Ive got a problems with my HDRW720, ive had the player for 16 months now and have been very pleased with it (so the guarantee is up)

I'm trying to work out what the problem is with my player and wondered whether anyone else has had the same issues/problem -

whils playing a dvd the machine crashed and all the red lights now flash on/off. (ive even tried a full reset) its almost like theres an interuption in the power supply because channel flickers on and off in sync with the 720 lights.

I havent been able to use it since, or get my dvd out.... has anyone else had this problem - any ideas what it may be? - its just that its going to be down to me to prove that this machine has an inherent faulty.

Welcome to the forum... Sorry to hear about your HDRW720.

I do know someone who had a similar problem with a 720 - fortunately theirs was only a few weeks old and was replaced with a new one.

You could try doing a 'factory reset'... Remove power from the machine, wait a minute or so, then hold down the STANDBY/ON button whilst plugging the unit back in. Release the button after a few seconds. If if does come back up, it will need setting up again from scratch.

After that, there's not much else you can do. You could contact Philips and see what they say, it is not unreasonable to expect a machine to last more than 16 months.

Failing that, you could contact the retailer - if you can show that the goods were not of satisfactory quality at the time of sale i.e. they were not as durable as it is reasonable to expect, then you may have a claim against the retailer (and/or credit card company if you used one) for compensation under the Sale of Goods Act. I would contact your local Trading Standards if you want to pursue this.

One more thing - if you turn your Philips over, there's a slot near the front of the machine, under the DVD tray. It may be covered with paper, but the emergency release is inside there. Use a small screwdriver or similar, locate the plastic peg through the paper (if present) and move it to the opposite end - the drawer will release and you will be able to manually open it and get your DVD back.
Last edited by sparky_paul : 08-02-2007 at 13:43

Tried the reset you described to no effect, but got my dvd out using your method - thanks (at least my wife will be happy she's got her bridget jones film back!)

from what ive dicovered on cdfreaks it pretty def that its the dvd recorder that's faulty. am rempted to take off the lid to see.

i think that would mean i should have a pretty good claim for faulty goods with the past history of their unreliable dvds!!

thanks for your response.

No problem.

It does sound like your machine is kaput. The DVDRW drive is a standard Philips PC-type drive, but note that these machines do not tend to suffer the drive failures that earlier machines did. In any case, failure of the drive on earlier machines caused "No Disc" type messages.

If you want to open it up, there may not be anything obvious - but it might be worth making sure all the connectors are firmly attached, particularly the IDE cables to the HDD and DVDRW drive.

You could always try the retailer, the Sale of Goods act can be used for defective goods up to six years from date of purchase.
Last edited by sparky_paul : 09-02-2007 at 09:44

Read about your problem with great interest as EXACTLY the same happened to mine 3-4 days ago - watching a DVD and it flashed red and died - came on standby with correct time displayed but turn it 'on' and it says 'Phillips' for 30 seconds - then all the red lights flash it turn off completely and comes back on standby. I've contacted Phillips to see what they say . Does anyone know if these can receive Over The Air Upgrades (OTA) via the analogue ITV EPG. Is your EPG updated via ITV?

The red lights indicate a boot failure which could be caused by almost anything.

As for the OTA updates, it depends what you mean - if you are thinking about the Philips' firmware, then no, updates are not broadcast OTA. However, the Guideplus firmware is occasionally updated OTA.

If you are thinking about the actual Guideplus programme data, then yes ITV should work fine - there is no difference between the analogue ITV data or that broadcast on satellite Eurosport. Personally, I have used analogue ITV but find Eurosport more reliable, possibly due to reception issues.

HTH
Last edited by sparky_paul : 12-02-2007 at 20:18

having opened the 720 ive discovered that if i unplug the power from the dvd the machine will start up properlly and doesnt just get stuck in a never ending loop, although it's looking for the dvd and switches itself off when its not found.

so it must be a faulty dvd drive, ive discovered that the original dvd drives are no longer made for this machine, although people have been replacing them with LG drives with some success - they will read dvds but not write - i guess this will be my only option if i cant get a replcement philips drive although at least ill be able to use the hd though!

Ive been lucky to find an used one in germany and im just waiting for it to arrive....fingers crossed that it works!!

[quote=nealjane100]...
ive discovered that the original dvd drives are no longer made for this machine, although people have been replacing them with LG drives with some success -...QUOTE]

Where did you find out about other people having DVD failures? It looks like its a generic fault and that Philips should be replacing / repairing these even if they are over 12 months old. I was today quoted £130 from Philips 'third party' repairer. To pay £280 for a bit of kit that braeks down after 18 months and then costs £130 to repair is a joke.

I would stick it on ebay as faulty, probably get twenty notes for it, If the remote is in good nick would also sell sep for a few extra notes, towards another machine.

ok, so the good news is ive got my 720 working again!!!

I was lucky enough to get a spare dvd drive from a person in germany - (from their faulty 720 i think), ive just installed it and my 720 back working again!!!huragh!!!

If anyone else is having trouble with their drives another alternative that i was looking at was buying a second hand dvdr 610 or 615 off ebay, they use the same philips vad8041 drive and would be good for donation! - 610's were going for less than £25 the other week...just thought id let enyone interested in resurecting their poor 720's!!!

Well done!

Useful information about the 610 & 615 drives, worth making a note of - thanks!