5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Exceptional tracking is short-lived
Date of Review: Feb 5, 2008
The Bottom Line: Although I was impressed with the tracking ability of this machine at first, ultimately it didn't last. I recommend a brand with better longevity
I purchased the Sony DVPNC85H/B from Amazon to replace a Panasonic 5-disc changer that had begun to die after 5 years. The Sony provided excellent picture, sound, and tracking - for about a year. After about a year it began having trouble tracking, sometimes spinning and spinning without ever stopping, sometimes coming to a point on a DVD and just spinning endlessly rather than continuing the movie, sometimes just refusing to play and displaying the "no play" error on a DVD it had previously played just fine.
A family member gave me a new dvd player as a gift. Without realizing it, they had bought the exact same model - this one from Best Buy! This one did the same thing the first one did - but in ten months; I didn't even get a year out of it.
My dvd players get a lot of use. I maintain them well, cleaning the laser per the manufacturer's instructions. The Sony DVDPNC85H/B works very well for almost a year of heavy use - after that you can expect to have to replace it. The unit is large and does not fit in some entertainment centers. If you don't use your dvd player very often, this Sony will be okay for you. If you use your player quite a bit or you're after longevity, I recommend Panasonic over Sony.
