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

[Arkadin]

Originally Posted by Roy Batty

P.s. Do we have any solid info on the replacement copies for PIERROT LE FOU? Because I was under the impression that it went out of print when Criterion's rights expired. Am I wrong?

yes. they are replacing it.
some special arrangement I guess.

[mande2013]

I mailed in Walkabout and Pierrot Le Fou. My copy of Last Year at Marienbad appears to be the only other one I have with the dreaded CCxxxx marking, but I'll wait for an official announcement before parting with that disc. My copies of M and Lola Montes are later BLDV pressings, so no sweat there.

P.S. The staples on my Marienbad booklet are rusting, and it's only on that booklet that I have this issue! Could it be because being in a digipak as opposed to a plastic case, it has had more exposure to the elements?

For the time being, I'm keeping the booklet in an empty Scanavo case I had lying around rather than letting it sit with the disc in the digipak.

[Arkadin]

all Criterion blu-rays released in 2009 and 2010
(possible disc rot should be confined to titles on this list if we are going by factory pressing being the problem)



8 1/2′
‘The 400 Blows’
‘America Lost and Found: The BBS Story’
‘Antichrist’
‘Bigger than Life’
‘Black Narcissus’
‘Black Orpheus’
‘Breathless’
‘By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volumes One and Two’
‘Charade’
‘Che’
‘A Christmas Tale’
‘Close-up’
‘The Complete Monterey Pop Festival’
‘Cronos’
‘Crumb’
‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’
‘The Darjeeling Limited’
‘Days of Heaven’
‘Everlasting Moments’
‘For All Mankind’
‘Gimme Shelter’
‘Gomorrah’
‘House’
‘Howards End’
‘Hunger’
‘In the Realm of the Senses’
‘Jimi Plays Monterey / Shake! Otis at Monterey’
‘Kagemusha’
‘The Last Emperor’
‘The Last Metro’
‘Last Year at Marienbad’
‘The Leopard’
‘Lola Montes’
‘The Magician’
‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’
‘Modern Times’
‘Monsoon Wedding’
‘Monterey Pop’
‘Mystery Train’
‘The Night of the Hunter’
‘El Norte’
‘Paris, Texas’
‘Paths of Glory’
‘Pierrot le fou’
‘Playtime’
‘Red Desert’
‘The Red Shoes’
‘Repulsion’
‘Revanche’
‘Ride with the Devil’
‘Sanjuro’
‘The Secret of the Grain’
‘The Seventh Seal’
‘Stagecoach’
‘Summer Hours’
‘The Thin Red Line’
‘Videodrome’
‘Vivre sa vie’
‘The Wages of Fear’
‘Wings of Desire’
‘Yojimbo’

.

[mande2013]

Actually no, every blu-ray released for the first time after May 2010 is in the clear. Vivre sa Vie wasn't pressed at Sonopress, so that one's also in the clear. So everything released in June 2010 or later should be removed. But anything that was released before they began at Sonopress is at risk obviously. I got Red Desert the instant it came out, and it's BLDV.

[Arkadin]

which titles should be removed then?
I got this list from another hd news site.

[Deep]

Originally Posted by Roy Batty

Bronzing on my copy of LOLA MONTES is slight, I guess, when compared to some other discs in my Criterion collection (8 1/2 would be the absolute worst, followed closely by PARIS TEXAS), but it's still noticeable, more so on the outer rim.

Oh! And since we are at it, same goes for my copy of REPULSION, although "tanning" is more advanced here.

And my KAGEMUSHA hardly shows any bronzing, but second half doesn't play either.

Do these problem discs have the Sonopress IFPI codes ? Has anyone seen any bronzing or playback issues with discs that have non-Sonopress IFPI codes ?

When I went through my collection I assumed that all the Criterion discs not pressed by Sonopress were OK.

-D

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

which titles should be removed then?
I got this list from another hd news site.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...5&postcount=68

Always check the OP.

[wormraper]

has anyone tried sending in discs that AREN'T on the "approved list"? I'm still waiting cuz only one of my 10 are on the "list" they put out

I'm getting really irritated. no one replies to my emails to Criterion, they only put up maybe 1/3rd of the affected titles on their list and don't say a word about all the others affected. NOT happy in the slightest with them. At least Well Go USA came through and is replacing over 19 titles in theirs.

I sent ANOTHER email to mulvaney asking about the rest. see if he gets off his ass and responds

[PowellPressburger]

my guess is Criterion will be doing replacements in batches. I don't mind if this is what will be happening. They are probably having titles re-pressed in batches, and also they more than likely have to get approval from the studios they licensed the titles from.

The fact they were able to repress Howards End after the issue with Merchant Ivory distribution legalities is surprising.

But I understand it would be nice if Criterion would release a statement along the lines of please be patient plans are being made.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

my guess is Criterion will be doing replacements in batches. I don't mind if this is what will be happening. They are probably having titles re-pressed in batches, and also they more than likely have to get approval from the studios they licensed the titles from.

The fact they were able to repress Howards End after the issue with Merchant Ivory distribution legalities is surprising.

But I understand it would be nice if Criterion would release a statement along the lines of please be patient plans are being made.

yeah, I would be much happier if they actually acknowledged the issue with other titles. I'd be understanding if we were just told "patience, the rest is coming", but right now I've got a bunch of titles that won't work and/or have bronzing and the only thing I've heard from multiple emails is the birds chirping

on a side note... now that Well Go USA has their program up and running I just sent in all 11 of my affected titles

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by wormraper

yeah, i would be much happier if they actually acknowledged the issue with other titles. I'd be understanding if we were just told "patience, the rest is coming", but right now i've got a bunch of titles that won't work and/or have bronzing and the only thing i've heard from multiple emails is the birds chirping

on a side note... Now that well go usa has their program up and running i just sent in all 11 of my affected titles

+1

[Feiereisel]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

my guess is Criterion will be doing replacements in batches. I don't mind if this is what will be happening. They are probably having titles re-pressed in batches, and also they more than likely have to get approval from the studios they licensed the titles from.

The fact they were able to repress Howards End after the issue with Merchant Ivory distribution legalities is surprising.

But I understand it would be nice if Criterion would release a statement along the lines of please be patient plans are being made.

Directly from Criterion's announcement on their site and the email regarding the replacement program:

Originally Posted by Criterion

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

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

I think there is enough information there to infer that plans are being made, even though things may take a while.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Feiereisel

Directly from Criterion's announcement on their site and the email regarding the replacement program:



I think there is enough information there to infer that plans are being made, even though things may take a while.

maybe, I'm just a little bit leary with no info. that's a big extrapolation because it leaves it up to them to DECIDE how big of an issue the other titles are. the ones listed on the site are the BIG ones that EVERYONE was complaining about. the others I have like Kagemusha are much rarer, but still an issue.

[Feiereisel]

Maybe--but we can't just keep stoking our own panic, here. And Criterion has a history of being receptive and accommodating to people with problems, so I'm more than content to let them figure things out.

Their small size cuts both ways. It allows customers frank, direct access and bespoke problem solving, but at the cost of infrastructure. There's no official returns department--I assume they need to handle the replacement as part of their general day-to-day operation.

They listed seven titles--think of the volume of mail that could generate. Speaking (very) conservatively, even 25 returned discs for each would mean about 175 pieces of mail, depending on how customers sent them in. I suspect they're receving many more than that, plus Eraserheads, and scads of emails as well.

Add to that the physical cost of replacing the discs--unboxing, checking, envelope stuffing, labeling, and various special cases--it can't be a quick process, even at its most economical and streamlined. If they'd listed ten or more titles at once, things might be moving even more slowly because more envelope stuffing would be required.

Their pace is their pace, I'm sure logistics was extensively discussed prior to their announcement.

I wonder if they have some kind of complaint threshold, too. Like if they get a certain number of complaints about a certain title, they put it on some sort of to-do list, and that's why some seemingly less-affected titles are not on the list.

I'll stop grumbling it up now. Enjoy your immenent lunch hours.

[Freeza]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

Thank you. Please post pictures if you can.

Guys, it's clear that this problem will persist for years. We're still discovering new problematic discs, and I would not be surprised if all of the titles in the suspect date range end up with bronzed discs.

Where the Criterions are concerned, from day one I've been going on the thought that any disc I have with the IFPI 10K6/7/8 Mould is a disc I no longer trust and will send in for replacement as soon as the possibility presents itself.

[Roy Batty]

My "collection" of defective Criterions:

[Show spoiler]

I've checked and all of them load but are unplayable at some point around halfway through the movie.

I think this may have earned me some kind of prize...

I have at least 6 more titles from the list of potential culprits (including PIERROT LE FOU), but they seem to be playing fine for now...

[jscoggins]

Roy, we can almost see you reflected in the discs.

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by Roy Batty

My "collection" of defective Criterions:

[Show spoiler]

I've checked and all of them load but are unplayable at some point around halfway through the movie.

I think this may have earned me some kind of prize...

I have at least 6 more titles from the list of potential culprits (including PIERROT LE FOU), but they seem to be playing fine for now...

I wish Partyslammer would update his list of the affected range with boldface and stars because most of the titles on it have since had confirmed rotting copies out there.




Since the OOP titles are getting replaced, I'll have to play test or watch them again...

[LPMA]

Which one is the one below Kagemusha?

[tama]

Originally Posted by Roy Batty

My "collection" of defective Criterions:

[Show spoiler]

I've checked and all of them load but are unplayable at some point around halfway through the movie.

I think this may have earned me some kind of prize...

I have at least 6 more titles from the list of potential culprits (including PIERROT LE FOU), but they seem to be playing fine for now...

Now those are bad. I've been very very fortunate that none of my disc have anything remotely close to looking like that. Sorry to see that.