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The DVD I bought/rented won’t play. Is my DVD player broken or is there a problem with the DVD disc?
This question comes up almost every week. Although there is no single answer that will fit all situations, there are several things to check.
First, if you rented the DVD then check the disc itself. Chances are that the surface of the disc is dirty or heavily scratched. If the disc is dirty then you can try cleaning it. There are many products on the market for cleaning a disc, but good ‘ol tap water, liquid dish soap and a soft clean towel will do the trick. If the DVD is heavily scratched then your only option is to return the disc to the place of rental and get another one (I always check for scratches before even leaving the rental store to save a trip).
If the DVD was recently purchased, you should still check all of the above. If everything looks good then there are several possibilities. (It is always best if you can try to repeat the problem on another player. Go over to a friend’s house or try the DVD–rom in your computer. If it works there, then the problem is with your specific DVD player.) First, your DVD player may need cleaned. There are several cleaners available on the market. Secondly, there may be a problem (although this happens very seldom) with the authoring of the disc. DVD’s and DVD players are insanely complex. This, combined with the fact that there are hundreds of different types and brands of players, can cause incompatibility between certain discs and certain players. This does not happen very often, but check the Software section of this forum for other members who are having the same problem. Thirdly, it may just be a bad disc. There have been entire runs of DVD’s that have shown up flawed and sometimes it is just a few discs out of the batch. If you can’t get the disc to play properly in any DVD player then return it to the place of purchase to exchange it.
Also, there is the problem of a DVD that has been in your collection for awhile and suddenly doesn’t play correctly. First, go through the steps above. If everything checks out then you may have a disc that has gone bad. This happens very rarely and the average consumer may never see this. If your DVD was recently purchased, you should exchange it at the place of purchase. If you are unable to exchange it then your only option is to contact the studio that issued the disc and ask for a replacement. This can be a long and frustrating task, but often times you will be allowed to exchange the defective DVD for a new one.
Finally is the possibility that your DVD player is broken. Again, if it was recently purchased you should return it to the place of purchase. If it is still under warranty, then you could attempt to have it repaired at little to no cost to you (although it may take up to several months for them to return your player to you). If it is no longer covered under warranty then you could pay to have it repaired (which often times will cost more than buying a new player) or use this as an excuse to upgrade!
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