Be Excellent To Each Other

Hello.

So, I treated myself to my first ever blu-ray disc.

To make a cheery evening I settled down to watch The Labyrinth blu-ray on teh PS3 and I am having super-troubles

I got to the 'Dance, Magic Pants' bit and it keeps on stopping for three or four seconds, freezing and then jumping. Sometimes it seems to crash the PS3 altogether as you can't use the controls.

I turned of and re-set the PS3 and it played beyond the song but then the same thing happened a few minutes after in the scene with the Oubliette.

Has anybody used Blu-ray discs before? Does it sound like it is likely t be a problem with the disc or the PS3.

I am immensely sad that I never got to see all of David Bowie's Magic Pants, I was really looking forward to the film and I feel rather disappointed now

Dirty disc perhaps? Make sure there's no fingerprints or anything on it. Failing that, I'd take it back to ze shop.

Buy an xbox36.... oh.

You need to many sure BDs are super clean. Sometimes even a solitary fingerprint on the disc can make a film grind to a halt.

Then again, it might be the PS3's laser lens which needs cleaning. All I can say is make sure all your PS3 Blu-ray Discs, whether games or films, are as clean and fingerprint-free as possible, as the Blu-ray format is so sensitive to marks on the discs.

I am sure it is super-clean. I have had a look and there is nothing on it, and it was brand new out of the packaging and unhandled I was wondering if it was more likely to be the disc or the PS3. Stupid PS3

Never had a problem. I too, however, only own one BDrom and it's the making of Fallout 3 haha. Gonna get some in for Xmas, probably South Park box sets

I'm going to hazard a guess that it's Gaywood's fault

Joans: phsaw.

Mimi: does your PS3 play games OK? Because all PS3 games come on Blurays, so if you're not having problems with them it's unlikely to be a hardware problem. And if the disk is brand new and appears clean that should be fine too.

Have you upgraded the PS3's software yet? The Bluray spec was released early (or, if you are less charitable, "unfinished") and lots of things changed. These things are catered for in later versions of the PS3's system software. If you're not running the very latest, update it. You might well find this problem goes away.

Doesn't a data disc read differently to a movie disc though? I mean, a game is less on the fly so to speak than a movie.

A bit, yeah, but that actually makes the laser tracking and focussing system work harder than a linear stream of the movie data.

Ah ok cheers for that

I remember once I had a dvd drive (early Sony dvd+r only thing) and it would write DVDs, write cds but would not read dvds lol. It was definitely a writer, I guess the lazer was just buggered or something.

Mind you I have seen a few buggered DVD movies before (used to manage a Blockbuster in the states) and they were literally brand new with not a mark on.

Games?

They have games for the PS3?

I've only got Little Big Planet, I'll give that a whirl tomorrow and see if it works - thankyou for the tip. It has the latest firmware installed, so I don't thin it can be that. I ordered the disc from Amazon so will get an exchange if it doesn't work. It crashes at various points after the Pansts, Magic Pants song, and I think the repeated playings of this song are driving Craig just a leeel bit mental.

The fact that it's always crashing at the same point in the film makes me think you've just got a buggered disc rather than a buggered PS3.

Or maybe the disc wants to have as many listens to Magic Pants as it can.

And enjoys Bowie's bulging crotch.

Hmm... Then again, the BDs I've personally been able to watch were all rentals, so that might be the disc problem, not a dirty lens in the PS3's disc drive.

It doesn't quite always crash at exactly the same point, just at some random point in the five minutes that follow the magic pants dance. - sometimes right after, sometime when they are in the oubliette, sometimes when they are walking through the corridors of carved faces and meet with Jareth.

Is there a layer change on Blu-Ray discs? I remember in early DVD years, the layer change could trip up a dodgy laser.

Magic Pants dance is about 20-30 minutes into the film - would the layer change be so early if there was one? Wouldn't that also usually mean that it always skipped at exactly the same point?

Tru dat...

Is it because you're always pausing it when Bowies Bulge® is on show Mimi? I used to have similar problems with visual integrity when I'd over pause certain video tapes of mine.

Usually yes, but Mimi's point is probably true (although it's possible the Blu-Ray has all the extras at the start of layer one, I suppose). But also, a layer change problem would be at the exact same instant each crash; not plus or minus a few minutes.

Mimi, you need either another Blu-Ray disc to test your PS3, or another Blu-Ray player to test your disc, I think.

I second the "buggered disc" theory. I've never had a similar problem, even with smeary rented BDs from LoveFilm, mind, but I'd definitely get another disc to check (I've had disc reading problems with Ratchet and Clank, but that's not quite the same, really

I *think* the PS3 actually has two lasers, the games use a different one to the blueray discs. Could be wrong, but anyway, as Doc says it'll need testing to rule out one or the other.. with science.

Are you sure, Kalmar? It'll have a red laser for the CD and DVD support and a blue one for Blurays -- but PS3 games come on Bluray.

Nah, I'm not sure at all. In fact I shouldn't have repeated it, coming as it does from a work colleague whose son has just started a home business bodgerepairing consoles.

Aren't Blueray discs a bit expensive to be putting games on, or are they piracy-proof or something?

I have arranged to return the film to Amazon and get a replacement, so I guess I'll find out one way or another.

I've got a fair few Blu Ray movies and haven't had the problems you've described with any of them. Sorry Meems, might be your PS3!

Mmm... That'd be a pain.

Presumably this is a 'riskily take apart your PS3 and clean disc drive lens yourself' ordeal?

Get myp to do it

No more expensive than CD's or DVD's when they were new. Blu-Ray Recordable discs are a little dear but 3 quid for 25 gig of storage is a lifesaver for me. I can now archive a project onto 3 or 4 discs rather than 15 DVD's!

Obvious FTFY.

Mimi, would another blu-ray disc to test be of any use? It occurs to me that for some reason I have two blu-ray copies of 28 Weeks Later (discussed in Bits & Bobs XII with vary opinions). You're welcome to one of them, if it'll help.

Aw, thanks! The replacement Labyrinth disc from Amazon has arrived about 2 minutes ago, though, so that should solve the mystery as to whether it is the disc or machine at fault. The Amazon returns are amazing if you say you want to return it for a replacement they ship the replacement immediately and you send your faulty copy back, so I only put the first disc in the post yesterday and the postman just bought the replacement.

Thankyou very much for the offer, though xx

*crosses fingers for small measure of good luck*

No worries - fingers crossed this one works!

(Does anyone else want it? I've a feeling the interlinked section of the Venn diagram of people who a) like 28 Weeks Later, b) have a blu-ray player and c) don't already have 28 Weeks Later is quite small.)

I'll have it! How much?

I have an american copy of Casino Royale on blu-ray if someone wants it - it is region protected so won't work on a region 2 PS3 unless there's a hack I don't know about...

Just having your address for stalking purposes (and getting a bit of shelf space back) will be more than adequate payment. Let me know where to send it and I'll try and get it in the post today.

Wow, how did I miss that zinger?