Okay. Here's the story.

In mid-February, I got my Angel S1 DVD set, and I'm watching it. After I watched a certain episode, I wanted to cross-check a plot-point with what was shown in the Buffy episode "Angel" from the first season.

I put my Buffy S1 Disc 2 in my player, and try to play the episode "Angel." As it begins to play, at the "In every generation..." part, the image starts to break up and stutter. So I press stop, eject, and re-load the disc. The episode plays fine, but I am a bit concerned and decide to keep an eye on it. That episode is the third of four on the disc, so it's likely that it begins on the second layer, which is usually a "hot" point for rot-related trouble.

A month later, the second week of March, I try the disc again. The picture breaks up again like it did before and the disc freezes about two seconds into the ep. I stop, eject, and reload. But it still won't play like it should. I do it again, with the same result. So I take the DVD out of the player and examine it. There are a few tiny specks of dust on it, so I wipe these off. Reload the disc, and the episode plays fine.

I've since tried the DVD every week, and it's played fine. No flaws at all.

So tonight, April 4, I try it again. It plays fine. Anyway, about six hours later, I decide I want to watch the episode "Angel." So I load up the disc, go to that episode, and the picture starts breaking up again. I take the disc out, wipe it off again, and it still won't play properly.

So what's going on here? DVD rot? Player problem?

Anyone with DVD rot experience, does this sound familiar?

If the disc was indeed rotting, I'd think that the problem wouldn't go away and come back.

And, no, the DVD is not scratched. It's been lovingly cared for for the year and two months that I've had it. This is the only DVD I've ever had these kinds of problems with.

Thoughts?

I don't know, it's really hard to hear from here.

The only time I experienced rot was with an early version of Contact. In that case mid way through it started pixelating and was a goner. No experience with what you described.

Could be the disc itself and not rot,some times at the factory there will be a few DVDs pressed wrong,most of the time if its rot its a certain movie and many people have the same problem,I would look and read around if anyone else is having the same problem.

*sigh* There is no such thing as "rot" in DVD's. It's a misnomer at best.

Sounds like a pressing problem to me...

CK,

True. I've received more pixelated prints lately. Kinda irritates me. John Q, Labyrinth, and Dead Presidents.

i had a problem like that several weeks ago - three discs wouldnt play - two in certain spots and one not at all. Tried everything - oddly enough, after a cleaning - the discs played fine and no problems since.

Most Samsung players have the freezing problem, but they eventually play, but they freeze every few seconds sometimes to where its annoying.

What kind of DVD player do you have? A few of my disks are like that. I tried them on other players and they were fine. Last time I'm buying a Toshiba.

Curious what you base this statement on?

rot
v. rot·ted, rot·ting, rots
v. intr.
To undergo decomposition, especially organic decomposition; decay.

To become damaged, weakened, or useless because of decay: The beams had rotted away.


Of course, Canadian Knight must think that "rot" can only take place in laser discs. If the deterioration of dual layered discs (which was well documented and addressed with several Anchor Bay titles, do a search on this website if you have any questions) as a result of bad glue being used to adhere the layers and the layers come apart and make the disc unwatchable, if the deterioration of the dual layers and the glue isn't "rot" then you deny the dictionary definition of "rot" and have created your own. And since the word "rot" was in usage in the English language LONG before laserdiscs came into existence, people can use the term in DVDs. It may not be a prevalent, I only know of a small handful of documented instances, but I suggest you reexamine the definition of the word and it's many applications that it can be used in.

No, what is happening is that people are mis-applying the term "rot" to a situation where no rot has occurred. There is no deterioration, decomposition or decay occurring in "DVD rot." All that is occurring is a delamination of the two layers, due to a faulty laminate. It doesn't decompose or deteriorate. It merely separates. Granted, this separation does occur over time, but that alone does not constitute decay.

Here's an analogy. Suppose I purchase a roll of adhesive tape that uses a poorly designed adhesive. I then proceed to use a length of this tape on some surface. When applied, the tape appears secure. However, when I check it again in a month, the tape has begun to curl back, or perhaps even completely dislodged from the place where I affixed it. Did it "rot?" No. The adhesive simply proved weaker than the cumulative stresses placed upon the bond and, over time, the bond was broken.

The same thing is happening to a (very) small percentage of DVDs, either due to the use of substandard laminates, or improper lamination processes. They are failing, but they are not rotting.

Are you sure there weren't any fingerprints on the disk? I kno with my Toshiba even the tiniest smudge on the disks surface will cause the symptoms you descripe. Wiping the offending area takes care of the problem.

Actually, my player is a Toshiba 2008. I've had it for four years and never had any kind of problem like this. Out of hundreds of DVDs I've owned, one I bought new was defective and the "bad" part would not play at all, ie, the problem was repeatable.

Last time I checked my disc, the part in question played through with some minor pixelation, but no freezing or stuttering. Played it again, immediately after without ejecting, and it played fine.

That's why I question whether or not I'm experiencing the dreaded DVD rot. Because if the disc were indeed damaged in some way, the problem should repeat every time I play it, and in the same spots. (The picture would either break up right at the beginning of the "In every generation" intro, or when the big VAMPYR book is dropped on the desk, as Darla is walking toward the Master at the very beginning, and/or when Buffy is in her yellow cheerleader outfit during the opening credits. Once the first seven or so minutes play through, the episode seems to play fine after that. The other three eps appear to be fine, as well.)

Thanks for the information, guys. Signs appear to be pointing at a player glitch of some kind.

I think I'll try the disc on a few other players, but it'll be a while before I can do that because I don't know anyone else in my general vicinity who has a DVD player well enough to ask. I have relatives who have players, and next time I see them, I'll take the DVD there.

Well, technically, what happened to laser dics couldn't be called "rot" either since the dictionary definition is for ORGANIC material, unless you're calling laser dics organic. But everything is in entropy, decaying as I type this. Whether you want to call it, you call it that. If somebody wants to refer to this problem with DVDs as "rot" I don't see why people have to be so anal over it because it doesn't match their term for "rot." You're just as likely to convince people to stop calling facial tissue "kleenix" even when they aren't using Kleenix brand facial tissue. People are going to call it rot, they have every right to call it rot, so get over it. And heck, "DVD rot" is a whole lot easier for people to understand than "DVD delamination."

As for the problem with Josh-da-man's DVD, I did have a similar problem with a Spider Man DVD. It just pixilated and froze right at the very beginning in the opening credits. Obviously it couldn't be rot, since it was brand new and the layers couldn't have separated. Holding it at an angle to an over head light, I saw a tiny, very hard to see with my eyes, dent in the disc, right where the DVD would start playing at the beginning. It appeared as if the DVD got dented from the top side before the artwork paint was applied, and that small dent was causing the freeze up, so in that instance it was clearly a pressing problem, which is what I would suspect with any new DVD.

My Buffy disc was released in Jan. 02, I bought it in Feb. 02, watched the disc numerous times since then, and noticed intermittent trouble in Feb. 03. So it is a problem that recently developed, though my primary suspect is now my player.

I did buy a brand new disc once that had break-up and freezing problems, and exchanged it for a new one. Chances are that one was a pressing problem, and not rot. Meaning, it would have existed from the moment the DVD was manufactured.

I believe "rot" is a general term used to describe the degreadation of media resluting in the loss of actual data, over time that isn't releated to wear and tear from use, so it could apply to DVDs, CDs, LDs, cassettes, or floppy discs.

Whether DVD rot is related to a manufacturing defect or not is really irrelevent. The fact is that some discs develop defects over time, defects that didn't exist previously. And it's called "rot" because they appear to be decaying.

This is my point exactly. Sorry gang... I should have been more verbose. Guess I was a grumpy-guy when I posted my previous message.

you need to realize that "rot" is just a word. I've tried to get people to say in the past, that it's "delamination" or "ppm"(piss poor manufacturing". in these cases, "rot" is just the word that is used to say, "my disc is f***d up", period. I'd say to all...lose that word, but they cant. pressing plants screwed up, like WAMO, and problems still surface. unless they correct the blunder....problems will continue to grow the longer you have a collection. our hopes is that it will be "rare", and so far, it has been. then again, it's still too early to tell....and thats scarey. and if it happens to dvds....it will happen to HD-dvds.

so use whatever word you want. I say delamination. I also say denial.

I'm almost certain your problem is player related. I have a Toshiba 2109 which started to malfunction just like yours with a particular disc and then spread to other discs. I played all the problem discs on my Dvd Rom and they all played fine. I have since replaced it with the Toshiba SD-1800 and have had no problems since.

I agree that "rot" is just a word, but the problem is that it carries with it mental images of decay, which leads many to conclude that all DVDs are susceptible to it or that things like environmental conditions can cause it. Both of these conclusions are false, but as long as the word "rot" continues to be used, the misconceptions will continue to spread.

Actually, I think it is not too early to tell how widespread it is. The first occurrences were discovered over four years ago, and the rate of occurrence, as a percentage of DVDs manufactured, has not changed significantly since that time. Statistically, that would indicate that things will not likely get any worse (or any better, it would seem) any time soon.

Another thing also have you tried playing the Buffy disc on multiple players?its a fact that DVD players will not play every disc out there,some play fine on one and may not play on another,I have a few disc's that wont play on my Toshiba 1600 but play fine on my crappy PS2 DVD player and vise versa.