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Laptop DVD playback issues.

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6 replies

by mne

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Got a HP Pavilion dv1000 laptop running Windows XP Home SP2 that has jitters in the audio when playing back a DVD. All other sound works fine, I've tried audio CD's, avi and mpg files burnt to CD/DVD and they all work no problems, just when playing a DVD. I've re-installed codecs and drivers and the DVD burner has been replaced. If I plug an external DVD burner in via USB and play a DVD it works fine, its just the internal burner. Any ideas/suggestions?

6 replies

by mylittlemansanidiot

Does it do this for all DVDs? Or is the particular DVD you're using have surface damage? It may be that the particular model DVD burner in the HP notebook your using has crap oversampling, and is skipping on errors created by surface damage to the DVD. I can think of no software related issue that would cause the internal drive to stutter while an external drive works fine. It's possible the problem could be related to overheating, does the notebook get overly hot around the drive area?

by mne

I've tried multiple DVD discs, they all do the same thing. The laptop does get a bit warm but the heat is on the other side of the laptop to the burner and I didn't think the heat thats being generated was hot enough to cause overheating issues. Is there a simple way to cool down the laptop to test if it is a heating issue?

by older mycroft

The DVD / laser assembly is exposed to the heat on the inside. You will only be feeling a fraction of the internal heat.

One inherent difficulty with laptops is the ability/inability to dissipate generated heat. Laptop optical drive units are, on the whole, too slim for efficient heat dissipation. Over an extended period of time, the general health of these slimline drives can deteriorate.

It may not be the AMOUNT of heat generated at present, but more the CONTINUED heat generation that the unit has been exposed to over its working life.

How old is the unit?

by mne

Just under a year I think. If this is a heat issue, would there be any visual signs within the laptop that would verify this?

by older mycroft

Usually just about the time the warranty expires too!

Technically is can be referred to as "Sod's Law".

IMHO the advent (no brand-name promotion intended!) of slimline laptops, together with the increased capabilities [processor speed, graphics capability, hard drive size] all crammed into an ever-decreasing size of chassis, has led to various and nefarious problems all closely OR loosely associated with the proliferation of heat within these laptop shells.

My own not-quite-so-slimline notebook, with a slimline DVD-Dual drive (DVD +-RW) failed at about 9 months and was 'repaired' under warranty, only to fail again a few weeks after warranty expired. I've always wondered what 'they' did to make it hold-on for a few months! My unit is a TSST drive which also pops up in various other guises within a range of different makes of laptop.

I suggest you find out the maker and version number of your particular DVD drive and Google your details. You may find that there are forums devoted to exactly the problem you are experiencing - I did.

If heat, whether of the current or sustained variety is to blame, clearly an exact replacement would be foolhardy since the same problem is likely to surface in another year's time.

These forums usually list other slimline DVD drives that will be compatible with the hard-wired interface within your laptop.

HOWEVER: Please be aware this is only one of many possible causes of your problem. You may be luckier than me and find an alternative solution.

Good luck.

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