Broken remote

[RCBH928]

I have a Sony DVD player that I love a lot and has served me well. Its not too old , only around 5 years and I use it fairly. I stopped using it for some months, maybe 6, when I turned it on again I found the rewind button on the remote kind of stuck. It kind of needs 3 to 4 presses to work again. Any one know why this happened and if I can fix it before I go out and buy a new DVD player? I really want to keep this one.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

It sounds like a typical buildup of dust/dirt on the contact beneath the button.

Usual fixes are to either loosen up the button (IE press it a little roughly a million times at some point when you're not using the player to hopefully restore a clean surface), or to simply disassemble the remote and clean the contact with some rubbing alcohol.

The first option usually takes care of it as opening up a remote isn't always an easy thing.

[CRTGAMER]

Any one know why this happened and if I can fix it before I go out and buy a new DVD player? I really want to keep this one.

If the button contact cleaning does not work you can also buy a universal remote cheaper then a new player.

One thing to consider is if your existing player supports up scaling (make sure you at least have component 480p connected) and more importantly Anamorphic DVDs. Newer players reduce and can even get rid of the black bars on anamorphic encoded DVD discs when going into the player menu.

[samsonlonghair]

Have you considered that you can simply buy a new remote without needing to buy a new DVD player? You can sometimes buy a remote control for less than $10 USD.

I bought a SONY DVD player at Goodwill last month. It didn't come with a remote control. I googled the model number, found the pdf of the owners manual, and looked at the data about the remote control. I bought an original Sony brand replacement remote for seven dollars and eight-nine cents on ebay.

[CRTGAMER]

Have you considered that you can simply buy a new remote without needing to buy a new DVD player? You can sometimes buy a remote control for less than $10 USD.

I bought a SONY DVD player at Goodwill last month. It didn't come with a remote control. I googled the model number, found the pdf of the owners manual, and looked at the data about the remote control. I bought an original Sony brand replacement remote for seven dollars and eight-nine cents on ebay.

Great point! I see tons of 1st party remotes at the Swap Meet. Usually a model series of a given manufacturer are interchangeable.

[RCBH928]

thanks everyone for your help

@Mod_Man_Extreme

I doubt pressing the button many times would work but i'll try to disassemble the remote, seems to be the logical solution.

@samsonlonghair

Dvd players are damn cheap, I bought this one new 5 years ago for $60 or $90 . I am sure new ones exists for $15. I just like this one thats all. buying a new remote along with shoipping might as well cost me almost as a new player, but good to know replacement remotes exist

@crtgamer
i am not sure if my dvd player suppports up scaling but I connected it usinf component to an hdtv , watched an SD 4:3 show from mid-90s (Ghostwriter if you'd like to know) , and the picture was pretty clean and nice.

how can I tell if it upscales or supports anamorphic dvds?

not sure if I should replace it with a bluray player one with hdmi, I like this one because it will play anything I throw at it, remembers where I stopped even after months and after cutting off electricity,does pretty good job reading discs even if its slightly scratched (I just remembered early dvd days, where a player would stutter for thr tinies scratch)

what is swap meet?

[CRTGAMER]

@crtgamer
i am not sure if my dvd player suppports up scaling but I connected it usinf component to an hdtv , watched an SD 4:3 show from mid-90s (Ghostwriter if you'd like to know) , and the picture was pretty clean and nice.

how can I tell if it upscales or supports anamorphic dvds?

not sure if I should replace it with a bluray player one with hdmi, I like this one because it will play anything I throw at it, remembers where I stopped even after months and after cutting off electricity,does pretty good job reading discs even if its slightly scratched (I just remembered early dvd days, where a player would stutter for thr tinies scratch)

what is swap meet?

Forgot you are in another country. A Swap Meet is basically a huge parking lot full sellers with second hand stuff for sale. One of the best places to find retro treasures.

Anamorphic DVD of older widescreen movies will completely fill the screen if the player is compatible and set to "Full Screen" in its service menu. Anamorphic widescreen of newer movies will have reduced black bars compared to non anamorphic capable players. The HDTV too should be set to "Full Screen" and not in the "Zoomed Mode".

Any DVD player with a component connection should be able to support at least 480p and possibly can upscale. Usually upscaler units have a HDMI connector in the back and have to be player menu enabled to upscale.

I posted an expanded explanation on anamorphic with screenshots in my CRT vs LCD Guide linked in my signature.

[RCBH928]

So this is my remote:



I tried to open it but its no use. I looked it up on ebay, it costs something like $30-40 including shipping.

Any one knows how to open this one?

[Hobie-wan]

Very likely that it snaps together even if there is a screw or 2 to remove. To open it you'd need to carefully wedge something thin in the seam, then pry up or down a little, then move along the edge and keep working your way around.