Protection while playing DVDs
 

Hi. I'm really anal about any nicks or scratches after playing by disc in my player.. Occation, I might find a something that I don't think I saw before I put the disc in my player.. Can't afford to get a new player right (maybe I should stop buying DVDs for a while)..

Are there any product on the market that I can use to help protect my DVDs from an wear? I was thinking about some kind of protective layer that I could apply to the DVD while playing.. Or would something like that prevent the laser from reading the disc properly?
Thanks

No offense, but I would look into counseling for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

There are "disc shields" on the market, but I don't like the thought of sticking something to the playing surface of my discs that could, in the long-run, react with the disc itself. Not to mention, if you don't place it correctly the disc could be off balance (DVDs spin much faster than CDs).

Condoms might help.

I agree with Mr. Salty.... on both points.

Just because you get a little nick on a DVD you'll consider buying a whole new player?

Hi. Well, it's not on just 1 DVD.. Happened a couple of times and I suspect it put a scratch on another.. Is it too unrealistic to expect a player not to put any marks on a disc?

I was looking through my bill and looks like it's still within it's warranty.. If it's not too much of an expense, maybe I can take it back to get it looked at.. Maybe it just needs a good cleaning..

I was thinking of trying a lens cleaner myself, but I thought I saw a thread that mentioned that ones with brushes do more harm than good. What other kinds are there?
Thanks

Thing one: nothing is supposed to come into contact with the disc surface while playing the disc. This includes the lens. If the lens is touching the disc, the player needs service (and playback would be compromised anyway). If anything else is contacting the disc, that's a player malfunction.

Thing two: Think twice about applying anything to the disc. It gets hot in there.

Thing three: If you're not sure your player is causing these nicks and scratches, why not do some systematic tests? Start carefully inspecting your discs before putting them in the player, noting (or even digitally photographing) any pre-existing damage. Compare afterwards. Then you'll know for sure.

Thing four: If the disc plays properly, relax. That's what matters.

RichC

There are no other kinds. You have to open the machine up to clean it. They were not designed to be cleaned or fixed by the user.

Get a can of compressed air...and FOLLOW the directions. Also....KEEP DVD DECK COVERED when not in use. I use simple dust covers from Office Depot.

There is a protective coating for DVDs called "DVD Skins" I believe. I saw in an ad for it in Video Business magazine if I recall correctly.

Wait a minute -- your *player* is scratching your discs? That doesn't sound right... are you sure?

If it is -- you need to get that fixed immediately. Why worry about how to "protect" your discs when it's a faulty machine that's causing the problem. Fix the problem at the source.

I've seen discs get scratched or more likely marred from just putting it onto the tray. There could be dust or dirt on the tray and when you slide or drop the disc in there it's enough to mar the surface but not enough to actually scratch it usually.

I have heard of game consoles scratching discs. On another forum I read that someone had a PSOne leave concentric scratches on a disc, and someone else said he has had a PS2 and Xbox scratch discs. Heck, one poster said his PS2 actually broke a game in half!

I suppose it's not outside the realm of possibility, since the PS2 and Xbox have drive mechanisms similar to what is in a standard DVD player (at least I think they do-maybe I'm wrong). I would second the recommendation of carefully examining a disc, and then putting it in your player, and then examining it again to see if it looks any different than before it was in the player. Also, make sure you examine the discs with adequate light. Some scratches are so slight you don't see them without enough light, or if the light is from a certain angle, etc.

Are CD's more durable than DVDs? it seems that a surface of a DVD is a lot more sensitive to scatches and stuff.

There is more data on a Dvd than a CD so a scratch, etc. on a Dvd will make it worse for the lens to read.

I showed the discs to a friend who's much more into DVDs and he said most likely it's not the lens that marked it.. It would look much worst.. He supposed that a particle or some dust might have got lodged into the disc while spinning..

I believe I stated in the beginning of the thread that I'm quite anal about this kind of stuff, so I do check the disc over before playing them.. I have this halogen bulb in my living room that seems to bring out flaws out more apparently.

I'm learning to let some stuff go, but this is the first time I saw something I didn't recall seeing after it's been played.. I can't say I have a photographic memory, but I was pretty sure that the discs was flawless before going into the player..

Thanks

How much truth is there to this? I bought one of those cd drive cleaners a while back and use it once in a while. Its a cd with some small brushes on it.

Looks interesting. Has anyone tried these skins? I'm not crazy enough to outfit all my DVDs with these things, but if they're reusable, I won't mind using them for just for playing the DVDs..

I can hardly wait to see your reaction the first time you get a fleck of dust caught between the skin and the disc.

Question for anybody here...

If nothing is supposed to have contact with the disc inside the machine, then what happens to the disc when the tray closes? Does it get suspended by the center drive mechanism up off the tray or what?

I would assume that's the care or you'd end up with massive scratches where the dvd touches the tray as it spins.

yes, i'm sure it gets lifted off the tray by the clamp mechanism at the center of the disc. nothing should be touching the disc as it spins; if something is scratching the disc during playback (i.e., laser pickup or some foreign object), then your player needs to be serviced. my old LD player did make scratches, but none of the dvd or cd players i have ever did.