Posted by William A. T. Clark on 02/24/06 19:26

In article <N9GLf.2$fB2.428@eagle.america.net>,
"D. Spencer Hines" <poguemidden@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Can you be more specific about the specific design failures you see in your
> JVC model?
>
> There may be commonalities as to design failures.
>
> The Sonys seem to play DVD's for five or six minutes and then just freeze.
>
> Drive problems -- underpowered -- defective?
>
> I'm not convinced the problem is with the laser.
>
> DSH
>
> "William A. T. Clark" <clark.31@nospamosu.edu> wrote in message
> news:clark.31-083AED.09444524022006@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu...
>
> > I think a lot of it has to do with devices that are just too elaborate
> > to support themselves. I have had a nightmare with a JVC DR-MV1S. It is
> > going back to JVC for a replacement, but it is hard to use, incredibly
> > overcomplicated, and I think as a result, inherently fragile.
> >
> > As you say, we have all had simple CD players that last for years and
> > years - my CD unit is close to 18 years old, so there is no inherent
> > reason for the technology to fail, other than when poor design renders
> > them delicate.
> >
> > William Clark

The JVC DR-MVIS had a well-documented problem in which the display would
suddenly start flashing "Loading", and the unit would freeze. The only
cure was to unplug the unit, and then plug it back in. This was traced
to a firmware error, that JVC would repair for free if the unit was
returned to them. My problem was that the drive stopped reading
unformatted DVD-RW disks, and two returns to the service center haven't
cured it. They are now going to replace the unit, so they accept that
there are lots of problems with them.

If you really want to see the sorry tale, then the best way is to go to
one of the electronics magazines review section, and look for the reader
reviews that came in after the magazine's initial review. The initial
rating of 8-8.5 out of 10 drops to 1/10 or so. Amazon also has these
customer comments available to read.

William Clark

[Back to original message]