Have BR & 4K Manufacturing Processes Changed Recently? (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

Aside from the pressing materials, I have had more issue with quality control from some of these companies, especially Imprint. I recently had a real headache of a problem with the Jerry Lewis at Columbia bluray set. It contains 2 movies. The first disc worked. Would you believe the second disc was actually blank?? No scratches at all. But there was no info on the disc and it would not load at all. Showed up as "unknown" in the player. When I contacted ViaVision/Imprint, they said they could not replace it and I should go back to the store where I purchased. The store where I purchased had initially directed me to ViaVision and when they would not replace it, they allowed a return. Never experienced such a yo-yo situation returning a bluray disc before. Never even had the need to return one.

Which retailer?

 

[JohnRice]

Via Vision would have no way of knowing that you had purchased the disc from a legitimate outlet vs acquired a copy that might have been previously discarded from them as being defective. I get the frustration but that’s very standard for any manufacturer of any product - most of them will direct you to the point of sale. I think it was the store that erred in turning you away in the first place. You’re the store’s customer, and the store is Via Vision’s customer.

Agreed. It's almost always the retailer's duty to provide customer service to the purchaser. There are rare exceptions (MFSL, way back when for example, wanted defects directed to them, but that is rare) but in virtually all cases, it's the retailer who deals with defects. Large appliances are another common exception, but that is for different reasons.

 

[Robert13]

For what it’s worth, I received a disc from Via Vision that appeared at first glance to be defective - would not load in the player. It turned out that there was nothing wrong with the disc, but rather, that they used the latest version of encryption that my player hadn’t yet downloaded the update to be able to play it.



Via Vision would have no way of knowing that you had purchased the disc from a legitimate outlet vs acquired a copy that might have been previously discarded from them as being defective. I get the frustration but that’s very standard for any manufacturer of any product - most of them will direct you to the point of sale. I think it was the store that erred in turning you away in the first place. You’re the store’s customer, and the store is Via Vision’s customer.

All of that would be plausible except that "The Big Mouth" which is the other disc in the set worked perfectly fine. Why would they use one form of encryption on one title and not the other?
I had purchased it brand-new, sealed with the Via Vision rating sticker on the front of the case. It wasn't opened or previously-viewed. They didn't even ask to see a receipt of sale. The retailer is a pretty well-known boutique store online. So I'm very surprised they are not even considered "legitimate" from Via Vision.

 

[Robert13]

So I ended up returning it, purchased another and the same problem... THE BIG MOUTH works perfectly. HOOK, LINE & SINKER will not even load. Has anyone else purchased this set? I'm wondering if there was a bad batch of HOOK, LINE & SINKER blurays that the company is either not aware of or is not replacing. Why would one film load and not the other?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

What are you trying to play the discs on? Do you live in Australia?

 

[Robert13]

What are you trying to play the discs on? Do you live in Australia?

No, I'm in the U.S. but this set is region-free. I tried playing it on a Sony BR player as well as a friend's Samsung. THE BIG MOUTH worked on both. HOOK, LINE & SINKER didn't load at all on either. It just keeps clicking and then says "Disc Cannot Be Played". Very frustrating. Definitely making me not want to buy any IMPRINT or ViaVision BRs anymore.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Okay...

Not to diminish your situation any, but you were making me nervous and I had to finally get up out of my comfy chair, go down into my home theater, and try out this disc in two of my three BD/4k players.

The problem disc is HOOK LINE AND SINKER, right?

Tried it both in my Oppo 209 and my Panasonic 820 and it played fine.

But I don't deny your issues and have no idea why it is happening on two separate players.

 

[Robert13]

Okay...

Not to diminish your situation any, but you were making me nervous and I had to finally get up out of my comfy chair, go down into my home theater, and try out this disc in two of my three BD/4k players.

The problem disc is HOOK LINE AND SINKER, right?

Tried it both in my Oppo 209 and my Panasonic 820 and it played fine.

But I don't deny your issues and have no idea why it is happening on two separate players.

May I ask if you purchased the set recently or when it first came out? It's driving me nuts! I tried my aunt's player just moments ago and drove to her house. I was so nervous when the disc would not even eject. I finally got it out and I feel like throwing it in the trash. I paid 62 bucks with shipping for this set and one disc is worthless. I would never have bought the set if I knew only 1 of the movies would work. Thanks for testing yours! I guess there are discs out there that work. I can't believe both purchases for the same set and that 1 disc just refuses to play. I'd laugh if I wasn't so annoyed.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

No, I'm in the U.S. but this set is region-free. I tried playing it on a Sony BR player as well as a friend's Samsung. THE BIG MOUTH worked on both. HOOK, LINE & SINKER didn't load at all on either. It just keeps clicking and then says "Disc Cannot Be Played". Very frustrating. Definitely making me not want to buy any IMPRINT or ViaVision BRs anymore.

How old are those players? Have you cleaned them out at all perhaps?

Personally, I wouldn't trust Samsung nor even Sony players quite that much, especially if they're pretty old by now (and probably didn't get any firmware updates in ages). Heck, I've even had 2 previous Panasonic BD players go bad on me after a year or two each... though the Pannies are at least usually the best in terms of actual playback quality combined w/ affordability (before they start flaking out and/or die that is), so I tolerate them as the best of the otherwise increasingly mediocre and unreliable options, especially now that Oppo's long gone.

As w/ many other things, they just don't make optical disc players like they used to (although I get it's at least in part because they're also increasingly, substantially more complex and precision demanding than it used to be)...

_Man_

 

[Ronald Epstein]

May I ask if you purchased the set recently or when it first came out? It's driving me nuts! I tried my aunt's player just moments ago and drove to her house. I was so nervous when the disc would not even eject. I finally got it out and I feel like throwing it in the trash. I paid 62 bucks with shipping for this set and one disc is worthless. I would never have bought the set if I knew only 1 of the movies would work. Thanks for testing yours! I guess there are discs out there that work. I can't believe both purchases for the same set and that 1 disc just refuses to play. I'd laugh if I wasn't so annoyed.

This set was a day-one purchase. Had it on preorder from Deep Discount and got the first batch.

THE BIG MOUTH had been a film I had wanted for years. Had rallied Columbia to release it as far back as the late 90s. I owned an abbreviated version of it on Super 8mm, which is presented as one of the extras in this set.

 

[Robert13]

How old are those players? Have you cleaned them out at all perhaps?

Personally, I wouldn't trust Samsung nor even Sony players quite that much, especially if they're pretty old by now (and probably didn't get any firmware updates in ages). Heck, I've even had 2 previous Panasonic BD players go bad on me after a year or two each... though the Pannies are at least usually the best in terms of actual playback quality combined w/ affordability (before they start flaking out and/or die that is), so I tolerate them as the best of the otherwise increasingly mediocre and unreliable options, especially now that Oppo's long gone.

As w/ many other things, they just don't make optical disc players like they used to (although I get it's at least in part because they're also increasingly, substantially more complex and precision demanding than it used to be)...

_Man_

The only thing about all of those suggestions is that THE BIG MOUTH works. I have watched it twice and it played flawlessly. HOOK, LINE & SINKER will not even load and the disc is brand-new, no scratches at all. Plus I ended up buying a second set to test and now will be returning it. Same problem: BIG MOUTH works, HL&S doesn't. It's just the most bizarre BR experience I have had to date.

 

[Robert13]

This set was a day-one purchase. Had it on preorder from Deep Discount and got the first batch.

THE BIG MOUTH had been a film I had wanted for years. Had rallied Columbia to release it as far back as the late 90s. I owned an abbreviated version of it on Super 8mm, which is presented as one of the extras in this set.

Wondering if you received the first batch. Though I was under the impression this was a Limited Edition set, I could be wrong. Beats me why 1 movie plays and the other won't even load to the menu screen. Weird.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

The only thing about all of those suggestions is that THE BIG MOUTH works. I have watched it twice and it played flawlessly. HOOK, LINE & SINKER will not even load and the disc is brand-new, no scratches at all. Plus I ended up buying a second set to test and now will be returning it. Same problem: BIG MOUTH works, HL&S doesn't. It's just the most bizarre BR experience I have had to date.

Actually, that's exactly partly why I suspect the players could be (part of) the problem.

Yes, there could possibly be some kinda issue w/ that one disc across multiple copies (whether it's the authoring or the actual manufacturing), but it could also be a combo issue w/ the players having the issues I mentioned being/becoming especially unable to play (multiple copies of) that disc.

I've found that failing players often become flakey or not work at all w/ specific discs (even multiple copies of specific titles) first before eventually failing across the board. And definitely, some players and/or their firmwares also might not work right or at all w/ specific discs even if not truly malfunctioning as one normally thinks of player dying or the like -- I've definitely experienced and heard/read plenty of all that.

_Man_

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I think it’s the answer I had previously suggested - it’s a newly released disc with the latest AACS encryption and the player needs a firmware update in order for it to work. There could also be region locking issues at play because you’re viewing a disc from another territory in the player.

That disc 1 plays and disc 2 doesn’t is sort of irrelevant - each disc could have been authored at a different facility and/or manufactured in a different plant and/or made to different specifications. I’ve worked on producing multidisc sets before where, for a variety of boring reasons, the work was farmed out to different facilities.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

^Yes, that is certainly the first, most likely scenario. After that, it could certainly also be old players starting to fail/malfunction for whatever reasons as they definitely do have limited lifespan along w/ other possible player wear and/or simply "needs cleaning" factors (that might first start showing up w/ select discs before worsening and "spreading").

Either way, particularly if those are old players (and quite possibly no longer supported w/ needed firmware updates), you may simply have to buy new players before long...

_Man_

 

[Robert13]

Actually, that's exactly partly why I suspect the players could be (part of) the problem.

Yes, there could possibly be some kinda issue w/ that one disc across multiple copies (whether it's the authoring or the actual manufacturing), but it could also be a combo issue w/ the players having the issues I mentioned being/becoming especially unable to play (multiple copies of) that disc.

I've found that failing players often become flakey or not work at all w/ specific discs (even multiple copies of specific titles) first before eventually failing across the board. And definitely, some players and/or their firmwares also might not work right or at all w/ specific discs even if not truly malfunctioning as one normally thinks of player dying or the like -- I've definitely experienced and heard/read plenty of all that.

That's a lot of info. Thanks! You could be right. I have played a couple of movies a week on this player and never had any issues. Can anyone recommend a good player currently on the market? I know a lot of people mention Oppo but they apparently do not make BR players any longer. What about Panasonic? I see they still manufacture players.

 

[Robert13]

I think it’s the answer I had previously suggested - it’s a newly released disc with the latest AACS encryption and the player needs a firmware update in order for it to work. There could also be region locking issues at play because you’re viewing a disc from another territory in the player.

That disc 1 plays and disc 2 doesn’t is sort of irrelevant - each disc could have been authored at a different facility and/or manufactured in a different plant and/or made to different specifications. I’ve worked on producing multidisc sets before where, for a variety of boring reasons, the work was farmed out to different facilities.

That could explain it too. I didn't know all of that. Thanks for the info! At this point, I'm going to get a MOD-copy of the movie on DVD just so I can play it at all. LOL

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

IF it does turn out you need a new player, I'd say Panasonic's probably the best amongst the major brands still making players... but by no means infallible or very long lasting -- general durability/reliability seems to have gone out the window long ago w/ most these brands, including Panasonic, but Panasonic does seem to be best in most/all other areas, including firmware support, w/out necessarily being worse in durability/reliability. There's also the little bonus w/ Panasonic players typically being able to be (fairly easily) remote hacked for playing (most?) discs locked to other regions (than North America), if you might ever wanna import some titles, which other brand players typically aren't capable (w/out some other additional/paid 3rd party hack).

I'd definitely avoid Samsung and probably also Sony for the most part.

And if you're getting a new player, it might also be time to consider moving upto a 4K player instead even if you don't have imminent designs for the 4K disc format itself... that is, if you don't mind spending the moderate amount more for one... since there may well be better support and QC w/ 4K players (at least for the lower formats playback) than plain old BD players going forward I imagine...

_Man_

 

[Robert13]

IF it does turn out you need a new player, I'd say Panasonic's probably the best amongst the major brands still making players... but by no means infallible or very long lasting -- general durability/reliability seems to have gone out the window long ago w/ most these brands, including Panasonic, but Panasonic does seem to be best in most/all other areas, including firmware support, w/out necessarily being worse in durability/reliability. There's also the little bonus w/ Panasonic players typically being able to be (fairly easily) remote hacked for playing (most?) discs locked to other regions (than North America), if you might ever wanna import some titles, which other brand players typically aren't capable (w/out some other additional/paid 3rd party hack).

I'd definitely avoid Samsung and probably also Sony for the most part.

And if you're getting a new player, it might also be time to consider moving upto a 4K player instead even if you don't have imminent designs for the 4K disc format itself... that is, if you don't mind spending the moderate amount more for one... since there may well be better support and QC w/ 4K players (at least for the lower formats playback) than plain old BD players going forward I imagine...

_Man_

Thank you so much for all the info and guidance! I will be shopping for a new one. I see that Panasonic has one that is just over 200 and one that is more than 400. Both are 4k. Should I be concerned about such a wide price difference? I'm wondering what is so different that justifies hefty difference in price tag.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thank you so much for all the info and guidance! I will be shopping for a new one. I see that Panasonic has one that is just over 200 and one that is more than 400. Both are 4k. Should I be concerned about such a wide price difference? I'm wondering what is so different that justifies hefty difference in price tag.

The Panny 420 doesn't have Dolby Vision capability while the 820 does have it. I have two Panny 820's which are basically backups to my two Oppo 203 players. I have no complaints the few times I have played the 820 players.