PS2 plays some DVDs and not others?

November 25, 2007 8:02 AM

Why does my roommate's PS2 play some DVDs and not some others? Is there anything I can do about it?

I've seen plenty of previous threads where the PS2 DVD drive 'wears out', etc. From what I gather, however, that means that the player won't play any DVDs—whereas our PS2 is picky. For instance, it will play the Planet Terror Bonus Materials disc (disc 2) but not the actual movie disc (disc 1). Same goes for my Death Proof DVDs. There are various other discs that I've tried in it, and results so far seem random. It'll play burned DVDs but not a brand-new Criterion disc. This disc 1/2 delineation is the first seemingly predictable response from the damn machine. Is the drive just going out? If it is short for this world is there anything I can do about it to prolong the magic? What else could it be?

For completeness' sake, I haven't tried playing an actual PS2 game on this rig though by all accounts (roommate's) it works fine as a game console. It has taken and played all music CDs I've introduced. It ate the PB&J I fed it yesterday with no complaint. (Boysenberry, yum!) I'm frustrated, and want to spend my Sunday watching bloody gore and car chases. Help!

posted by carsonb to Technology (6 answers total)

IIRC, the PS2's infamous for pickiness about what DVDs it'll play, and unless it's under warranty, you're probably SOL.

Of course, unlike in the PS2's early days, DVD players (especially those that can match the PS2's quality) can be had for ~$30.
posted by Tomorrowful at 8:25 AM on November 25, 2007

Does it get a "Disc Read error"?

You can open up your PS2 and adjust a dial that controls the lens that focuses the laser, which fixes this problem
posted by jpdoane at 9:39 AM on November 25, 2007 [2 favorites]

PS2's are notorious for wearing down and getting disc read errors. This normally starts with DVDs. They used to fix them for free because of a class action suit, I don't think they do anymore.

I got mine replaced with a refurbished unit years ago. The one they sent back had a busted 2 player controller port. I never bothered to send it back.

But now it's starting to reject dvds, even brand new ones. Luckily DVD players are cheap, and the PS2 has dropped to bargain price if/when he decides to replace it.
posted by yellowbinder at 11:47 AM on November 25, 2007

My guess would be that it's bailing out on dual-layer DVDs. As opposed to the silvery looking single-layer ones, they have a more golden sheen to them.
posted by Caviar at 7:38 AM on November 26, 2007

More on that - will it play God of War 2? It's the only PS2 game I know of on a dual-layer DVD, and it wouldn't play on my older PS2.
posted by Caviar at 7:39 AM on November 26, 2007

i recently fixed a ps2 that was refusing to read discs; basically, on older ps2s (the non-slim version) you can spin a gear that adjusts the angle at which the CD is held. It is fairly simple. I found this tutorial somewhat easier to follow than the one jpdoane linked at ars technica, largely because it covered the older unit that i was trying to repair.

definitely not rocket-science, but if you've never opened something with tiny screws before maybe let a buddy handle it.

however, it could be the dual layer thing (not my ps2, and i don't have a ton of dvds, so haven't seen a similar prob).
posted by fishfucker at 11:04 AM on November 26, 2007