Problem with Vizio Bluray player

Seems the Lions have found their behind & are now kicking it !!! :B

UPDATE: The Cowboys did it again !!!!

I have never layed with blue rays,, nor do I know all their pecularities,, I do know about DVD's however. .and it sounds like you hit one of them.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act. One of the "Features" is something called Zones at least in the DVD world and I assume this was extended to blue ray.

The world is zoned, I think the US is zone one... Now if a DVD is zoned for ZERO it should (in thoery) play anywhere but if your machine has ever played a Zoned Disc, Other than zone zero, it may be locked to that zone, And if you then try to play a disc from any other zone (Except zero) it is prohibited.

Why do they do this:

Some movies are, for one reason or another, not released in the US at the same time as they are released in England or France or Japan,, or in some cases not released in the US at all (I actually know of such a movie and why it has not been released in the US). (The Producers (look it up on IMDB that is the title of a movie) are in financial trouble if they release it in the US (For the same reason the title characters in the movie are in trouble). I have seen the movie however.

you should not have gotten an out of zone disc
but since it plays on other players, it sounds like the vizio player is the problem
would this be a built into the TV ?
or is it a std alone model
i suggest you replace the bluray player if it is a table top model
if built in, i suggest you switch to a table top model

BTW dragons 2 , is a good movie
i rented it from redbox

Did hear back from Vizio. Got to give them credit for returning my request for assistance. Since our model only has an Ethernet connect which is not available in the MH. Vudu will not work for us since we have limited date on our hotspot. Guess we will make a trip to Best Buy or Walmart for a new player to play the latest disc encryption. Oh well...

Thank you for your recent inquiry with VIZIO. I would be more than happy to help you. Here at VIZIO we do offer best in class technical support.

At this time there is not an available update for disc playability for your blu-ray model. A change has been made in the way data is stored on blu-ray discs for copyright protection. Your player will still work as it always has however may not play some new titles. In the event an update is issued for your player it will download the update automatically as long as it is connected to the Internet.

In the mean time, an alternative option to playing discs on your player is the Vudu application. You can use the Ultraviolet download codes with Vudu because it is also an ultraviolet locker. This will not work for any rented discs, however any purchased films that come with a digital download code can be viewed through the app. You can also rent and purchase titles through Vudu. If you do not have an account with them already it is free to sign up for at www.vudu.com.

If you have any questions please contact Customer Support at 1-877-878-4946 or online at chat.vizio.com.

Check to see if there is a firmware update for your Bluray(BD) player. You can many times download and either burn it to a DVD or USB drive. Follow instructions for your particular player.

This happens to some BD players when standards change, many times connected with updates to Digital Rights Management(DRM). Had this happen to a Panasonic Pro BD player in a screening room. Wouldn't play a concert Bluray for a scheduled program as it used a new type of copy protection scheme. Had the tech download and install a factory firmware update which corrected the issue.

1492 wrote:
Check to see if there is a firmware update for your Bluray(BD) player. You can many times download and either burn it to a DVD or USB drive. Follow instructions for your particular player.

Thunder Mountain wrote:
I updated the firmware with the latest version which installed correctly and rebooted the player.

Looks as though he has already updated firmware.

It sounds odd but there are some reports of newer Universal Pictures blu rays doing exactly as described here. Seems to be tied to the BD-live feature somehow. Couple of things to try. First is to insert a USB flash drive into your player and see if the disc will play. If not then turn of BD-live feature on your player or disconnect it from internet access.

MrWizard wrote:
you should not have gotten an out of zone disc

I agree, but the out of zone need not be the one he is trying to play, It may have been the LAST disc that set the zone. (or any one before it).

As it happens I am not a fan of this "Zone" Business, In case you can not guess. In fact I am against all forms of copy protection as well.

But that is a much longer and involved thread.

shakyjay wrote:

Looks as though he has already updated firmware.

Must have missed this? It also depends on whether the particular model BD player is still supported with current firmware. Which will be an issue with all desktop players at some point in their life, as when BD standards and feature are updated, requiring updates to older players to work.

Another issue is did the OP received a BD disc with a non-USA/N.America Region Coding? That would be one explanation why it wouldn't run on a desktop player.

I purchase Blurays/DVDs from around the world. Even those originating from USA studios, but for marketing purposes are not available here. For example, one WWII movie is only available in the USA in 4:3 DVD. While a newly restored directors cut is available only in the UK in Bluray HD, in its original 1.85 theatrical format. These will not play on USA BD desktop players.

The easiest way to get around this is to buy a Region Free BD/DVD Player. Unless you want to watch it on your PC.

There is also some hidden functions and setting in some BD players that make them Region Free.

I'm happy to see they answered with suggestions.

Shortly after I bought my VBR120, Vizio suggested I update the firmware, and I did. 2010, I think. That was my last update, because Vizio decided to get out of the player business and stopped offering updates. This particular player has not been supported since at least 2012.

OP here. I purchased a new Sony yesterday. I priced completed auctions on eBay and found I can sell the VBR120 for about $35. Out it goes.