I must have the strangest luck

So... I join up at an online video rental thingie - as mentioned in my last post.

I pop DVD #1 into the player, and it plays well. It was Jim Sheridan's "In America" - highly recommended. So I pop the second rental (Memoirs of a Geisha) into the player, start watching, and then stop it to take a phone call. When I try and restart, it makes strange noises, and declares there's no disc. I pop another DVD in from my collection, same thing. I try a CD - which it has played before, and same thing happens.

I now decide the DVD player is kaput, and go out and purchase a second one - these days it's not worth anyone actually looking at the thing. I pop the same rental DVD in, and the *same* thing happens. Same with one of my own DVD - it makes funky noises, and then declares there is no disc. Just for kicks, I repeat with the CD.

So now I have 2 DVD players that won't read discs after having the same DVD in them. (One of which will be returned shortly....) I'm wondering if this is the strangest fluke of nature, or if a DVD can "break" a DVD player.

I *was* really enjoying the DVD - this is the strangest thing I've had happen.