Playstation 3 not reading blu ray

Not sure if anyone else has had this issue at all. Mine started to not read blu ray consistently about a week ago. The system still reads PS1 discs and DVD’s perfectly fine.
So far I have tried multiple solutions. Cleaning the lens, restoring the system files, and restoring the default settings. The thing I find strange is once I get the system reading the discs it keeps reading all day whether I leave it on or not. Then the next day same problem all over again. Unfortunately sony doesn’t really have any more responses than reset the system settings.
I was wondering if anyone had found a solution for this since Im trying to avoid spending the 120 to ship it to sony which would be necessary if it is a faulty diode or laser.
Thanks in advance.

if you have one of the early PS3 releases it’s possible the blu ray drive is bad (i would assume the laser, since sony seems to be good at having this issue on early systems).

I had to get mine replaced due to it failing to read the blu ray discs… i dont recall if anything else worked in it or not though.

how much does it cost to get a new blu ray drive installed by sony?

You could replace the laser yourself. I use to do that.

It’s actually pretty easy to do.

It is an early 80 gig model. My fear is that the BD drive is bad. But that seems to be what its turning out to be. Initial cost is 120 to get it there but they dont give a solid price till its done so it could go up. Most posts when I searched around for solutions came up with a final price of 150. Plus the fear that they will not send back the same system to save money on their part. Personally I enjoy my reverse compatibility.

If it’s only Blu-Ray reading problems, then try changing the BD internet connection in the settings. Default setting is “Allow”. Set it to “Confirm”, so it asks whether you want to connect to the internet to update the Blu Ray disc information. Always select no, you don’t want to connect to the internet. See how that goes. I remember I thought it was a Blu-Ray issue or my PS3 was broken, but instead it was holding up in a loading/buffering screen due to trying to find a connection. Good luck.

I had to get my 60gig’s BD drive replaced and it was 150 flat… they sent me a box and shipping label. and they did send me back the same system. i dont think you have to worry about that.

It’s a flat $150 service fee, which includes shipping to/from.

When you contact Sony for repair, specify that you want your system repaired and returned rather than a refurbished system. Keep in mind it’ll take longer to get it back than them sending a refurb to you would.

I had my system sent in last year - but gladly accepted a refurbished console (mine was fried in a power surge…) I did receive the same model number as the system I sent Sony. (CECHE01MG)

Well I found great instructions on replacing the lens online. Cost $50 rather than $120+. Its a surprisingly easy fix. Once I get in my parts I will document it and then post instructions on this forum.
I opened my system today to try a simple lens clean rather than replace(figured warranty is already gone so why not attempt to save some cash) and getting to the array is amazingly simple and is in a very easy to access spot. More to come later.

Yeah,

I would try to repair it myself, too, if it’s not that difficult.

Heck, they make it so easy to take out the original HD yourself! How hard could changing a Blu ray drive be?

If you can handle most small hand-held power tools and have ever taken apart and reassembled your own computer this has to be almost cake!


As far as older 80GB and 60/20 GB systems are concerned ==> Unless you absolutely have to have the same old model, I’d seriously get one of the newer slim model PS3’s.

I’ve got the original production run PS3 myself (and no, you can’t have mine! LOL) but if I were in the market for PS3 now I wouldn’t bother getting a 60GB. I just don’t use the backwards compatibility feature and frankly could care less about Linux, too.

The HD replacement and reliability are bigger concerns for me. The 250GB is probably the better system now. I’m seriously looking at both getting a new, larger HD for my 60GB and possibly a second PS3 to use as the main system within the next year. Probably get a Japanese system if they ever market a wide-release slim ceramic model. I definitely won’t go back to the “fat” model.

I am looking forward to this. I have a Japanese PS3 that works fine for 30 mins but then starts to refuse to load anything on the BluRay. My downloaded games work flawless so I know it is just the disk drive. Sony won’t even talk to me about my Japanese PS3.

My 40GB PS3’s laser crapped out on me about 2 weeks ago. Games would freeze in the middle of loading and you could hear this “erk” noise from the drive. I called up Sony tech support and told me to do the whole system restore stuff - it didn’t work. So my brother brought it to a local place and they indeed confirmed that the laser died. It cost $120CDN for the part and replacement (and 60 days warranty).

So my suggestion is to find a local gaming store that would offer these services. Chances are, the swap could be done within 15 minutes if the guy knows what he’s doing. Alternatively, you could order the part yourself and do it yourself if you’re tech savvy. While I didn’t watch the guy 100% of the time, it seemed to be fairly simple to perform - no soldering involved, just unscrewing stuff and ribbon detaching. He told me the laser itself was about $80 before shipping,