Audio Systems: dvd trouble shooting, toshiba sd 3750, laser diode

Question
I have a toshiba sd-3750 dvd roughly 5 years old. sometimes when playing a movie it will freeze. Sometimes just for a short time, but sometimes for good. Until it is shut off and turned on again. then at times it has problems loading.Is this a common problem and can something be done to fix it. Or is it just something I'll have to deal with

Answer
No, you do not need to continue being aggravated.  You have two simple choices:

ONE:  Replace the unit.  New, good, cd players are $20 and up.

TWO:  Take it into service who is an authorized Toshiba audio service agent.  They will likely tell you it needs a new optical pickup and alignment  (the optical pickup contains the ailing laser diode which reads the pits on the surface of the cd).  The cost of doing so will likely be over $200.

I think you will find option ONE to be the happier solution.

All this being said, you MIGHT get some better play out it by cleaning the optical lens.  Take a cotton q-tip and merely flick it a few times which will dislodge microscopic particles that have built up on the surface.  This will likely not solve the problem completely due to the age of the player.  There are many, many improvements that have been made over the past 5 years - as well as huge price drops!

C