chris_s9181

if it was you, say you had tons of scrached movies of yours over the years, you could buy a dvd resurfacer or buy blu ray upgrades what would you do and why

milo bloom

Depends on the title. Rare DVDs I would have them re-surfaced, others I would upgrade or just let go.

MScottM

I agree with Milo.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Both. A dvd resurfacer and it's something I may have use for again. I'd only upgrade the things I would have otherwise have upgraded because this is going to cost more than resurfacing.

TheBigDave

If you have tons of scratched discs, I'd think about going digital.

Convert your DVDs to Vudu HDX for $2.50 each. You get the benefits of HD video and no more scratched discs.

orangerunner

Let's start by separating DVD from Blu-ray. If a Blu-ray is noticeably scratched and it will not disappear from wiping it with a cloth, it is likely that it is permanently damaged and will probably skip/freeze in your player.

Even though Blu-rays have that scratch-resistant coating, if they are scratched hard enough to make a mark, you may have damaged the content. Sometimes a very faint scratch will play without a problem but it often doesn't.

DVDs on the other hand can be absolutely full of very light scratches and yet still play perfectly fine with no skipping or freezing. If the scratch is very prominent to the point of being gouged, the content may be damaged.

I bought one of those Memorex brand disc resurfacers for about $25 and it actually works quite well for discs that are moderately scratched. It has an option for "repair" or "clean" depending on what you need.

Hokeyboy

Depends. Is the movie rated R and over 2 hours?

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

At least until they shut down, you have internet issues, or "due to licensing, this title is no longer available". In the latter case, I'm sure they'll also be sorry for any inconvenience.

TheBigDave

Even if Vudu shuts down, D2D movies are UV-compatible. So they'll remain in your UV library and you can watch them at other UV streaming services.

This can be a problem. But internet issues are usually temporary. Once a physical disc is badly damaged, it won't play anymore. And it sounds like the OP is having a problem with lots of discs getting damaged.


This doesn't happen. Once you own a copy, it stays in your library. You can still watch it, even if Vudu removes it from their catalog.

Alan Smithee

Never had this happen in 18 years. What are you doing with your discs?

Nick Danger

Probably letting the kids play them. Those darn kids!

kd5

If they were so badly scratched/scuffed that they have issues during playback, or if I was just so ashamed of their condition I couldn't stand it anymore, I'd probably try to replace the ones that really meant enough to me that I didn't want to lose them from my library and either let the ones go I didn't really care about or resurface them (if resurfacing them really does breathe new life into them). If replacing the ones that meant a lot to me meant upgrading to blu-ray (if possible) and the cost involved was acceptable, I think I'd go that route instead of just replacing DVDs with DVDs (unless the movie was never released on blu-ray). I've seen some pretty disgusting DVDs in my time shopping for them at flea markets and used DVD stores, I always wonder how people can allow that to happen to their videos and what they do to them that they are in that pitiful condition. Any time I see a disc that badly scratched or scuffed, I put it back in the case and walk away.

Just my .02 cents worth.

chris_s9181

my dvds got scrached over my moves, and some room mates over the years let their dogs get ahold of them i threw that away, your right some of the was an ex's kid of mine but just over year of wear and tear

TheBigDave

That's one more reason why you should go digital. You can share your Vudu library with friends and family. They have instant access to your entire collection. No more loaning out discs.

Pizza

Advice? A better headline.

Alan Smithee

My cats have never messed up my DVDs. And thank god I don't have kids!

I still don't know how you "share" a Vudu library with people other than signing in to your account with your password at their place and then de-activating it when you get home (otherwise they can charge movies to my account). I've heard of some sort of sharing option but that seems to create huge headaches, people have lost entire collections (and friendships) that way.

orangerunner

I agree. Giving someone your Netflix password is one thing but giving them the password to your entire personalized collection is another, granting them full freedom to delete/add titles. The only way around this is if there is a separate administrator password and guest password system.

Then again, these providers do not necessarily want to provide users with a safe method of sharing for "free" either.

TheBigDave

You don't give anyone your password or access to your Vudu account.

At the Vudu site, you send them an invitation to Share your movies. They set up their own Vudu account which automatically connects to your UV library. So they have their own Vudu password and can activate their own devices. They don't have the ability to make changes to your account, delete movies from your library, or put charges on your credit card.

I share my UV library with my brother's family. It was simple and only took a few minutes. Now his family has access to all my UV movies. As soon as I buy a movie, they can start watching it too. We can even watch it at the same time. And I don't have to worry about his kids/dogs destroying my discs or losing them anymore.

SterlingBen

If the disc scratching problem is gone and you have a ton of OOP stuff that is not on blu then yes get that resurfacer. And then offer it as a service on the internet. 10 movies resurfaced for $20. Do it at starbucks or whatever while they wait.

But as mentioned before if they are just going to get scratched again then go digital, collecting DVDs is kind of about keeping them pristine and if that isn't possible for you then get out. It will only lead to pain.

ntnon

Also - do you know WHY they're scratched, so you can avoid it happening with replacements/resurfaced discs..?