My Sony DVP-S530's new sound problem in TV Mode - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

Lex M · 11-05-2004, 09:00 PM

This is impossible to describe, and no one will really care, but I've had my SONY S530 for 4.5 years now, and in the last year or so it's given me lots of problems with discs freezing for no reason, and the ever popular 00:13:00 warning sign.

But the newest development is the sound is really weird. Basically, in any scene with music AND dialogue/effects, now the sound is very erratic, going from loud music to nearly muted dialogue. I've experienced this on every disc I've played for the last week. Example: In THE RUNDOWN, during the opening fight scene in the club, the music drops out distractingly every time a punch is thrown, and the volume in general fluctuates throughout due to the effects/music.

I keep it in TV MODE because I don't have a speaker system. But fearing it was my TV set, I ran the AV cables thru a stereo, and experienced the same problem. If I set it to STANDARD instead of TV MODE, the sound level remains more consistent and the problem is alleviated, BUT I have to jack the volume up to like 20 to even hear it.

Is it possible for the SOUND to go on a DVD player? Or is it more likely that the A/V cables are old? Basically, now any time a sound mix is too "busy," the volume sounds like it drops to a low level. Again, I know that doesn't make sense, but is it possible for TV MODE to "go" on an old DVD player?

tomdkat · 11-05-2004, 09:21 PM

It sounds like something internal to the DVD player itself is going bad, like how a power supply in a PC can start acting erratic.

Given the price of new DVD players on the market today, I would suggest replacing your sony with something new. At $99, the Pioneer DV-578a is a machine I definitely worth checking out.

You can take the Sony in for a service estimate, just to scope out the cost for repair but I recommend replacing the unit.

Peace...

Lex M · 11-05-2004, 09:40 PM

Thanks, tom!

Trust me, it's definitely on its last legs, and I'm planning on replacing it any week now with a Panasonic or Pioneer. It's served me well, but at 4.5 years old, it's time for a change. Since it's apparently not my TV with the sound problem, and since every 3rd DVD I try to play in it freezes up or does something funky, you are correct in that it's not worth repairing since a newer, more current (and less bulky) model would be so cheap.

tomdkat · 11-05-2004, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lex M

Trust me, it's definitely on its last legs, and I'm planning on replacing it any week now with a Panasonic or Pioneer.

Sounds like a plan. Since you don't have a fancy Home Theater, a Panasonic DVD player under $100 should work just as well as the Pioneer I recommended and BestBuy stocks those as well.

The only reason I mention the $100 is to keep lost as low as possible. I would recommend a name brand DVD player at this price point, except for the Toshiba SD-3960 which Iggy demonstrated had "issues" with his copy of Finding Nemo.

Good luck!

Peace...

videoworx · 11-05-2004, 10:52 PM

Have you tried watching the movies with 2.0, or are you listening to them in 5.1 downconverted to 2.0? This WAS a big issue with the 500-series (my 550d, the first dvd player I ever bought, suffers from lip sync issues on every 10th disc or so).
Try playing 2.0 tracks if there is an option (quite a few movies offer stereo as well as 5.1 audio).

I have 4 dvd players scattered around the house, and my 550D, barring the lip sync crap, is still the best player I ever bought.

tomdkat · 11-05-2004, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by videoworx

Have you tried watching the movies with 2.0, or are you listening to them in 5.1 downconverted to 2.0? This WAS a big issue with the 500-series (my 550d, the first dvd player I ever bought, suffers from lip sync issues on every 10th disc or so).
Try playing 2.0 tracks if there is an option (quite a few movies offer stereo as well as 5.1 audio).

This is a good point but he's had the player for 4.5 years, so if it were a downconversion issue I would think he would have questioned it sooner than now. Unless the failure in the player is in the downconversion processing.

Peace...

Lex M · 11-05-2004, 11:02 PM

videoworx...

Indeed, the 5.1 downconversion has always kind of been imperfect, though I believe I'm now having the problem even when I switch over to 2.0. And it was never as extreme as it is currently. (in fact, it had been mostly unnoticeable, and now the sound totally drops out and the volume drops drastically within scenes.)

videoworx · 11-06-2004, 01:00 AM

well, lex, walmart sells dvd players* for $30...skip buying 2 dvd's this month, and your troubles will be over...and if the new player goes wonky, who cares! it was only $30!!

*the $30 players are specifically designed for the white-trash michael bay fan, but will instantly disintegrate if an attempt is made to play a criterion disc.

tomdkat · 11-06-2004, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by videoworx

*the $30 players are specifically designed for the white-trash michael bay fan, but will instantly disintegrate if an attempt is made to play a criterion disc.

Peace...

Iguana Man · 11-06-2004, 02:13 AM

"well, lex, walmart sells dvd players* for $30...skip buying 2 dvd's this month, and your troubles will be over...and if the new player goes wonky, who cares! it was only $30!!"

BEHOLD! BEHOLD THE BAD IDEA!!!

Be carefull what ya wish for....30x2+10 = disapointment! I spent 70 and couldn't play Nemo for crying out loud.

Not to say you won't get lucky but just give it some thought....

**SilentBob** · 11-06-2004, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lex M

Thanks, tom!

Trust me, it's definitely on its last legs, and I'm planning on replacing it any week now with a Panasonic or Pioneer. It's served me well, but at 4.5 years old, it's time for a change. Since it's apparently not my TV with the sound problem, and since every 3rd DVD I try to play in it freezes up or does something funky, you are correct in that it's not worth repairing since a newer, more current (and less bulky) model would be so cheap.

Yeah my Toshiba SD 2800 was crapping out on me for a few months before i finally took it into Future Shop for repairs (extended warrenty) The replacement parts alone to fix it were $370 Cnd. So good thing you are replacing soon as they just gave me a new player. Now for the player i would say stay away from Panasonic and go Pioneer. Again my theater went through 3 Panasonic players in less then 1 1/2 years. All been replaced with Toshiba players and have yet to have a problem with them.

Quote:

The only reason I mention the $100 is to keep lost as low as possible. I would recommend a name brand DVD player at this price point, except for the Toshiba SD-3960 which Iggy demonstrated had "issues" with his copy of Finding Nemo.

Hmmm The player they gave me for my old player's replacement is a SD 3860 Progressive Scan.

I guess i should try out my Nemo disc to see if it has any of the same problems (not the same model number but reviews have said suff about video playback on the Future Shop site)

Iguana Man · 11-06-2004, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilentBob

Hmmm The player they gave me for my old player's replacement is a SD 3860 Progressive Scan.

I guess i should try out my Nemo disc to see if it has any of the same problems (not the same model number but reviews have said suff about video playback on the Future Shop site)

Please do! I am very curious to see if your Nemo plays. Please let me know.

**SilentBob** · 11-07-2004, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Please do! I am very curious to see if your Nemo plays. Please let me know.

Well i went here and there on the disc and everything was fine and dandy. I played inside the whale and When Darla arrives at the office to tapping on the glass. Sound and picture were all great with no hiccups in between.

11-05-2004, 09:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
Lex M Actor Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Los Angeles	My Sony DVP-S530's new sound problem in TV Mode This is impossible to describe, and no one will really care, but I've had my SONY S530 for 4.5 years now, and in the last year or so it's given me lots of problems with discs freezing for no reason, and the ever popular 00:13:00 warning sign. But the newest development is the sound is really weird. Basically, in any scene with music AND dialogue/effects, now the sound is very erratic, going from loud music to nearly muted dialogue. I've experienced this on every disc I've played for the last week. Example: In THE RUNDOWN, during the opening fight scene in the club, the music drops out distractingly every time a punch is thrown, and the volume in general fluctuates throughout due to the effects/music. I keep it in TV MODE because I don't have a speaker system. But fearing it was my TV set, I ran the AV cables thru a stereo, and experienced the same problem. If I set it to STANDARD instead of TV MODE, the sound level remains more consistent and the problem is alleviated, BUT I have to jack the volume up to like 20 to even hear it. Is it possible for the SOUND to go on a DVD player? Or is it more likely that the A/V cables are old? Basically, now any time a sound mix is too "busy," the volume sounds like it drops to a low level. Again, I know that doesn't make sense, but is it possible for TV MODE to "go" on an old DVD player?

11-05-2004, 09:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
tomdkat Official Forum Warmonger "Dial Tone" Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Hayward, CA, USA	It sounds like something internal to the DVD player itself is going bad, like how a power supply in a PC can start acting erratic. Given the price of new DVD players on the market today, I would suggest replacing your sony with something new. At $99, the Pioneer DV-578a is a machine I definitely worth checking out. You can take the Sony in for a service estimate, just to scope out the cost for repair but I recommend replacing the unit. Peace... __________________ My DVD Aficionado List "At last we shall reveal ourselves to the Jedi, at last we shall have revenge!"

11-06-2004, 02:13 AM	#10 (permalink)
Iguana Man Ex-BadHumor Man Join Date: May 2002 Location: New Jersey, USA	"well, lex, walmart sells dvd players* for $30...skip buying 2 dvd's this month, and your troubles will be over...and if the new player goes wonky, who cares! it was only $30!!" BEHOLD! BEHOLD THE BAD IDEA!!! Be carefull what ya wish for....30x2+10 = disapointment! I spent 70 and couldn't play Nemo for crying out loud. Not to say you won't get lucky but just give it some thought.... __________________ Get outside and have fun! Nacho Website Focus

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11-05-2004, 09:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
Lex M Actor Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Los Angeles	Thanks, tom! Trust me, it's definitely on its last legs, and I'm planning on replacing it any week now with a Panasonic or Pioneer. It's served me well, but at 4.5 years old, it's time for a change. Since it's apparently not my TV with the sound problem, and since every 3rd DVD I try to play in it freezes up or does something funky, you are correct in that it's not worth repairing since a newer, more current (and less bulky) model would be so cheap.

11-05-2004, 10:52 PM	#5 (permalink)
videoworx Would Make a Good Incubus Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: nowhere near Nebraska	Have you tried watching the movies with 2.0, or are you listening to them in 5.1 downconverted to 2.0? This WAS a big issue with the 500-series (my 550d, the first dvd player I ever bought, suffers from lip sync issues on every 10th disc or so). Try playing 2.0 tracks if there is an option (quite a few movies offer stereo as well as 5.1 audio). I have 4 dvd players scattered around the house, and my 550D, barring the lip sync crap, is still the best player I ever bought.

11-05-2004, 11:02 PM	#7 (permalink)
Lex M Actor Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Los Angeles	videoworx... Indeed, the 5.1 downconversion has always kind of been imperfect, though I believe I'm now having the problem even when I switch over to 2.0. And it was never as extreme as it is currently. (in fact, it had been mostly unnoticeable, and now the sound totally drops out and the volume drops drastically within scenes.)

11-06-2004, 01:00 AM	#8 (permalink)
videoworx Would Make a Good Incubus Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: nowhere near Nebraska	well, lex, walmart sells dvd players* for $30...skip buying 2 dvd's this month, and your troubles will be over...and if the new player goes wonky, who cares! it was only $30!! *the $30 players are specifically designed for the white-trash michael bay fan, but will instantly disintegrate if an attempt is made to play a criterion disc.