Complete releases and scratched discs
 

I've heard it said many a time that many complete releases of popular series have the discs in sleeves that scratch them up, and as such, the discs are unplayable. Why would these releases be packaged that way?

The reason I ask is because I have Shout!'s complete release of Barney Miller, and the 25 discs are packaged in five slipcases (one with 5 discs for Nos. 1 and 2, three with 6 apiece for Nos. 3-8, and one with 2 for No. 1 of Fish); in these slipcases, the discs are very well protected (no scratches whatsoever). This is in comparison to releases like that of M*A*S*H, where the 36 discs are all in cardboard sleeves, and there have been many justified complaints about how the sleeves are ruining the discs to the point of the discs not being able to play.

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

This is a very good question! Do the package designers NEVER read any of the reviews for sets that come packaged like this? Are they just plain stupid or do they just plain not give a damn about us - the customers? I recently purchased the JAG Complete Series Collector's Edition, which is packaged in these cardboard sleeves from which it is a pain in the ass to remove the discs. Just getting a disc out of the sleeve is an invitation to serious scratches. Then, you have the problem of stray drops of glue inside of the sleeves from sloppy production processes.

Well, to make a long story short - I had to request a replacement set from Amazon before we were even able to make it through the First Season (out of 10 Seasons) due to severe scratches and freezing of 2 (out of 6) discs. Of course they sent a replacement set, which I have been VERY CAREFUL with and now we are on Season 4 without any problems.

So, anybody got any ideas why the studios continue to package sets in this ridiculous way?

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

Maybe I'm blessed with the best players $30 can buy, but out of my thousands of discs with scratches and scuffs, they all play fine.

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

I'm glad you said this was a good question. As for the glue thing, the complete release of The Brady Bunch had glue to get on the discs from the shag packaging, and the discs for each season were also crammed together. The cramming also was a complaint on the release of MacGyver, and, in my opinion, the cramming is another thing that contributes to unplayability.

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

Thanks for the PM, I replied to it.

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

Noticed just earlier! Thanks.

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

Mmm, but that's not really the point. If you buy a new car and the paint starts washing off in the rain, the car still runs. I think buyers who exercise careful use expect products to remain in high quality condition for quite some time. All-cardboard packaging often means that DVD's are scratched before they're played even the first time.

As to the OP's question, I suspect the studios' home video departments are now run by their accounting departments...in the same way that over several decades, accounting was slowly running US automakers into the ground. I assume the all-cardboard packaging is cheaper to manufacture, and certainly cheaper from a warehousing/shipping standpoint. Save a couple bucks, pat yourself on the back, repeat. Except that I own two such sets (Paramount's Hitchcock set and the Complete Rocky & Bullwinkle) and will never buy another...although I've likely figured out the knack for removing the DVD's scratch-free that first time.

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

If I didn't use car wax and a foam centerpiece from a pack of blanks on, I wanna say, from 1/5 to 1/3 of my dvds, I would have skips and freezes and some become fogged, like the glue is reacting to the plastic or something. Not to mention sometimes they become scratched or marked through handling although I am very careful and use a microfiber towel to wipe off dust.

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

^^ In case anybody was thinking the same thing, I originally took the "car wax" comment as sarcasm, based on my two automobile analogies. No, apparently car wax can be used to correct for scratches in optical media. I don't think I'd do it myself (the game shop up the street often has coupons for a free resurfacing on their professional scratch removal machine), but my hat's off to you, triste!

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

I don't know why they use them so often, but I FUCKING HATE THEM. Be it CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs, storing any optical disc in such a way that one has to drag the playing surface across anything is a bad idea.

I'm not sure why these are so popular with studios... I have a number of sets that come like this (Alien Anthology blu-ray, Star Wars Saga blu-ray, Indiana Jones blu-ray, Doctor Who David Tennant DVD set, Bond 50 blu-ray, Led Zeppelin complete studio recordings CD boxed set) and they suck. Especially for the CD and DVD sets, which don't have anti-scratch coating, so even you're extremely careful with them, the discs will end up looking like shit after one or two removals and reinsertions.

As to why they are so frequently used, I can only assume that one or more of these factors is in play:

1) Since they're mostly used in boxed sets, I wonder if there isn't some perception that they are classier or more upscale than utilitarian cases.

2) They take up less shelf space, or are easier for stores to display. Not sure about this one... The Alien Anthology and Star Wars sets could have easily been put into regular cases.

3) They want the discs to get scratched so people will have to replace their discs, or to make these pricey sets unattractive on the secondary/used market.

Re: Complete releases and scratched discs
 

That third one is generally what I gather from reading the reviews on Amazon about releases like M*A*S*H, Hogan's Heroes, and The Brady Bunch.

And the second one: if what was done for Barney Miller from Shout! was done for Alien and Star Wars, I doubt there would be as many complaints as there are.

Don't know what to say about that first one, outside of that fact that I agree, and I believe there is just that perception.