First here is some backround on the DVD for that day. I decided on Thursday I wanted to watch The Rock on DVD. I pulled out my Criterion DVD of The Rock, which I have watched many times without any difficulty, and then had to put it down immediately as my daughter was crying. For some reason I put the DVD, which was still in it's case, on my windowsill in direct sunlight on a day in which there was not a cloud in the sky and very hot. I don't even know why I did this...temporary memory lapse I guess. Anyway, after I got my daughter all settled I decided to watch the DVD but before I got to it the phone rang then my wife came home. Finally, after about maybe 2 hours I grabbed the DVD off the sill and started to watch it.

Now here is the deal: it played fine up until the 1 hour 26 minute mark then it just froze. Not only that but I kept watching my players counter skip ahead in big jumps until it kicked me back to the main menu. I never experienced this problem on any disc before. I thought maybe a rough layer change but I couldn't get past it. I tested it on 2 other players and the same thing happened. I also tried to clean it eventhough it didn't look dirty. So did I fry the disc by accidently puting it in direct sunlight on the windowsill? Please help.

If you fried it by leaving it on a hot windowsill, it isn't DVD rot.

Oh ok so it isn't rot. I don't know what rot does or looks like cause I have never come across it before. So did I kill my disc by leaving it on the sill accidently? Has anyone else had this problem with any disc?

You're just like that stupid bitch in the Tampax commercial. DON'T PUT THINGS ON WINDOW SILLS!

Don't call other members a stupid bitch who uses tampons, it's not nice.

DVDGuy, you warped your DVD w/ suntan burn, use suntan lotion on your DVDs next time you leave 'em out in direct sun light.

Ain't much you can do but buy another copy.

I'm not sure but I seem to recall in the early days when DVDs were new, there used to be an insert on the care of DVDs. I think one of the don't is not to expose the disc to direct sunlight.

One thing I'm not sure but I don't think it can cause a problem is temperature. If you house is hot in the summer because you're not home but at work and don't have the a/c on, the interior might get up to x degrees. Would that hurt your DVDs?

Amen

I had a spiderman dvd outside on a picnic table exposed to 95 degree sunlight for many hours, and it plays fine...

Believe me I feel like it after the stupid thing I did with the disc. I know better than to do that as I am not a newbie at this. I don't know what possessed me to do it. Oh well, no use crying over spilt mik. I'll just go and get a new one when I get the chance. Thanks for all the help! The Rock Criterion is still in print right?

I think my Halloween 4 DVD may have "rotted". I hadn't played it in a long time (maybe a year or so) and I popped it in all four of my players, and not one of them recognized it. It was as if there was nothing in the tray. I looked at the disc, and it had NO scratches or dust or dirt or fingerprints. What it did seem to have was a weird ring that looked like it was part of the production process, but you know it wasn't supposed to be there...like it was under the plastic surface. I don't understand how something like this could have happened with the disc sitting in the case by itself for a year on my DVD rack with other discs around it that are fine. Does DVD rot exist?

Yup The Rock: CC is still in print.

No. but delamination does. poor adhesive or improperly applied has happened and WAMO had a problem for a while. hopefully this has been looked into. fact is it happens....although the response you will get from many people is denial. these complaints fall on deaf ears, so dont even bother until it has become wide spread. check back in 5 or 10 years....the tune may change. many times it can be that the player has a problem with the dvd. but if you have tried it on more than 2 or 3 players...yer out-o-luck. replace it prior to it going oop and hope it was an isolated case. this has nothing to do with exposing another dvd to excessive heat or sunlight...you get what you ask for when doing that. remember though, in your case...lemons happen with dvds...just like cars or any other product.

to be honest...when I found out that Soylent Green was pressed at WAMO....I got sick to my stomach.

Why don't you contact Criterion and ask them if they will exchange your copy of the Rock for another one. I would try that before going out and repurchasing it again. However, I wouldn't mention you left the DVD exposed to direct sunlight for several hours.

Could you say which scene this occurs in?

I purchased the Rock: CC, and the first time I watched it (right out of the case, no suntanning or the likes) the film froze when Nic Cage was climbing a ladder (if I remember correctly). The time into the movie sounds similar to yours.

From reading and asking around, I found out that there were some production problems that caused this, but it's few and far between when I've encountered anyone with the similar problem.

Yes, contact Criterion. Criterion is one of the few companies that honorably exchanges faulty discs themselves. Email Jon Mulvaney (his address can be found on the website). He'll give you the address to send the disc to.

IMHO there's a difference between exchanging a disc that has a manufacturing defect and exchanging one that you've damaged through your own neglect.

Firstly, I want to commend you on prioritizing your daughter over anything else...

Quote:

For some reason I put the DVD, which was still in it's case, on my windowsill in direct sunlight on a day in which there was not a cloud in the sky and very hot. I don't even know why I did this...temporary memory lapse I guess. Anyway, after I got my daughter all settled I decided to watch the DVD but before I got to it the phone rang then my wife came home. Finally, after about maybe 2 hours I grabbed the DVD off the sill and started to watch it.

Secondly, I want to berate you for not moving the disc directly from the case into the player immediately. The furthest my discs travel is four or five feet when they are out of the box. Knowing what a clod I am, wandering around with them spells disaster for me.

Although "rot" might not be the correct terminology in this case, because that tends to happen over time, I still think the cause is pretty much the same. Fluctuation of temperature affecting the integrity of the glue in the disc.

Contacting Criterion isn't a bad idea. They may be willing to exchange if you are honest with them. They might actually be glad to hear what happened as a matter of research. Good luck!

Thanks for all the responses! I am thinking about going the Criterion route but I kinda agree with Mr Salty about replacing something that is faulty do to my own stupidity. Like I said previously I can't believe I did that so I deserve to be berated on this matter.

For Mordecai: the scene that it freezes in is when they enter the morgue to disable the first missle.

boc4ever: thank you for those kind words about my priorities. My babby girl means everything to me...she is always my number 1 priority.

No, you do deserve to be commended for not leaving your daughter baking on a hot windowsill. As boc4ever indicated, you have your priorities straight.

Actually, this seems to be the biggest misconception about the subject of dvd rot. Direct sunlight will not affect the integrity of the lacquer bond or adhesives used to keep the disc together. First of all, "glue" is a misleading word. Secondly, the plastic used to make the disc will melt long before the adhesive ever will. We're talking kiln-level temperatures needed to degrade these lacquer cured adhesives. However, and this is a big however, direct sunlight can affect the pitted metal layer that contains all the information needed to play the disc. The problem that DVDGUY is having with his Rock dvd probably has nothing to do with the adhesive. The direct sunlight either warped or otherwise damaged the plastic in the disc, which could affect playback, or it damaged the actual information layer of the disc. There's no way that sunlight could melt the adhesive used to bond the disc together.

SpinnerX,

Thanks for clarifying. I was under the impression that heat affected the "lacquer bond" as you put it. I have often noticed a "cloudy" appearance on a few brand new discs and it always concerned me. I didn't think direct sunlight was the culprit but heat fluctuation. I appreciate your informative follow up!

There is a phenomenon in optical disc production whereby inadequate cooling of the polycarbonate substrate during moulding can lead to 'smearing' of the pit structure when the substrate is removed from the mould. Microscopic smearing of the pits can manifest itself as a stain on the disc surface which can be seen under reflected light. In the optical disc industry this staining is referred to as 'smearing', 'clouding', 'sticking' or 'ghosting' and can happen with CDs as well as DVDs. Visible disc staining, although unsightly, *rarely* affects playback
of the content.

Cheers,

Rohan.