Frustrated with rim cracks: my discs are dying. (1 Viewer)

[Kevin M]

Well like I said, some have had these cracks for years and I have had zero problems. But....to each their own, if you feel the need to throw out any offending cracked disc then do so. I, like many others here, have never had this separation effect as a result of a cracked spindle hole. Sorry for your bad luck Frank and in the future I suggest using more care with your discs when storing them.


BTW,

why do you use such

odd spacing

in

your

posts?

 

[Dave Farley]

No problem, Frank.

There was a fairly widespread issue on the Star Wars(A New Hope) disc. Chapter 26 had an area that would freeze up or skip. Fox replaced the discs without a hassle. Between everyone I knew that bought the set, it ran about 50/50 in terms of having the issue versus not having it.

There are also some sound issues on that disc that Lucasfilm claims are deliberate. It's obviously not true, but I guess they'll wait until the next release to fix them(hopefully).


Edit-Frank, I missed this part of your post the first time around:


I would definitely start running a dehumidifier down there from late spring-early fall, even if you're not going to continue to store them there. Basements can easily get into the 60-70 RH% range. I'm no expert on DVDs, but that can't be good for them.

 

[Kwang Suh]

Did you try to play them?

 

[Joshua_W]

I've noticed a few DVDs with small, hairline cracks radiating outward from the hub.

So far, they all play fine, but I fear that the stress from repeated plays will eventually cause the cracks to expand and ultimately destroy the disc. A crack is a weak spot on a solid, and they expand easily under stress.

I have to wonder if the hub mechanisms on DVD cases don't put too much stress on the hubs. A lot of the pop on or off with a "snap" that bothers me. And a lot of cases have death grips that make it next to impossible get the DVDs off (I've noticed a few Digipak tray designs that are particularly bad.)

I've also noticed that this is a kind of a problem with adult DVDs; in my collection, the problem seems more common with those titles than mainstream titles. On the adultdvdtalk forum, there's someone who posted pictures of his "I Dream of Jenna" DVD that shattered into pieces while trying to removie from the keepcase.

 

[Joshua_W]

I've heard a lot reports about "swing trays" (like Ep I came in) cracking DVDs, though I've never experienced it myself.

The problem seems to occur when the first disc (on the tray) is being replaced in the case while the swing tray is resting on top of the second DVD. The stress of pusing the DVD onto the tray can crack the disc under it, or vice versa.

So when you're replacing these DVDs in their cases, lift the "swing tray" and rest it under your hand while you snap the DVD onto it.

 

[Vader]

Here lies the problem: If you have to 'snap' the disc back in place, you are asking for trouble. I also have never had a problem with cracked hubs caused by "swing trays", and actively use these cases to replace two-disc digipacks. The trick is to push down on the "swing tray" hub when replacing the disc, then releasing it so that the "tabs" on the hub clear the center of the disc, and hold it in place. If the tray is resting on the hub of the lower disc, it is no different than pushing on it with your finger to release the disc. No additional pressure is exerted, and the worst thing that could happen is that you may inadvertantly release the bottom disc. Unfortunately, the production line of workers that put the discs in the cases in the first place couldn't care less, so they snap each one in the hub (which explanes broken hubs, floaters, etc). In short, never snap a disc back into place (or learn how to live with cracked hubs)......

 

[PopBodhi]

I have noticed the plastic separation at the hubs of some of my DVDs. I haven't experienced an encounter with a cracked hub personally. A dear friend of mine *had* a copy of Under the Tuscan Sun which initially sported several small cracks and finally an entire 1/8" of plastic on one side the hub broke off. I contacted the studio and they sent a mailer for the defective disc.

 

[Kevin L McCorry]

I've been experiencing this problem for years. At least 2 dozen DVDs have been cracked at the rim. The latest I've discovered was Star Blazers- Quest For Iscandar Vol. 1. The only disc cases I now trust are the Alpha ones whose spindles do not stress the hub of the discs during removal or re-insertion or storage.

Yes, the inner rim of the DVD is its weak spot. Any amount of stress on the hub can induce a crack, and I suspect some were cracked when I got them, but I didn't notice until later.

 

[Frank@N]

I also dumped alot of non-standard cases designs.

Took all my 'triangle' disc 1 trays and swaped them for round hub trays.

Something else to think about: never had this problem with Snappers.

The hub is soft (almost rubber-like) plastic.

 

[PopBodhi]

I bought The Waltons Season 2 and I've noticed a few small, hairline cracks radiating outward from the hub on the 2nd disc. Thankfully all the other discs are fine.

 

[Don Solosan]

What about keeping your discs in those binders with the plastic pages? You bypass entirely the problem with hubs.

 

[Alex-A]

I only have one DVD that is cracked, my X2 X-Men United disc 1. I know it was because of the hub in the case that caused it, as this design puts an incredible amount of pressure on the disc's inner hub when removing or replacing the disc. It isn't too bad yet but it'll eventually work its way to the data part of the disc and destroy it. Lucky for me, I have an extra set of discs from one time I found a CD wallet full of DVDs.

Here's the cracks I have


A friend of mine gave me an excellent idea that makes two-disc keep cases much easier to work with. Flip the 'tray' upside-down so that when you open the case you have both discs facing you. It makes it easier to access both discs, since you don't have to flip the tray over to get disc two out, and when replacing disc one it won't be resting on disc two.

Example:


I've done this to all my two-disc keep cases, and the same will be done to any future ones I buy.

 

[Nathan*W]

Excellent idea RE: flipping the tray 180° and I will do that very thing this evening!

 

[Jason Hughes]

Grrr....my second disc of the Invisible Man has several cracks. One piece of one layer of the inner rim came completley off! Almost impossible to remove the disc without some force. Checked the other Monster discs, while tight, not anywhere the amount of force required to remove.

WHY, OH WHY!!!!????? do the studios use death-grip hubs for any type of packaging?

I tend to agree that most of these cracks won't due much harm, but what about the ones that remove such a chunk that the inner rim is no longer a perfect circle? I bet those won't play anymore, even if the crack does not spread to the media part of the disc.

It would seem that simple, very common sense would dictate that you do not use these hubs. At least on the older death grip hubs (think Magnolia or Lawrence of Arabia) you could break a couple of the spindles off and then not have this problem.

 

[Kevin M]

As has been mentioned in other threads, popping a CD (an AOL one that you can get for free for example) in & out of these overly tight digipak hubs loosens them up rather well. There is no need to break the hubs.

 

[nicholas_g]

The only R1 that has cracked for me is Blade 2. I always move the film DVD off the tray in these double amaray cases to the back of the case. So, it was my extras disc 2 that got cracked. It is a single crack that goes well into the data area. The tray gripped the discs too tight.

My worst R2 is Star Trek TNG and DS9. I was getting brand new discs already cracked due to to tight packaging. I ended up with 10 cracked discs.

Here is my worse DS9 one (got replaced).

 

[Jason Hughes]

Agreed, and that is what I usually do, or I use a CDR gone bad...

In this case it was crack before ever having been removed the disc once and with the amount of pressure I was applying to remove it at all, I broke (intentionally)the two lower "teeth" that hold it in off. I really feel I would have snapped the disc had I not. Now it comes on and off easily and still seems to be fairly secure.

 

[Frank@N]

Well, here goes...

Just bought Bond Collection #2 (new) and found that 'You Only Live Twice' has an interior rim crack.

Sent MGM email asking for the address for defective discs.

I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[Jason Hughes]

Don't know how well that will work. I always call and get a live person. Try the contact information from The Digital Bits:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/dvdlink.html

Don't know what response you will get out of MGM (if any) as they get assimilated into the world of Sony...

 

[Nathan Phillips]

This thread made me paranoid enough to check every disc I own, and I did not find any cracks, but I did notice that I have one of the death-grip hubs depicted above by Alex-A on my "Finding Nemo" and I think I'll be picking up one of the gentler swing-packs just to be on the safe side.

But anyway, not long after I did that lengthy check I received the "Chronological Donald" Disney Treasures tin in the mail and the discs looked fine (they come in one of those thick double-Alphas). I took disc two out for the first time earlier tonight and found it unusually difficult, and when I looked at it afterward, I saw that a crack had formed. Eek.

I've had an experience before with a cracked CD that spent several years slowly degrading, so I tend to assume that any crack will eventually destroy the disc, and knowing how elusive these Disney sets invariably turn out to be sooner or later, I immediately decided I would register the disc and get a replacement for the $7 fee.

When I put the disc back into place, the crack got even worse and now it is clearly visible how the top layer is splitting and air is building up in the center of the disc. It's kind of disturbing, really. I investigated the case to see that the problem was a cracked and misshapen hub that I suppose would just irritate the disc every time it was removed or replaced. So now I have to get a replacement for the case, too, but that's okay.

In looking over my collection I noticed that glue was visible in a fair number of the dual-layer titles I own, especially those -- as someone else mentioned -- from Warners. This seems so common I'm tempted to believe it's fine and not threatening, but should I be worried about it?