Bad Disc Arcam DV29


Hi:

Does anyone out there have some experience with the Arcam DV29 DVD Player? It shows "bad disc" on about 1/2 of my CDs. The Marantz I replaced had no such problem with the same Discs. I used a cleaner for the Laser, but no change. Any ideas?
51derrill
Doesn't sound good. If not under warranty, you could get a look under the hood, and visually inspect the lense (suspension of lens is VERY delicate, use extreme caution cleaning with a Q-tip & alcohol)Don't have experience with the DV-29, but I cleaned the lense of my dvd-a player, that had been rejecting about 20% of discs (dvd/dvd-a)& improved to rejecting 5% initially & plays all with multiple attempts. Don't know what mechanism arcam uses in this player, but replacing the laser isn't major rocket science if your are at all "techie" inclined. Look here:http://www.diyparadise.com/cd46/cd46repair.html Laser assemblies usual run $20-$100 from mcm ,etc.(could be something else amiss, but weak laser diagnosis fits symptoms) How does the player sound?,quality wise, been interested in that model as a sonic upgrade from my 1st generation,pacific rim model...
Hi Higgins:

Thanks for the input. I'll try cleaning later today. I did use a "Disc Lens Cleaner" to no avail, however they seem pretty cheesy. The sonics and video are steller, head and shoulders above my previous Marantz. It has HDMI output, which I am using. Highly recommend. My problem is an anomaly, and might have been sold to me this way. Audiogon seller claims his brother in the UK gave it to him as a gift. It arrived with a European Power Cord, and programmed for Europe. I had to reprogram to reg 1. Could be this is an inherent problem, buying in the UK for USA use. Thanks again for your input./ Best/ Bill
Hi;
I have a DV29 and had some of the same problems. Reinstalled software v5.26 and 'no disc' went away. You should be able to get an upgrade disc from an Arcam dealer or you can get it by writing charliek@aslgroup.com, the customer service manager at Audiophile Systems LTD, the US Arcam distributor. Free of charge. Also, go into setup menu and make sure that the TV/video system is on 'NTSC' rather than 'AUTO'. CD playback and video playback are better that way.
My Arcam FMJ DV29 rejects about 50% of my audio CDs with a "no disc" on the display. I would love to get my hands on a V5.26 disc but nobody seems to know anything about it. Can anyone help ?