Not sure this can happen w/o the appearance of the disc being very different but unsure. Disc Rot?
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/high...rting-rot.html

I wonder if most failure to load/play typically happens with movies loaded with BD Live content that slow the loading/reading when 1st load the disc. I know some BDs like Starship Troopers require an SD card in some players or it will not play. Sometimes that SD card is full or needs reformatting or the disc won't play.
This has happened with my Panasonic DMP BD80.

I do think that some players handle scratches better than other players. While troubleshooting my unreadable Point Blank BD, I took it back to BBY & it played in their Sony BDP S185 player. So, I had them try a scratched BD (Warrior) that I had previously replaced. On my BD80 after 1 hour (repeatable) it completely froze with macro-blocking & was unwatchable. However, on the BBY Sony, it merely ‘hiccuped’ @ that spot & went on playing, so a small annoyance vs cannot continue to watch the movie! This experiment proved that a damaged/scratched disc plays differently on different players. Perhaps one has better error control circuitry or better laser.

I suspect these playability issues are fairly common & it is not simply that someone failed to update their FW.

growler · 05-24-2013, 07:19 AM

LOL

So much for my big idea of a single thread for playability issues with various BD players.

I have a thread: “Is problem BD player, disc or both?”

Panasonic DMP BD80 that would not load one new BD & later a 2nd & trouble with a 3rd. Tried (useless) Maxell lens cleaner, turing off BD live/Internet access (was not connected anyway) No joy.

I gave up & bought an Oppo BDP-103. Works great plays both BDs that would not play in Panasonic & Oppo has great customer service reputation. I have emailed them with a couple set up questions & each time I received a reply in hours ... not weeks (or never) as happens with some other brands.

One suggestion finally rec’d from Panasonic -- weeks after contacting them multiple times -- was to turn off Quick Start. This actually solved the issue with one but not the other unplayable BD.

obidawsn · 05-24-2013, 12:58 PM

I got excited when I saw this thread, then realized it was newer and nothing was posted. I've been having problems with my BD player (Panasonic BD-35). It suddenly stopped playing Blu-ray discs. I put in a disc that I bought used and it didn't work. I was bummed, but hoped that I was still in the return window for it. I put in another used disc that I had put in not too long before that worked and it didn't work. I then tried a disc that I purchased new that had worked previously and nothing would work. I can get DVDs to work, but not BDs. I figured there's something wrong with my lens, but I wasn't sure how the player works. Do they have 2 lenses or does 1 lens produce different lights in order to read the different discs? I thought about using a lens cleaner, but wasn't sure that would fix the problem. I tried spraying a little compressed air into the tray. It didn't work, but it was very difficult to even get the nozzle into it, so I'm not even sure if the air is reaching inside. I'm hoping it's something I can easily fix, as I have no money to buy another player.

BluRoo98 · 05-24-2013, 01:03 PM

You both had Panasonics...maybe that brand is having more issues?? (Since the OP got an OPPO and disc worked fine) I might keep this in mind next time I go to buy...

growler · 05-27-2013, 01:15 AM

I don't think the issue is confined to Panasonic. That is why I created this thread. See my thread: “Is problem BD player, disc or both?”

In searching this site & other forums, I found many specific posts about different problems with different BD players. I got my 1st BD player 2009 & now I think that they are more prone to failure than DVD players. I've read several posts where someone's BD player stopped playing all BDs but still plays DVDs. I do think there are two separate lasers & I think the blu laser is closer to the disc than the red one for DVDs. I've read that BDs are more sensitive to fingerprints or smudges than DVDs. Although BDs are harder to scratch, they may be more sensitive to scratches than DVDs. Then there is the whole FW issue. Apparently many manufacturers stop releasing new FW after several years. So, when a new release requires new FW update for the newer players, that leaves owners of older players SOL for that particular new release.

Re cleaning laser lens manually or with cleaning discs, I've read mixed reviews. Best seems to be disassembly & manual cleaning but, you may ruin your player & misalign your lens. Some like the Maxell & other brand cleaning discs. I just tried the one with brushes & it was worthless. Some like the Maxell with 2 holes & no brushes which claims to produce a wind effect. So where does all that dust go? Elsewhere in the player screwing up other things? Some like using compressed air.

It would be nice if there was a good test to prove if the issue was; your player failing, lack of FW update or the disc itself. If you can try the disc in another player & it still fails to load, that strongly suggests it is the disc.
If your player will not play unscratched discs that it had previously played that suggests a failing player.

rdodolak · 05-27-2013, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by growler

If your player will not play unscratched discs that it had previously played that suggests a failing player.

Or a bad firmware update. There have been firmware updates in the past which have caused titles which used to play to no longer play. Usually those problems are rectified in the next firmware release or by a firmware downgrade (assuming the manufacturer allows it).

However, now that you have an Oppo your non-playability problems should be a think of the past for the most part.

growler · 05-28-2013, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdodolak

Or a bad firmware update. There have been firmware updates in the past which have caused titles which used to play to no longer play. Usually those problems are rectified in the next firmware release or by a firmware downgrade (assuming the manufacturer allows it).

Excellent point!

archetypally · 05-28-2013, 10:31 AM

Some of Panasonic's blu ray players are just turkeys and don't play some movies and sometimes it just spins and spins. I had the crappy DMP BD80 and a year ago i upgraded to a Panasonic 3d bd player and no problems. I gave the problematic BD80 to my room mate and just a month ago I upgraded for him to the BD87 which has been great and has way better technology in it than the horrible BD80. If anyone has the BD80 just get rid of it and upgrade to something better, it has always been a turkey even when it was brand new.

paezvuc · 05-29-2013, 09:08 AM

I came across their Children of the Corn DVD collection

growler · 05-31-2013, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by archetypally

Some of Panasonic's blu ray players are just turkeys and don't play some movies and sometimes it just spins and spins. I had the crappy DMP BD80 and a year ago i upgraded to a Panasonic 3d bd player and no problems. I gave the problematic BD80 to my room mate and just a month ago I upgraded for him to the BD87 which has been great and has way better technology in it than the horrible BD80. If anyone has the BD80 just get rid of it and upgrade to something better, it has always been a turkey even when it was brand new.

How do you explain the great reviews in early 2009 for the Panasonic DMP BD60/80? That & the Sony PSP were the top players in all the major reviews I saw.

slimdude · 06-01-2013, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by growler

Excellent point!

I still have one of Panasonic's well build, first generation blu-ray players, (when the units were durably constructed, with better quality overall) not like the cheaply made blu-ray players that Panasonic are making nowadays, that weigh less than a pound, and look like a toy. As long as the blu-ray player was playing discs without any difficulties, I didn't update the firmware because, it didn't need it.

Jaguar007 · 06-17-2013, 06:11 PM

I am having the same problem with my Panasonic Bd60

quickdraw · 06-17-2013, 08:24 PM

I have both the BDT210 and the newer BDT220 and both are a great players. I believe the earlier model had some firmware issues when it was initially released, but by the time I had purchased mine, it was all good. I personally prefer them to a sanyo and onkyo player I've had at one time or another. The disk start-up time is superior to any BD player I've tested out and haven't had any networking issues either. I think like most mass-produced electronic items, there will be duds. Panasonic I think has done a pretty decent job with their firmware updates, so I can't complain and would recommend my models to any one looking for a player. BTW, the newer model (BDT220) I picked up at BBY at the end of last year for under a hundred bucks.

AKORIS · 06-17-2013, 08:36 PM

all I can add is that until I got a player than can do firmware updates online as my SONY does... I had not 1 but 3 players in a row that basically died after about 6 months of use--

1 was a Panasonic and the other 2 were Sony's.

AgentOrange · 07-13-2013, 03:28 AM

I have an ancient 5+ year old Panasonic and it's still going string without disc compatibility issues (only 1 solitary disc that refused to play in just that player). I've *NEVER* updated the firmware either. It might have something to do with the older model players having higher build quality? I've been thinking about upgrading to a FASTER loading player, but reading some of the stuff on here has me worried about these mainstream models.

I guess I could get an Oppo and be sure of build quality, but $499 is a bit high while my current player is still going strong.

I have noticed a few more "glitchy" discs lately at random times during a feature, but I confirmed those to have nothing to do with firmware as the glitches also existed on my PS3 in the same spots (although my PS3 handled them a little more in-stride, whereas I had to actually chapter skip on the Panasonic). I'm definitely seeing now that the blu-ray format is not as "bulletproof" as it was made out to be. The discs may not scratch, but my rate of glitchy discs received from factory is pretty much about the same as it was for DVD.

arobbo · 09-05-2017, 10:35 AM

Bumping an historic thread, but currently having similar issues relating to Panasonic build qualities. About 2 months ago purchased a second-hand Panasonic DMP-BD60, was working really well for a few weeks. Suddenly stopped playing Bluray discs with “Cannot Read Disc” messages, DVDs still playing uninterrupted. Tried a brush-type dvd lens cleaner several times without luck, updated the firmware earlier today from 1.4 to 2.67 - no joy. More attempts at the automatic brush-type lens cleaner without change. Will be trying to manually clean the lens next, but not hopeful given the similar sorts of feedback for Panasonic players of the BD10-BD80 ish vintage. Will post back if any change from the approximately 3 cycles of 3-clicking sounds of the player's "attempt" to read a Bluray before borking completely with "Cannot Read Disc" or "Operation not permitted".

MrAL300 · 09-10-2017, 08:29 AM

I have a Samsung blu ray player E5300 series which no longer plays blu ray discs. It rejects the disc with an error that it cannot read the disc. I have re-inserted 15-20 times and maybe it will work but very rarely (standard dvd discs work fine the first time every time). I've had the player for 4+ years and this problem started several weeks ago.
Actions I've taken:
1) Cleaned player with cleaning disc twice.
2) Factory reboot (held play/pause for 8 seconds)
3) Installed latest firmware.
4) Ensured discs are not damaged.

What else can I do? I have a portable blu ray player and these discs play the first time every time, so something is definitely wrong.

Thanks for any help!
Al

omarchafa · 09-10-2017, 05:19 PM

Buy a new player? The disc laser eventually wears out on any player and will stop playing BD discs little by little. I had a BDP for 7 years, and it works perfectly fine, but I barely used it. It just comes down to how frequently you use it.

Chris60119 · 09-13-2017, 06:00 AM

I get the same issues with my PS4. Its really annoying.. I've had 4 discs now that wouldn't play.

Optimus-Prime-Rox · 09-13-2017, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris60119

I get the same issues with my PS4. Its really annoying.. I've had 4 discs now that wouldn't play.

Have you updated the firmware?

05-11-2013, 02:00 AM	#1
growler Blu-ray Guru Member since:Aug 2009 4K collection:10 Blu-ray collection:1735 DVD collection:250 Trading Score:38	Cannot play new BD or old BD that previously played As I research problems with my Panasonic DMP BD80, I'm starting to hear more stories (In several different threads/posts) about new BDs that won't play & existing BDs in a collection that no longer play despite being clean & scratch free. “Cannot Read Disc” Error messages. The reason may not be the same in every instance. I’m hoping this thread will be active & a resource for various types of “cannot play this disc” issues. Please post which BD, which player & what troubleshooting steps you took & what was the result. Tried in another player & played or also didn't play, exchanged the disc & the new one played or also didn't play. Cleaned the laser manually or with a cleaning disc & did that fix issue. Had player repaired or gave up & bought new player (I suspect this last one will be the most common) Older players no longer getting FW updates from the manufacturer probably will lead to new copy protection stopping playing of new releases. Forcing one to buy a new player. Dusty/dirty laser lens causing problems with select discs--not sure why not all discs. Failing BD player for example, laser going bad & causing problems with select discs--not sure why not all discs. The disc itself going bad! Not sure this can happen w/o the appearance of the disc being very different but unsure. Disc Rot? http://forums.highdefdigest.com/high...rting-rot.html I wonder if most failure to load/play typically happens with movies loaded with BD Live content that slow the loading/reading when 1st load the disc. I know some BDs like Starship Troopers require an SD card in some players or it will not play. Sometimes that SD card is full or needs reformatting or the disc won't play. This has happened with my Panasonic DMP BD80. I do think that some players handle scratches better than other players. While troubleshooting my unreadable Point Blank BD, I took it back to BBY & it played in their Sony BDP S185 player. So, I had them try a scratched BD (Warrior) that I had previously replaced. On my BD80 after 1 hour (repeatable) it completely froze with macro-blocking & was unwatchable. However, on the BBY Sony, it merely ‘hiccuped’ @ that spot & went on playing, so a small annoyance vs cannot continue to watch the movie! This experiment proved that a damaged/scratched disc plays differently on different players. Perhaps one has better error control circuitry or better laser. I suspect these playability issues are fairly common & it is not simply that someone failed to update their FW.

09-05-2017, 10:35 AM	#16
arobbo New Member Member since:Sep 2017	Panasonic DMP BD60 Bumping an historic thread, but currently having similar issues relating to Panasonic build qualities. About 2 months ago purchased a second-hand Panasonic DMP-BD60, was working really well for a few weeks. Suddenly stopped playing Bluray discs with “Cannot Read Disc” messages, DVDs still playing uninterrupted. Tried a brush-type dvd lens cleaner several times without luck, updated the firmware earlier today from 1.4 to 2.67 - no joy. More attempts at the automatic brush-type lens cleaner without change. Will be trying to manually clean the lens next, but not hopeful given the similar sorts of feedback for Panasonic players of the BD10-BD80 ish vintage. Will post back if any change from the approximately 3 cycles of 3-clicking sounds of the player's "attempt" to read a Bluray before borking completely with "Cannot Read Disc" or "Operation not permitted".

05-24-2013, 07:19 AM	#2
growler Blu-ray Guru Member since:Aug 2009 4K collection:10 Blu-ray collection:1735 DVD collection:250 Trading Score:38	LOL So much for my big idea of a single thread for playability issues with various BD players. I have a thread: “Is problem BD player, disc or both?” Panasonic DMP BD80 that would not load one new BD & later a 2nd & trouble with a 3rd. Tried (useless) Maxell lens cleaner, turing off BD live/Internet access (was not connected anyway) No joy. I gave up & bought an Oppo BDP-103. Works great plays both BDs that would not play in Panasonic & Oppo has great customer service reputation. I have emailed them with a couple set up questions & each time I received a reply in hours ... not weeks (or never) as happens with some other brands. One suggestion finally rec’d from Panasonic -- weeks after contacting them multiple times -- was to turn off Quick Start. This actually solved the issue with one but not the other unplayable BD.

05-24-2013, 12:58 PM	#3
obidawsn Active Member Member since:Nov 2009 Trading Score:27	I got excited when I saw this thread, then realized it was newer and nothing was posted. I've been having problems with my BD player (Panasonic BD-35). It suddenly stopped playing Blu-ray discs. I put in a disc that I bought used and it didn't work. I was bummed, but hoped that I was still in the return window for it. I put in another used disc that I had put in not too long before that worked and it didn't work. I then tried a disc that I purchased new that had worked previously and nothing would work. I can get DVDs to work, but not BDs. I figured there's something wrong with my lens, but I wasn't sure how the player works. Do they have 2 lenses or does 1 lens produce different lights in order to read the different discs? I thought about using a lens cleaner, but wasn't sure that would fix the problem. I tried spraying a little compressed air into the tray. It didn't work, but it was very difficult to even get the nozzle into it, so I'm not even sure if the air is reaching inside. I'm hoping it's something I can easily fix, as I have no money to buy another player.

05-24-2013, 01:03 PM	#4
BluRoo98 Power Member Top contributor Member since:Oct 2008 Location:Center Valley, PA Home Theater Gallery:17 4K collection:11 Blu-ray collection:355 DVD collection:67 Digital collection:914 Trading Score:180	You both had Panasonics...maybe that brand is having more issues?? (Since the OP got an OPPO and disc worked fine) I might keep this in mind next time I go to buy...

05-27-2013, 01:15 AM	#5
growler Blu-ray Guru Member since:Aug 2009 4K collection:10 Blu-ray collection:1735 DVD collection:250 Trading Score:38	I don't think the issue is confined to Panasonic. That is why I created this thread. See my thread: “Is problem BD player, disc or both?” In searching this site & other forums, I found many specific posts about different problems with different BD players. I got my 1st BD player 2009 & now I think that they are more prone to failure than DVD players. I've read several posts where someone's BD player stopped playing all BDs but still plays DVDs. I do think there are two separate lasers & I think the blu laser is closer to the disc than the red one for DVDs. I've read that BDs are more sensitive to fingerprints or smudges than DVDs. Although BDs are harder to scratch, they may be more sensitive to scratches than DVDs. Then there is the whole FW issue. Apparently many manufacturers stop releasing new FW after several years. So, when a new release requires new FW update for the newer players, that leaves owners of older players SOL for that particular new release. Re cleaning laser lens manually or with cleaning discs, I've read mixed reviews. Best seems to be disassembly & manual cleaning but, you may ruin your player & misalign your lens. Some like the Maxell & other brand cleaning discs. I just tried the one with brushes & it was worthless. Some like the Maxell with 2 holes & no brushes which claims to produce a wind effect. So where does all that dust go? Elsewhere in the player screwing up other things? Some like using compressed air. It would be nice if there was a good test to prove if the issue was; your player failing, lack of FW update or the disc itself. If you can try the disc in another player & it still fails to load, that strongly suggests it is the disc. If your player will not play unscratched discs that it had previously played that suggests a failing player.

05-28-2013, 10:31 AM	#8
archetypally Banned Member since:Nov 2008 Blu-ray reviews: 19	Some of Panasonic's blu ray players are just turkeys and don't play some movies and sometimes it just spins and spins. I had the crappy DMP BD80 and a year ago i upgraded to a Panasonic 3d bd player and no problems. I gave the problematic BD80 to my room mate and just a month ago I upgraded for him to the BD87 which has been great and has way better technology in it than the horrible BD80. If anyone has the BD80 just get rid of it and upgrade to something better, it has always been a turkey even when it was brand new.

05-29-2013, 09:08 AM	#9
paezvuc Banned Member since:May 2013	I came across their Children of the Corn DVD collection

06-17-2013, 06:11 PM	#12
Jaguar007 Senior Member Member since:Dec 2007 Location:Portland, OR Blu-ray reviews:1	I am having the same problem with my Panasonic Bd60

06-17-2013, 08:24 PM	#13
quickdraw Special Member Member since:Oct 2012 Location:Northern California Blu-ray reviews: 7 Trading Score:1	I have both the BDT210 and the newer BDT220 and both are a great players. I believe the earlier model had some firmware issues when it was initially released, but by the time I had purchased mine, it was all good. I personally prefer them to a sanyo and onkyo player I've had at one time or another. The disk start-up time is superior to any BD player I've tested out and haven't had any networking issues either. I think like most mass-produced electronic items, there will be duds. Panasonic I think has done a pretty decent job with their firmware updates, so I can't complain and would recommend my models to any one looking for a player. BTW, the newer model (BDT220) I picked up at BBY at the end of last year for under a hundred bucks.

06-17-2013, 08:36 PM	#14
AKORIS Blu-ray Prince Member since:Jul 2008 Location:Beautiful Pacific Northwest 4K collection:662 Blu-ray collection:3655 Blu-ray reviews:19	all I can add is that until I got a player than can do firmware updates online as my SONY does... I had not 1 but 3 players in a row that basically died after about 6 months of use-- 1 was a Panasonic and the other 2 were Sony's.

07-13-2013, 03:28 AM	#15
AgentOrange Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jul 2011 4K collection:382 Blu-ray collection:2619 DVD collection:69 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:10	I have an ancient 5+ year old Panasonic and it's still going string without disc compatibility issues (only 1 solitary disc that refused to play in just that player). I've NEVER updated the firmware either. It might have something to do with the older model players having higher build quality? I've been thinking about upgrading to a FASTER loading player, but reading some of the stuff on here has me worried about these mainstream models. I guess I could get an Oppo and be sure of build quality, but $499 is a bit high while my current player is still going strong. I have noticed a few more "glitchy" discs lately at random times during a feature, but I confirmed those to have nothing to do with firmware as the glitches also existed on my PS3 in the same spots (although my PS3 handled them a little more in-stride, whereas I had to actually chapter skip on the Panasonic). I'm definitely seeing now that the blu-ray format is not as "bulletproof" as it was made out to be. The discs may not scratch, but my rate of glitchy discs received from factory is pretty much about the same as it was for DVD.

09-10-2017, 08:29 AM	#17
MrAL300 New Member Member since:Sep 2017	I have a Samsung blu ray player E5300 series which no longer plays blu ray discs. It rejects the disc with an error that it cannot read the disc. I have re-inserted 15-20 times and maybe it will work but very rarely (standard dvd discs work fine the first time every time). I've had the player for 4+ years and this problem started several weeks ago. Actions I've taken: 1) Cleaned player with cleaning disc twice. 2) Factory reboot (held play/pause for 8 seconds) 3) Installed latest firmware. 4) Ensured discs are not damaged. What else can I do? I have a portable blu ray player and these discs play the first time every time, so something is definitely wrong. Thanks for any help! Al

09-10-2017, 05:19 PM	#18
omarchafa Special Member Member since:Feb 2014	Buy a new player? The disc laser eventually wears out on any player and will stop playing BD discs little by little. I had a BDP for 7 years, and it works perfectly fine, but I barely used it. It just comes down to how frequently you use it.

09-13-2017, 06:00 AM	#19
Chris60119 Blu-ray Ninja Member since:May 2008 Location:Savannah GA Blu-ray collection:850 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 35	I get the same issues with my PS4. Its really annoying.. I've had 4 discs now that wouldn't play.

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals