All of a sudden in the middle of a blu-ray film my ps3 started stuttering adn skipping while my friend and I were watching. I figured it was a dirty/scratched disc but that wasn't the case. Tried a film I had seen a few days earlier with no issue and it didn't work.

Now, the ps3 will play a blu-ray for about 5-10 minutes flawlessly, but then start skipping after that. This made me think that the laser can't be the problem, but I really do not know. Is the ps3 overheating and that is affecting the playback? I can play installed games (lbp2 via playstation plus) for hours just fine. on a cold boot, the discs will load fine. after trying a blu-ray for 10 minutes and having issues, sometimes i will get an 'invalid disc' error.

Remedies I have tried:

1) using a vacuum to pull out dust from vents

2) using the ps3 fan test (i've heard good and bad)

3) using a lens cleaner

4) using the safe mode to do a File system rebuild

5) a system restore

So.. I forgot to backup stuff and lost my save games etc, but no big deal.. PS+ remembers who i am (i believe i deactivated the stuff before formatting.. must make sure before i try again).

Any thoughts? Why would the laser work fine for 10 mintues and then crap out? does it have a heat sensor? It's exactly 2 years old, so i'm out of warranty. I'm told that service + S&H = 150-200 + turnaround time. new ps3 = 250.. DIY repair = 50-75. Local repair = 100ish.. if i find one. Sony + local repairs = 90 day warranty, so I may just buy a new one.

thanks in advance

EDIT: ps, how do i make sure that the games I downloaded via PS+ for free will remain available to me? I know they should, but how do i double check that I have indeed "bought" them for zero dollars and therefore will continue to be able to d/l them?

Using a a vacuum cleaner on electronics is a great way to creat static shocks that can kill your electronics. Always use compressed air cans

is it just one blu-ray disc or many?

have you tried cleaning the actual disc?

I've tried many of my blu-rays and they're all skipping or giving playback errors, now. I just tried putting in a game that I had previously played and installed and it is stuck on the loading screen getting nowhere.

Still plays dvds fine.

Just downloaded the latest update, too. I'm just not certain I understand why the laser would work fine for a few minutes and then crap out.. i would have thought it would be crapped out to begin with and not play fine for a while.