"DVD Rot" problems

No,

But then again, who has time to re-watch all their DVDs in a large collection.

All I can say is, I sure hope NOT! I was kinda hoping DVD's would last a lifetime, they should, they cost a lot!

Is it possible that it is the DVD players fault, I noticed my new Sony 700p gets the disc very very hot compared to previous dvd players.

So is it possible that the player is reheating the glue or something. It seems the most of these problem occur at the dual layer switch from what I have read.

Contact is the only DVD, that I know of, that has constantly come up with this problem.

David people have tried different DVD players and the disc has the same problem so I think in most cases, DVD players can be ruled out.


Jeff

Quite a few problems with My Fair Lady (another WAMO disc) as well. My Contact is going strong, but MFL chokes up both DVD players at the change. Also, I've heard that Devil's Advocate suffers from the same problem. I hope not because I have the pre-we-got-sued-and-had-to-change-the-sculpture version that is now OOP. If that goes...

I'm always amused when this topic comes up. You can bet that several replies will be along the lines of "make sure the disc is clean," "it's your player," etc.

While those things certainly matter the absolute fact is that some discs have gone bad after initially being fine, and that in nearly every case they were manufactured by WAMO and are dual-layered (RSDL) discs.

So far for me it has happened with MY FAIR LADY, YELLOW SUBMARINE, and GHOSTBUSTERS. All played fine upon purchase, all later wouldn't play correctly in the second layer. Discs were clean and unscratched and the problem occurred on multiple players.

Good point, Glenn. I keep my discs clean, never handling them outside of touching the ring and edges, and no one, I mean NO ONE ELSE handles them. When I encountered the MFL problem I looked at the disc in interior, and then natural light to see if I could see any fingerprints, dust, etc. Nada. But I did see towards the outer edge of the gold disc (RSDL) some slight discoloration of that gold, like it had changed properties or something.

Still waiting for WB to respond to my letter.

The Kentucky Fried Movie also experienced this problem.

the only disc i've had this problem with[so far]is the yes house of yes dvd

Was watching my Planet of the Apes TV series disc 2
and when putting it back in its case saw a small area
of foggyness at the outer rim. Incipient DVD rot?
Needless to say, I'll be studying that disc carefully
in the coming months. This is not a WAMO disc, but then this problem doesn't seem to be limited to WAMO discs.

Regarding WAMO, though, I had a three-disc set of Fawlty Towers replaced because one had problems and so had a couple of spare discs at hand. Decided to subject one of them to a stress test. I bent the disc to and fro. I stuck my fingernail under the inner rim of the layers and heard the glue separate. Air poured into the inner ring. Didn't take much to start the separation. Eventually the disc broke from bending, and to my amazement I found I was able to *peel* the two layers apart with NO difficulty. What were they held together with? I've seen better adhesive in model glue. If this is all that keeps discs from delaminating and allowing air inside to react with the aluminum, I think we'll be seeing much more reports of rot. I should NOT have been able to peel the layers apart with my own fingers but did.

A couple of years ago I tried the same test with a slightly cracked Star Trek TOS disc, and the layers in that disc were much too tightly bonded for me to pull them apart after the disc had broke from the bending test. If memory serves, I also had to bend that much more drastically.

I suggest the next time someone has had a disc replaced, rather than just dispose of the old one, do the stress test.
In my estimation, WAMO discs aren't as well put together as the ones pressed by Paramount.

David people have tried different DVD players and the disc has the same problem so I think in most cases, DVD players can be ruled out.


What I meant was: Is it possible that the disc is perfect before playing, then the dvd player is so hot that it melts the glue in a way that makes it impossible for any DVD player to play the disc properly.

My "Yes: House of Yes: Live from the House of Blues"
went bad the other week. Played fine when I bought it.

I've had this happen with a couple of discs, both WAMO product:

The Postman - yes, I actually bought that movie!
Eyes Wide Shut - worked once, then failed around the orgy scene. Talk about disappointment.

I haven't had any problems with really early WAMO discs, like the aforementioned Contact. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The layers separated on my copy of Shakespeare in Love after about a year. The separation is clearly visible. I have three different players and the disk is unplayable on any of them.

For a product that's supposed to have a shelf life of
50 to 100 years and not degrade with use, DVD seems
not to be living up to expectation. 1 year shelf life?

I suspect that WAMO is the primary problem and that
the ease with which I separated the layers is not an
aberration but the norm. Their bonding agents are
grossly inadequate. Whether it's true for all of
the replicating plants or just some, who knows? The
instances of rot in other studios' discs may be due
to lapses in quality control.

In any event, this is serious business, and Warner
faces the biggest consumer backlash in history unless
this problem is addressed and corrected.

As far as I can tell, Region 2 MGM discs are not
manufactured by WAMO. Wonder if it might be a good idea
to stock up on those.

I've had this happen with R1 Ghostbusters and R2 L.A. Confidential.

Of course I haven't really got an idea whether socalled DVD Rot is the problem or anything else, but those are pixellating.

Does anyone know if this has anything to do with the 'cloudiness' that you can see in 90% of DVD discs? I've had 'cloudy' discs for years and they still play, but are these the discs that will go first in the future? Does anyone know?

In other words - should I get rid of ALL my 'cloudy' discs (which is many, many of them)!?

Martin,

I don't think cloudiness is an indication of DVD rot. I have quite a few cloudy discs that play fine even after all these years. The thing where I find discs go bad is on the outer edge, where the player will have to make the layer change, and that's where you can see gold discs going slightly rust colored (not saying it is rust, just that color) if the layers have pulled apart.

Heck, just to think of it, I have a ton of CDs that have had clouds and swirlies in them that still play fine after 5-10 years of owning them...

Crest National was using a defective lacquer on some discs for Anchor Bay that will cause the problems you've described. I've had it happen myself to several of the discs. The known offenders on this list:

Heathers LE
Frankenstein Created Woman
The Witches
Opera (though for most people this one wouldn't play right off the bat, rather than developing the problem).
There are some reports of the theatrical disc of The Wicker Man having the problem as well.

For Anchor Bay problem discs, there is a replacement program set up. Follow this link if your discs are defective:

http://www.theregangroup.com/pages/dvdhelp.php

the yes disc i mentioned was a crest national disc not a wamo disc fyi

YES ...

My DEVILS ADVOCATE disc hangs up and pixelates for about 4 chapters at the end of the movie.

The disc is clean and I have watched it maybe twice in the last year. Both times were OK!

The last few times I tried it hangs at the same time in the movie ... this is the first disc I've had this happen to.

Do DVD's on newer players feel very warm after playing them. I think this is the case on many older players. Just wondering if investing in a new player is a good idea or not.

Maybe players should have some kind of fan blowing on the disc while it is playing to redue heat.


I had Gladiator go bad after playing it once! Now it won't read or anything. Fortunately Universal was very good about sending me a new one, even though I bought it over a year ago. My Ghostbusters also went bad, I took it back to Wal-Mart and got a new (non-WAMO) one without question.

I sent e-mails to DVDFILE and DIGITALBITS to see if they had any opion on "DVD-rot" but I never got a response. Kind of scary, considering how a lot of members here have spent A LOT of their VERY hard-earned money on DVD over the years.

If the "cloudy" or coffee-stain look that you see on many DVDs is harmless (which appears to be the case) then what on earth is it?

What is the deal with the outer edges of DVD? Some appear to have dried glue at random intervals on the edges (like it dripped out). Others have none. Also, some DVDs seem sticky on the edges, even after having them for awhile (my discs are not stored in an overly warm or humid enviorment).

Where does the original Devils Advocate fail?

Maybe one of us should remeber to ask this at the next studio chat, regardless of who that may be (well except maybe Paramount, it does'nt sound like any of their discs go bad).

Hopefully insiders are reading this....otherwise, can you say "Class Action?"

Jason, you can check out my comments regarding this delamination issue in the panicky thread at DVD Talk, but...

For the record, there is no rotting. On an extremely low percentage of discs there has been a failure of the lacquer or UV resin bonding the polycarbonate substrates.


Use and storage conditions are not causal, the problem is a manufacturing defect. Many of your DVDs have been exposed to extreme cold and heat during shipping, besides manufacture and testing. Much more so than during use. If the disc is defective then sure, extreme temps could exacerbate the problem on the effected discs. Btw, the only way humidity can be a factor is if the laminate has already failed (or is failing), thus allowing air between the substrates.


It is related to the temperature of the polycarbonate in the injection and molding process. I think it is indicative of a lower temperature, but I'm not certain of that.


If a large percentage of discs manifest this problem then there will be large class action lawsuits and the DVD marketplace could collapse. But, since this is a rare manufacturing defect and not a disease I'm not anticipating an outbreak. The sky is not falling.


A lot of people seem to be freaking out. If your DVD fails you get a replacement from the company that released it.

Another culprit I forgot to mention is the overenthusiastic grips that many cases (notably Alphas and Scanavos) have on discs. Since even a teeny-tiny crack will screw up playback, that can be the cause as well. I know that many instances of Gladiator going bad are traceable to this. For those having trouble with that disc not playing, look very closely at the hub in a good light and see if you don't have a small crack.

When going on about WAMO, don't forget that they press discs for many other companies besides Warner (i.e., look beyond the snapper case).

Aurel, Which version of Devil's Advocate did you have a problem with?

Scott,

Thanks for your response.

My 6-month-old copy of "O Brother Where Art Thou" now refuses to play on 4 different players, after playing flawlessly a few times. This is my first disc to go bad. It was not scratched or damaged.