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Pioneer DV-578A not reading SACD layer (1 Viewer)

Matt Fisher

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Hi all, after a solid nearly 20 year run, my Pioneer DV-578A DVD player is now constantly struggling to read the SACD layer of my hybrid discs and just goes to the red book layer 90% of the time. I'd love to find a way to remedy the issue as my current setup necessitates a player with analog outputs and it seems like new, affordable players ($200-400) only offer HDMI output which would just require a whole reworking of this particular room. Any suggestions? Could the laser be off?
 

JohnRice

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Do you have a laser cleaning disc? Might be worth a try.
 

Edwin-S

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20 years for a player is a pretty good run. The laser could be dirty but it also could be reaching the end of life stage.

If you don't want to make expensive room renovation then buying something like Panasonic 9000 might be your only route. It may be expensive but it is probably considerably cheaper than a renovation.

You also might check EBay for people selling used players that have the analog outs that you need or you might be able to find a unit for spare parts if you are comfortable with doing electronic repairs.
 

Matt Fisher

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Do you have a laser cleaning disc? Might be worth a try.
Hey John everything I read is to avoid laser cleaning discs. Has that opinion changed or is there one brand specifically known that won't cause any damage to the player?

Edwin: thanks I just feel like there's such a massive inventory of 'as is' players on eBay and very few seem like they're not a gamble, plus I don't consider myself too technical under the hood. It may be the route I have to go, just want to exhaust my options first.
 
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JohnRice

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Hey John everything I read is to avoid laser cleaning discs. Has that opinion changed or is there one brand specifically known that won't cause any damage to the player?

Edwin: thanks I just feel like there's such a massive inventory of 'as is' players on eBay and very few seem like they're not a gamble, plus I don't consider myself too technical under the hood. It may be the route I have to go, just want to exhaust my options first.
I've used them occasionally and never had a problem. My thought is that the player is probably spent anyway, so might as well give it a try.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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If you don't want to make expensive room renovation then buying something like Panasonic 9000 might be your only route. It may be expensive but it is probably considerably cheaper than a renovation.

You also might check EBay for people selling used players that have the analog outs that you need or you might be able to find a unit for spare parts if you are comfortable with doing electronic repairs.

Panasonic players don't do SACD -- it's partly why I didn't go for one of their higher-end 4K players and keep using an (non-4K) Oppo for that instead.

Hey John everything I read is to avoid laser cleaning discs. Has that opinion changed or is there one brand specifically known that won't cause any damage to the player?

Edwin: thanks I just feel like there's such a massive inventory of 'as is' players on eBay and very few seem like they're not a gamble, plus I don't consider myself too technical under the hood. It may be the route I have to go, just want to exhaust my options first.

IF a laser cleaner doesn't get the job done, maybe look for a used Oppo 103 I guess. Then you'll also have BD playback -- and if you ever want to add region-free playback, you could buy the easy hack as well... though that isn't cheap anymore...

_Man_
 

David Norman

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Panasonic players don't do SACD -- it's partly why I didn't go for one of their higher-end 4K players and keep using an (non-4K) Oppo for that instead.



IF a laser cleaner doesn't get the job done, maybe look for a used Oppo 103 I guess. Then you'll also have BD playback -- and if you ever want to add region-free playback, you could buy the easy hack as well... though that isn't cheap anymore...

_Man_

I think still just $90 for the easy to install (plug in not solder) internal from 220 electronics. Not quite as nice as $50 for the internal/external version but still not bad.
 

JohnRice

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Hi all, a quick follow up to say the Maxell CD lens cleaner disc did the trick! Immediately the two discs that would only read the Redbook layer loaded the SACD layer on the first try. Thanks for the feedback here, the 578A lives to fight another day!
That's why I suggested it. After 20 years, just imagine the amount of atmospheric grunge the laser has picked up
 

hotrodguy

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I'm glad to hear that cleaning the laser helped, that didn't work for me. I just had my Oppo BDP-83 fixed because it stopped reading SACD, turned out the optical unit needed replacing, which they did and it's like new again. Great deal for $99 including return shipping and my player was only gone for 8 days!
 

ManW_TheUncool

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I'm glad to hear that cleaning the laser helped, that didn't work for me. I just had my Oppo BDP-83 fixed because it stopped reading SACD, turned out the optical unit needed replacing, which they did and it's like new again. Great deal for $99 including return shipping and my player was only gone for 8 days!

When did you have that done?

I have 2x 6-plus-yo Oppos that haven't needed repairs so far just yet: an Oppo 103 plus an older 95 (I bought used off eBay a few years ago, mainly use just for audio)...

None of my other past optical disc players have lasted as long, except for a really old Sony ES CD changer (my very 1st dedicated CD player) from circa 1990 that eventually died well over a decade later after being dropped during a move (and still actually worked for a few years after that, but showed increasingly unbalanced spinning)...

The Oppos definitely seem the best, most reliable BD/DVD universal players -- I never got the 203/205 so can't speak to 4K, but they also seem great AFAIK although maybe not quite as good as the Panasonics (specifically) for 4K playback... but I wouldn't trust Panasonic to be as reliable long term (or maybe even for customer support even now that Oppo's not longer in production)...

_Man_
 
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hotrodguy

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When did you have that done?

I have 2x 6-plus-yo Oppos that haven't needed repairs so far just yet: an Oppo 103 plus an older 95 (I bought used off eBay a few years ago, mainly use just for audio)...

None of my other past optical disc players have lasted as long, except for a really old Sony ES CD changer (my very 1st dedicated CD player) from circa 1990 that eventually died well over a decade later after being dropped during a move (and still actually worked for a few years after that, but showed increasingly unbalanced spinning)...

The Oppos definitely seem the best, most reliable BD/DVD universal players -- I never got the 203/205 so can't speak to 4K, but they also seem great AFAIK although maybe not quite as good as the Panasonics (specifically) for 4K playback... but I wouldn't trust Panasonic to be as reliable long term (or maybe even for customer support even now that Oppo's not longer in production)...

_Man_
I had my BDP-83 repaired just a couple of weeks ago, they still rule, even if they aren't in business anymore but they still have the best service! I also have the BDP-103D but it hasn't needed any work, still perfect. I have a couple of Sony players too but I consider them disposable whereas the Oppo's are worth repairing if something happens.
 

Todd Erwin

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Panasonic players don't do SACD
This is an older DVD model, one that I used to own myself. It was capable of playing DVD, DVD-Audio, and SACD - the latter two only via analog outputs.

The DVD-578A-S is a high-performance movie and music machine. In addition to DVD movies, the slim DV-578A-S plays multi-channel, high-resolution DVD-Audio and SACD discs, plus all of your recordings on DVD-R/RW*, CD-R/RW**, MP3, and WMA. It even has a PhotoViewer feature for viewing JPEG still photos. For sensationally great video, the DV-578A-S features virtually twice the video processing power of previous models with a 12-bit/108MHz Video D-A converter, our PureCinema 2:3 Progressive Scan, and a component video output plus 7 video adjustments for maximum versatility and performance. For great audio, the DV-578A-S has builtin Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 decoders. Coaxial and Optical Digital Ouputs for Dolby Digital and DTS® surround allow for digital output to an A/V Receiver. A high-end 24-bit / 192kHz D/A converter ensures superb audio performance.​
 

ManW_TheUncool

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This is an older DVD model, one that I used to own myself. It was capable of playing DVD, DVD-Audio, and SACD - the latter two only via analog outputs.

The DVD-578A-S is a high-performance movie and music machine. In addition to DVD movies, the slim DV-578A-S plays multi-channel, high-resolution DVD-Audio and SACD discs, plus all of your recordings on DVD-R/RW*, CD-R/RW**, MP3, and WMA. It even has a PhotoViewer feature for viewing JPEG still photos. For sensationally great video, the DV-578A-S features virtually twice the video processing power of previous models with a 12-bit/108MHz Video D-A converter, our PureCinema 2:3 Progressive Scan, and a component video output plus 7 video adjustments for maximum versatility and performance. For great audio, the DV-578A-S has builtin Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 decoders. Coaxial and Optical Digital Ouputs for Dolby Digital and DTS® surround allow for digital output to an A/V Receiver. A high-end 24-bit / 192kHz D/A converter ensures superb audio performance.​

Oh, I was aware the old Pioneer player handled SACDs. I was specifically talking about Panasonic players, not Pioneer, since someone suggesting getting a Panasonic...

_Man_
 

Todd Erwin

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Oh, I was aware the old Pioneer player handled SACDs. I was specifically talking about Panasonic players, not Pioneer, since someone suggesting getting a Panasonic...

_Man_
You are absolutely correct. Sorry, I misread Panasonic as Pioneer in your post.
 

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