How to Properly Check Blu-rays for Errors/Skips/etc. and Other Questions

[oubukibun]

Hi guys.

I'm relatively new to Blu-ray collecting, but I've been amassing quite the archive in a short amount of time. Working 2 jobs and having very little free time even on my weekends, I obviously can't really always dedicate the time to get through, for example, the entire Alien Anthology collection. I DO, however, check all my discs by putting them in my PS3 and fast-forwarding/chapter skipping through the video content (film, featurettes, trailers, what-have-you and so forth) to make sure there aren't any skips or discernible errors present.

My question is: this is still not a real fool-proof method of making sure you don't have a defective disc, is it? To be absolutely certain, I'd have to just play the whole disc through from beginning to end?

Geez, I know that sounds pretty dumb and obvious, but I'm curious if anyone here more well-versed in Blu-rays and Blu-ray technology can guide me as to what I can do to "check" my discs and then move on with the rest of my day without having the nagging thought in the back of my head of, "Hmm, let's hope Evil Dead 2 doesn't decide to skip on me mid-way through Chapter 9."

My second question is about DVD/Blu-ray sleeve binders. You know, where you take the discs and slide them in sleeves in those big black book binders. I've bought the 400-disc binder from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Nylon-DVD-Binder-Capacity/dp/B00DIHVMEA) and I'm a little OCD about it... I can't help but worry that stacking so many discs on top of each other is somehow damaging them. I check them nearly every day, and certainly when I'm taking one out to watch, and they seem to be just fine with no signs of bending/warping/or other anomalies. Should I stop fussing over it and just be thankful of the saved space? lol

Thanks a lot, y'all! Much appreciated! I've been an avid reader of the forums for a while now and I'm just now getting my feet wet by posting and asking questions.


Cheers for now!

[TripleHBK]

My method I've employed is that I also have a media server in my home so I rip my films after purchase. If the ripping goes smoothly without errors 99.9% of the time the film is just fine. If it has issues during the ripping process I am pretty much immediately made aware of issues with the film which I then confirm on my player using the same method you described. Thus far it's worked perfectly for me. Fast forwarding alone however may not always catch issues and if they are small, you may skip right by them. Honestly, most discs that start up and play fine from the beginning are going to play fine for the full time. Nearly all of my problems have come from poorly encoded BD-R film preservations or issues during the burning process. The few issues I've had with pressed films have come from Disc Rot and with that issue the disc wouldn't load at all, or immediately messed up upon start.

As for the Binders... In theory they should be ok, and other users have stated they use them and enjoy them. Me personally... I won't touch them. I had issues with them years and years ago with my cd collection and while Blu Rays are much much more scratch resistant, I personally still don't trust them.

[Todd Tomorrow]

I generally trust that they are alright and having bought close to a 1000 BDs I've only had a couple of ex-rental discs which didn't play. If there is a problem which affects a whole batch of discs it will be flagged up here, so I keep an eye on threads about discs I buy.

I buy a lot of BDs and don't have the time to check discs for problems and making minor worries like this into major problems. Life's to short and I like to restrict my worrying to real problems. Too many people here turn what should be a fun hobby into something which appears to cause them stress and anxiety.

[oubukibun]

Haha! Yeah, I don't disagree with that, man. Unfortunately, OCD's a real obstacle, and all things considered, I'm not losing sleep over it or anything so a minor victory there.

[infiniteCR]

Heres what I do when I get a questionable delivery with badly handled merchandise.


Stick it in the bluray player and start the movie and put it on the fastest fast forward mode you can get. I then cover my eyes so all I can see is the timeticker on my players. If it gets through without a hitch, it always plays, always. Errors get hung up in fast forward to and I have never had one that worked in fast forward but not in play. I know it sounds silly, but it works and it only eats up 2 minutes of my day. I've had movies I opened months (maybe years) after I bought them only to find them not 100% playable and hung up 45 minutes into my movie. Even though it only costs a few bucks to fix, it eats up way too much of my time at that moment.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by oubukibun

Haha! Yeah, I don't disagree with that, man. Unfortunately, OCD's a real obstacle, and all things considered, I'm not losing sleep over it or anything so a minor victory there.

Have you actually been diagnosed with OCD, which is a serious psychological condition, or is this the self-diagnosed OCD which people wrongly refer to here and which is actually anal retentive behaviour ?

[oubukibun]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

Have you actually been diagnosed with OCD, which is a serious psychological condition, or is this the self-diagnosed OCD which people wrongly refer to here and which is actually anal retentive behaviour ?

It's real. I'm not sure how else to vouch for its veracity, but there it is.

[oubukibun]

Originally Posted by infiniteCR

Heres what I do when I get a questionable delivery with badly handled merchandise.


Stick it in the bluray player and start the movie and put it on the fastest fast forward mode you can get. I then cover my eyes so all I can see is the timeticker on my players. If it gets through without a hitch, it always plays, always. Errors get hung up in fast forward to and I have never had one that worked in fast forward but not in play. I know it sounds silly, but it works and it only eats up 2 minutes of my day. I've had movies I opened months (maybe years) after I bought them only to find them not 100% playable and hung up 45 minutes into my movie. Even though it only costs a few bucks to fix, it eats up way too much of my time at that moment.

That sounds legit, dude. Will definitely be trying that out. AGAIN, not to bring up anxiety or OCD or whatever the hell, but fast forwarding at fastest speed doesn't deteriorate or wear down the disc, right? Yes, I know I read like an overly worried and neurotic Woody Allen (or a redundant Woody Allen), but I'm just curious.

[floridaswamprat]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

Have you actually been diagnosed with OCD, which is a serious psychological condition, or is this the self-diagnosed OCD which people wrongly refer to here and which is actually anal retentive behaviour ?

My daughter (age 22) is certified OCD, and yes it is a very serious condition. Many who do not understand the nature of OCD have a tendency to throw around the term loosely. If the OP is certified, I hope he can find a proper treatment that will help him have moments of peace. I have witnessed first hand the struggle.