Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
#126
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
So far I've seen at least 4 or 5 titles not on their list that should be given multiple reports of defects with the same title.
#127
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
Good point. But I'm more concerned with this idea that there is an affected title list, and that list may need to be added to in the future. Unless they actually don't know the root cause, they really should know all the titles that are affected now.
So far I've seen at least 4 or 5 titles not on their list that should be given multiple reports of defects with the same title.
So far I've seen at least 4 or 5 titles not on their list that should be given multiple reports of defects with the same title.
#128
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
"Gets away with"? Do you know anything about the pressing plant that allegedly caused this problem? Do they have a track record or reputation for shoddy manufacturing and high defect rates that Criterion could have known about in advance, or is this the first reported instance?
#129
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
"Gets away with"? Do you know anything about the pressing plant that allegedly caused this problem? Do they have a track record or reputation for shoddy manufacturing and high defect rates that Criterion could have known about in advance, or is this the first reported instance?
#131
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
The same thing is apparently affecting a bunch of Well-Go discs. I think it's mostly kung-fu stuff like Ip Man and some of their Shaw Bros. titles.
#132
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
I wonder how long these discs have been unplayable.
Since we're just now finding out about the problem, can we assume that Criterion discs don't get played a lot?
Either these Criterions only just started exhibiting problems, or it happened a while back and nobody noticed until now.
Since we're just now finding out about the problem, can we assume that Criterion discs don't get played a lot?
Either these Criterions only just started exhibiting problems, or it happened a while back and nobody noticed until now.
#133
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
A lot of Criterion's customers are people with very large collections. I have almost all of the affected discs. I've only actually watched a third of them before these reports. I never even got around to opening my copy of Howards End.
#134
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
People have been experiencing isolated issues with some of these titles for years. It's just now that the scale of the problem is coming to light. As much as I rag on them, it really was blu-ray.com catching wind of this that caused all of the OCD pyschos to start going through their entire collections and begin documenting manufacturing codes and the like. Without them, most of us would still be blissfully ignorant. It's also reasonable to assume that a specific amount of time had to have elapsed in order for the chemical reaction that's causing this to do its damage. Therefore, it may not be a coincidence that all of these discs suddenly became unplayable within a relative narrow window.
#135
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
Based on reports, the BDs were working at one time. Very few of them were unplayable within 18 months of their initial release. Most people probably bought them at launch, played them once successfully, and then filed them away. It was the few hardcore fans that would play a copy multiple times over the years that caught this problem.
#138
Moderator
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
I really worried about sending Pierrot and Howard's End back to them ... I have this fear that they won't replace them... come someone calm my fears here... ?
#139
DVD Talk Legend
#140
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
I don't think anyone knows for sure yet, but Criterion hasn't said that they won't replace them. Either way, if the discs don't work, what do you have to lose?
#141
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
That's actually different. DivX discs were locked via software, the players had to be hooked up and dial into their mothership every so often and certain discs were able to be viewed for a certain number of hours each time you paid.
There was a separate format that actually physically degraded (as in a chemical reaction in the disc, like these Criterion discs) after a day or two preventing further play. The name of that escapes me now, I'll try to find it later.
There was a separate format that actually physically degraded (as in a chemical reaction in the disc, like these Criterion discs) after a day or two preventing further play. The name of that escapes me now, I'll try to find it later.
#142
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Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
If the my copies of Pierrot and Howard's End were completely unplayable like Walkabout, yeah, nothing to lose.
With Howard's End, it seems playable so far. So, I'm going to hold on to it even if it is a ticking time bomb of unplayability.
But, with Pierrot...I rather have half a film and the supplements (still seem to work) than no film at all.
In either case, I'm holding off on sending them anything until I hear people are starting to get replacements back since a) I'd like to send one big shipment in (counting on the exchange expanding beyond the listed titles) and b) will be sending in all eligible titles even if playback is not unaffected [I]yet[I] since there is no foolproof way to know if you have a bad pressing or not.
#143
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
People have been experiencing isolated issues with some of these titles for years. It's just now that the scale of the problem is coming to light. As much as I rag on them, it really was blu-ray.com catching wind of this that caused all of the OCD pyschos to start going through their entire collections and begin documenting manufacturing codes and the like. Without them, most of us would still be blissfully ignorant. It's also reasonable to assume that a specific amount of time had to have elapsed in order for the chemical reaction that's causing this to do its damage. Therefore, it may not be a coincidence that all of these discs suddenly became unplayable within a relative narrow window.
#144
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Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
#145
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
I have 6 for sure discs on my list for exchange and I'm still looking. Walkabout is the most bronzed of them all and it doesn't even attempt to load on my bd players but my laptop loads it up. Weird!
#147
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
I sent the 5 I had from the list in a couple of weeks ago, they received them the next day. From calling them a few days ago I was told that it will be at least another week before they send anything out (they're still waiting on corrected discs) and that the out of print titles will also be replaced.
#148
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
So far they are still sending out their canned response to the issue and they have not added any new but obviously affected titles to the list. Also, their lack of a 100% clear answer on whether or not they will replace the affected OOP discs is a bit disconcerting to me.
#149
Re: Criterion - disc rot/'bronzing'
So far they are still sending out their canned response to the issue and they have not added any new but obviously affected titles to the list. Also, their lack of a 100% clear answer on whether or not they will replace the affected OOP discs is a bit disconcerting to me.
Last edited by Brooklyn; 10-18-14 at 05:58 PM.