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"LASERandDVDfan" <> wrote in message
news:...
> >What exactly am I looking for? Are you talking about the three rubber
tube
> >things that slot into the clasps on the edge of the laser pickup unit?
>
> The lug is a support part for the objective lens and is an internal part
of the
> optical pickup assembly.
>
> However, I've not even heard of the problem being widespread, nor seen it
as
> often as suggested.
>
> If this is a common problem, then the problem would be manifested in
anything
> that uses a Sony pickup. A lot of brands have used Sony pickups, both low
end
> and high end. From "Sing-A-Long" karaoke machines to Onkyo CD players. -
> Reinhart.

The problem is common, but how long it takes to appear varies enormously.
Sony and Panasonic[1] between them have contributed to some people's
impression the DVD players are inherently unreliable. Both companies are
currently the subject of class action lawsuits in the US as neither has made
any attempt to remove the defects in new equipment.

[1] With Panasonic, there is a problem with their drive motors.

Ian.

>[1] With Panasonic, there is a problem with their drive motors.

In the case of Panasonic, this is probably because they switched from their
excellent brushless configurations over to inferior Mabuchi motors. Couple
this with the fact that quite a few of their players use full-sized disc
stabilizer platters which adds more mass that the motor has to deal with along
with the higher average rotational speeds with DVD when compared to CD and
you've got a potential for failure.

Panasonic finally had it right when it made their 4th generation models
(DVD-RV30), fixing the optical pickup problems they had with their previous
models of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations. But they screwed it all up with
the release of the generation after that when they stopped using their
brushless spindle motors.

Had they continued to use brushless motors along with their improved pickups, I
would have kept my recommendation for Panasonic. - Reinhart