Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[Chie Satonaka]

Also happy to see someone from the label regularly active here on the forums to interact with the fans. Direct communication is really nice to have.

[Watershipdownisgood]

Originally Posted by ShoutFactoryOfficial

No international orders. You can try freight forwarding (though that can get expensive) or ship to a stateside pal, if that option exists for you.

It’s a great lineup I’m impressed very excited for the Gift, and The Faculty 4Ks, and of course Rock N Roll High School. Also looks like Arrow Video’s putting out the long awaited Demolition Man 4K I’ll definitely be buying that too.

[TheHorrorNerd]

Just a reminder of their policy on brand new discs having scratches...

REPLACEMENT PARTS:

Art wraps: When available, torn art wraps and water damaged art wraps will be replaced. "Wavy" art wraps, art wraps with tears less than ½ inch, and art wraps with slight dents will not be replaced.
O-cards/Slipcovers: Slipcovers (also known as o-cards) are not guaranteed on any Shout product. On titles designed to include an o-card, o-cards are produced only for the initial run of a new release. Exclusive o-cards with alternative art are even more limited. They are produced only for Shout store sales and are not replenished. An o-card with a ½ inch or greater tear will be replaced. Scuffed edges and dented corners do not make a product defective and do not qualify for a replacement. We will consider other significant damage or defects when photos are provided.
Discs: Scratches bigger than a ½ inch are grounds for a replacement (visual proof required). For discs with scratches smaller than ½ inch, we will replace the disc only if the customer confirms playback has been affected. Cosmetic scuffs that do not affect playback do not qualify for a return.

Of course, they won't believe you if you tell them the playback is affected.
They will put the burden on the customer to provide a video of the disc skipping and even then, they'll still hassle you.

So, order at your own risk.

I prefer to buy Scream discs from Amazon, because its much easier to return a scratched disc.

Take a look at the 1 star reviews here
Sure, there are some weirdos leaving reviews, but many have very real and legitimate issues with Shout.

[ShoutFactoryOfficial]

Originally Posted by TheHorrorNerd

Just a reminder of their policy on brand new discs having scratches...

Of course, they won't believe you if you tell them the playback is affected.
They will put the burden on the customer to provide a video of the disc skipping and even then, they'll still hassle you.

So, order at your own risk.

I prefer to buy Scream discs from Amazon, because its much easier to return a scratched disc.

We've never denied anyone who reported an unplayable disc, period. If your disc doesn't work, we'll send you a new one — simple as that.

(I'd argue it's harder to return stuff to Amazon; eventually, they'll just cut you off if you try to return too many things.)

We don't think requesting a video of a reported playback error is asking too much. To heedlessly send out replacements for every request we receive, sight unseen, does not make for good business. If a customer's disc doesn't work, and they show us it doesn't work, they get a new disc.

[TheHorrorNerd]

Originally Posted by ShoutFactoryOfficial

We've never denied anyone who reported an unplayable disc, period. If your disc doesn't work, we'll send you a new one — simple as that.

(I'd argue it's harder to return stuff to Amazon; eventually, they'll just cut you off if you try to return too many things.)

We don't think requesting a video of a reported playback error is asking too much. To heedlessly send out replacements for every request we receive, sight unseen, does not make for good business. If a customer's disc doesn't work, and they show us it doesn't work, they get a new disc.

I would also argue that selling scratched discs directly from the manufacturer does not make for good business.

As collectors, we often order large quantities during sales, and we tend to inspect and watch the movies.

Expecting paying customers to rewatch movies and record video evidence just to prove that the discs are faulty seems unreasonable.

The point is that your company is aware of this issue, yet they've chosen to make the replacement process difficult, likely in the interest of protecting the bottom line.

That’s fine, but it also influences my decision to shop elsewhere.

[TheHorrorNerd]

I’d also like to add that, as collectors, we value the archival aspect of physical media.

Let’s say the new discs contain "cosmetic" scratches—whatever that means.

Will these discs still work without errors 2 or 3 years down the road? Would Shout Factory address the issue then?

Of course not.

[Nailwraps]

Since you're here Shout!, there's the matter of how the audio will be handled with the Wallace and Gromit 4K. To put simply, the audio is a mess on last year's Blu (and DVD) release and I hope everything will be taken into account this time around and feature the following:

-Corrected audio (both in music and pitch) for the first 3 shorts. A Matter Of Loaf and Death is presented CORRECTLY all around, so no need to fix that.
-The altered and unaltered soundtracks to The Wrong Trousers are included, and the original Mono/Stereo mixes for the first 3 shorts for that matter.
-Remastered Blu-ray disc with these corrections and extras.

We all know we don't want a fiasco like last time and I truly know the last thing you want to do is disappoint your customers so please take these into account. Many thanks.

[ShoutFactoryOfficial]

Originally Posted by TheHorrorNerd

I’d also like to add that, as collectors, we value the archival aspect of physical media.

Let’s say the new discs contain "cosmetic" scratches—whatever that means.

Will these discs still work without errors 2 or 3 years down the road? Would Shout Factory address the issue then?

Of course not.

I don't know of any business that would replace a disc three years after it was purchased. That's why most businesses have a 30-day, 60-day, 90-day window in effect to safeguard against this.

[TheHorrorNerd]

Originally Posted by ShoutFactoryOfficial

I don't know of any business that would replace a disc three years after it was purchased. That's why most businesses have a 30-day, 60-day, 90-day window in effect to safeguard against this.

I completely understand that position.

However, that's why I no longer buy direct—having scratched discs out of the box is something I will not pay for.

The fact that you're still defending this is kind of wild.

Imagine any other product being sold with scratches.

"But it's the disc manufacturing plant's fault."
Well, as a business, Shout needs to lean on its partners to deliver a quality product.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by ShoutFactoryOfficial

I don't know of any business that would replace a disc three years after it was purchased. That's why most businesses have a 30-day, 60-day, 90-day window in effect to safeguard against this.

We understand this and it is common place with almost all businesses. His point and don't get me wrong, we appreciate you interacting with us about this, is that many others have indicated scratches on their discs in the past to Shout. IMO, this is the last vestige of physical media and a lot of the releases from Shout may be the final on our beloved plastic discs. Even one scratch on a disc, especially sensitive UHD discs, can possibly affect playback 3, let alone 10 years from now, as players do not last forever. What many of us have been concerned about is the lack of urgency from Shout on this issue. Not over a few months or a year, but it has been going on for years now. Hopefully you can put our fears to rest that these ongoing issues will not continue.

[TheHorrorNerd]

Originally Posted by jcs913

We understand this and it is common place with almost all businesses. His point and don't get me wrong, we appreciate you interacting with us about this, is that many others have indicated scratches on their discs in the past to Shout. IMO, this is the last vestige of physical media and a lot of the releases from Shout may be the final on our beloved plastic discs. Even one scratch on a disc, especially sensitive UHD discs, can possibly affect playback 3, let alone 10 years from now, as players do not last forever. What many of us have been concerned about is the lack of urgency from Shout on this issue. Not over a few months or a year, but it has been going on for years now. Hopefully you can put our fears to rest that these ongoing issues will not continue.

Yes, I didn’t intend for my post to come across as snarky as it does when I read it back now.

We really do appreciate you coming to the boards and having a presence. I know it’s not an easy position to be the public face of a brand on a message board.

We love this hobby and want to see it flourish.

The bottom line is, I can be pretty reckless with my money when it comes to physical media. I want Shout/Scream Factory releases. I want to spend my money on them.

But I simply can’t bring myself to buy them, knowing the issues they have and that the company is aware of these problems yet continues to sell known defective products.

Shout releases some of my favorite films, yet I just can’t pull the trigger (most of the time).

I end up going with other boutique labels that don’t have these issues or purchasing Shout titles elsewhere.

We'd love to see Shout address this issue and see to it that our discs will be scratch-free.

[surfinhank]

Originally Posted by TheHorrorNerd

Yes, I didn’t intend for my post to come across as snarky as it does when I read it back now.

We really do appreciate you coming to the boards and having a presence. I know it’s not an easy position to be the public face of a brand on a message board.

We love this hobby and want to see it flourish.

The bottom line is, I can be pretty reckless with my money when it comes to physical media. I want Shout/Scream Factory releases. I want to spend my money on them.

But I simply can’t bring myself to buy them, knowing the issues they have and that the company is aware of these problems yet continues to sell known defective products.

Shout releases some of my favorite films, yet I just can’t pull the trigger (most of the time).

I end up going with other boutique labels that don’t have these issues or purchasing Shout titles elsewhere.

We'd love to see Shout address this issue and see to it that our discs will be scratch-free.

Don't get me wrong, I'm on your side 100%, I've received MORE than my share of scratched discs. I've stopped ordering new releases from Shout directly, so I understand that, but who are you referring to that doesn't have this problem? I've gotten scratched discs from Kino, Criterion, Warner Archive, MVD, Mill Creek, Movie Zyng and even a few from Vinegar Syndrome and Indicator. Major labels too: Sony, Image, Universal, Warner Brothers.

[concolt]

Everytime I’ve asked shout to replace a scratched disc or messed up steelbook they have. They also ship it out quickly as well.

[TheHorrorNerd]

Originally Posted by concolt

Everytime I’ve asked shout to replace a scratched disc or messed up steelbook they have. They also ship it out quickly as well.

Please refer to my link of 1 star reviews to see many don't have that experience.

[TheHorrorNerd]

Originally Posted by concolt

Everytime I’ve asked shout to replace a scratched disc or messed up steelbook they have. They also ship it out quickly as well.

I agree that some other labels have similar issues with scratches as well but nowhere near the level of Scream.

I typically buy Vinegar Syndrome and Severin.

[Bradsdadg]

I'm excited for the Shocktober sale! Hoping some bigger sets are on sale as well. Like Farscape and the Irwin Allen collection

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by TheHorrorNerd

I agree that some other labels have similar issues with scratches as well but nowhere near the level of Scream.

I typically buy Vinegar Syndrome and Severin.

I'm not sure how you've had such a bad experience. It did seem a ways back they did have a higher chance of having some type of scratch, but that seems to have been (mostly?) resolved. All of my copies for their 4K releases have been scratch free.

[HipsterTrash]

So stoked for the Gift. Been demanding that one for a while.
Question though. Is it UHD only? Or is it possibly getting a blu only as well?

[concolt]

Originally Posted by TheHorrorNerd

Please refer to my link of 1 star reviews to see many don't have that experience.

When I message them I automatically attach a pic of the scratched disc, broken steelbook or video of playback issue. They message me back stating they’ve forwarded to their shipping office and what the hours of the shipping office is. Usually in less than two weeks I get the replacement.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

OMG, it won't end. One more, and this has to be happening for December too, and I'm excited for it, as it's one of the best films from last year.

The Holdovers 4K UHD!

Finally!!! I said to myself---- that's enough! I'm not buying a blu ray version when a 4k version will come out right after................