How Durable is a Blu-Ray Disc?
#1
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How Durable is a Blu-Ray Disc?
My friend accidentally ran over his Batman Blu Ray. Afterwards it still played fine. Damn these suckers are durable, here's his full story:
So there it was, my Batman: Gotham Knight Blu-ray, alone on a small street in Orange County. I stopped my car to go pick it up. Pieces were everywhere. I went straight for the disc to see if it was still intact. By the luck of the gods, Batman came out in one piece. But…the same can’t be said about the cover.
You can blame it on my stupidity, but I was tired from a friend’s kickback. My friend borrowed my movie, so I was able to get it back from him. I was heading back to my car, and I put the Batman Blu-ray on top of my car so that I can put my other stuff inside first. I forgot to take the movie inside the car as I drove all the way home. I came home and realized my beloved Batman wasn’t there to entertain me.
I realized it must have been back at my friend’s place, but as I traveled back, I see a shiny object on the road, not realizing it was my movie. I hear a crunching sound as I drove over it and realized that it was my beloved Batman movie. I stopped the car and used my mini flashlight to look for any remaining survivors. The only thing left was the disc and the back cover and back case. The front cover is still MIA.
As I looked at the disc, I was amazed to see that it was not messed up and it was scratch-free. I headed straight home and popped it in my Playstation 3. And to my surprise, IT STILL WORKS! Now with that said, I’ll never doubt the power of Blu-ray and I, without question, will remain to “Do Blu.”
So there it was, my Batman: Gotham Knight Blu-ray, alone on a small street in Orange County. I stopped my car to go pick it up. Pieces were everywhere. I went straight for the disc to see if it was still intact. By the luck of the gods, Batman came out in one piece. But…the same can’t be said about the cover.
You can blame it on my stupidity, but I was tired from a friend’s kickback. My friend borrowed my movie, so I was able to get it back from him. I was heading back to my car, and I put the Batman Blu-ray on top of my car so that I can put my other stuff inside first. I forgot to take the movie inside the car as I drove all the way home. I came home and realized my beloved Batman wasn’t there to entertain me.
I realized it must have been back at my friend’s place, but as I traveled back, I see a shiny object on the road, not realizing it was my movie. I hear a crunching sound as I drove over it and realized that it was my beloved Batman movie. I stopped the car and used my mini flashlight to look for any remaining survivors. The only thing left was the disc and the back cover and back case. The front cover is still MIA.
As I looked at the disc, I was amazed to see that it was not messed up and it was scratch-free. I headed straight home and popped it in my Playstation 3. And to my surprise, IT STILL WORKS! Now with that said, I’ll never doubt the power of Blu-ray and I, without question, will remain to “Do Blu.”
#2
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I believe all Blu-ray discs have TDK coating that makes them extremely durable. I remember this was a key feature note when the format was being launched.
#3
DVD Talk Hero
#4
DVD Talk Reviewer
Anytime I ever purchased a DVD that wasn't on the spindle, scrapes and scuffs. I've purchased blu-rays that were off their spindle, and I couldn't find a single mark on them. I LOVE the protective coatings.
#7
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#8
DVD Talk Legend
That's what I thought as well, but apparently some studios have decided not to use this coating. A friend of mine who works in the industry said he thought Universal was one of these, but he wasn't entirely sure.
#10
DVD Talk Legend
I thought a scratch-resistant coating was mandatory, too, so I'm not sure my friend's information is correct. But he's been right about everything else he's told me, and let's face it, if any studio was going to pull a stunt like this it would be Universal.
#11
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I am unsure I understand your friend's claim.
Pro-B
#12
DVD Talk Reviewer
I've had Universal discs that were loose in the case as I said, no scratches or scuffs. I think your friend is wrong, especially since one of them was a very recent one, too.
#13
DVD Talk Legend
The coating is spun onto the surface of the disc in two layers, and was a late addition to the format. Early (pre-release) Blu-ray discs were held in protective caddies. And now, different disc manufacturers use different type of protection. TDK's system was the first, but Sony and Panasonic each have proprietary systems and formulations.
Originally Posted by mzupeman2
I've had Universal discs that were loose in the case as I said, no scratches or scuffs. I think your friend is wrong, especially since one of them was a very recent one, too.
Last edited by Mr. Salty; 09-29-08 at 09:22 PM.
#14
DVD Talk Legend
From my rental experience Blu-rays can definitely be scratched and even minor ones can make them unplayable. However, for those of us that buy them and use them normally I doubt you will scratch one and I like the coating. Much better than HD DVDs that seem to get scratched very easily.
#15
Depends on where the scratch is. You could scratch a disc to hell, but it would play. Place one small scratch on the inner "silver" circle of the disc, and you're fucked.
#16
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Ok, I looked into this further and found this:
It should be noted that while Blu-ray mandates the use of a scratch-resistant coating, it does not specify what coating is used, and both Sony and Panasonic have their own independent hard coating technologies that are primarily in use on Blu-ray pre-recorded discs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durabis
It should be noted that while Blu-ray mandates the use of a scratch-resistant coating, it does not specify what coating is used, and both Sony and Panasonic have their own independent hard coating technologies that are primarily in use on Blu-ray pre-recorded discs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durabis
#17
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In any event, I am not aware of any such new alterat6ions being initiated by Universal as the one suggested by your friend.
Pro-B
#18
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Ok, I looked into this further and found this:
It should be noted that while Blu-ray mandates the use of a scratch-resistant coating, it does not specify what coating is used, and both Sony and Panasonic have their own independent hard coating technologies that are primarily in use on Blu-ray pre-recorded discs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durabis
It should be noted that while Blu-ray mandates the use of a scratch-resistant coating, it does not specify what coating is used, and both Sony and Panasonic have their own independent hard coating technologies that are primarily in use on Blu-ray pre-recorded discs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durabis
Pro-B
#20
When I buy used PS3 games at Gamestop, the people there say they don't know why kids who trade in their discs take such good care of them. Several locations have told me that the PS3 discs are the only ones which never come back damaged. I am not sure they know there is a protective coating on these discs.