Warner to the HD Rescue? (1 Viewer)

[Joseph DeMartino]

Well, there's a clear, articulate post, filled with sensible arguments supported by fact.

I take it you are a partisan of BD or HD-DVD and simply want all alternate formats to vanish? What is there in Warner Bros. proposal to "hate"? How does it harm you if this option is made available?

Regards,

Joe

 

[BrettB]

My brief post, while accurately stating my hope for this idea, was mostly designed with comedy in mind.

I'm a Blu-ray supporter but have no problem with HD DVD. I simply think Blu-ray has more potential so I want it to live up to it's potential and survive. I don't wish death on HD DVD. If it works out that both formats survive I have absolutely no problem with that.

I would imagine if that's the way it goes there will end up being uni players. Could you explain to me how a disc that contains both warring formats is any less 'mythical' than a player that would play both formats?

I guess the main thing I don't like is being limited to 1 layer for a format. Doesn't sound good at all to me.

You say it makes life simpler I say it only confuses the issue. Are they going to stop making BD and HD DVD discs and only have this 3FD? Because that's the only way it would make things simpler.

Do the $4-5 SD DVD bins disappear?

This thing looks great for retailers. For consumers, not so much.

 

[Rachael B]

I have 3 DVD's that I know of where the bottom layer has quit playing properly. DVD rot does occur.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I heard about a few instances of what used to called "laser rot" on some early DVDs, but it is hardly an ongoing problem that should be causing anxiety about current discs. And what you're experiencing isn't necessarily "dvd rot" in any case, since there are many reasons a disc might not play properly (fine scratchs, dirt, etc.) from the second layer.

True "rot" is the result of layers separating due to materials flaws (usually the glue) or manufacturing flaws. Laserdiscs were much more prone to the problem simply because of the larger surface areas involved and because they were subject to more physical stress in handling, storage and playback, again a function of the larger platter size. IIRC manufacturers very quickly solved the problems that were contributing to instances of DVD "rot". I've been collecting DVDs since the fall of 1997. I've never personally encountered an instance of DVD rot, haven't seen all that many confirmed accounts of the problem over the years, and can't remember the last time I heard about the problem in a disc produced after 1999 or so.

Every new technology goes through problems. Some early CDs used an silk-screen ink formulation that ate through the protective coating and damaged the discs. Nobody had ever used that particular combination of coating and ink, and nobody new that there would be this odd chemcial reaction. When the problem was discovered, it was fixed and everyone moved foreward. When's the last time you heard about a CD going bad because of label ink? Had you even heard of the problem?

The nice thing about the proposed SD/HD/BD disc is that it isn't a fundamentally new technology. It is a new application of existing and fairly-well understood and tested technologies. Hence there is little likelihood of something like DVD rot suddenly reappearing because the discs are going to be made of the same polycarbonate and aluminum substrate materials bound with the same glues as current BD, HD and SD discs are.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Rachael B]

Joe, it's not just DVD lauch titles that fail. My first copy of Contact failed. My Vista Series copy of Tombstone failed. I can't remember what the third title was at the moment. I threw it away.... I may have lots of rotted DVD's sitting on my shelves? I have over a 1000. It's been years since I played many of them.

On all 3 discs, the 2nd layer would play but it frooze, skipped, not watchable. I got the Tombstone disc the week it came out and watched it twice that week. Less than a year later when I tried to play it, it was messed up. I've not seen a single-layer disc fail, yet.

 

[Terri Chu]

I have encountered similar problem with a handful of my DVDs. I don't remember most of the title but the one that really ticks me off is the original version of Devil's Advocate (the one with the original sculpture that's digitized on the re-release due to copyright issue).

I also experienced the ink-rotting-the-CD issue on many CDs I bought in the 1980s and early 90's, most of them are out of print and I'm SOL because I can't listen to them anymore.