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

[No Name]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

Wow, they're actually going to replace Howards End and Pierrot le fou?

Looks that way.

[SammyJankis]

Going to wait for an official announcement before I send in these discs.

[tedopolous]

Originally Posted by No Name

Looks that way.

They probably got a stack in the back room for emergencies like this. Let's just hope they got enough.

Didn't see Ride With The Devil on the list. I'll send mine back regardless, so they can see for themselves.

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Going to wait for an official announcement before I send in these discs.

That email quoted on the previous page is the official announcement, I think.

[No Name]

Originally Posted by tedopolous

They probably got a stack in the back room for emergencies like this. Let's just hope they got enough.

Didn't see Ride With The Devil on the list. I'll send mine back regardless, so they can see for themselves.



That email quoted on the previous page is the official announcement, I think.

Yeah, it is. Just got the response a few minutes ago.

[jscoggins]

Odd, no mention of Stagecoach, which has been problematic for a long time as well.

No Name, I will link to your post in the OP.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by tedopolous

That email quoted on the previous page is the official announcement, I think.

Yes. That's all the confirmation I need. I'm sending in my Summer Hours disc.

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by No Name

Looks that way.

As an OOP title, if replacements are available that are confirmed to be newer pressings (made by Sony), I will send my copies in regardless, rather than play the waiting game and not be able to replace them later on if they fail.

[pedromvu]

I just replied to the email asking where are they going to announce if more titles might be defective, since i got problems with Stagecoach, not sure if they plan to keep emailing everyone if they add more titles to the list.

[tedopolous]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

Odd, no mention of Stagecoach, which has been problematic for a long time as well.

Not Monsoon Wedding either, which Brent has pictured clearly with the problem in post #2.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by tedopolous

Not Moonsoon Wedding either, which Brent has pictured clearly with the problem in post #2.

Looks like they identified only the titles with more common problems.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by tedopolous

Not Monsoon Wedding either, which Brent has pictured clearly with the problem in post #2.

Well, as a couple of us said a few pages back, it's better for Criterion to deal with the problem once and for all instead of in bits and pieces.

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Looks like they identified only the titles with more common problems.

But they left off both Days of Heaven and Stagecoach, which are common.

[joie]

Originally Posted by No Name

Just got an email update regarding this issue:

Hello and thank you for your email.

We have confirmed that certain Blu-ray discs pressed at a replication facility that we used for a period in 2010 have become defective, showing a noticeable bronze discoloration on the underside and developing playback problems. We have confirmed the problem on seven titles, but not on all copies. All of these titles have since been re-pressed at a different pressing plant, and the vast majority of discs in circulation should not be affected.

The potentially affected Blu-ray titles are:

SUMMER HOURS
WALKABOUT
PARIS, TEXAS
M
THE SEVENTH SEAL
PIERROT LE FOU
HOWARDS END

If you have found that your Blu-ray copy of one of these titles does not play, please send your disc in to the following address for a replacement:

Jon Mulvaney
The Criterion Collection
215 Park Avenue South
5th floor
New York, NY 10003

Please include only your disc -- no packaging -- along with the address to which you'd like us to mail your replacement. We will not be replacing or exchanging packaging. There is no need to email us in addition.

If we learn that other titles are similarly defective, we will add them to the list and continue to replace them as well.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

There may be another pressing plant also producing defective discs, because there is no mention of 8 1/2 in the e-mail.

I'll e-mail them, describe the bronzing and failure to play correctly.

[tedopolous]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

Well, as a couple of us said a few pages back, it's better for Criterion to deal with the problem once and for all instead of in bits and pieces.

Yeah I just wanted to add to the "missing"-list. Criterion definitely have to update that announcement.

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by joie

There may be another pressing plant also producing defective discs, because there is no mention of 8 1/2 in the e-mail.

I'll e-mail them, describe the bronzing and failure to play correctly.

The discs people have been having issues with share the same factory or factories. On the link below, go to the SID Codes 10** to 1Z** section, and you'll see that the 10** factory/factories with L0** and LB** used for the master are both linked to Sonopress LLC in USA. Whether these being on different lines means they are different Sonopress factores in the US, I don't honestly know.

Listing of some IFPI Codes and who they belong to:

http://home.lyse.net/bki/met/ifpi-codes.html


It is not a complete list obviously (I'm sure there's better ones out there), but the numbers are there for the first characters and that is enough to identify where discs were manufactured because those first few characters are assigned.

Pages 4-6 of the following document instructions for manufacturers where the codes for mastering and mould are to be located, and also how the are codes are assigned:

http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/...tion-guide.pdf

2. Philips will issue the appropriate codes for your operation. Mastering Codes will be issued in a block of codes sufficient to meet the requirements of your operation. Mould Codes will consist of the letters “IFPI” followed by a four or five digit code. The last two digits of this code are allocated by you togive each mould on the site, including spare moulds, a unique code. The first two digits (inthe case of a four digit SID Code) or the first three digits (in the case of a five digit SID Code) are assigned to the operator of the manufacturing or mastering plant by Philips Intellectual Property & Standards.

Example: A Mould SID Code of “IFPI A01xx” may be issued to you. The digits “A01” are unique to you. You will then use the last two digits to
allocate a unique code for each mould. The code for the first mould might be IFPI A0100, the code for the second “IFPI A0101”, and so on. Using alphanumeric digits consisting of the numbers 0 through 9 and the letters of the Western alphabet A through Z, excluding “I”, “O”, “S” and “Q”, the plant has the ability to assign unique codes to 1,024 different moulds.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by No Name

Just got an email update regarding this issue:

Hello and thank you for your email.

We have confirmed that certain Blu-ray discs pressed at a replication facility that we used for a period in 2010 have become defective, showing a noticeable bronze discoloration on the underside and developing playback problems. We have confirmed the problem on seven titles, but not on all copies. All of these titles have since been re-pressed at a different pressing plant, and the vast majority of discs in circulation should not be affected.

The potentially affected Blu-ray titles are:

SUMMER HOURS
WALKABOUT
PARIS, TEXAS
M
THE SEVENTH SEAL
PIERROT LE FOU
HOWARDS END

If you have found that your Blu-ray copy of one of these titles does not play, please send your disc in to the following address for a replacement:

Jon Mulvaney
The Criterion Collection
215 Park Avenue South
5th floor
New York, NY 10003

Please include only your disc -- no packaging -- along with the address to which you'd like us to mail your replacement. We will not be replacing or exchanging packaging. There is no need to email us in addition.

If we learn that other titles are similarly defective, we will add them to the list and continue to replace them as well.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

So if you have an OOP title, no need to fear.

is the line "So if you have an OOP title, no need to fear" you speaking or is it the last line of the message that they sent to you?

[No Name]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

is the line "So if you have an OOP title, no need to fear" you speaking or is it the last line of the message that they sent to you?

That would be me. I apologize for that.

[Freeza]

I just received the same e-mail.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by No Name

That would be me. I apologize for that.

so based on what was circulating before, the more likely scenario is that they will offer a one in print title for one defective OOP title swap.

[joie]

Originally Posted by Brian81

The discs people have been having issues with share the same factory or factories. On the link below, go to the SID Codes 10** to 1Z** section, and you'll see that the 10** factory/factories with L0** and LB** used for the master are both linked to Sonopress LLC in USA. Whether these being on different lines means they are different Sonopress factores in the US, I don't honestly know.

Listing of some IFPI Codes and who they belong to:

http://home.lyse.net/bki/met/ifpi-codes.html


It is not a complete list obviously (I'm sure there's better ones out there), but the numbers are there for the first characters and that is enough to identify where discs were manufactured because those first few characters are assigned.

Pages 4-6 of the following document instructions for manufacturers where the codes for mastering and mould are to be located, and also how the are codes are assigned:

http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/...tion-guide.pdf

I'll volunteer to send them my disc, if they need it for failure analysis.

[map66]

For the record, I've recently played both my Pierot le Fou and 8 1/2 disks including special features with no issues.

I visually inspected Seventh Seal, Kagemusha, Repulsion, Howard's End, Days of Heaven and M among others and saw no evidence of bronzing or pealing on any of them. The issue still worries me though, and maybe I won't be so lucky in the future. That said, perhaps there is a regional link to who received disks from what distributor? I'm from the north-east with all the disks purchased from either Barnes and Noble or Amazon.