Is this old DVD player fixable?

[Steve]

I have my dad's old DVD player which seems to have stopped working. If I load a DVD in it, the display simply blinks READING for about 30 seconds, then ejects the disc. The unit is a Philips DVD-763SA.

I came across this thread where the guy got a replacement power supply board from Philips for $7, but finding it was not without some effort. I just got off the phone with them, and they have no support or parts available.

Any suggestions as to how I can get this working again? This is a just-for-fun project out of personal interest and curiosity. I have tried resetting the unit and running a lens cleaner in it, they didn't help.

 

[Pepsei]

for $25~$50, i'm sure you can get a comparable player or parts from ebay.

what dvd are you trying to play?

 

[Steve]

Several different DVDs, the player reacts the same way to all of them.

My dad does have another player, so the point of all this is not to replace this but to try and fix it cheaply just for fun and to learn something.

 

[MichaelD]

Possibly the lens is dirty to the point where it can't read any data. If the player wont' read any disc at all, then either the lens is dirty or the player is dead.

IMO an old DVD player (that's not a super-hi-end like a Meridian/Klasse/Rotel/etc) is not worth fixing. You can buy a nice, upconverting DVD player for $80 these days and a cheapie that will "just work fine" for $30.

Try this. Get some compressed air. Open the tray and blow the air around inside. If you're feeling daring (why not...it's dead anyway) with the thing unplugged, open the case. Find the lens and clean it with a paper towel and windex. If that doesn't fix it, throw it in the trash.

 

[Steve]

I actually cleaned the lens with 91% rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip, but that didn't help. I was then able to locate the service manual online, and following its steps I ran the dealer script. It says PASS

 

[Steve]

The laser is dead. New one costs $203. This thing's off to pasture.