Yes, it seems strange that there is overwhelming opinion on this site that "DVD Rot" is a myth. I don't understand why people would be willing to ignore an obvious problem. (even if the problem is not widespread). Maybe they think that by denying it exists, then it won't.

Does anyone know why, for example, some of the older dvds (or the ones that came out prior to 2000) have a goldish quality when you look at the back of the dvd (ex: Jaws, Braveheart, the first batch of Uni's Monsters) and now newer dvds that we buy today have a silverish quality back like cds?

I'm not sure that's an age thing (older discs being Gold, I have new discs that are as well), I always thought that gold discs were dual-layered, so longer movies (like Braveheart) will use them. I'm no expert though.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by USBrit
I'm not sure that's an age thing (older discs being Gold, I have new discs that are as well), I always thought that gold discs were dual-layered, so longer movies (like Braveheart) will use them. I'm no expert though. [/QUOTE

Good to hear. Hopefully someone can also confirm this. I always thought it was a different type of dvd used, but this blasted dvdrot thing has me paranoid-and I only got 300 dvds w/ 10 seasons sets. I can't even phantom what some of you are thinking with the 1000 dvds some of you have.

If I scan through all the tracks on "Contact" on my DVD-Rom and they all play fine...does that mean my disc is not defective?

If by "scan" you mean start at the beginning, hit the "next" chapter button, and repeat pressing the "next" button for the remainder of the film... no. Bad spots can appear mid-chapter.

If you mean fastforward scan through the entire movie... no. Bad spots might be passed up by the fastforward scan (depending upon how the player buffers playback).

Even playing through the entire film at normal speed won't guarantee a good disc either... I've had a disc play fine the first time, that failed the 2nd.

If by "fail" you mean an occasional momentary hangup or dropout, I have had that happen - every time I notice a dropout on audio, I rewind a bit and replay it, and 95% of the time it does not repeat.

But if you mean a disc plays fine the first time and completely freezes the next - that does not sound right. The only way I could see that happening is if it was a cheap rewriteable DVD - some have had problems with the dye breaking down.

That's what I mean... but it wasn't a rewriteable.. it was a store-bought "Kentucky Fried Movie" from Anchor Bay. Also, Anchor Bay's "Dawn of the Dead" Anniversary Edition. Both played fine the first time, but froze on subsequent playback (after a few months since the first playback). The Dawn of the Dead works okay on my kids' player (only a momentary pause that ISN'T a layer change).

If Dawn of the Dead plays fine on your kid's player - have you tried cleaning your lens?

this is true....but I was just speaking for me and how I feel about it. I dont have "handling" or "storage" problems because I nipped all that in the bud. maybe if my house burns down....but everything else I have under control.

we can blame everything but QC on this and thats fine...just wont improve the situation. yes, people can improve their technique and the life of their collection, but nothing will fix a disc born bad at the plant. I just want leaders to take this more seriously rather than throw stones at everyone just because of a few people that insert their dvds into the player while holding a slice of pizza.

if this is not coming out right...forgive me. just finished a 15 hour day and I'm slipping into a coma as I write this.

btw...I dont call anyone but QC...moron. maroon is the lighter side to an idiot...but not a full-blown idiot.-wink-

It doesn't play "fine" on my kids player, there's a momentary pause/glitch... which wasn't there when I first played it on my player (which now can no longer play that disc... all other discs play fine)

not sure if it belongs here or not, but a rental copy of mysic river (second week of release), froze when (not a biggie spoiler, but if you don't want to know any of the plot. anyone else have problems there? it skips ahead to the next chapter.

I'm surprised that "laser rot" (laserdiscs) was only briefly mentioned in the thread. Being a LD collector back to 1992, we got quite used to the problem of rotted discs. It drove many collectors to the point of boycotting Columbia/TriStar discs because of a notoriously bad plant in Indiana iirc. I returned many a disc over the 8-9 years I purchased LDs: CTS, RCA, MGM, Image, WB and yep even Criterion (mostly when they used that damn CTS plant for a short period of time). But many of us kept coming back for more because it was a tradeoff some were willing to accept given the superiority of LD over any other home video format. And the investment in an LD ran from $20 - $200 a pop. The Criterion deluxe editions that now grace the DVD format at $40 would typically run $100-$125. . .

LD pressing was an inherently more complex process than current DVD manufacture in part due to the size of the discs and the fact that the two sides of the LD had to be glued together. Just a QC nightmare. Many of my LDs, despite the fragility of the format, have survived quite well into their teenage years. But LDs did not hold up to the beating that DVDs typcially take. Some of the discs I've received from netflix barely resemble DVDs. But in several hundred rentals, I've yet to have one that would not play or rip pretty much flawlessly. Can't say that for a beat up LD. So it surprises me when I read that some people have stopped buying DVDs because of the confirmed rot of a couple of older titles. . .

I look at it from a risk taking perspective. To me, it's the inherent nature of the consumer world. You're at the mercy of an entity with profit maximization as its bottom line. You'd like to think the manufacturers will step to the plate and fix their problems, but that's not in their nature. CTS never really acknowledged the massive problems at that LD plant, but one or two Customer Service reps did provide some replacements for those of us who bugged them incessantly (ironically often the replacements were rotted). But to think of the tens of thousands of titles out there and the incredibly small percentage of discs that have problems (and even then, only some pressings of those titles), and the incredbile joy that DVDs bring many of us, it's a risk well worth taking IMHO. Obviously, YMMV.

I vowed never to convert to DVD back in 1997. And 1100 DVDs later. . .

Dave

When rental discs have problems, it may not necessarily be due to "rot", but mostly due to the mishandling of the disc by other customers who rented the disc prior to you.

On the contrary, my personal collection is kept in a pristine state, hidden from visitors who might ask to borrow them. I never lend my disc to anyone and I handle them with absolute care. I keep them in a clean cabinet with tightly shut doors so that there is minimal air circulation inside. When I handle the discs, I always hold them by the hub and the edge and never touch the surface.

In spite of all this, a few of my discs have gone bad. Some just pixellate for a few seconds but play fine otherwise. Negotiator just died completely. The players do not even detect that the disc is there. There is one disc in my collection (Galaxyquest) in which the chapter in which TIm Allen is contacted by the aliens does not play at all. I have to skip to the next chapter at that scene.

LASERMOVIES,

Do you have the contact info for WAMO?

I need to call them to get my disc replaced.

I completely agree with you.

Sad to hear this seems to be a recurring problem with Warner, dating back to the laserdisc days. I was just starting to appreciate them because of the great 2-disc Special Editions they've been releasing. Now I'm worried my Treasure of the Sierra Madre will rot in five years time.

Yes sir, I got greedy buying all these dvds. Greedy, I tell ya. 800 dvd's is too big of an investment to just let them go to shit. From this day forward, I will store them in a climate-controlled vault, sealed airtight to prevent harmful oxygen from doing them damage. In fact, I shouldn't even watch them. That would expose them to the air. I will only sit in a bubble boy room with them, polishing them with a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth and gently scrubbing in an outward motion, center to edge. I'm also paying two armed guards to watch them 24-7, alternating in 12 hour shifts. I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I was sure to perform a background check on these guys and they're clean. They're both licensed to carry firearms and have been instructed to shoot to kill. I will also shun friends because they may become aware of my collection, and ask to borrow a movie. Smoking and flash photography will not be permitted in my home at any time, for any reason. Children and pets will not be tolerated. Whether doo-doo or pet dander, I cannot and will not put my collection at risk.

I suggest all of you do the same. Good day.

Well, one momentary pause/glitch is 95% better than not playing the disc at all.

In any event, it sounds to me like it could be the layer change. Some players handle it better than others and you can barely notice it. My home player hangs up for almost 2 seconds while on my notebook's DVD drive it is barely noticeable.

You can find the location of the layer change for a lot of discs in the reviews at :

Digital bits

Here is all the contact information I saved for WAMO. I haven't had to use it in over a year, so I don't know if anything has changed during that period of time.

Pierre E. Loubet Vice President, Sales
PH 818-638-0401
Fax 818-638-0267
PH 818-840-6300
Warner Media Services
111 N. Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA 91505

[email protected]

Nevermind. I previously said that it was NOT a layer change. If you refuse to believe that a manufactured disc can play once correctly and then fail on subsequent attempts, then that's okay with me... I have no desire to convince you. Just like I have no desire to convince the majority on this board who refuse to believe that DVD "rot" is a reality. (even if it is on a small percentage of discs).

LASERMOVIES,

Thanks for the info.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jonpeters

Quote:

---

Originally posted by USBrit
I'm not sure that's an age thing (older discs being Gold, I have new discs that are as well), I always thought that gold discs were dual-layered, so longer movies (like Braveheart) will use them. I'm no expert though. [/QUOTE

Good to hear. Hopefully someone can also confirm this. I always thought it was a different type of dvd used, but this blasted dvdrot thing has me paranoid-and I only got 300 dvds w/ 10 seasons sets. I can't even phantom what some of you are thinking with the 1000 dvds some of you have.

---

Back when DVD's first hit the scene (and I was more excited than a pig in shit) I believe it was Warner bors. who came out with the "Platinum series" DVD's (even though the back of the discs were gold??) and they were actually pushing this as a cool feature (can't blame them, it was when things were just taking off) I alos believe New Line had a lot of these gold discs as well.

I'm not 100 percent on this but I'm thinking I'm not too far off.

But, even though the backs are gold - it won't protect the disc any better.

Geez, sorry - I am trying to keep up with about 8 threads and another forum, so I don't have time to reread every entire thread every time I reply.

I believe discs can act skittery - as <b>I</b> stated earlier in this thread, I have had discs hang up, rewind then play right through. I just find it hard to believe that if it were DVD rot, it would play in your kid's player with only one minor hangup. Others who have had such probelms have stated that the disc won't play in any player.

Popped in "The Shining" (another 3-4 yr old warner disc) today. This is another movie that I played only a couple of times after I bought it and has been in the shelf untouched for 3 years.

It has started wildly pixellating in chapter 9 that I have to skip the entire chapter to watch the movie.

I just heard about this from my step-dad, and to read about it here makes me worry even more about my collection. I'd already decided not to mail my Farscape collection to my brother because of the heat issues while in transit, but this has me wondering about the rest of my dvds. Maybe I should just stick to my must haves (Farscape, B5, DS9, Black Adder--right there is over a $1000 in dvd's.)

Looking at the dvd movies I have, I've got to wonder if I shouldn't just put most of them up on ebay. Many are movies I don't want to watch again for 10 years or more, so why bother if that's their shelf life expectancy? I swear I thought these were supposed to last nearly a lifetime, making them worth buying instead of renting. . .

:(


tasha