should a DVD player ever skip? (1 Viewer)

[Dave Chang]

first of all, "thank you" to everyone for the awesome wealth of knowledge here for a newbie like me. based on my readings the last several weeks, i am planning on purchasing a toshiba 65H81 when it is available and affordable. also, i am narrowing down my audio set up based on discussions on the various threads.
i recently bought a very low end Apex DVD player for $119 at best buy because of the price and its ability to support dvd, cd, cd-r, cd-rw, and mp3s. however, very infrequently, the DVD playback will skip. this occurs maybe once every 3-4 DVD movies played.
although this is my first DVD player, i've never seen this happen on other units.
my questions are:
1) does skipping ever occur on your DVD players?
2) is the skipping due to the low end quality of the apex player or should i exchange my current player?
thanks to everyone for their input.
dc
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[Edited last by Dave Chang on July 29, 2001 at 05:01 PM]

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Dave,
I've used 3 Toshibas, 2 Sonys, and a Panasonic over the years, and none of them skipped. That being said, is your problem occuring on rental dvds that may be scratched or smudged? If it's happening on new discs, try another player. The Apex is not known for it's flawless dvd performance.
I think Panasonic's new RV-31 (not sure of the model number, but it's their new entry-level model) has the CDR-w and MP-3 capability, and can be had for 150-200.
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Steve S.
I prefer not to push the subwoofers until they're properly run in.

 

[John Welch]

What do you mean by skip? If it is a hesitation in the playback of the disc perhaps you are just seeing the layer change here.

 

[Rob Gillespie]

I have a UK model similar to the Apex (not the same unit but not much different) and I've notice it skip with discs that my Pioneer DV-09 sails through.
I think it's reasonable to expect a low-cost player not handle playback as well as an upmarket model. With the new TV you're getting, you'll probably notice quite a difference in image quality between the newer, higher priced players and your Apex.

 

[Dave Chang]

thank you for the quick replies.
perhaps the phenomenon i'm experiencing is as john welch describes, a hesitation in the playback, which i guess is attributed to a "layer change." is this the transition from one "track" to the next? if someone could elaborate on this, i would appreciate it.
my apex player is a temporary player for now. it will allow me to enjoy DVDs on my puny 27" tv until i am ready to purchase the 65h81. by then, i'll be prepared to purchase a higher end DVD player.
so lower end players will hesitate with a layer change, whereas a higher end one will not?
thanks again for the replies.
dc
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[Edited last by Dave Chang on July 29, 2001 at 05:00 PM]

 

[Will]

My player when new was relatively-expensive but now
it's old. It's a Toshiba 3108 DVD player. If the bass
thumps enough this player skips! I understand there
are sound isolation pads that dampen vibration, and
that vibration is more of a problem if the DVD player
is on a (bouncing) WOOD floor, than a slab of concete.
[Edited last by Will on July 29, 2001 at 09:48 PM]

 

[Nicholas A. Gallegos]

A good DVD player shouldn't skip like you're describing. However, even the finest players will have a slight hesitation with layer changes. Like Sean mentioned, some players just do it more smoothly than others.
On a sidenote, my new Sony DVP-NS300 seems to handle layer changes noticeably smoother than my old Toshiba SD-2150 (this was the player I owned before my apartment was robbed) ever did.
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[Edited last by Nicholas A. Gallegos on July 29, 2001 at 11:05 PM]

 

[Will]

I replaced the 3108 with a Panasonic RP-91.
The other problem the Toshiba had was it
would not play many NEWER DVD's.
Toshiba said I'd have to send the old player back
east to get it repaired. The repair isn't done for
free and shipping isn't free either.
Forget that. Anyway, I'm going to give away my
old Toshiba 3108 since it's not able to play
quite a few of the newer DVD's without the fix
and it's uneconomical to get it fixed, imho.
[Edited last by Will on November 02, 2001 at 03:33 PM]