Other · Tier D

DVD & Blu-ray Players

Check the brand and model before the teardown — an OPPO, Pioneer Elite or region-free deck is a $100–600 sale sitting in a $1 scrap shell.

Cu 10–18 g/lbAu 0.002–0.008 g/lbBase steel case 50–70%

eBay typical$5–35per lb

Refiner pays$0.08per lb

Metal in it$0.80per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencelowof the yield figures

How to spot it

Set-top units 430 mm wide: DVD players from ~1997, Blu-ray from ~2006 (BD logo on the tray). Inside: an optical sled on rails, a main board, an SMPS or transformer PSU, and on early flagship players cast chassis and copper-shielded tuners worth pulling.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Copper	10–18 g/lb	PSU transformer or SMPS, wiring, spindle/sled motors
Gold	0.002–0.008 g/lb	Flash on HDMI/RCA jacks and board — estimated
Base metal	steel case 50–70%	The board is 150–350 g of a 2–4 kg unit

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $0.80 per lb of contained metal — Gold 0.005 g = $0.65, Copper 14 g = $0.15. A refiner paying $0.08 per lb returns about 10% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: No heat needed — mechanical teardown only

Case screws, tray bezel clip, then the sled (two rail screws, one flex) — same ESD care as computer optical drives if saving the laser diode. Board to low-grade, PSU transformer to the copper bucket, HDMI/RCA jack strip to connector scrap.

Hazards

🔆 Invisible laser radiation

NEVER look into a fibre end, a transceiver port or a patch panel port.

⚡ Stored high voltage

NEVER short a large capacitor with a screwdriver. It welds the tip, blasts molten metal at your face, and can rupture the can.

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

NEVER dry sweep or use compressed air on a scrapping bench. HEPA-vac or wet-wipe only.

Before you scrap it

Strong for the right models: OPPO BDP/UDP $150–600, LaserDisc players $75–400, region-free and 5-disc changers $40–120, early flagship DVD-A/SACD decks $50–200. Generic DVD players are $5–15 and mostly scrap.

The common trap

The 24k gold plated stamped on RCA jacks of 90s players is decorative flash measured in millionths of an inch — a whole player carries under 10 cents of gold. The resale check takes 30 seconds and routinely finds $50+ units.

Questions

How much gold is in dvd & blu-ray players?

Copper: 10–18 g/lb. Gold: 0.002–0.008 g/lb. At current spot that is about $0.80 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify dvd & blu-ray players?

Check the brand and model before the teardown — an OPPO, Pioneer Elite or region-free deck is a $100–600 sale sitting in a $1 scrap shell.

How do you remove dvd & blu-ray players safely?

Is dvd & blu-ray players worth more working than as scrap?

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