In Memoriam: When DVDs become coasters

Dai said:
Hilariously(!) at one point the Panasonic player popped up a system warning that I'd never seen before: "copyright violation". Is it a copyright violation to sell people awful quality discs that self-terminate after barely a decade? It certainly should be. But I imagine the damage just made the player mistakenly think it was a bootleg copy for a moment (it's not).
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The same thing happened to me near the end of the main series of Yumeiro Patissiere (as in the second of the two discs somewhere between episode 46 and episode 50) on my Maiden Japan/Sentai Filmworks SD-BD! Hopefully, it doesn't mean that disc is damaged - I only just bought the set a few months ago :< Though that said I would buy a proper full HD BD of the series as I really enjoyed it, especially if they dubbed it for such a rerelease. Hopefully one day. But also would be nice if my SD-BD hasn't already started to malfunction... :( I wondered if the player was also malfunctioning in its modified multi-region playback capabilities but I guess there's no way to know unless similar things happen repeatedly with other discs (which thankfully has not been an issue so far).
 
I've had that copyright violation warning pop-up on my newer Panasonic players practically since the day I bought them, although rarely. Had a few crashes too. To me they behave more like BD-Roms with software players in a case rather than a dedicated Blu-ray player with hardware, either that, or the firmware is really crappy now.

I've kept all of my old DVDs, even when double-dipped to BD, but I do regret throwing out some VHS tapes. I never got the original Star Trek on DVD, and went straight to Blu-ray. and they really cut corners for fans of the original effects. The new effects may be all well and good, but they created new 5.1 mixes for those versions. But rather than find the original audio and remaster that for the versions with the original effects, which they did with a few season 1 episodes, for the rest of the episodes, they took the new 5.1 mixes, and downmixed them to 2.0 stereo for the old effects versions. In some episodes, there are audio effects for visuals that aren't on screen in the originals.
 
Burned dvds and blurays are another thing all together, if you used the cheapest blank discs you could find chances are very good that they'll fail in a short time. I have burned dvds and cds from 16 years ago that still play perfectly because I spent more money for good quality blank discs. For the most part commercial pressed dvds, blurays and cds will last a long time with proper care.
 
Dai said:
I'm increasingly unconvinced that any of the common storage types are good for optical discs in the long-term. The translucent plastic on amaray cases often 'sweats' a greasy film after a while, which I have to wipe off the play surface of discs sometimes. Matt black DVD cases don't seem to be affecting as much. Even steelbooks usually have a clear plastic inlay, so there's no getting away from it for blu-rays.

As for cardboard sleeves, it probably would scratch DVDs over time, but blu-rays should be less susceptible due to their scratch-resistant layer. That only applies to the play side of course; there's no extra protection on the label side. I think the main risk is just making sure that no off-cut fragments of cardboard get stuck to the play side, since that would likely play havoc with the lens.
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What do you think about storing discs in those zip-up type of cases with multiple paper/cloth-type of sleeves instead? Is that material, whatever it actually is, kinder to the discs? Would be a palaver though and take away from actually having the cases & boxsets making a nice display on the shelves...
 
Geriatric hedgehog said:
What do you think about storing discs in those zip-up type of cases with multiple paper/cloth-type of sleeves instead? Is that material, whatever it actually is, kinder to the discs? Would be a palaver though and take away from actually having the cases & boxsets making a nice display on the shelves...
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That's where I keep my shonen anime, Naruto, One Piece, and Fairy Tail take up a lot of space. The cloth in those cases, especially the fat binders with removable pages, seriously scuff discs. They all play, and there are no significant scratches, but those discs have lost their mirror finish. They look like they've been through one of those buffing machines that are meant to fix scratched discs.
 
Just Passing Through said:
That's where I keep my shonen anime, Naruto, One Piece, and Fairy Tail take up a lot of space. The cloth in those cases, especially the fat binders with removable pages, seriously scuff discs. They all play, and there are no significant scratches, but those discs have lost their mirror finish. They look like they've been through one of those buffing machines that are meant to fix scratched discs.
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Heheh like trying to find a fountain of youth, there's no winning here either...
 
Geriatric hedgehog said:
What do you think about storing discs in those zip-up type of cases with multiple paper/cloth-type of sleeves instead? Is that material, whatever it actually is, kinder to the discs? Would be a palaver though and take away from actually having the cases & boxsets making a nice display on the shelves...
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I haven't really looked into those, so I'm not sure. I suspect the best solution might be a combination of a standard amaray case with a non-abrasive fabric inlay sitting between the disc's play side and the case to prevent any of that greasy film being transferred. I have no idea if pre-cut fabric disc protectors of that type exist though, and it would be a massive pain to slot them into every case.
 
Some heartbreaking bad luck, followed by some astounding good luck.

I love Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, it's one of my favourite Sentai purchases, what with the soundtrack and all. I have the MVM DVD as well, but this is a show made for Blu-ray.

And this time, Disc 2 has started discolouring from the edges, the gold turning to bronze. It's what killed my Beez Sword of the Stranger. What's more, it's deleted, or it was when I discovered the rot, far too much hassle to find second hand; as if anyone would want to part with it. I recently learned that Sentai are re-releasing it in a few months but while the first release was Region AB, this new one, will probably be reauthored, and will be geolocked at best, region A locked at worst.

Then the good luck.

The bronzing was only at the extreme edges, and it's a single layer disc; the rot had got more of the Sword of the Stranger disc, and it died at the layer change. The Dusk Maiden disc played all the way through. So I at least got two viewings of the series from this collection.

Even better, what I thought was a BD-ROM attached to my computer, turns out to be a BD writer. So I went and bought some blanks, and I now have Disc 2 backed up to my laptop, and I've made a copy of the disc as well. And at this time, disc 1 looks pristine. I may be safe.

But heads up, check your Dusk Maiden of Amnesia Blu-rays...
 
I had some problems with my extremely rare Blood+ dvd set 1 with the discs getting a cloudy coating on the read side. It was the fact that the cases were emitting (or out gassing as some call it) a cloud of sticky white gas. Changing the cases totally eliminated the problem and cleaning the discs by gently rubbing them with my fingers using a little liquid hand soap under warm running water and then gently drying them using a linear motion with a soft dry cloth fixed it.
 
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zrdb said:
I had some problems with my extremely rare Blood+ dvd set 1 with the discs getting a cloudy coating on the read side. It was the fact that the cases were emitting (or out gassing as some call it) a cloud of sticky white gas. Changing the cases totally eliminated the problem and cleaning the discs by gently rubbing them with my fingers using a little liquid hand under warm running water and then gently drying them using a linear motion with a soft dry cloth fixed it.
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Yeah, I have to wash my Sleepy Hollow DVD every time I watch it.
 
zrdb said:
Assuming that the case the dvd is in (and I can't think of any other source)-just change it.
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It’s just a standard, patented Amaray case, like all the others. DVD layer delamination is a manufacturing defect, that might be exacerbated by label inks and packaging, but it can’t be stopped.
 
I have an old Manga uk dvd of Gunsmith Cats and it has really odd spot spots all over the read side and a milky haze (not on the surface-I had it "resurfaced") but it works perfectly and I've had it going on 10 years. It was like that when I got it-guess you can't always judge a disc by it's appearance.
 
I would really love to hear from someone who works in disc manufacturing what the failure points for blu rays are.

For the past couple of years i've been paying attention to what the humidity and temperature of my room is and done my best to try and manage that - whether or not this would be the main thing which effects longevity or not, im not sure.

But I do have a fair amount of blu rays (particularly Sentai ones) which seem to arrive with very faint scratches (and i mean faint enough that you need a bright torch to see them) Would small scratches to blu ray effect their lifespan? Does that mean the data layer is breached to the elements and begins the "rot process?" - They say the scratch proof layer is 0.01mm thick, but then how thick is a scratch - its kind of hard to say if a scratch breaches this layer completely?

These are the sort of questions I'd love to bug someone who works in manufacturing about 😜. My main fear has always been having a dodgy player that damages the disc in some way; I've always made sure to listen out for any dodgy sounds and what not. Recently, I've been having an issue with my Sony 4k player where the audio cuts out for a couple of seconds randomly and I've currently stopped putting any of my discs in to it for fear that it could be damaging them as i try to diagnose the issue.

But for anyone who has had a few discs that have failed so far, I would be interested in hearing if you have a hygrometer, what your average temp / humidity levels are like where you store them?
 
Finally some good news to post in this thread. Back in April it came to light that when the PS4's CMOS battery eventually dies the console would no longer be able to play any games, disc or digital, without checking the licences online, which of course will only be possible for as long as the PS4 continues to receive online infrastructure support (or PSN itself continues to exist). Essentially every PS4 in existence was a brick waiting to happen.

Much to my amazement, Sony have apparently fixed the issue in the recently released 9.00 firmware update. Cue a collective sigh of relief.

www.eurogamer.net

Sony has quietly fixed PlayStation 4's dead battery issue

Sony's recent PlayStation 4 firmware update v9.0 has quietly solved an issue with the console's internal CMOS battery.
www.eurogamer.net www.eurogamer.net
 
I have a s**tload of blurays and I've never had a single problem with any of them. Any problems that I had were the fault of the bluray player. BTW-a CR2032 lithium coin cell is extremely cheap to replace.
 
zrdb said:
BTW-a CR2032 lithium coin cell is extremely cheap to replace.
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Cheap to replace? Yes. Easy to replace? That varies massively depending on the console. Some systems use weird battery types, or have the battery soldered onto the board. I don't remember what it's like for the PS4.
 
Dai said:
Cheap to replace? Yes. Easy to replace? That varies massively depending on the console. Some systems use weird battery types, or have the battery soldered onto the board. I don't remember what it's like for the PS4.
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All PS3, PS4 and PS5 consoles have a socketed CR2032 coin battery on them which is easy to replace, but does require a bit of teardown to get to the motherboard inside. I've worked in IT for 33 years, and regularly teardown computers, laptops and printers for service, so it would be a piece of cake for me. I will most likely end up doing this on multiple consoles in the near future because my two daughters have about 6 Playstation consoles between them.

 
Girls with Guns said:
All PS3, PS4 and PS5 consoles have a socketed CR2032 coin battery on them which is easy to replace, but does require a bit of teardown to get to the motherboard inside. I've worked in IT for 33 years, and regularly teardown computers, laptops and printers for service, so it would be a piece of cake for me. I will most likely end up doing this on multiple consoles in the near future because my two daughters have about 6 Playstation consoles between them.

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Good to know thanks, I shouldn't have any issues replacing that either.
 
Girls with Guns said:
All PS3, PS4 and PS5 consoles have a socketed CR2032 coin battery on them which is easy to replace, but does require a bit of teardown to get to the motherboard inside. I've worked in IT for 33 years, and regularly teardown computers, laptops and printers for service, so it would be a piece of cake for me. I will most likely end up doing this on multiple consoles in the near future because my two daughters have about 6 Playstation consoles between them.

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That's good. It was the PS2 that I recall had a less typical design. Looking on eBay, these seem to be easy to buy though.

www.ifixit.com

PlayStation 2 Slimline Clock Battery Replacement

This guide will show you how to locate and replace the clock battery, sometimes known as a CMOS battery or motherboard battery, in the PlayStation...
www.ifixit.com www.ifixit.com
 
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