please help with Pioneer DVD player problem

Quadzilla · 07-21-2006, 01:55 PM

Hi all,
I'm hoping someone can help resolve a problem I'm having with my Pioneer DV-588 DVD player. I bought the unit about five months ago from Amazon.com. It worked fine up until about two months ago when I hooked it up to my new Pioneer VSX 1015 receiver. The first thing I noticed was that all the colors on the screen were changing rapidly and flickering. I called Pioneer support about this and they told me how to reset the player (press the power button then press and hold the stop button for 10 seconds) and when I did this it fixed the problem temporarily but then picture always appeared in black and white. Even the player's menu appeared in black and white. We tried hooking the unit directly to the TV using both S-video cables as well as component but still had the same problem. I believe the model for my television is JVC AV-36260. We tried several cables of each type but no luck. I tried resetting the player several times but it would no longer reset after that first time.

I sent the unit to a local Pioneer warranty service center and they kept it for one month but found nothing wrong with the player. The person that picked up the unit for me said that technicians showed him on their own TV that the unit was playing fine. When I hooked the player back up to my own TV it worked fine for about five minutes but then again, the picture came in black and white. I tried to reset the unit several times with no luck.

I contacted Pioneer and a manager there gave me a case number and address where to mail the player. I did this and contacted Pioneer around 10 days later and they told me that the manager that I spoke with had me send the unit to the wrong place, it should have gone to a company called Best Tech Electronics. Pioneer forwarded the player to Best Tech and I called them approximately seven days later only to be told that they found nothing wrong with the unit and had sent back to me.

When I got the unit back and hooked it up the picture was still coming in black and white. I also noticed that either Pioneer or Best Tech kept the box that I sent the player in which was the original box for the player. I called Pioneer and asked to speak with the manager had originally spoken with but was told he would be in a meeting all day. I explained to the representative that all I wanted to do was exchange this player for a different one of the same model. She said she was unable to did this because Pioneer found nothing wrong with the player. The customer service representative said the best way to have this escalated would be for her to contact the warranty department who would then escalate the case from there if necessary. I now have to wait five days for a callback from the warranty department and an aggravated as all hell.
My questions for the group are:

1. Can you think of anything else I can do to correct this problem? Any idea what's causing this and what the problem may be?

2. What's the best way to handle the folks at Pioneer? They haven't flat-out told me they would not replace the player but it's looking that way.

I know this problem sounds bizarre but I don't know what else to do. I know the player will work fine with other televisions but I'm not about to get a new TV to get this player to work correctly. The only thing I can think to do to get Pioneer to believe me is to maybe videotape the player being hooked up to the television and and powering up so they can see the problem themselves. I'm physically unable to do the wiring for hooking up the player and had to higher the professional from a local electronics store to come out and do it for me. I also had to pay to get the player to the local service center and then to Pioneer I think the least they can do for me is let me exchange this player for a new one!

Thanks in advance for any info (and reading my rant!)

Bigloww · 07-21-2006, 04:07 PM

That's some pretty wild stuff. It may be you TV since they can't reproduce the problem (assuming they are testing it for more than 5 minuts). Since it is happining on multiple inputs, maybe your proc board is going out. Did you try hooking up another DVD or device to the TV? If so, what happened. Did you try hooking up the player to another TV in the house or at a friends? These are things you probably alredy tried, but it was worth a try. Since you are using different cables and inputs that pretty much rules that out. I guess keep trying and rule your TV out as the culprit. Try to see if you can be in contact during their troubleshooting if possible. If not, blast with a good EMC, that should break it good. Good luck..

Quadzilla · 07-21-2006, 05:43 PM

thanks Big. I meant to write in my 1st post that we did hook up another DVD (Sony) player to the same TV and that played fine. We used one of the same cables that was producing the B&W picture on the Pioneer player.

BobY · 07-22-2006, 10:51 PM

If it was just the S-Video and Composite Video outputs that weren't working, I'd say the color burst frequency on the player was off slightly and the TV was not locking to it, but you're saying that when using the three Component Video outputs of the player you also get black & white?

That is really bizarre, since the the color information on the DVD is simply a series of numbers that are sent to the three D/A converters that drive the Component outputs. I don't know how the TV could receive this information and not display some color, unless there is a menu setting that tells the DVD player to play back in grayscale instead of color.

When using the Component outputs on the player, make sure they are enabled in the player menu system (or sometimes there is a rear panel switch and sometimes both), as most players default the Component outputs to off. Even when the Component outputs are off, you will often get a color-distorted signal out as many players share circuitry between the various outputs.

Dru2k · 07-23-2006, 08:01 PM

i kind of had a similar problem, it's probably not the problem your having but its worth a shot

when i connect my dvd player using 3 component cables of different quality, the picture comes out in black and white

when i connect it however using 3 component cables of equal quality the picture comes out in color

Quadzilla · 07-24-2006, 03:10 PM

Thanks all for the replies. Yes, we did unplug the player from the receiver & still had the same problem. Also, I finally got around to hooking the player up to another TV here and had the same exact problem. This time we only used component cables but did try 2 different cables w/no luck. I didn't do this before because the 1st shop I took the player to said the player worked fine for them, my friend that picked it up from the shop for me confirmed this.

So it looks like an intermittent problem to boot. Anyone know if a menu or some type of info screen should apper on the TV screen when you reset on of these players? I thought that happened the very 1st time I reset it but now the only thing that happens is the word "Clear" appears on the players display so I guess it's working.I wish Pioneer would just replace the unit & stop jerkin me around!

stchman · 07-24-2006, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quadzilla

Hi all,
I'm hoping someone can help resolve a problem I'm having with my Pioneer DV-588 DVD player. I bought the unit about five months ago from Amazon.com. It worked fine up until about two months ago when I hooked it up to my new Pioneer VSX 1015 receiver. The first thing I noticed was that all the colors on the screen were changing rapidly and flickering. I called Pioneer support about this and they told me how to reset the player (press the power button then press and hold the stop button for 10 seconds) and when I did this it fixed the problem temporarily but then picture always appeared in black and white. Even the player's menu appeared in black and white. We tried hooking the unit directly to the TV using both S-video cables as well as component but still had the same problem. I believe the model for my television is JVC AV-36260. We tried several cables of each type but no luck. I tried resetting the player several times but it would no longer reset after that first time.

I sent the unit to a local Pioneer warranty service center and they kept it for one month but found nothing wrong with the player. The person that picked up the unit for me said that technicians showed him on their own TV that the unit was playing fine. When I hooked the player back up to my own TV it worked fine for about five minutes but then again, the picture came in black and white. I tried to reset the unit several times with no luck.

I contacted Pioneer and a manager there gave me a case number and address where to mail the player. I did this and contacted Pioneer around 10 days later and they told me that the manager that I spoke with had me send the unit to the wrong place, it should have gone to a company called Best Tech Electronics. Pioneer forwarded the player to Best Tech and I called them approximately seven days later only to be told that they found nothing wrong with the unit and had sent back to me.

When I got the unit back and hooked it up the picture was still coming in black and white. I also noticed that either Pioneer or Best Tech kept the box that I sent the player in which was the original box for the player. I called Pioneer and asked to speak with the manager had originally spoken with but was told he would be in a meeting all day. I explained to the representative that all I wanted to do was exchange this player for a different one of the same model. She said she was unable to did this because Pioneer found nothing wrong with the player. The customer service representative said the best way to have this escalated would be for her to contact the warranty department who would then escalate the case from there if necessary. I now have to wait five days for a callback from the warranty department and an aggravated as all hell.
My questions for the group are:

1. Can you think of anything else I can do to correct this problem? Any idea what's causing this and what the problem may be?

2. What's the best way to handle the folks at Pioneer? They haven't flat-out told me they would not replace the player but it's looking that way.

I know this problem sounds bizarre but I don't know what else to do. I know the player will work fine with other televisions but I'm not about to get a new TV to get this player to work correctly. The only thing I can think to do to get Pioneer to believe me is to maybe videotape the player being hooked up to the television and and powering up so they can see the problem themselves. I'm physically unable to do the wiring for hooking up the player and had to higher the professional from a local electronics store to come out and do it for me. I also had to pay to get the player to the local service center and then to Pioneer I think the least they can do for me is let me exchange this player for a new one!

Thanks in advance for any info (and reading my rant!)

It sounds like a cluster ##$%. I would just get a new DVD player. By the time you wait, ship, wait some more, you could have just gone and gotten a nice Sony DVD player for around $125. The NS75 model has an HDMI output and a 12bit / 108MHz DAC. DVD players are somewhat a disposable item these days. I would avoid the really cheap Toshibas and other sub $50 DVD players. If you get one in the $125 to $160 price range it will give you a really nice picture and excellent service.

Quadzilla · 07-25-2006, 01:29 PM

Thanks for the recommendation of the Sony stchman. Pioneer Finally agreed to replace the damn thing. Warranty svc called today & I explained for the 50th time everything I tried to get the player to work & that all I wanted was a replacement. She said she couldn’t as Pioneer found nothing wrong w/it & she transferred me to tech svc. Again explained to rep my dilemma & he agreed there’s something wrong w/the player & warranty svc will send a new one.

Sometimes it comes down to who you talk to & there mood that day! I do have to give Pioneer credit for being courteous & good about returning phone calls.

Thanks all!

stchman · 07-25-2006, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quadzilla

Thanks for the recommendation of the Sony stchman. Pioneer Finally agreed to replace the damn thing. Warranty svc called today & I explained for the 50th time everything I tried to get the player to work & that all I wanted was a replacement. She said she couldn’t as Pioneer found nothing wrong w/it & she transferred me to tech svc. Again explained to rep my dilemma & he agreed there’s something wrong w/the player & warranty svc will send a new one.

Sometimes it comes down to who you talk to & there mood that day! I do have to give Pioneer credit for being courteous & good about returning phone calls.

Thanks all!

Getting the manufacturer to replace defective equipment can be a long process. I usually buy my higher priced electronic equipment from Costco. There return policy is awesome.

07-21-2006, 01:55 PM	#1
Quadzilla A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 13	please help with Pioneer DVD player problem Hi all, I'm hoping someone can help resolve a problem I'm having with my Pioneer DV-588 DVD player. I bought the unit about five months ago from Amazon.com. It worked fine up until about two months ago when I hooked it up to my new Pioneer VSX 1015 receiver. The first thing I noticed was that all the colors on the screen were changing rapidly and flickering. I called Pioneer support about this and they told me how to reset the player (press the power button then press and hold the stop button for 10 seconds) and when I did this it fixed the problem temporarily but then picture always appeared in black and white. Even the player's menu appeared in black and white. We tried hooking the unit directly to the TV using both S-video cables as well as component but still had the same problem. I believe the model for my television is JVC AV-36260. We tried several cables of each type but no luck. I tried resetting the player several times but it would no longer reset after that first time. I sent the unit to a local Pioneer warranty service center and they kept it for one month but found nothing wrong with the player. The person that picked up the unit for me said that technicians showed him on their own TV that the unit was playing fine. When I hooked the player back up to my own TV it worked fine for about five minutes but then again, the picture came in black and white. I tried to reset the unit several times with no luck. I contacted Pioneer and a manager there gave me a case number and address where to mail the player. I did this and contacted Pioneer around 10 days later and they told me that the manager that I spoke with had me send the unit to the wrong place, it should have gone to a company called Best Tech Electronics. Pioneer forwarded the player to Best Tech and I called them approximately seven days later only to be told that they found nothing wrong with the unit and had sent back to me. When I got the unit back and hooked it up the picture was still coming in black and white. I also noticed that either Pioneer or Best Tech kept the box that I sent the player in which was the original box for the player. I called Pioneer and asked to speak with the manager had originally spoken with but was told he would be in a meeting all day. I explained to the representative that all I wanted to do was exchange this player for a different one of the same model. She said she was unable to did this because Pioneer found nothing wrong with the player. The customer service representative said the best way to have this escalated would be for her to contact the warranty department who would then escalate the case from there if necessary. I now have to wait five days for a callback from the warranty department and an aggravated as all hell. My questions for the group are: 1. Can you think of anything else I can do to correct this problem? Any idea what's causing this and what the problem may be? 2. What's the best way to handle the folks at Pioneer? They haven't flat-out told me they would not replace the player but it's looking that way. I know this problem sounds bizarre but I don't know what else to do. I know the player will work fine with other televisions but I'm not about to get a new TV to get this player to work correctly. The only thing I can think to do to get Pioneer to believe me is to maybe videotape the player being hooked up to the television and and powering up so they can see the problem themselves. I'm physically unable to do the wiring for hooking up the player and had to higher the professional from a local electronics store to come out and do it for me. I also had to pay to get the player to the local service center and then to Pioneer I think the least they can do for me is let me exchange this player for a new one! Thanks in advance for any info (and reading my rant!)

07-21-2006, 05:43 PM	#3
Quadzilla A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 13	please help with Pioneer DVD player thanks Big. I meant to write in my 1st post that we did hook up another DVD (Sony) player to the same TV and that played fine. We used one of the same cables that was producing the B&W picture on the Pioneer player.

07-22-2006, 10:51 PM	#4
BobY What's all this, then?... Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,197	If it was just the S-Video and Composite Video outputs that weren't working, I'd say the color burst frequency on the player was off slightly and the TV was not locking to it, but you're saying that when using the three Component Video outputs of the player you also get black & white? That is really bizarre, since the the color information on the DVD is simply a series of numbers that are sent to the three D/A converters that drive the Component outputs. I don't know how the TV could receive this information and not display some color, unless there is a menu setting that tells the DVD player to play back in grayscale instead of color. When using the Component outputs on the player, make sure they are enabled in the player menu system (or sometimes there is a rear panel switch and sometimes both), as most players default the Component outputs to off. Even when the Component outputs are off, you will often get a color-distorted signal out as many players share circuitry between the various outputs. Last edited by BobY; 07-22-2006 at 11:00 PM.

07-24-2006, 03:10 PM	#6
Quadzilla A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 13	please help with Pioneer DVD player Thanks all for the replies. Yes, we did unplug the player from the receiver & still had the same problem. Also, I finally got around to hooking the player up to another TV here and had the same exact problem. This time we only used component cables but did try 2 different cables w/no luck. I didn't do this before because the 1st shop I took the player to said the player worked fine for them, my friend that picked it up from the shop for me confirmed this. So it looks like an intermittent problem to boot. Anyone know if a menu or some type of info screen should apper on the TV screen when you reset on of these players? I thought that happened the very 1st time I reset it but now the only thing that happens is the word "Clear" appears on the players display so I guess it's working.I wish Pioneer would just replace the unit & stop jerkin me around!

07-25-2006, 01:29 PM	#8
Quadzilla A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 13	Finally!! Thanks for the recommendation of the Sony stchman. Pioneer Finally agreed to replace the damn thing. Warranty svc called today & I explained for the 50th time everything I tried to get the player to work & that all I wanted was a replacement. She said she couldn’t as Pioneer found nothing wrong w/it & she transferred me to tech svc. Again explained to rep my dilemma & he agreed there’s something wrong w/the player & warranty svc will send a new one. Sometimes it comes down to who you talk to & there mood that day! I do have to give Pioneer credit for being courteous & good about returning phone calls. Thanks all!

07-21-2006, 04:07 PM	#2
Bigloww Chi Town Baby.. Da Bears. Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: In a van, down by the river. Posts: 5,130	That's some pretty wild stuff. It may be you TV since they can't reproduce the problem (assuming they are testing it for more than 5 minuts). Since it is happining on multiple inputs, maybe your proc board is going out. Did you try hooking up another DVD or device to the TV? If so, what happened. Did you try hooking up the player to another TV in the house or at a friends? These are things you probably alredy tried, but it was worth a try. Since you are using different cables and inputs that pretty much rules that out. I guess keep trying and rule your TV out as the culprit. Try to see if you can be in contact during their troubleshooting if possible. If not, blast with a good EMC, that should break it good. Good luck..

07-23-2006, 08:01 PM	#5
Dru2k HOME THEATRE ENTHUSIAST Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Milpitas, CA Age: 22 Posts: 18	i kind of had a similar problem, it's probably not the problem your having but its worth a shot when i connect my dvd player using 3 component cables of different quality, the picture comes out in black and white when i connect it however using 3 component cables of equal quality the picture comes out in color