[mythtv-users] DVD hardware

[Brian Wood]

On Feb 25, 2008, at 12:33 AM, Ben Newman wrote:

> Only tangentially myth related I know, but does anyone else have
> troubles keeping a working DVD drive in their system?  We seem to only
> be able to keep a drive in our system for about 3 months before is
> starts having problems when trying to watch DVDs: skipping, stuttering
> and eventually just not able to read a DVD.  I'm assuming this is just
> because the cheapie DVD drives I use just aren't meant for the heavy
> use frequent DVD watching puts them through, but it sure is
> frustrating.  Does anyone have any recommendations on a solid drive
> that won't need frequent replacement?


The symptoms you describe sound like the drive getting dirty, have you  
tried cleaning  a unit that has started skipping etc.?

You can get cleaning disks for around $5-$7, the ones that cost as  
much as the DVD drive itself usually have test and alignment signals  
on them, not just cleaning features.

Avoid leaving the drive drawer open, make sure any disk you put into  
it is clean.

It's amazing how many "dead" drives I have seen brought back to life  
by a simple cleaning.

beww