I think I'm going to repair my 7-year-old DVD player

[Uncle Wig]

I have an Oppo DV-980H that has just now started hanging up while trying to load a DVD or audio CD. It's been an excellent player, and I bought it back then specifically because it had outstanding specs in two areas: audio quality playing CDs, and upscaling of DVDs to suit an HDTV. I've been more than satisfied with it.

I called Oppo this morning, and it took just a few seconds for someone in tech support to pick up. I described the problem and his response: sure, we can fix that, no problem. It's a flat $42 fee to fix whatever's wrong with it. Just send it in.

I actually have a newer Blu-Ray player just sitting here which I've never hooked up; a leftover from my dad. It's a Sony BDP-S580. Reading the reviews, it seems to be a solid machine but it has two features I really don't care about: Blu-Ray and the ability to stream digital content like Netflix. I have an Apple TV for that.

So as irrational as it seems, I'm really leaning toward fixing the Oppo. That kind of customer service is hard to turn down (not the first time I've called them and they're always right on it). The only question technically is: would the Sony do a better job of playing dvds and audio CDs? I think it's a tossup.

Sony BDP-S580 review.

Oppo DV-980H review

[datbeme]

Typical CNET:

The Good:

Excellent image quality; upscaling to 1080p over HDMI; attractive, understated black design; multichannel SACD and DVD-Audio over HDMI; DivX/Xvid support; aspect-ratio control; can be made region-free with a simple hack.

The Bad:

Expensive compared to other DVD players; similarly priced HD DVD players deliver vastly superior image quality on HD DVDs.

The Bottom Line If you're not ready to get a high-def player, the Oppo DV-980H DVD player delivers excellent performance and an unparalleled feature set for the price.

If Blu-Ray isn't important to you, why not fix it? Performance on SD DVDs will likely remain stellar. Then again, if you have the Sony already, it can't hurt to give that a try too.

[Chakravartin]

It's an Oppo, man.

You toss a Sony. They're cr@p.

You get a professional to fix an Oppo.

Oppos rule.

[mrbigstuff]

what is it doing (not doing)? if it does not read the DVD/CD, it's probably just the laser needing a clean. I just did this to one of my dual deck machines. quite easy. OTOH, for $42, I would def get the manufacturer to look at it; they may fix other stuff that you would not notice. at the very least, they'll clean it and fix it correctly. sounds like a deal.

[Spock]

Chakravartin wrote:
It's an Oppo, man.

You toss a Sony. They're cr@p.

You get a professional to fix an Oppo.

Oppos rule.

+ 1

[sekker]

$42? I wouldn't hesitate to fix it, if you are happy with the quality of that instrument.

[Robert M]

Sekker,

It's more than $42 to fix it. You have to factor in the cost of shipping it to the Oppo repair center, which could be significant depending on how well it's packaged. That said, all things considered equal, I'd try cleaning it with an appropriate kit. It's something to keep handy for any devices that reads optical media.

If that doesn't work, then I'd forgo the repair for now and give the Sony blu-ray player a whirl. If it doesn't do the job well enough, then spend the bucks to fix the Oppo. The problem with the Oppo is that while it's a fine machine (when it works), it was expensive in the first place and it's going to cost even more money to get working again.

Oppos ain't cheap and I wouldn't expect them to have issues for a _very_ long time. I have cheap garbage optical players that are just as old and many years older than your Oppo that work as well today as they did when I got them. Think Cyberhome and Apex. So, I'd be very annoyed if I owned an Oppo that failed after seven years while garbage (In my opinion) DVD and Blu-Ray players still work perfectly, enough so that I'd give the blu-ray player a try before dropping more bucks on the Oppo DVD player.

Robert

[Uncle Wig]

It occurs to me that if it's the laser needing a clean, a simple puff of air might do the trick. I do live in a dusty environment and have cats. There's cat hair everywhere.

It wasn't that expensive new, actually: about $170 I think. Their current models are much more expensive.

[artie67]

I have a 971 Oppo that has worked just fine for us. I also have an early Samsung Blu-ray that we do not use. Remember the 15 second sloooow opening drawers? It was a gift and died after 100 days. Yes, it had a 90 day warrantee. I paid more that $42 plus shipping to get it fixed.
I would pay the freight and get back a really good dvd player for less than a hybrid dvd/blu-ray player.

[Zoidberg]

Maybe that was why the answer to life, the universe, and everything was "42".