# DVD hiccoughs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-hiccoughs/111004 "2002-05-27T05:33:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-hiccoughs/111004/1 "2002-05-27T05:33:52Z")
So what’s happening when a DVD has sudden hangs for about 2-3 seconds every minute or so? It seems to be peculiar to certain discs, as opposed to the drive itself. A cure? ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-hiccoughs/111004/2 "2002-05-27T06:36:25Z")
Is the disc dirty? Is there a common attribute of all the discs that do it, like the studio or manufacturer? ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-hiccoughs/111004/3 "2002-05-27T11:22:50Z")
This issue can occur because some movie discs consist of two layers and the second layer access specification may be different from the first. For instance, a layer may be read from the inside of the disc to the outside or vice versa. If this reading order changes from one layer to the other it can generate a pause of a second or more, which is normal. This varies from disc to disc. Cheaper players will also continue to pause after the initial layer transition (here and there for a second or two). Google with DVD layer pause and you should find enuff information to answer any specifics. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-hiccoughs/111004/4 "2002-05-27T14:32:50Z")
If it happens every minute or so, it’s not the switch between layers. If the disc isn’t damaged, it could be that your computer isn’t fast enough to decode DVDs without a decoder card. However, almost every computer purchased in the last 3 years or so should be fast enough to do it without a decoder…if you have a really old machine that could be the case. Jman ---
**Author:** ![K2Rage101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c57346/32.png) [@K2Rage101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2Rage101)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-hiccoughs/111004/5 "2002-05-27T15:15:39Z")
Your drive could be spinning down automatically after a “lull” in data transfer. I hate it when my DVD drive spins up to 16x when I’m trying to watch a movie or a DiVX. So I use “Nero DriveSpeed” It runs in the tray and fixes my drive speed at (whatever you want) 4x and a spin-down time after (whatever you want) 4 minutes. No hiccups here!