I am finally getting a DVD player. I have a bunch of new DVDs that I have purchased in anticipation of said event. Now I am reading as much info as I can before purchasing a DVD player, and know (at this moment) absolutely jack on how they work. (If anyone can explain this in a few words, I would much appreciate it too. And my apologies - my computer is really slow today, and searching google (et al) is taking a really long time.)
I have owned a VCR for quite sometime. I’ve held off purchasing pre-owned videos after a tape jammed and wrecked the inside of the machine at a rather ungodly repair bill. Obiously I do not want problems with my new ‘toy’. [Obviously, if my favorite movie is only available on a pre-owned disk, then I might consider purchasing it, but I don’t want to get burned again.]
What sort of problems might I expect if a disk is bad - is the picture going to freeze, jump, twitch?
Are pre-owned DVDs worth the cost - is the trade-off of a few dollars off going to be offset by a bad disk?)
Have any of you had problems with pre-owned DVDs - jamming the machinery, anything?
Since a DVD is comparable to a regular old CD, the only main problem would be with scratches. Just like a music CD can skip due to a scratch (or even just excessive dirt), the same could happen to a DVD, but the possibility of actual damage occuring to the DVD player is extremely unlikely, since you’re just talking about light bouncing around in there. BTW, I’ve seen products and services (where you mail them off) to fix scratches on CDs, so I would think something similar would be possible for DVD, as well.
Here are some issues that I considered when buying my (Pioneer) DVD player:
Find out if the player is capable of playing CDRs. This would be especially important if you are planning to play home-made VCDs or mixed audio CDs. Pioneer and Sony models can play CDRs, as well as many other brands. RCA and some other brands cannot. All DVD players can play CDRWs.
Some cheaper players like Apex can even play MP3 CDs, but video playback quality is iffy. Also, they are sometimes not fully compliant with the DVD spec. so can have weird playback issues.
Double check what kind of video inputs you have on your TV. Many people have been dissapointed to find out that DVDs don’t offer coax out, but only RCA plug style composite output, S-Video or Component video. If you only have a coax input, you’ll need an RF modulator from Radio Shack. You cannot route the video signal through a VCR due to Macrovision copy protection issues.
As for the discs themselves, a bad one will exhibit all sorts of odd behaviour like skipping chapters, freezing or not being recognized by the player at all. A scratched one can usually be repaired at home with any number of CD polishing products on the market. Some people have reported successfully using toothpaste or even Turtle Wax! As stated before, treat them like you would CDs and you shouldn’t have any problems.
For more info about DVDs than you could possibly ever digest go to DVD Demystified
I’d just like to mention that I bought the cheapest Apex player from K-Mart and I’m absolutely happy with it. The picture looks great and I haven’t had any trouble playing DVDs.
I’ve recently purchased my first DVD player as well. I’ve bought several previously owned DVD’s from the local rental place, and no problems here. I will echo some of the previous posters, and say to treat them as you would a CD and watch for scratches and the like.
Got my DVD player (GE).
Just finished “The Princess Bride”
Saving “The Matrix” and the rest of my collection for tomorrow.
And I have discovered a complete box set of “Black Adder” (saving my pennies!).
Thanks for the advice on used DVDs. I was a bit aprehensive, but will keep an eye out for bargains, as well as possible damage. Thanks again!
The places around here that sell pre-oened DVDs are no cheaper than buying new. But they do have a life time guarantee on them, so it makes it worth it on something I’m going to watch a lot, like kid’s movies.
kniz - would you please clarify your post? Are you saying “no, they are not worth the cost (problems offset any savings)” or "no, I have not had any problems’.
We have (so far) close to 800 DVDs, and of those, roughly 80% were bought on eBay. Of the ones bought on eBay, roughtly 35% were pre-owned (yes, most of them came new and sealed). We haven’t had a problem yet with the pre-owned DVDs playing, though of course we haven’t played each and every one of them. When we receive a new shipment, we immediately play, or at least “chapter search” through the most expensive DVDs in case we need to ask for a replacement or refund, but we haven’t needed to do either.
Then again, we don’t have regular DVD players, ours are DVD-Roms (we have 2). We needed something that could play multi-region DVDs and we had computers in the living room and bedroom anyway.
DVDs are pretty durable, and if there’s going to be a problem, it’s arguably almost always a problem on the manufacturing end.
Btw, did you pay full price for your Princess Bride? There will be a new DVD release of the film in early September, with a bunch of extras not on the old release. Maybe you should ask for your money back, unless you somehow got an advance copy of the new one.
As someone who has turned buying DVDs on eBay into an art form, I highly recommend it as a way to build up a collection. Let me know if you have any questions about it.
I think that most everyone ahs been right so far. The only real risk there is scratches. Being a digital media, it doesn’t exist in the physical rhelm. It is all on the disc (the movie, that is). So when you purchase, if you purchase, a preowned DVD, it should be fine as long as there are no scratches on it. I used to work at Funcoland, a video game store that recently started accepting DVDs as as trade in type thing, and we would not take them at all if they had any scratches, even if they were minor. The point I am getting at is, if you find a DVD for sale, pre-owned, chances are that it’ll be fine.
Be sure to buy your pre-owned DVDs from a video rental store. The chain stores like Blockbuster or Hollywood will guarantee the disc to be problem free and replace one that isn’t.
BTW, I’ve seen products and services (where you mail them off) to fix scratches on CDs, so I would think something similar would be possible for DVD, as well.