Issue with PS4...salvageable? (1 Viewer)

[BillBR]

Hi folks,

I've been having an issue with my white "Destiny" special edition PS4 from 2014 recently during blu-ray playback. (I use it exclusively for BD playback these days, and haven't played a game on it for about a year now.) The problem started around last December, when my Star Trek TOS Season 1 seemed to have a problem almost with every disc: playback would hang and then skip forward, similar to when a disc is scratched or otherwise blemished. However, sometimes simply rewinding and pressing play again would result in normal playback. Other times, the same hang would occur. At that point, I'd stop playback, start the disc again, and repeat until normal playback would occur. This seemed to be a problem exclusive to the Star Trek set, until recently when it started happening to other discs. For instance, it just happened with my copy of the Vinegar Syndrome release of CUTTING CLASS. It should be said that I had a similar issue with a copy of BLADE RUNNER 2049 in September 2018, though at the time I chalked it up to be a faulty disc. Now I'm not so sure.

Regardless, I am now 100% certain the fault does not lie with these discs, especially as I cannot find a single scratch or blemish or the like on them. I'm reasonably certain it's the PS4 that has the issue, but I can't fathom for the life of me what it could be. The firmware, which I keep checking weekly, is supposedly the latest version, according to the system update function. I used to leave my PS4 in rest mode quite often--I've recently for the past week or so started turning it all the way off then on again when I want to use it, and that obviously hasn't eradicated the problem. Could the interior of the system be sullied in some way (by dust, perhaps)? Or is my PS4 just slowly dying? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Bryan^H]

I'm not sure what the problem is. Have you done a factory reset?
im not sure it would help, but might be worth a shot.

I have a first generation PS4, and so far have not had any playback issues.

 

[Edwin-S]

It could be dust or the laser or transport mechanism is getting tired. Here is a link for disassembling the PS4 and replacing the laser assembly. However, a person has to feel comfortable doing this. I would also recommend getting the proper Torx screwdriver rather than using a slotted screwdriver. The laser assembly can be found on E-Bay for around 30 dollars give or take a few bucks.

 

[BillBR]

Thanks, folks. I plan on having my brother help me (he’s opened up his PS4 and got it running better in the past) very soon.

Update for thought—turns out the CUTTING CLASS disc was defective. I asked Vinegar Syndrome for a replacement, and it works fine now. Since the only other issues I’ve had have been with these Star Trek TOS discs (including just this morning), I wonder if this is all one big disc error issue? Could an entire set of discs be damaged? That seems so unlikely, but...

 

[David Norman]

Thanks, folks. I plan on having my brother help me (he’s opened up his PS4 and got it running better in the past) very soon.

Update for thought—turns out the CUTTING CLASS disc was defective. I asked Vinegar Syndrome for a replacement, and it works fine now. Since the only other issues I’ve had have been with these Star Trek TOS discs (including just this morning), I wonder if this is all one big disc error issue? Could an entire set of discs be damaged? That seems so unlikely, but...

Seems unlikely for Blu-rays. Trying those discs in another player seems to be the easiest 1st check.

It sounds like a laser issue to me too -- failing, out of adjustment, or just dirty (depending on dust, humidity, smoking, pet situation). If replacing the laser assembly is really $30 then at least a reasonable alternative to a new player. I've never been a huge fan of those laser cleaner discs, but if you at the last resort before replacing it could be worth a shot -- those seem to work best for dust or particles and not for film/nicotine buildup. I know with my laserdisc players or even my Sony DVD Changer it was pretty easy to get into the player and look at the lens and gently clean or air dust. The Changer was in a business environment with lots of paper/printing/fax. etc so I had to service that player every few months to keep it working