My Blu-ray Disc player (PS3) died. Waaaah!

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:25am

I posted about this earlier on another unrelated thread, but after owning my PlayStation3 player for just 9 months, it stopped working entirely. It no longer will show any HDMI signal. I just get a black screen. It won't even show the general PlayStation menus either, so it's not a disc playback thing (I don't think). Although the discs don't seem to "spin up" anymore when they're put in, even if the screen stays black.

In any case, I said (in the other thread) that I was basically S.O.L. now, because my 90-day warranty was up, and I was going to be out $400! Jerby encouraged me to check with Sony online and see what they say.

I found all the info for servicing, and it turns out that the player parts are under warranty for a full year automatically (as long as it's not user-abused). Even if the 90-day warranty with your retail store is up. The form to fill out on line was very easy, and in less than a week, I had a shipping box sent to me from Sony with packing instructions and a prepaid return sticker. So, I loaded up my PS3 and sent it off to Sony for fixing/replacing. It was all very easy and convenient, for dealing with my inconvenience.

Since I "published" on another thread that I was nervous about the product and the fact that I was going to have to eat the (pricey) cost, I thought I'd let you know that I feel much better now that the issue will soon be resolved.

I'll keep you posted on this thread as to how they handle the situation, for anyone who's considering buying a PS3 (as either a BD player or a gaming machine).

Honestly, I was seriously considering giving up on the technology now, until they ironed out the bugs. Kinda sad for me to say that, since I worked on the very first Blu-ray Disc ever burned! I've been a fan of the format, both as a consumer and as an advisor, on the BWW boards as well as in my profession.

Funny... I've never had a VCR or a DVD player die on me before, in all the years I've owned them. And I've had plenty of both machines. Hopefully, it's not a sign of an unstable system, and it's just my luck of the draw that I bought a bad player. It happens. I didn't do anything "wrong" to it. It was sitting on its own shelf, not on top of (or under) any other machine, and it had plenty of ventilation. I don't know anyone else personally who's had problems with their PS3. So... hopefully I will have good news for you in the coming weeks!

[romantico]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:33am

I am glad you posted because this Christmas I was thinking about buying a PS3 mostly for blu ray. Samsung has just come down on blu ray players and Sony is suppose to before Christmas as well. Any suggestions?

[KelRel]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:41am

B12B, my PS3 died on me about a month ago and I went through the Sony Online repair service and it was wonderful. I had the shipping box in about 2 days and within a week and a half my PS3 was back in my hands, fully repaired and all of the saved information on my hard drive still there. I do recommend backing the information up because you may not get your same PS3 back. It was a totally pain-free process and the warranty on the PS3 continues to apply from the time you purchase it until the 1 year anniversary of the purchase date minus the time that it was sent off for service or 90 days after it is returned to you, whichever is longer.

Good luck getting it fixed!

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:45am

At this point, the PS3 is still the "best" player on the market (taking into consideration, cost, up-conversion, speed/responsiveness, and the fact that it's upgradeable to all latest BD profiles via the Internet and via a Wi-Fi connection as well as ethernet.)

I just wanna make sure the damn thing doesn't stop working on me!

But even the best-of-the-best non-PS3 Blu-ray machines out there aren't testing better than a PS3. And the ones that at least rival its quality aren't any cheaper in price. Most of them can't connect via Wi-Fi either, and none of them also double as a high-end gaming machine.

Updated On: 10/13/08 at 11:45 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:46am

Kel, that's great to hear! Sorry to hear that it died on you too, though.

Makes me a little worried as to what will happen after the year's up. I guess I'll just have to wait to see if it's even an issue.

[KelRel]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:47am

Yeah, I adore my PS3 and I love watching movies in Blu-Ray. You are actually the one who helped push me over the line on deciding to buy a PS3 via your posts, so thank you!

ETA- Well it didn't entirely "die" I could still connect to the internet and play the online games, but it wouldn't read any discs. No games, no BDs, no DVDs, etc... I am very happy with the way they handled it though, but it does make me wish I'd bought the extended warranty on it though.

Updated On: 10/13/08 at 11:47 AM

[cubanpab]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:49am

glad you worked it out besty - although i have to be honest, i really wanted a blu-ray player, and was considering just going for it and buying the PS3... but after hearing that yours broke AND Kel's broke... makes me a bit uneasy.

thats so weird too because i've had a PS2 for years and never had any trouble with it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:54am

You're welcome, Kel!

(I hope.)

And until it stopped working, I loved my player too. The BD movies really look great on it, and I loved downloading trailers, and seeing what was available on line. You can even run YouTube through it! I was able to surf through all the videos and watch them on my HDTV through the PS3. (It sure points out the crap quality of those YouTube videos, however. Still it was fun, and an easy thing to do.)

I'm curious, Kel---How did your player "die?" What stopped working? Was it similar to my experience?

The way it started with me, I would turn the player on, and it would take longer and longer for the PS3 general menu screen to appear. Sometimes, it wouldn't even come on at all, until I put a disc (either DVD or BD) in the machine, and then I'd see and hear a signal. Then, finally one day, I put a disc in, and I could hear it "spinning up," but I never got a signal. Just a black screen. I experimented with various connections and connectors, verifying that it was indeed the player and not either my TV set (god forbid!) or one of the cables or connectors I was using. The results were conclusive: It was the PS3. I also ended up putting discs in the machine, and they wouldn't even "spin up." The machine was on, but it was doing nothing but sitting there. I was able to insert and eject discs, but nothing was happening.

I'm using a DVD player with a built-in HDMI up-converter for now. It all looks great!

So it was my PS3. And now it's on its way to Repairland.

Updated On: 10/13/08 at 11:54 AM

[KelRel]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 11:59am

Besty, I posted it above as an "eta". It just stopped reading discs. The unit worked, but the disc reader died out on me.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:02pm

Eeeek, Kel! Kinda similar to mine.

Could you still see your PS3's general menu screen (with the wavy lines)? I finally couldn't get a signal of any kind.

But it started with the load-in problems and a black screen, and then ultimately the discs wouldn't spin up at all.


EDIT: I just read your edited post above. So you could still get a signal, just not play any discs. That's a little different than my scenario. Thanks!

Updated On: 10/13/08 at 12:02 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:10pm

For what it's worth...
Samsung Blu-RayRay Player (rumored) to Hit $149 on Black Friday

[KelRel]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:12pm

Yeah, I still got a signal, but the reader had been acting a little funny for awhile. It was taking longer to "spin up" and then one day it wouldn't anymore.

[Craig]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:18pm

Sorry to hear besty...

In other PS3 "news" - I was surprised (unless I'm missing something) that the card readers on board the 80gig version I have are pretty useless. I thought I could pop in my sony memory stick pro duo from my digital camera and import or see pictures.. but the card reader seems "dead" Online, the sony says a USB card reader might be required for certain models of the ps3. Why have a card reader on board if it doesn't work?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 12:45pm

I am so glad to hear that you were still covered, best. But it doesn't give me much faith that the unit is only covered for a year. My iphone is covered for 2! Though I had to pay for that. Ick.

I am losing faith in technology as well. I have no doubt they are purposely making things to break down within 5 years. They want our money over and over again. From TVs to phones to movie players to computers. It makes me sick.

The PS3 is incredible. But it's delicate. Never move one with a disc inside--not even to dust underneath or move to another shelf. Treat the machine with the greatest of care.

Else, a bunch of units went out with bad manufacturing and maybe just maybe the repaired and new units are tougher?

[Luscious]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 2:29pm

B12B,

My PS3 died about six weeks ago; 7 months after purchase. It died in the middle of a movie. The picture froze. When I ejected the disc and tried to reload it, the player didn't recognize the disc. I tried a number of other discs, all to no avail. The good news is that the parts are under manufacturer warranty for 1-year. I called SONY, they sent me a box with a pre-paid UPS shipping label, and off it went. It took exactly one week for SONY to receive, repair, and get it back to me and it's been working fine since then. (Although, the one problem that I continue to have with the PS3 is excessive fan noise, which can be distracting when you're trying to watch a movie at a lower volume.) But what's really ironic is that within a half-hour of UPS delivering the repaired PS3, the picture on my 40" SONY XBR1 BRAVIA (1st generation) bedroom T.V. went on the fritz. White bars, approx. 2 inches in length appeared across the upper portion of the screen. Again, I called SONY customer service and they walked me through a series of diagnostic tests, all to no avail. It was determined that the set needed to be serviced. Unfortunately, it was no longer under manufacturer warranty (I bought the set in June of '06; it's just over 2-years old!), and I foolishly didn't purchase an extended warranty. SONY recommended several "authorized" service centers in my area. The first one I called, and paid $120.00 to come out and diagnose the problem, determined that both the B Board and Power Filter needed to be replaced. The estimated cost of the repair was close to $900.00! I decided to get a second opinion. The second place I called, at a cost of $99.00, determined that the entire screen needed to be replaced at a cost of over $1400.00!! Ridiculous! Needless to say, I'm not about to spend that kind of money to repair a bedroom T.V. when I can replace it with a new 40" or 42" for about $1000.00. It doesn't have to be a SONY (in fact, NEVER AGAIN) and it doesn't have to be top of the line; it's only a bedroom T.V. But having been a major proponent of SONY my entire adult life, and owning almost everything SONY, needless to say I'm extremely disappointed in the recent performance of their products and the indifference of their customer support. They've lost a lifelong customer. And so ends my SONY story of woe.

Anyway, good luck with your PS3, B12B. Once they return the repaired unit to you it will be under warranty for 90 days or the remainder of the original 1-year warranty, whichever is longer.

Updated On: 10/13/08 at 02:29 PM

[KrissySim]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 3:54pm

I have an old stand alone that works fine for showing movies, but doesn't have all the fancy new things. I've recently gotten Sleeping Beauty, Nightmare Before Christmas, & How the West Was Won and I haven't even had time to watch 'em (that smiley box thing should be interesting).

Anyway, I wouldn't give up on the technology. But I hope they improve the quality control on their assembly lines. Let 'em know you aren't happy.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 4:53pm

Luscious, I'm sorry to hear about your player problems too! And your TV set? Yikes. Food for thought, definitely.

And Jerby, I haven't moved it with a disc inside, but honestly, if it's going to fall apart that easily there are serious general flaws with this equipment. I live in earthquake country, and I'd like to think my player wouldn't quit on me from an occasional shake. My DVD and VHS players were much heartier than that. My laser disc player never quit on me either.

Craig--that stinks about the USB card!

morosco---I mentioned this on another Blu-ray thread a while back... beware of cheap Blu-ray players. The first thing you want to find out is whether or not it's Profile 2.0 player (meaning BD-Live). The one you're talking about isn't (see the link below). That means it can't connect to the Internet and stream or download any new content or BD upgrades. It will play the Blu-ray Discs, though. But if you're interested at all in any of the other "cool stuff" BD has to offer, you'll be out of luck with this player.

I understand electronic gadgets don't last forever. They will eventually die, due to wear and tear and normal usage. That's a given. But if they're falling apart this quickly? That's a big problem. I would hope to get at least 10-12 years out of any player or TV set. That's not asking too much either. If they can't manage that, they're not going to get my money in the future. No matter how "good" the product supposedly is.

I'll keep you posted (literally) as to when/how they handle my PS3 woes. Thanks to all who've weighed in! It's been eye-opening for me.


EDIT: I would like to amend my post on this player! I read too fast. It says it doesn't "currently" support Profile 2.0, but upgrades should be available in the future (if you take their word for it). It also will connect via an ethernet port to the Internet for firmware upgrades. That means you have to "hard wire" it to the machine. One advantage of the PS3 is that it will connect via Wi-Fi. That's the way I'm hooked up now, and I've had no problems connecting. As long as you can get a good, solid Wi-Fi signal (via your wireless router) it's much better than trying to run yet another cord into your machine to access the Internet. So, hopefully the will offer an upgrade to BD-Live with this player. That would make it a great buy. But without it, you'll just have pretty pictures, and all the disc-based content. No "live" stuff, though.


CNET's review of Samsung BD-P1500

Updated On: 10/13/08 at 04:53 PM

[KrissySim]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 8:54pm

For me, I went to Blu-ray for the movies and films. The BD live stuff doesn't impress me, so I'm in no hurry to upgrade there. I'll eventually go there, but there's no hurry.

[The Boy From Ohio]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 9:58pm

Do they make a multi-disc Blu-ray? I can't seem to find one online, and I'm to lazy to change it after each DVD I watch. I guess I'm stuck with my 5 disc changer for now.

Updated On: 10/13/08 at 09:58 PM

[KrissySim]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 10:22pm

Yes, but the one I know of is expensive, so I'm awaiting the next generation
Blu-ray disc changer

[The Boy From Ohio]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 10:28pm

WOW, that is expensive. I just want a simple 3-5 disc changer, not 200.

[KrissySim]

Posted: 10/13/08 at 10:32pm

I'm sure they will be coming out soon.

[KrissySim]

Posted: 10/14/08 at 2:29am

I have no doubt they are purposely making things to break down within 5 years.

I don't think so. The technology will continue to develop, but I think planned failure would be a poor strategy and ultimately ruin the company's confidence with the public.

I would hope to get at least 10-12 years out of any player or TV set.

I would hope so, too. However, if you bought your set 7 months ago, it was made months before that - back while the format war was still raging and both camps were trying to rush competing products on the market. Now that the war is over, I am hoping that competition will lead to longer lasting products since there is no question of which format to choose.

This is possibly one of the woes of being an early adopter. Months ago I was buying BDs in batches knowing full well that my preferred format, the blu-ray disc, might very well fail. Yet if I and others like me didn't buy, HD DVD would have won the war resulting in an inferior product being on the market.

You think that's bad? I have a friend who is going to buy an air-powered car as soon as one becomes commercially available in America. I'll drive his car and then make my decision on whether or not I want to take the risk of being an early adopter.

Or maybe I'll buy one in Europe, if they commercially hit the roads sooner. It will no doubt be at least a $20,000 USD risk by the time the deal is done.
Air Car

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 10/14/08 at 8:56am

There are three words that are going to convince me to finally buy a PS3.

Little Big Planet.

[morosco]

Posted: 10/14/08 at 11:59am

morosco---I mentioned this on another Blu-ray thread a while back... beware of cheap Blu-ray players. The first thing you want to find out is whether or not it's Profile 2.0 player (meaning BD-Live). The one you're talking about isn't (see the link below). That means it can't connect to the Internet and stream or download any new content or BD upgrades. It will play the Blu-ray Discs, though. But if you're interested at all in any of the other "cool stuff" BD has to offer, you'll be out of luck with this player.

Thanks for that info. As usual, you get what you pay for.