[Pryso]

I have a Panasonic which is about 10 years old. Following a recent long distance move (packed in original box) it happened I only played a few regular DVDs before attempting to watch a Blu-ray disk. I was surprised to see a message it could not read the disk, even though it had been viewed before.

So I tried a couple more Blu-rays but again received message they could not be read. I began shopping for a replacement but decided to try one more time. Again loading different disks I initially got the same read failure. I also noticed the read time was longer than I remembered from when it was working. Then with one disk after seeing the same message I reloaded it. This time it began playing but did exhibit some pixilation.

The deck still plays regular DVDs normally but fails with Blu-rays. I don't know enough about them to understand if the reading mechanism for Blu-rays is separate from the standard laser reader?

Because of the age of the deck I expect the only reasonable answer is to replace it rather than try for a repair?

[Mag]

Not saying I have the answer, but it could be copyright protection on blu rays that it is not able to read. And yes blu ray would use a blue laser light, shorter wave length than that of a dvd.

Yeah you can pick up a new blu ray player like a Sony for $60 CDN. The one I have can read damn near any format and has what I call a neutral sound.

My go to player is now Leowa Blu ray Player on computer which is my main source. It IMO best anything I have used before except for my Bryston BCD-3. I find it convenient to use because I have my music stored on usb sticks and it is simple and easy to use once you have the settings configured.

But to get it to work you first of all have to have a blu ray drive on computer. And then I had to find the blu ray patch for VLC, which I couldn't get to work for the longest time. Finally I downloaded Leowa and it worked. I have since purchased the software and got the latest update, though it was a free download.

[Doublej]

I think there are three lasers in the unit. I would remove the cover and try cleaning them. It's not worth a repair when you can get a new one for under $100.

This might help you.

https://www.avforums.com/threads/panasonic-bwt720-wont-play-blu-ray-dvd-but-will-cd.2229713/

You can try the three typical approaches but I am not hopeful based on your symptoms and age of the unit:

1. Make sure you have the latest firmware available installed.
2. Unplug the unit from the wall for an hour and then plug it back in and try again.
3. Reset the unit back to factory settings.