Hardware Wii DVD Player?

[Edwii]

ok so here is my questions:

so i know thiers some homebrew out thier already that will let people play dvd movies, but it seems like only rumors about if it hurts the laser lens. has any one actualy burned out thier laser playing dvd movies on thier wii? any problems at all please let me know what ever thier is to know.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

It's True. Not rumors. It's a strain for the laser to have to constantly keep reading from the disc. (Which it does during a movie). And it's also a strain for the laser to read dual layer discs. (Which most movies are).

Also launch Wii's are susceptible to laser failure anyway. So it's basically something to stay away from.

 

[Jelster]

I don't believe this is true and would recommend more than anecdotal evidence and forum posts to substantiate any claims that it does cause damage.

Fact of the matter was that it would have cost Nintendo a license fee to include dvd playback on the Wii and they obviously changed their mind on that being worthwhile prior to release.

Given the lifetime of LED/Lasers and the fact they are designed for prolonged use in these exact applications the suggestion that reading a DVD movie is likely to wear it out more than constantly accessing a DVD for game data is a bit far fetched.

I also believe the reading of dual layer discs is a matter of focusing the laser not increasing it's output power.

The fact that the poster above finishes with "Wii's are susceptible to laser failure anyway" kind of proves the point that the failures are unlikely to be related to any kind of DVD playback function and more an inherent fault with the Wiis.

 

[TaMs]

Well even wiinja developers said that it will kill your laser.
My wiis laser is dying because of playing only backups. i don't even want to know what it does if i watch dvds.

Anyway why people even want to watch dvds with wii? I personally have 3 dvd players.

 

[Edwii]

thank you , i was hoping to find some people that have done this but i guess its not a rumor, its a shame tho nice lil dvd player it would make, no chance of upgrading the lense is thier?

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I don't believe this is true and would recommend more than anecdotal evidence and forum posts to substantiate any claims that it does cause damage.

Fact of the matter was that it would have cost Nintendo a license fee to include dvd playback on the Wii and they obviously changed their mind on that being worthwhile prior to release.

Given the lifetime of LED/Lasers and the fact they are designed for prolonged use in these exact applications the suggestion that reading a DVD movie is likely to wear it out more than constantly accessing a DVD for game data is a bit far fetched.

I also believe the reading of dual layer discs is a matter of focusing the laser not increasing it's output power.

The fact that the poster above finishes with "Wii's are susceptible to laser failure anyway" kind of proves the point that the failures are unlikely to be related to any kind of DVD playback function and more an inherent fault with the Wiis.

I said that LAUNCH DATE Wii's are susceptible to laser failure. Watching DVD's on them will make the laser die even quicker. Like TaMs said, even the team that developed the dvd playing program for the wii said that it is bad for your laser and they don't really reccomend using it.

Hey ed, if you really want to watch dvd's and have some extra money to blow you can always buy a replacement laser, when your laser does end up pooping out on you, for around $35usd but installing it isn't too fun.

 

[arctic_flame]

It's True. Not rumors. It's a strain for the laser to have to constantly keep reading from the disc. (Which it does during a movie). And it's also a strain for the laser to read dual layer discs. (Which most movies are).

Also launch Wii's are susceptible to laser failure anyway. So it's basically something to stay away from.

Explain audio streaming games for me, please. They constantly read the disk, like a DVD player, and don't seem to affect laser life.

Also, explain the cheap DVD players that use drives far cheaper and less complex than the slot loading, 8cm accepting Wii drive that play DVDs for years without the laser dying. Don't tell me the Wii drive isn't designed for it, see audio streaming games.

Also give me some evidence that "Launch Wiis" are more susceptible to laser failure than a Wii I could buy now. I don't think Nintendo changed laser components.

All I've seen so far is claims that it "stresses" the laser. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a laser is either on, or off. It's always on, even if no data is being read. So how the hell would moving the laser backwards and forwards to read data stress it more?

 

[hendu]

I can't imagine that nintendo used anything but an off the shelf laser, why would they come up with a completely new design that would be less robust than all the lasers that are in all the cheap dvd players (doesn't make any sense). Anyone try to find a part number for that laser, it is probably the exact same one in a thousand other devices. I would be far more concerned about heat from continuous playing than anything else, since there have been quite a few reports of wiis overheathing, while I haven't seen anyone actually report a problem with their laser.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I can't imagine that nintendo used anything but an off the shelf laser, why would they come up with a completely new design that would be less robust than all the lasers that are in all the cheap dvd players (doesn't make any sense). Anyone try to find a part number for that laser, it is probably the exact same one in a thousand other devices. I would be far more concerned about heat from continuous playing than anything else, since there have been quite a few reports of wiis overheathing, while I haven't seen anyone actually report a problem with their laser.

The wii's don't overheat from continous playing they overheat while in stand-by mode(wiiconnect24 turned on) because the system is still running but the fan isn't. When you are actually playing the fan is on keeping it from overheating.

as for them using an off the shelf lens..Why would a company as huge as Nintendo do that? Here is the Wii laser needed
http://www.modsupplier.com/catalog/wii-las...ment-p-216.html

The reports of laser failure are more common with people with launch wii's for whatever reason. It's more common to have laser failure than to have an overheated wii epecially when the user plays all backups burnt to bank media. Which is why it's important to use good media.(like verbatims or taiyo yuden)

The overheating can be solved with a mod to your system by soldering the fans power supply to a voltage that will give it power in even stand-by mode. or, even simpler, just shut off wiiconnect24.

 

[arctic_flame]

as for them using an off the shelf lens..Why would a company as huge as Nintendo do that? Here is the Wii laser needed
http://www.modsupplier.com/catalog/wii-las...ment-p-216.html

Why wouldn't they? Why engineer their own laser? Why waste money and time?
That link is the whole laser assembly, which they may well have made custom. But the laser emitter itself wouldn't be anything special.