Introduction
Panasonic DVD player are some of the most popular DVD players that have been sold. Panasonic has several players on the market right now. The most popular models are the DVD-A120, DVD-A310, DVD-A110. Other models include the DVD-A100, DVD-A105, DVD-K510 and the Divx featured DVD-X410. All of the mentioned players may be affected, but this document will concentrate only on the first three players mentioned.

Some of these players have exhibited problems that have been associated with design flaws by Panasonic. Not all players exhibit these problems. Some exhibit problems less frequently than others. There is no way to know exactly which player is affected and it’s up to each individual owner to determine if there is a problem, and to contact Panasonic if repairs are deemed necessary.

One of the major issues with Panasonic DVD players is the failure of the optical pick up (laser) portion of the player. This is one of the most expensive part in the DVD player and the cost of replacing the part and the labor to do it, cost about as much as a new player. Most of the "hard failures" of Panasonic machines can be attributed to the failure of the optical unit. My data shows that there is no correlation between model number, manufacture date or firmware number and the failure of the optical pick up unit.

One of the concerns is that the optical pick up unit is sensitive to heat. It is important to provide more that adequate ventilation to the DVD player and assure that heat generating components (amplifiers, receivers, etc.) are kept a safe distance from the DVD player.

Other problems, chapter skips and some video artifacts can be attributed to variances in tolerances between the transport mechanism and optical pick up unit. These variances can cause some players to exhibit problems while other players do not. Some of the problems can be eliminated or reduced significantly by upgrading the firmware (ROM) in these players.

From my research, I have concluded that Panasonic is aware of these problems, however, I do not know if they have fixed the manufacturing problems. Reports indicate that in 1998, most repairs consisted of replacing the optical pickup. Near the later part of 1998 and later, the repair approach was to replace the optical pickup or update the firmware or both. The new revision of firmware did not appear in new machines until March 1999. If your machine was manufactured after that date, then you have the new firmware, but there is no guaranty that the optical pick up will not fail.

Panasonic is aware of these problems, but might not have the information readily available to their customer service representatives and service centers. If you want Panasonic to fix it, either for free or under warranty, it is best to be firm, but flexible. Unless it’s a hard failure, be prepared to foot the bill. Before you decide to pack up you DVD player and ship it off to a Panasonic Service Center, you must decide if your player really does have a problem and whether or not it’s worth it to get it fixed. Panasonic has a warranty of 90 days parts and labor, 1 year for parts (1 year parts for Canadian owners). If the warranty is expired you may have to pick up the cost yourself. There has been reports that Panasonic has picked up all charges, regardless of warranty, but that is the exception and not the rule.

Known problems:
The following are the most common problems regarding Panasonic DVD players. Again, let me stress that not all Panasonic DVD players exhibit these problems. Your DVD player my not need to be repaired or upgraded.

Layer Pause:
Panasonic players have been reported to pause at the layer change. On some discs it is quite obvious, and on other discs it has been quite seamless. It also seems to be a matter of personal preference and where the manufacturer’s decides where the layer switch occurs. A layer pause seems to be noticeable on all DVD machines, Panasonic included. Some players are better than others. Some times it depends on the disc and that will vary disc to disc, too.

There seems to be a consensus, among all DVD player owners, that a pause is inevitable and is the price we pay for this new technology. In regards to Panasonic, customers have reported that the firmware update seemed to improve the speed at which the layer change occurs, although may not eliminate it in all instances.

Chapter Skips:
Players effected: Mostly Panasonic DVD-A110, and DVD-A310.

Description: The problem occurs on some dual layer (RSDL) disc. At the layer change, the player will skip the next chapter (skips the first chapter on the second layer), and continues on the following chapter. Some people have reported that replacing the optical pickup unit solves this problem, however, most just need the ROM updated, in some cases both were replaced.

Panasonic owners have also reported that their player "locks up" at the layer change.

Not all players and discs will exhibit chapter skipping. A good majority of older players with the original firmware have no problems what so ever. Some of the most common disc that have been reported to skip on Panasonic DVD players are listed below.

Pixelation/Drop Outs:
The loss of data is exhibited by small squares being displayed or lost frames or dropped or broken audio. There can be a wide variety of reasons that this occurs and is not isolated to Panasonic machines. A good majority of pixellation is caused by dirt, dust or scratches on the disc. In some cases the poor mastering or encoding of the disc can cause problems. These "problem discs" are well documented and do not necessarily mean that your player needs upgrading or repairs.

If your player exhibits excessive pixellation on several discs, especially ones that have played flawless before, the optical pickup may be failing. There have been several reports that this problem has not shown up until several weeks to several months after the purchase, and progressively has gotten worse until complete failure of the unit. Below is some of the discs that owners have reported pixellation that was not related to dirty, scratched or other reasonable explanations:

The ‘NO DISC’ problem
Description: A disc has been loaded into the tray and the machine can’t read it. On the display reads the error ‘NO DISC’. Opening the tray and then closing it sometimes work to clear this error. Alternatively, if all DVDs (and possibly CDs) cannot be recognized in the player, the optical pickup unit has probably failed. This is a hard failure and is covered by Panasonic warranty. If the warranty has expired, then good luck.

Found on a newsgroup on the ‘NO DISC’ problem:

"Remove the player’s cover and locate the disc transport unit. Find the small, rectangular, white connector with the (usually) gray wire coming off it that leads the main board in the unit. Make sure that it is connected tightly at the disc transport end. Take it off, push it back on, etc. This has fixed the problem for many who have experienced it."

The ‘LOCKED’ Problem
Player locks up, displayed ‘LOCKED’. Pressing STOP on the unit and POWER on the remote locks and unlocks the tray. Turning power off/on or unplugging the machine may unlock it.

Sudare Noise/Venetian Blind effect
Players affected: Panasonic DVD-A105, DVD-A110, and DVD-A310, some DVD-A120s manufactured before March 1999.

You probably have already seen it, but you probably didn't know that is what it's called. "Sudare noise" is what Panasonic engineers call the playback artifact that is known as the "levelor effect", "blind effect", etc., etc. The "problem discs" that have well known problem have been "The Saint" and "The Man In The Iron Mask. Other titles that exhibit artifacts are "Tomorrow Never Dies" from MGM, "Heart & Souls" from Universal, and "Krakatoa East of Jave" from Simitar, and the opening scene of "Boogie Nights".

Sudare noise is, in fact, a player defect, and not an artifact inherent in the player's MPEG decoder design. It can be fixed by updating the firmware in the player. Also, this firmware upgrade also addresses the "chapter skip at layer change" problem. According to my information, the fix is really rather easy. Panasonic isn't going to call you at home and offer to fix your player. They are not going to recall the players. If you want your player fixed you will have to call Panasonic's customer support number (1-800-211-PANA) or the nearest service center and tell them about the problem and insist they correct it without cost to you (expect to pay one-way shipping, however). There may be some cases where you will meet resistance. If you simply can't get them to agree, then pay for it yourself. It will be a lot cheaper than a new player and it will correct the only real flaw in the best DVD player in it's class.

Other Down Conversion Artifacts:
These artifacts include the ‘moiré’ effect, horizontal lines in picture, softness or sharpness in 16x9 down converted titles. This problems seems to be inherent in all Panasonic players and may be just a fact of life until the technology improves or Panasonic changes the design. I don’t think a firmware upgrade will improve this, however there has been some subjective reports that these problems are improved with the new firmware.

Checking your firmware number:
To check the firmware number, press and hold the "pause" and "open/close" on the front of the player, with the remote in your other hand, press the #7 on the remote. On the front panel display, there will be an eight or nine digit/lettered number.

Unless you have sent your DVD-A105, DVD-A110, DVD-A310 in to Panasonic for the firmware upgrade, you have the original firmware version. These players will be subject to the Sudare Noise artifact and the occasional chapter skipping at layer transitions. However, this does not mean that your player needs to be sent in. Many people have reported that their player hasn't had any objectionable problems. Sudare Noise will occur on all of these players, but the actual number of discs, that have the MPEG encoding error that triggers these artifacts, is relatively small. If you are happy with your player's performance, don't sweat it, enjoy the player.

There is a problem with some of the early model DVD-A120s (manufactured before March 1999) that where shipped with the old revision of firmware. Panasonic claims that only 4% of DVD-A120 players that were shipped, are affected. If one has a player that exhibits severe pixellation on some dual layer discs or skips chapters, this is likely one of the affected players. The "fix" is a simply upgrade of the firmware in the onboard ROM.

Current firmware numbers:
The following firmware numbers are known to be the most current revision. All DVD-A120s should have this number (or similar) if manufactured March 1999 or later. All other players will have these numbers (or similar) AFTER the upgrade.

DVD A120 - 0100404C4, 0100453C8
(However, several owners with an original firmware number of 0100367C2 have reported little or no problems)

DVD A310 - **** U733, after upgrade, the U733 is the important part.

DVD A110 - **** U733, after upgrade, the U733 is the important part.

Getting your DVD player repaired
If you determine that you want or need to have your Panasonic DVD player repaired. Your best bet is to contact the Panasonic Service Center nearest to you. The warranty is for 90 days parts and labor, 1 year parts. They are (or should be) aware of the problems. Many people have reported that calling the main Panasonic Customer Service is a waste of time. Some people who have dealt directly with the service centers report faster service, and on occasion, Panasonic has waived the labor charge. Your mileage may vary.

For those of you who insist that Panasonic should responsible for all repairs because they sold faulty machines, remember that this a random problem, it only affects some players and certain discs. DVD is new technology and we, as first adopters, also should bear some of the burden. I hope that Panasonic did not intentionally sell faulty machines. Looking at the cost of the labor and parts to repair the DVD player, it totals almost as much as a new machine. You should be happy for what ever you can get. Most of the hard failures will be paid under warranty and that will cost Panasonic. They will learn from this, believe me.

Reported repairs:
The most common repair has been the replacement of the "Optical Pick-Up Unit" and the usually the firmware, too (also called ‘flash memory’ or ROM). If the only problem is with MPEG artifacts and chapter skips, a firmware upgrade usually does the trick. There has also been several reports of a capacitor change.