My Sony DVSP-360 just died. Help me choose a new player (1 Viewer)

[greggor]

Hello,

Another victim of the infamous C:13 error message many of you may be familiar with.

I am very dissapointed with Sony for knowingly producing an inferior product. A product I believe was intentionally manufactured with planned obselecense in mind.

With that said I think another Sony DVD player is out of the question for me. Here are some of the features I am looking for in my next DVD player:

1. Progressive scan/Interlaced

2. MP3 playback/cd-rw/cd-r/DVD Audio would be a nice feature but is not a must.

3. Single disk player

4. Decent interlaced picture quality (nothing to soft) I will be using this player on a 53 inch 4:3 RPTV until atleast next year.

Overall I guess I am just looking for a reliable DVD player that will last more than 18 months with features that will allow for future upgrades such as progressive scan. I would like to stay under the $300.00 price range. As always I appreciate everyones advice.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[KeithH]

Greg, take a look at the JVC XV-SA70BK and 'SA75GD. They are the same player, except that one is black and the other is gold. They sell for under $300 at Crutchfield, Best Buy, and the like. Also look at the Toshiba SD-4700 and '5700. I don't believe the Toshiba players handle MP3-encoded CDs (the JVC players do), but they are worth considering. The '5700 offers HDCD decoding.

 

[Pamela]

I have the same Sony and am experiencing the same problem. I am leaning towards replacing it with the Panasonic RP-56. I've heard great things about it, and went to check it out yesterday. Think I will pick one up this weekend.

If you're near a Sears, you might want to check them out. They have a bunch of DVD players on clearance, including the RP-56 ($199).

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Uh ... Guys ... There is a fairly easy fix for the infamous "C13" error on the 330/530 machines.

First, go to the "Service Menu" :

* With the player OFF, press the TITLE button, then the CLEAR button, and then the POWER button on the remote.

* Once the Service Menu appears, select the DRIVE AUTO-ALIGNMENT MODE.

* In the sub-menu that appears, select DVD-SL.

* The tray will open and the Player will request a single-layer DVD disc. ANY single-layer disc will do. If you're into Star Trek, all the TOS Volumes except for Volume 40 are single-layer.

* After inserting the disc, the player will run through a number of tests and will reset a multitude of internal settings as a result of those tests. If the tests run to completion without giving you an error message then you're all set. Remove the disc and press the POWER button. This will simultaneously exit you from the Service menu and save the new settings.

* There is no need, usually, to re-run this Service Menu option for a dual layer disc.

Now you should be able to play the discs that were giving you the "C13" error. Depending on the settings of your machine, you may even notice a little bit sharper picture at this point when performing anamorphic downconversion to a legacy 4:3 set.

You should not need to do this again unless the player is unplugged for a long period of time, or has been moved.

 

[greggor]

Keith,

Do you know if the JVC XV-SA70BX has bass management for DVD-A. Same question for Pamela regarding the Panny RP-56.

I would also be very interested in hearing from members who have personally used either of these players.

Thanks for the replies.

Greg

 

[KeithH]

Joseph,

Good tip. Thanks for sharing it.

Greg,

Unless you have already decided to buy a new DVD player no matter what, I would try Joseph's method for addressing the C13 error message on your Sony player. It can't hurt to try.

I don't believe the JVC or the Panasonic players offer bass management for DVD-Audio.

Matthew,

I know you have a disdain for Sony and I understand that based on your firsthand experiences. Of course, I was very frustrated by the pre-mature demise of my 'JA555ES and even more so by Sony's poor repair service. However, I have many other Sony products that have performed flawlessly, as do others. Just be careful in trashing Sony at every turn. Components from many manufacturers turn out to be lemons. JVC has had its share with its DVD players, and some Panasonic players have been lackluster in the reliability department. Denon has had its problems too. On the flipside, Sony has made some excellent components at various price points. I know that the 'S360, 'S560D, and 'S570D single-disc DVD players from 2000-2001 often fail prematurely, but my 'C670D changer from the same generation has performed flawlessly since August 2000. I have not read of the 'C670D or 'C660 changers failing. Finally, Sony's current budget single-disc DVD players (the 'NS300, 'NS400D, and 'NS700P) all seem to be far more reliable than last year's models.

 

[Pamela]

Uh ... Guys ... There is a fairly easy fix for the infamous "C13" error on the 330/530 machines.

Shhhhhhhhh! I need an excuse to buy a new one!
No actually. I will try the fix. But I'm still gonna buy a new one for the progressive scan. The Sony will go in the bedroom.
Thanks!

 

[Mike Brantley]

Joseph, nice post. How do I access the service menu? I don't need to do it yet, but I have a 360 that is on "death watch." I'm just waiting for it to mess up -- especially after reading all the negative reports of it on www.audioreview.com. :frowning:
The 360 got kicked upstairs to the bedroom. Soon I'll replace it with a Panasonic unit in the theater. Right now I'm "making do" downstairs with the E20 recorder.

 

[KeithH]

Mike said:

Right now I'm "making do" downstairs with the E20 recorder.

Awwww...poor baby. Just kidding. I'm sure you could do a lot worse. In all seriousness, how do you like the 'E20 as a DVD player? I assume you find it lacking in some respect.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Joseph, nice post. How do I access the service menu? I don't need to do it yet, but I have a 360 that is on "death watch."

The only experience I have with this is with the 330/530 series ... and this process mainly just cures the "C13" error.

However, if you can get to the service menu via TITLE, CLEAR, POWER and you see the DRIVE AUTO-ALIGNMENT option available, then I say go for it.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

None of the Pannys have bass management for DVD-A. The RA-60 has DVD-A, but is not progressive, the RP-56 is progressive, but no DVD-A, the RP-91 has it all. Both the RA-60 and RP-56 can be found for the low (or maybe even below) $200's.

 

[greggor]

Joseph,

There is no such service menu on the 360. On the DVD player itself there is a title button but no clear button. Furthermore, I was unable to locate the "Drive auto alignment mode" or the DVD-SL. Thanks for the tip though it was worth a try.

Mathew,

You are correct about Sony's lack of customer service, however I have to agree with Keith. Sony makes several very reliable components. My Sony STRDA-777ES is an incredible reciever, its built like a tank and sounds great. I have had no problems with this reciever whats so ever.

So far based on what I have read I think I'm leaning towards the JVC player. Thanks for all of your replies.

Greg

 

[Mike Brantley]

Keith, I haven't had any problems with using the E20 as a playback device. No complaints, other than it doesn't seem to have a time remaining function, although I could be overlooking it. I understand the RP-91 lacks this feature. Ironically, that's the player I'm going to add to the downstairs mix.

I don't have a progressive display as yet, but I do want the ability to play DVD-RAM discs on something other than the E20. That way, I can record DVD-RAM on the E20 and then edit them (as in deleting commercials and so forth) using the E20's editing features. Then I can put the edited RAM disc into the RP-91 and copy this master to as many cheaper and more compatible DVD-R discs as I want via the E20. Afterwards, the original RAM disc can be erased and reused. That's the plan, anyway.

I've had zero problems with my Sony 360 so far, and my wife loves having it upstairs in the bedroom. I just hope it lasts. I've had it for about 18 months. My other player is an early Apex 600A with the famous loopholes menu. I keep that for its special "talents," but it's a bit flakey for use as a main deck. The thing will lock up on me if I start tooling around in menus or try to scan back and forth too much. A firmware upgrade might fix those problems, but I'd hate to risk losing the LH menu.

My first DVD player, a second-generation Toshiba model, died just before I bought the Sony. It stopped recognizing discs.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Joseph, I did the alignment trick but it couldn't complete; I think it went haywire on tracking after going through about 8 or 9 tests fine. Neither SL nor DL works. Sigh. :frowning: I regret giving up my S3000 first gen player; it's still going strong, but didn't have DTS.

 

[Dave Schofield]

Greggor, it is on the remote, not the player. I've gotten into the menu a bunch of times on this player.

 

[Ruben Salinas Stern]

I need to try the same thing on my Sony 560D. It often had the C:13 error but now it says NO DISC. Will this work for this too? How do you know if a dvd is single layer or not?

 

[karthik]

A single layer DVD is usually silver in color while a double layer DVD is golden in color. That is the only way I could figure out the difference.