DVD players are great for keeping the kids entertained on a rainy day or for when you’re sitting down and watching a movie on the weekend. You may come across some discs that don’t seem to play, whilst others are working absolutely fine.
Is the TV on the correct source?
Before establishing what is causing an issue with a DVD player or disc, you should always check that the TV has been changed to the correct viewing source. You may find that the disc is actually playing but, due to it not being on the correct source, it is not showing on-screen. If it is on the correct source and/or other discs are working fine, then we would recommend looking deeper to understand what is causing the issue.
Is the disc the correct region?
Discs are region locked due to copyright and licensing reasons based upon the location they are being sold in. UK DVDs are assigned as Region 2, and the majority of standard DVD players sold in the UK will only support Region 2 discs. You can find the region information on the disc case or on the label on the disc itself. You may find that some DVD players are multi-region. This means they can play discs outside of their domestic region. To check if your DVD player has this ability, refer to the user manual. If it does not state anywhere that it can do this, then it is likely only designed to play discs from the domestic region, which will be Region 2.
Is it a genuine disc or a copy?
If you are trying to view a recordable/rewritable disc you may have difficulty. Some DVD players are unable to play these discs as they were only designed to play standard DVDs. Similarly, the formatting of the disc may be incompatible with the DVD player. If you are using a copy DVD, or if you have burned the disc yourself, we would recommend checking the supported file formats which is usually at the back of the DVD player manual. You will need to ensure the files on the disc are listed as compatible otherwise it is likely the DVD player won’t play the disc.
Are there any scratches or markings?
Finally, the easiest way to check for an issue with a disc is to check there are not any scratches or markings on the disc. Even the smallest scratch can affect the performance of a disc so it is always worth checking if it is perhaps a marking on the disc preventing it from playing correctly.
To summarise, if some discs are playing in your DVD player but others aren’t, it is likely to be an issue or compatibility problem with the disc itself, not the DVD player. You can browse our range of DVD and blu-ray players here.