So with the activity light coming on we now know the power is there on both drives. Normally after that period of slower flashing it would/should start to flash much quicker indicating it is reading the CD but you do not get that. Try checking the Device manager click Start click Control panel click System click Hardware click Device manager Now in this new window look for yellow exclamation or question marks. Double click on any if they are present and see what it brings up. If no yellow marks then look for and double click on DVD/CD ROM drives, click the various tabs looking for error messages or it telling you the device is working properly. When you try a CD are you using a music CD or some software program? Try a music CD then open Windows Media Player and see what happens when you try to play the music. We might be clutching at straws here but if you exhaust all avenues before spending your money on a repairman it might be worth it.

Elaine, I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. I have attached a link so you may download newer firmware. 2.81 is from 2/25/05. 2.03E is the newest version. NECND6500A-V203E.zip is the file you want. Unzip and run the .exe file. DO NOT SHUT DOWN THE COMPUTER WHILE THE BURNER IS BEING FLASHED. Additionally, if you are using philips media, dump them. The media is not good. Stick with TDK, Maxell, Taiyo Yuden, or Ritek RiData (my personal favorite). What brand of media are you trying to use? Let me know how you do. Here is a link that might be useful: 6500A Firmware

You don't really want to be storing all your digital media on an iphone - just the content you may want access to on the phone - drop or lose the phone and well... start over! It sounds like what you may be looking for, at least for the videos, jpegs, and MP3 music, is what known as a DME (digital media extender) that connects to your television and home audio system. It then connects to you home LAN and can access files on your computer, a dedicated home media computer, or other network storage device that contains all your digital media. They typically have USB ports and SD card readers built in as well to read media off other devices. The Apple TV is an example of this but there are also solutions from several other manufacturers, as well. As pointed out, several Blu-Ray players have this capability built-in, as well as some televisions, with local media playback via USB as well as local area network playback. Since capabilities, file formats, and output quality and options can very greatly, you'll really need to do some research. Since you haven't migrated to itunes yet, you may wish to explore the various options first as the itunes format may limit your choice of options. By the way, in looking around, the DME acronym has been made somewhat obsolete by the marketing people and products are often now called things such as Digital Media Players, Receivers, Renderers, and such. You may also wish to check for "DLNA" certification on the product to hopefully avoid DRM (digital rights management) issues.

JVC model XV-S500, DVD player Disks play, but video goes black for a few seconds and then returns. This occurs randomly and for different lengths of time during playback Audio does not stop; and when the video resumes it is clear and sharp. Switched disks and had the problem with every disk that we tried to play. Checked the component output cables and all are tight and work when put on a different source. Thanks for your help. Take care - SPROOO