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

[jdrouette]

Originally Posted by Dan8700

First report for Kagemusha.

I don't want to know how many faulty discs CC are gonna receive in the next few months, definitely thousands. I hope this won't affect their schedule too much.

Since Kagemusha does't look bronzed like the others, it may be an unrelated issue with my particular disc. I don't think I've watched it since I got it so it might just be an isolated bad disc.

[Freeza]

Originally Posted by TheHumanTornado

Heres a pic

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/127558...2/15235020010/

Thankfully none of mine have shown signs of that. I may have cried like a little girl (no offense to any of our younger female posters)

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by Brent L.

Ok, it's official, my Gomorrah is screwed up as well!!!

The disc doesn't have any visual flaws at all, no bronzing whatsoever. The disc also loads just fine, the menu comes up, and it starts to play. I tested it by letting it play for a few minutes, and when I had no issues I hit the fast forward button for a while. I watched closely and noticed it would freeze for a couple of seconds and my machine would make a weird noise. I would rewind back, play around where it would stall, and sure enough it freezes and skips that entire section. This seems to be happening at a number of times on my disc.

I'm not going to go through each one minute by minute just to test them, but if it happens a single time on any of the discs in this time period then I'm requesting a replacement for them.

This is flat out ridiculous, ugh.

Why does this have to be Criterion? Out of all of the companies this could happen to, why them?

Again, you can not just do a visual inspection to give your discs the clear. You must play them, and at least scam them or watch them to know if you have a defective disc!

I had issue playing Gomorrah too...I had the issue last year and after updating software for Oppo-93 few days back, I tried again day before yesterday. It loads & starts playing fine, issue of stalling/freezing around 1 hour 3 minutes. Issue is there for about 4-5 mins, once I skip through that it plays fine again. No visible defect/browning for the disc.

[jscoggins]

I saw the Kagemusha post.

Before I add it to the OP, can someone verify that it came from the Sonopress factory?

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by TheHumanTornado

Heres a pic

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/127558...2/15235020010/

I added your pic to the OP. The bonding has failed, no question.

Originally Posted by Freeza

As for asking Criterion to take back a disc preemptively, my scenario left nothing preemptive. If they identify a bad batch and my discs fall within that batch then they're defective. Whether the defect has already occurred, or shows itself 3 years down the line is irrelevant. You just open up more possible issues at that rate; cost for the company replacing discs one at a time when the customer has numerous, both in shipping and man hours, loss of consumer confidence, not to mention the potential for titles to go out of print.

Yes. If there's a problem, you fix it once, not continuously over time.

[silverlakephil]

Wow, I've been monitoring this thread for awhile, thanks jscoggins for creating and updating it. Looks like I'll be spending this weekend checking my older Criterions. And I was planning on getting some older titles like Paris, Texas during their next sale. Disappointing.

[TheHumanTornado]

Originally Posted by Freeza

Thankfully none of mine have shown signs of that. I may have cried like a little girl (no offense to any of our younger female posters)

Yea I'm pretty pissed. I have M, Seventh Seal, and Pierrot le fou and no visible damage but this one is disturbing to me. I'll just standby for instructions. Hoping to send my Eraserhead disc back with it simultaneously.

[bsitg]

I checked my M and Paris, Texas and both are L3**, so I think that means I am good. Right?

[timothy ramzyk]

Originally Posted by Freeza

From the 30+ minutes I spent on the phone with them yesterday morning, the e-mail sent from the company addressing the issue yesterday afternoon, and the information gathered in just this thread alone, it seems very obvious what the issue was.

As for asking Criterion to take back a disc preemptively, my scenario left nothing preemptive. If they identify a bad batch and my discs fall within that batch then they're defective. Whether the defect has already occurred, or shows itself 3 years down the line is irrelevant. You just open up more possible issues at that rate; cost for the company replacing discs one at a time when the customer has numerous, both in shipping and man hours, loss of consumer confidence, not to mention the potential for titles to go out of print.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not screaming that the sky is falling, but as a Criterion fan that purchases each title shortly after release, if the issue turns out as widespread as to include each title pressed at the plant suspected, I have far too many discs in that run to play the waiting game (not an entitlement comment, rather that it would take forever and repeated annual viewings of said titles to even know they had gone bad). And I'm not the least bit worried that this company would disagree with me. An issue like this you nip in the bud.

I'm just think a "run on the bank" is premature. I expect them to do the right thing officially and implement a policy around this. If that means pulling back a whole run, because the whole run has a progressive illness, so be it.

I haven't heard that yet, so I've got M ready to go back, because it's to only one that's screwed up.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by bsitg

I checked my M and Paris, Texas and both are L3**, so I think that means I am good. Right?

Most likely.

In addition to the "suspect" titles I scanned yesterday, I also scanned Wings of Desire (from the same general date range -- I can't find an SID), and it was clean. I also have the Yojimbo/Sanjuro box set, which is from the same date range, but it looks to be a later pressing (SIDs L324 and L323, respectively), so I haven't scanned those.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by bsitg

I checked my M and Paris, Texas and both are L3**, so I think that means I am good. Right?

Gotta play them to confirm.

[Joe Dalek]

Originally Posted by Freeza

I disagree with this. If it's determined that a specific batch # is faulty, then I see no reason for them not to accept any discs from said # for an exchange, including discs that haven't shown signs of deterioration or playback errors. As others have written, if the issue is a bad pressing, I'm not comfortable owning discs from the affected runs. I don't want to pop one in a year or two down the line just to find out that that's when it decided to go bad. I'd rather just get them all exchanged in one go and be done with it. I honestly don't think they'd have an issue with that either if the discs being exchanged matched the bad batch numbers.

I agree with you. However, it seems like the only way for consumers to identify pressing origin is through software, and checking that case by case is not feasible for consumers or Criterion. More likely Criterion will say, "these titles are potentially effected; if you are having trouble with any of these (in-print) discs, you may submit them for an exchange" and take you at your word. That's my guess.

[bsitg]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

Gotta play them to confirm.

Gotcha. Didn't have time so I just pulled out a magnifying glass and saw the numbers so I'm fairly confident that they are OK. But I will have to play them to be sure. Of course, as others have pointed out, even if they play now it's no guarantee they will play in a year. That's why I'm hoping these numbers indicate a good batch.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by bsitg

Gotcha. Didn't have time so I just pulled out a magnifying glass and saw the numbers so I'm fairly confident that they are OK. But I will have to play them to be sure. Of course, as others have pointed out, even if they play now it's no guarantee they will play in a year. That's why I'm hoping these numbers indicate a good batch.

We've seen all sorts.

1) Bronzing, doesn't play.

2) Bronzing, still plays.

3) No bronzing, doesn't play.

Then there's TheHumanTornado's copy of Stagecoach, where a layer has literally started peeling.

Hopefully, the batch numbers can help us narrow down the possibilities.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by bsitg

Gotcha. Didn't have time so I just pulled out a magnifying glass and saw the numbers so I'm fairly confident that they are OK. But I will have to play them to be sure. Of course, as others have pointed out, even if they play now it's no guarantee they will play in a year. That's why I'm hoping these numbers indicate a good batch.

Well, the L3xx SIDs indicate a different pressing plant -- and not even from the same company -- so the odds are in favor of them being good, based on the data seen so far. I will likely start methodically going through all of my BDs, but I'll be less concerned about ones that appear to be not pressed at Sonopress in the 2009-2010 range.

[Holmes]

The worst part of this, in my opinion, is the awful seed of paranoia it plants in my slightly-obsessive-compulsive mind. I have no doubt Criterion will do right by its customers once they have a full understanding of the problem and its scope and dimensions. But I just hate the idea of any Blu-ray disc sitting there on the shelf...rotting.

[bsitg]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Well, the L3xx SIDs indicate a different pressing plant -- and not even from the same company -- so the odds are in favor of them being good, based on the data seen so far. I will likely start methodically going through all of my BDs, but I'll be less concerned about ones that appear to be not pressed at Sonopress in the 2009-2010 range.

And Sonopress are the LB** and LO** ones, correct?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by bsitg

And Sonopress are the LB** and LO** ones, correct?

Yes. Bookmark this page: http://wiki.redump.org/index.php?tit...t_of_SID_codes

[bsitg]

Originally Posted by Holmes

The worst part of this, in my opinion, is the awful seed of paranoia it plants in my slightly-obsessive-compulsive mind. I have no doubt Criterion will do right by its customers once they have a full understanding of the problem and its scope and dimensions. But I just hate the idea of any Blu-ray disc sitting there on the shelf...rotting.

Me, too! Depending on my mood, I could put in something I've seen 10 times before, or experience something brand new. But the thought that when I plop in the disc it might be no good is nerve racking.

[bsitg]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Yes. Bookmark this page: http://wiki.redump.org/index.php?tit...t_of_SID_codes

Awesome! Thanks!