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

[surfinhank]

Originally Posted by sonny gaunt

I cannot play Synapse's Vampire Circus-the disc has "waves" around the edge. I ordered a new copy from ebay, hoping my defective copy is an exception.

Crap, just checked my copy and it's dead too, won't even load.

Also, for the other recent post about Unfaithful: mine seems to be ok. I just spot checked thru the chapter marks and it played fine all the way to the end.

[Torrente]

My copy is dead too.
IFPI : ZQ02

Did anyone try to contact Synapse to get replacements?

[gobad2003]

Originally Posted by Torrente

My copy is dead too.
IFPI : ZQ02

Did anyone try to contact Synapse to get replacements?

No, I just ordered another one off of eBay for $15 which I figured wasn't too bad. I let you know when I get my replacement copy if it works ok.

[KMcee27]

Hi guys, I just created an account to let you know that I contacted Synapse about the Vampire Circus issue and Don May Jr. told me that he's sending the info I gave him to the replication plant.

I suggest that you guys do the same - anything that will help them pin down the problem. Torrente, I see that you have the mould code up there, so perhaps it would be a good idea to send that to Synapse as well.

I just mostly check out these forums from time to time, but I saw this thread and figured I should help. Take care.

[Blu2u]

Checked my Vampire Circus and it looks fine and loads fine. Didn't check the codes, but it was purchased day one.

[Torrente]

Originally Posted by KMcee27

Hi guys, I just created an account to let you know that I contacted Synapse about the Vampire Circus issue and Don May Jr. told me that he's sending the info I gave him to the replication plant.

I suggest that you guys do the same - anything that will help them pin down the problem. Torrente, I see that you have the mould code up there, so perhaps it would be a good idea to send that to Synapse as well.

I just mostly check out these forums from time to time, but I saw this thread and figured I should help. Take care.

Hi, of course, that's a good idea.
Can you just PM me the email address you wrote to so that I could send them the info?
Thanks!

[KMcee27]

I just filled out the contact form on their site. They got back to me pretty quickly, so I'm sure they'll help you out.

I'm not personally affected by this problem, as I don't even have a copy of this particular blu-ray - I just thought that if I could help somebody else out I would. Anyway, I hope they sort this little issue out for the folks having problems here

[Torrente]

You were right, Mr May Jr answered really fast to my message.

He asked for his team to contact me about a free replacement (despite the fact that I'm living in France) and investigate about it. The mould code I gave seems to be a valuable info to him.
People with defective disc really NEED to contact them as soon as they can, using this form: https://synapse-films.com/contact/ .

Contacting them (even for those who already bought it again) will help you obviously (for getting a replacement) but also all of us, all the buyers and all the fans of this movie.

Anyway, for now, their answer was fast and very very nice. Same as with Blue Underground when I had a defective disc in the past.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Torrente

You were right, Mr May Jr answered really fast to my message.

He asked for his team to contact me about a free replacement (despite the fact that I'm living in France) and investigate about it. The mould code I gave seems to be a valuable info to him.
People with defective disc really NEED to contact them as soon as they can, using this form: https://synapse-films.com/contact/ .

Contacting them (even for those who already bought it again) will help you obviously (for getting a replacement) but also all of us, all the buyers and all the fans of this movie.

Anyway, for now, their answer was fast and very very nice. Same as with Blue Underground when I had a defective disc in the past.

It will also help identify where the disc was made and as part of which batch as it remains a possibility that other titles could have been impacted that were produced around the same time as well if it was an issue with the replicator itself and not just isolated to one single batch of discs.

[Torrente]

Exactly.

[gobad2003]

Just got my replacement Vampire Circus disc today from Ebay and it works flawless thankfully, And it also had the 2019 catalogue in there to so I'm assuming its from a newer press. Hope it works out for the rest of you with a bad copy.

I also checked my other Synapse discs from around that time(I have most of them) and they all loaded up ok

[surfinhank]

Originally Posted by Torrente

My copy is dead too.
IFPI : ZQ02

Did anyone try to contact Synapse to get replacements?

Wow, that is practically impossible to read, mine is IFPI : 1GF0 (I think it's a 1, might be an I). I sent an email so hopefully I'll hear back.

UPDATE: received a replacement disc and it plays fine. Thumbs up to Synapse for the quick response!

[sonny gaunt]

Originally Posted by gobad2003

Just got my replacement Vampire Circus disc today from Ebay and it works flawless thankfully, And it also had the 2019 catalogue in there to so I'm assuming its from a newer press. Hope it works out for the rest of you with a bad copy.

I also checked my other Synapse discs from around that time(I have most of them) and they all loaded up ok

I did the exact same thing-I got my copy today. I opened it, saw the 2019 catalogue and am excited to say it plays fine. The disc has some of the "waves" on it, not as many or as distinct as the older disc.

Thank you to the other members who contacted Synapse-I never would have. I kind of thought that the disc is so old, why would they offer a replacement?

[eChopper]

My British pressings of Gone with the wind and Unforgiven have rotted

My German pressing of Gone Girl has also rotted

Tried various players so has to be the discs

[neo_reloaded]

Originally Posted by eChopper

My British pressings of Gone with the wind and Unforgiven have rotted

My German pressing of Gone Girl has also rotted

Tried various players so has to be the discs

The Japanese remake of Unforgiven, Yurusarezaru mono? That's a shame, that's the only English-friendly version of that film. Hopefully it's an isolated incident and not widespread.

Also, the question that always needs to be asked - what are the mould IFPI numbers on the defective discs?

[eChopper]

For Ken watanabe’s Unforgiven

Mould code ; 1FP1 UGLO
Mastering code : 1FP1 LZ13



German Pressing of Gone Girl

Mould code : 1FP1 059k

Mastering code 1FP1 LO18




British pressing Gone with the wind

Mould code 1FP1 94E6
Mastering code 1FP1 LY23


There’s a lot of shitt written near the mastering code section a veritable Rosetta Stone

[neo_reloaded]

Was just playing an Image BD from 2010 and noticed the mould IFPI number was 10K6, which is what the bronzing Criterion discs were in that same time frame (10K6, 10K7, and 10K8, I believe). This particular disc played fine, but it got me thinking - I don't think I've ever heard of an Image disc being reported for bronzing. Has just no one ever checked? Or did those discs somehow all turn out fine?

[grahams76]

Just pulled out my Lionsgate issue of King Of New York for the first time in years. It's bronzed with a few small white dots (or dots that haven't bronzed) and some rings around the centre hole. Was this disc known to be affected?

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by grahams76

Just pulled out my Lionsgate issue of King Of New York for the first time in years. It's bronzed with a few small white dots (or dots that haven't bronzed) and some rings around the centre hole. Was this disc known to be affected?

I personally haven't heard reports on that specific disc, but it was manufactured during the time when LOTS of Lionsgate discs developed failures. The first wave 2006 titles through 2008 has a higher than normal failure rate. Additionally, a few select titles from 09 and 2010 have also seen failures but the worst of it has been 2006 - 2008 and it appears to center around manufacturing problems.

[Torrente]

Originally Posted by grahams76

Just pulled out my Lionsgate issue of King Of New York for the first time in years. It's bronzed with a few small white dots (or dots that haven't bronzed) and some rings around the centre hole. Was this disc known to be affected?

Well, let's put it that way:
1/ it's a disc from Lionsgate...
2/ from the same period as their dying batch of discs...
So my guess has always been that it was just a matter of time.

But some say I'm too pessimistic