Early Blu-rays that may have playback issues (Criterion, Well Go USA, etc.)

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

Originally Posted by Jobla

The giant redwoods may last a hundred years or more.

More remarkably, more like ten times that!
Even deciduous trees in the East often have 300-500 year spans.

[TheBang]

Originally Posted by Deromax

My copy of THX 1138 is no longer playing. It was OK when I purchased it about 10 years ago.

Originally Posted by WAM

I tried watching my copy of THX 1138 yesterday. It would not play on my 4K player (Sony UBPX700). When I tried it on an old PS3 that I use as a backup bluray player, it took forever to load, but it did eventually play.

For some reason, the authoring on THX 1138 requires external storage on the Blu-ray player. Plug a USB thumb drive into your USB port on the player, and then THX 1138 should load properly.

Originally Posted by eddyw78

Has anyone had issues with the 2008 release of Face Off.

Yes, my original Face/Off pressing also rotted. The original pressing of this was done on the IFPI 2TB4 mould at Technicolor Camarillo, which is a known-bad mould for which pretty every disc made on it will rot. Paramount replaced it for me a couple years ago when I contacted them. With the Kino 4K disc coming out soon, it may not be worth it for you to try to replace it, if you intend on buying the 4K.

[superunknown80]

Originally Posted by drush9999

My Lionsgate copies of Bangkok Dangerous and Lord of War were both borked, freezing, pixellating when I got them recently. Had to replace with UK and German Blu-rays respectively.

Have to be careful buying US Lionsgate Blu-rays from 2006-2009.

Does the German bluray of Bangkok Dangerous from Constantin Films have english subs for the parts spoken in Thai please?

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by superunknown80

Does the German bluray of Bangkok Dangerous from Constantin Films have english subs for the parts spoken in Thai please?

I just have the UK BD of that so don't know

[superunknown80]

Originally Posted by drush9999

I just have the UK BD of that so don't know

I've taken the gamble as the UK bluray of Bangkok Dangerous is 1080i

[TheBang]

I have more information about defective 2TB4 pressings, briefly mentioned in the OP.

So, I've found that Blu-rays that were pressed at Technicolor Camarillo, California, between about 2006-2009 with a Mould SID code of IFPI 2TB4, have an extremely high failure rate. I have yet to find a 2TB4 disc in my collection that hasn't failed. The Camarillo plant shut down in early 2009 probably, and I've found defective 2TB4 Blu-rays with street dates from Sept. 2006 through Jan. 2009. So I think that means that every Blu-ray that was ever pressed at that plant using the 2TB4 mould is suspect.

In my collection, I've found that it's mostly Paramount discs. I've identified the following discs, either from my own collection or from multiple user reports per title over several forums, that have been confirmed to have at least one pressing on 2TB4:

Clear and Present Danger
Cloverfield
Face/Off
Flags of Our Fathers (Disc 1 only)
The Hunt for Red October (first issue only? - red cover)
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Patriot Games
Sleepy Hollow
The Sum of All Fears
The Untouchables
Zodiac (Disc 2 only)
2007 DTS-HD Master Audio Presentation Disc
DTS Blu-ray Demonstration Disc 14

There are probably more. If you're checking your discs for defects, make sure you have a first issue disc from 2006-2009. Many of these titles have been reissued later over the years. The Mould SID code should be IFPI 2TB4. Large print runs or repressings may have been pressed on multiple moulds or at different plants. The Mould SID is etched into label side at almost the very inner-most part of the ring. It's etched into the plastic and is very small, so it can be very difficult to see unless you get the light to catch the grooves at the right angle. (If the SID code you find is "IFPI L***", you're looking at the Mastering SID (the wrong code), not the Mould SID.) "TECHNICOLOR/CA" should also be etched into the ring, on the opposite end of the circle from the Mould SID code.

I think the problems can also develop over a really long time. For example, when I first heard a few years ago that Flags of Our Fathers could be problematic, I checked my copy, and it was fine. Today, it is unplayable. When I first found in 2020 that my Face/Off disc had problems, it would still play the first 2/3 of the movie before freezing. By the time I got around to replacing it in 2022, it was no longer readable at all.

If you want to check your entire Paramount collection for defective 2TB4 discs, I've created a list below of Paramount releases from 2006-early 2009. The list up above are the only ones I know are confirmed to have 2TB4 pressings, but any of these Paramount releases could potentially have been pressed on 2TB4 during that period. If you check your collection and find a 2TB4 pressing, whether rotted or not, please post here, and I'll add it to the list.

Aeon Flux (Æon Flux) (2005)
Arctic Tale (2007)
Babel (2006)
Beowulf (Director's Cut) (2007)
Black Rain (1989)
Black Snake Moan (2007)
Clear and Present Danger (1994)
Cloverfield (2008)
Coach Carter (2005)
Coming to America (Special Collector's Edition) (1988)
Days of Thunder (1990)
Dexter: The First Season (2006)
Drillbit Taylor (Extended Survival Edition) (2008)
The Duchess (2008)
Election (1999)
Event Horizon (1997)
Face/Off (Special Collector's Edition) (1997)
Failure to Launch (2006)
Flags of Our Fathers (2-Disc Special Edition) (2006)
Four Brothers (2005)
Freedom Writers (2007)
Friday the 13th (Uncut) (1980)
Ghost (1990)
The Godfather Collection (The Coppola Restoration | The Godfather / The Godfather: Part II / The Godfather: Part III) (1972-1990)
Hot Rod (2007)
The Hunt For Red October (1990)
Hustle & Flow (2005)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2008)
Into the Wild (2007)
Iron Man (Ultimate 2-Disc Edition) (2008)
The Italian Job (2003)
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Last Holiday (2006)
The Love Guru (2008)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Mean Girls (2004)
A Mighty Heart (2007)
Mission: Impossible (Special Collector's Edition) (1996)
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Mission: Impossible III (2-Disc Collector's Edition) (2006)
Nacho Libre (2006)
Next (2007)
Old School (Unrated) (2003)
Patriot Games (1992)
Payback (Straight Up: The Director's Cut | Special Collector's Edition) (1999)
Primal Fear (Hard Evidence Edition) (1996)
Reds (25th Anniversary Edition) (1981)
Sahara (2005)
Shine a Light (The Rolling Stones) (2008)
Shooter (2007)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season (2008)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Strange Wilderness (2008)
The Sum of All Fears (2002)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Tommy Boy (Holy Schnike Edition) (1995)
Top Gun (1986)
Trading Places ("Looking Good, Feeling Good" Edition) (1983)
Transformers (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2007)
The Truman Show (1998)
U2: Rattle and Hum (1988)
The Untouchables (Special Collector's Edition) (1987)
The Warriors (Ultimate Director's Cut) (1979)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling (2008)
World Trade Center (2-Disc Commemorative Edition) (2006)
Zodiac (2-Disc Director's Cut) (2007)

A couple things to keep in mind. In my collection I've seen pressings on other moulds in the same facility, specifically, 2TB2 and 2TB8. These discs have been fine. It appears to be the 2TB4 mould only that is creating extremely high defect rates. Also, keep in mind that different discs in multi-disc sets are usually pressed on different moulds. For example, the Zodiac release, where only Disc 2 was pressed on 2TB4, and Disc 1 was pressed on something else.

I got Paramount to replace my defective discs by filling out this form:

https://phe-physical-consumer-support.imoxiemedia.com/

(The proof of purchase is just a photo of the back of the case where it says "Proof of Purchase" above the UPC.) For the one they had in stock, it took just a few days for them to respond and ship it out. For the one they didn't have in stock, it took almost 2 months before they responded to say that they'd finally received stock and would ship out. So patience may be required if you don't hear from them right away (and don't resubmit).

[Jay H.]

^ This is very helpful; thanks!

[eddyw78]

Have you used this form recently? Would they still honour a disc from the that long ago now?
I never got a refund from the Ebay seller for the rotted copy of Face-Off he sold me (long story) which he insisted had worked for him before he shipped it. Liar

[TheBang]

Originally Posted by eddyw78

Have you used this form recently? Would they still honour a disc from the that long ago now?

Yes, I used it a couple times in the past few months (It's actually a new form which only showed up about 4 months ago). I only posted the comprehensive information above after compiling and confirming a lot of the data, and completing the replacement process myself. I also wondered if they would replace such old discs after so long, but they replaced my Tomb Raider which was one of the first Blu-rays they ever released.

I am unsure if they will replace your eBay purchase (after-market sale). I indicated that all my purchases were either from Amazon or Best Buy.

[eddyw78]

Originally Posted by TheBang

Yes, I used it a couple times in the past few months. I only posted the comprehensive information above after compiling and confirming a lot of the data, and completing the replacement process myself. I also wondered if they would replace such old discs after so long, but they replaced my Tomb Raider which was one of the first Blu-rays they ever released.

I am unsure if they will replace your eBay purchase (after-market sale). I indicated that all my purchases were either from Amazon or Best Buy.

Just thinking I’m in the UK too so I very much doubt they’ll ship a replacement. Thanks for the info though. Much appreciated

[murphywmm]

My disc of "Hanging for Django" (Raro Video) is toast. Looks like the layers are separating.

The disc does not appear to have a mould code. I do see "SM/CA" in the matrix area which is probably the manufacturer (CA is probably California; not sure what "SM" stands for).

[yukito]

Came across my second unplayable movie in my collection, the first one being silent hill, from metropolitan (france).
Tonight I was going to watch mine vaganti (loose cannons) from 01 distribution (italy). I watched the movie a couple of times years ago. This time around I tried on my sony 4k player, the disc made no sound, it spun and it spun, no disc was recognised, tried on my ps5, same story. The disc is in very good shape, no scratches, no dirt.
But I came across a French list that has this disc as problematic.

[Aunt Peg]

Just discovered that there are problems with the first pressings (from 2006) of When the Levees Broke. Apparently, the 2016 disc are fine.

[TheBang]

Originally Posted by Aunt Peg

Just discovered that there are problems with the first pressings (from 2006) of When the Levees Broke. Apparently, the 2016 disc are fine.

I'm assuming you're talking about DVDs (this is a Blu-ray forum)? Nevertheless, that pressing falls right in the middle of a well-known period from about 2004-2007 where Warner Home Video (who probably handled that HBO release) had big problems with DVDs manufactured at a certain place. Any DVD during that period that has a Mould SID code of "IFPI 2U**" probably has a better than 50% chance of rotting. You may have some luck at getting it replaced if you contact WHV at whv@wb.com.

[Jobla]

Originally Posted by TheBang

I'm assuming you're talking about DVDs (this is a Blu-ray forum)? Nevertheless, that pressing falls right in the middle of a well-known period from about 2004-2007 where Warner Home Video (who probably handled that HBO release) had big problems with DVDs manufactured at a certain place. Any DVD during that period that has a Mould SID code of "IFPI 2U**" probably has a better than 50% chance of rotting. You may have some luck at getting it replaced if you contact WHV at whv@wb.com.

Where is that code visible? On the disc itself?

[TheBang]

Originally Posted by Jobla

Where is that code visible? On the disc itself?

Yes, on the disc, it's etched into the plastic, in very tiny letters. It's usually located at almost the innermost ring, next to the hole.

As seen in this picture, it's the "Mould (SID)" code (though, unlike the picture portrays, it's not in black letters, and it's usually viewable on the label side of the disc, not the data side):

[AllieFox]

I'm new to this thread. I came here because I have now encountered 2 store bought BDs in my collection that used to play which no longer play. The surfaces are in perfect condition. I know some people call it "bronzing". I'm used to hearing it called "disc rot". The latest one was Resident Evil Extinction BD bought in 2010.

It appears I'll have to read parts of this thread carefully to understand how to read these disc IDs to see who manufactured them and if it's possible to get replacements. I remember going through this issue with laser discs and how certain plants never could fix their problems. I believe it was Mitsubishi and Sony's factory in Terra Haute which was referred to as LDVS (Laser Disc Video Speckles). It feels like history is repeating itself. With laser discs you would see snow but the discs still played. With BDs the discs simply aren't recognized by the player.

Do we have the same situation here where certain plants make discs which will eventually rot or was this problem most early BDs like the thread title says?

Hopefully this thread will answer how many BD plants are left in the world and which ones we have to worry about now. I know there's at least one in Mexico and one in Europe.

[Lincoln6Echo]

My copy of Dr. No, from the Bond 20 Collection has apparently developed a bad 2nd layer. It freezes at about where a layer switch would occur and the player cannot manually access anything past that point. So I'm assuming it's a bad 2nd layer. I was watching it just so that I could see how my player could upscale the Bond films to 4K, and the first half of the film looked great. And then it just froze.

[surfinhank]

Originally Posted by Lincoln6Echo

My copy of Dr. No, from the Bond 20 Collection has apparently developed a bad 2nd layer. It freezes at about where a layer switch would occur and the player cannot manually access anything past that point. So I'm assuming it's a bad 2nd layer. I was watching it just so that I could see how my player could upscale the Bond films to 4K, and the first half of the film looked great. And then it just froze.

I have this release (the first release on blu-ray):
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dr-No-Blu-ray/971/

Couldn't watch the whole thing, but I went through all the chapter stops and it was fine. Hopefully you just got a bad disc.

[eddyw78]

Originally Posted by TheBang

Yes, I used it a couple times in the past few months (It's actually a new form which only showed up about 4 months ago). I only posted the comprehensive information above after compiling and confirming a lot of the data, and completing the replacement process myself. I also wondered if they would replace such old discs after so long, but they replaced my Tomb Raider which was one of the first Blu-rays they ever released.

I am unsure if they will replace your eBay purchase (after-market sale). I indicated that all my purchases were either from Amazon or Best Buy.

Well I filled in the form and today received a big box from Paramount with a brand spanking new copy of Face/Off in it!!!!! This was a second hand EBay purchase of a BD from 2007 and I live in the UK so I’m surprised they honoured it. Thanks for posting the form