Last updated on January 23rd, 2024 at 02:31 am
Say you’re watching your favorite movie and as you’re engrossed in the show, your DVD player stops playing.
In other words, your DVD player freezes. You panic and wonder if there’s a problem with your DVD player.
If your DVD player is stopping in the middle of a movie, it’s not necessarily a problem with your DVD player. Chances are it’s your disc that’s acting up.
To make sure, try playing another DVD and see if the problem persists.
If other DVDs can play without a hitch, then the problem most probably lies with your DVD.
What if the other DVDs freeze at some point or other? We’ll discuss that, too.
Heat Issue
Before that, you may want to touch your DVD player and see if it’s very hot. If it is, turn it off and move it to a better-ventilated place.
You shouldn’t have other equipment closely surrounding it, especially at the rear end.
DVD Issue
Dual Layer DVD
If your DVD player is stopping in the middle of a movie, it could be because you’re playing a dual-layer disc. When you play a dual-layer DVD, the DVD player will temporarily freeze when it reaches the end of the first layer. It needs time to switch to the second layer.
So, if you’re playing a dual-layer DVD, be patient and wait for the DVD player to switch to the next layer.
Scratched or Dirty Disc
Check the DVD playing side for any scratches, smudges, dirt, and fingerprints. If so, clean the DVD.
Some DVD players are more sensitive to scratches and smudges than others. Try playing the DVD on a different player or a computer DVD drive to see if the problem persists.
For smudges, dirt and fingerprints use a good DVD microfiber cloth.
For stubborn smudges and fingerprints, run water over the DVD surface and gently wipe with the microfiber cloth. For sticky and oily residues use warm water. Don’t use hot water, as you’ll warp the disc surface.
Clean in a radius motion (outward from the disc center) instead of in circles. In this way, there’s a lesser chance of you leaving scratch behind after cleaning.
For scratches try a DVD scratch repair kit.
DVD Player Problem
If the above fixes don’t solve the problem, and your DVD player is stopping in the middle of a movie, then the problem is most likely with your DVD player.
Laser Lens
A dirty or weak laser lens can result in your DVD freezing. To check whether you’ve a laser issue, try playing an audio CD. If the CD plays without a problem, then you have a laser problem. Audio CDs don’t require ‘perfect’ laser to play.
Try cleaning your laser lens with a DVD laser lens cleaning kit.
Should You Send Your DVD Player for Servicing or Buy a New One?
If your DVD player stopping in the middle of a movie for only a particular DVD, then you should make a copy of the DVD.
To do this you would need a DVD-Writer. If you don’t have a DVD writer attached to your computer, you should try ripping the DVD and extract the digital file of the movie or video.
To do this you would need a DVD-ROM drive on your computer. If you don’t have one, then buy another copy of the DVD movie, if available. If it’s a home movie DVD, use a DVD copying or ripping service.
If you’re sure that your DVD player has seen better days, then you may be considering sending it for servicing. If so, you would have to weigh the cost against that of buying a new DVD player.
A new DVD player would bring you peace of mind as it comes with a warranty.
Usually the cost of repairing a DVD player will not be much different from buying a brand new unit.
Consumers are beginning to embrace Blu-ray. As a result, prices of DVD players are falling.
You can grab a quality DVD player for as low as $25, at the time of writing.
