My "A Night to Remember" disappears! (1 Viewer)

[Jeff_HR]

My DVD of "A Night to Remember" has self-destructed in some way. When put into my DVD player the player indicates that there is NO DISC! It used to play just fine in the same player. All other DVDs play in this player. Has anyone ever had this happen to them with a DVD?

I guess I'll have to repurchase unless I can discover why this happens & fix it. THX for your kind attention. :frowning:

 

[Bill McA]

I too developed problems with my disc, heavy pixilation and freezing.
I contacted Criterion by e-mail and they sent me a replacement copy once I sent my disc to them.

 

[Jeff_HR]

I guess I'll try that route. It is cheaper than repurchasing.

 

[SteveJKo]

Same thing happened to me. I e-mailed Criterion several times and they have never responded.

 

[Will_B]

Maybe it is a pun made real. (Now you have to remember A Night to Remember).

 

[AndrewWickliffe]

When I saw the message thread, I thought maybe you meant the machine ate and digested the disc... which actually happened to me once, back in '98, with a... something or other DVD player (the ones with region free Walmart made popular). I had to open the player and get the disc out...

 

[David_B_K]

The exact same thing happened to my original DVD. I wrote Criterion, and Jon Mulvaney responded. I returned the now blank DVD, and they sent a new one.

 

[Jim Bur]

Jeff: After reading your post, I checked my copy of A Night To Remember. I experienced a similar problem. When I put it in my DVD player it wouldn't play and instead I got the disc reading error message. I then checked to see if it would play in another DVD player, and it not only wouldn't play but caused havoc with the player, so I had to unplug the player and then re-plug it back in to finally be able to eject the DVD. The DVD had played okay when I originally purchased it approximately 7 years ago. So it appears that Criterion has provided us with a product that literally self destructs.

I think I paid either 29.95 or 39.95 for my copy. How ironic that the company that charges the highest price for its DVD's is putting out such a product. Back in the heyday of VHS tapes, even the shoddy one and two buck bargain basement tapes would last longer than 7 years. I wonder how many more of the older Criterion DVD's of other titles have this same problem? Has anyone ever experienced this kind of problem with any other DVD's? From some of the other posts, it appears Criterion is aware of the problem. Have they taken any steps to do a recall and/or alert the public of this problem with their DVD's?

c Jim Bur

 

[Dave Mack]

Woah! I was just about to order one used on Ebay. Glad I held off!!!!

Isn't it time for a new anamorphic release? the AR is like 1:66-1, yes? Annie, please!

 

[RickER]

I have read of the title as one that will go bad. A few Universal, and Anchor Bay titles are also among the list of DVD "rot" titles that i know of.

 

[JeffMc]

Damn - same exact thing just happened to me. First DVD player I tried it in - lots of pixelizing at the menu screen. Second DVD player - total havoc - needed to unplug the unit (which is never easy trying to find the right plug when there are 15 plugs back there) to get the disc out. Dead as dirt.

I remember people complaining about this title years ago, but mine still worked at that time. I guess the original pressing will all go bad eventually.

 

[Jim Bur]

RickER: I have a number of older Universal and Anchor Bay discs as well as Criterion discs. Do you know which titles suffer from this kind of deterioration or rot as you termed it, or do you know where a list of the bad titles are posted?

Does anyone know the technical reason for this problem? Does anyone know if the offending companies have solved the technical problem as to the current discs they are producing? I am going to think hard before shelling out a lot of bucks to buy a Criterion DVD, if it going to "rot" after a few years. Has Criterion ever given any assurances that the technical problems that caused their DVD's to "rot" has been solved?

 

[RickER]

The titles i know of are old, from Anchor Bay: Kentucky Fried Movie and Heathers, and a few Hammer titles that slip my mind. From Universal: Vertigo (orange cover), Dragonheart, possibly Apollo 13, The Thing '82, and i know i have read of another 2 or 3 titles that gave people problems but i cant remember.

I have seen a few threads on the subject on this forum, seems it always goes back to the same titles. Some of these threads even had links to sites that explain what happens. All of these titles are early releases, and the laminate went bad for whatever reason. Wish i knew more, i try not to think about it.

 

[Jim Bur]

Thanks for the response. I just checked my copy of Universal's Vertigo (orange cover). You were right the DVD has rotted. As I recall Universal charged an extra high price for that DVD. A righteous rip off if ever there was one. It's ironic that even my old VHS copy from 16 or so years ago is still good. Did Universal ever make any effort to let their customers know of the problem and do a recall so that those who had purchased this defective DVD could exchange it with the new DVD of Vertigo they relesed a couple of years ago?

 

[Jon Lidolt]

Same thing with my copy of A Night to Remember. Other "dead" discs on my list include: Psycho, Vertigo and An American Werewolf in London. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this DVD rot problem only applies to these very early pressings.

 

[Matt Hough]

My Universal VERTIGO died as did the Universal version of SPARTACUS. PSYCHO has not died yet nor have any Criterions. Keeping fingers crossed.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

My original Amarcord is now unplayable due to rot, but no reply from Criterion when I contacted them. It's now OOP and when I inquired about their replacement policy on defective discs I was told they won't replace OOP titles. Haven't checked Night to Remember yet, but it is pretty disappointing that high priced titles like this are going bad.

I have had several Anchor Bay titles die including Wicker Man, Heathers, Ilsa and a few others. Heathers was a pressing defect, the others just rotted.

 

[Garysb]

I had the same problem with A Night to Remember. I never thought of contacting Criterion and asking for a replacement. I tossed my copy in the garbage. Oh well.

 

[David_B_K]

Form the record, my Universal VERTIGO died in the exact same way as A NIGHT TO REMEMBER. Totally wiped clean.

MY Universal SPARTACUS also died, but it was not a wiped clean thing- it just started skipping and would not play properly. Same thing happened with WB's GETTYSBURG.

 

[Jim Bur]

David: Thanks for the heads up about a potential problem with Gettysburg. I checked my copy, and at least it starts out okay, so it hasn't been wiped clean. I will have to replay it in the next several days to see if I encounter the same problems you had with skipping or not playing properly.

Since there are so many technical experts in this forum, I wonder if it established what the approximate life should be for a DVD that has not been mishandled. I had been under the illusion that a DVD would likely last longer than a normal life span. Maybe one of the experts could share their opinion on the subject. Thank you.