- Joined: January 2006
- Location: New York, NY
- Post Count: 45
Hey folks,
I own a BDP-BX1 and have since December 2008. So far it's been running without a hitch but in the last few weeks I've noticed something troubling. Randomly, without seeming cause, blu-ray playback will suddenly freeze. All it takes to get things going again is simply rewinding (or fast-forwarding) the disc for a second then hitting play, but the fact that it's happening is making me nervous, and certainly annoyed. I am running it using just an HDMI connection straight to my Samsung LN22A450. It happens with any Blu-Ray disc, and all the discs I have are in impeccable condition (e.g. no scratches, smudges, or fingerprints).
The weather has been pretty hot up here in NYC...around 80 degrees indoors. Could it be the heat? I've also noticed a difference in playback with TrueHD sound mixes vs. other sound mixes...meaning that with television broadcasts/standard def DVDs, half volume on the tv set is fine...with a BD running a TrueHD mix, I have to turn it up to full volume to hear it properly. Or is there something suddenly wrong with my HDMI connection (I have of course checked the cables to make sure they are inserted correctly and snugly).
Any advice or assistance would be appreciated
"I've been thinking about what we talked about before...it's not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving. That's all."
--Edward James Olmos
- Joined: January 2006
- Location: New York, NY
- Post Count: 45
Re: Sony BDP-BX1 randomly freezing
Thanks for the reply, Jim.
Literally a few minutes before I saw it I thought to check the status of my firmware...and sure enough, there's an update I need to install. So I shall do that and see if that fixes the problem. I must admit the discs I have noticed this happening to are ones that have been released in the last few months...
"I've been thinking about what we talked about before...it's not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving. That's all."
--Edward James Olmos
- Joined: January 2006
- Location: New York, NY
- Post Count: 45
Well, I received and installed the latest firmware update, confirmed that it installed, etc. etc.
And of course, the problem still persists. I have a new theory though...
My roommate and I just watched Independence Day (on standard DVD) and then I decided to pop in the True Romance BD to listen to some commentary. At no point during Independence Day did the player freeze, skip, anything. After about 20-25 minutes of True Romance, it did a slight freeze. Then 10 minutes later, another one, only this one was longer. 5 minutes later, another longer one.
So what we have here is an exponential pattern. And standard DVDs don't seem to be affected, so it can't be some dirt on the lens/in the player or a broken part (can it?). I think it might be from extended usage and the heat in my room due to the weather.
So does anyone else have anything resembling this problem, with ANY player? It'd be nice to know if my problem is something I'm just going to have to suck up and deal with, or something that needs to be repaired...
"I've been thinking about what we talked about before...it's not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving. That's all."
--Edward James Olmos
- Joined: January 2006
- Location: New York, NY
- Post Count: 45
After scouring the forums here, I think I may have a better theory. I found a post regarding a problem someone was having with their Sony (forget which model it was) but their description of the problem sounded very similar. BD's locking up, DVD's playing fine, etc. About the only thing that was different was in their description they said once it happened they couldn't control anything and had to reboot the player...thus far, that is not the case for me.
Anyway a reply in that thread mentioned that it could be a lens alignment issue, which would of course need repair. Even though my player is still under warranty, I wonder if it's worth it...
"I've been thinking about what we talked about before...it's not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving. That's all."
--Edward James Olmos
- Joined: January 2006
- Location: New York, NY
- Post Count: 45
Yeah Jim, just based on looking around these threads it does seem to be a problem with most players...though there's no rhyme or reason to it. Basically it seems to boil down to whether you are a lucky or unlucky person
Anyway I had planned to wait it out as you have, but the BX1 was a Christmas gift and now there's no going back. I was on the phone with Sony earlier today, and they had me do a system reset. Upon thorough testing afterwards, it seemed to lessen the problem but not remove it.
I'm thinking of picking up a Maxell BD lens cleaner...I figure it may be worth a shot at this point. The problem is that it seems if regular DVDs continue to function properly, Sony won't believe it's a lens problem and may not grant a repair...
"I've been thinking about what we talked about before...it's not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving. That's all."
--Edward James Olmos
