Scratches on BD's

[davcole]

From Day One i've heard about the "Durablis" coating that was to be on all BD's, which prevented scratching. However in the past 2 weeks, i've encountered 2 scratched discs: one being my copy of The Two Towers in my LORD OF THE RINGS set (which i've had to exchange) and the other being a Netflix rental of THE OTHER MAN.

Is something going on where discs aren't being coated correctly?

[Blu_Avenger]

Originally Posted by davcole

From Day One i've heard about the "Durablis" coating that was to be on all BD's, which prevented scratching. However in the past 2 weeks, i've encountered 2 scratched discs: one being my copy of The Two Towers in my LORD OF THE RINGS set (which i've had to exchange) and the other being a Netflix rental of THE OTHER MAN.

Is something going on where discs aren't being coated correctly?

If the discs is brand new then its covered by its guarantee, some mistakes do happen on assembly lines.

Rental discs are notoriously badly treated, that's why I never rent any discs. I went to blockbuster here in the uk when DVD's started to be the norm and the amount of times I had to return a movie because it would skip due to scratches put me off renting.

I buy second hand sometimes but I always insist on seeing the disc before purchasing and possibly taking a shot on small scratches but tell them I'm bringing it back if it skips, they generally don't have any problems with that in the store and to be fair I've been ok on the ones I took a chance on.

[Atreyu]

Originally Posted by Blu_Avenger

If the discs is brand new then its covered by its guarantee, some mistakes do happen on assembly lines.

Rental discs are notoriously badly treated, that's why I never rent any discs. I went to blockbuster here in the uk when DVD's started to be the norm and the amount of times I had to return a movie because it would skip due to scratches put me off renting.

I buy second hand sometimes but I always insist on seeing the disc before purchasing and possibly taking a shot on small scratches but tell them I'm bringing it back if it skips, they generally don't have any problems with that in the store and to be fair I've been ok on the ones I took a chance on.

I too, look at used discs when I am buying them in the store. I have also bought several used ones online and I read the description and return policy ahead of time and only purchase if I am satisfied with what I read. So far no complaints to report.

[MOONPHASE]

Blu-ray discs are scratch-resistant not scratch-proof. But hey at least it's not as easily scratchable as dvds which have pretty much no protection.

[kdo]

Originally Posted by MOONPHASE

Blu-ray discs are scratch-resistant not scratch-proof. But hey at least it's not as easily scratchable as dvds which have pretty much no protection.

Quite true! For me, it seemed like my dvd's would sometimes scratch if I so much as looked at them the wrong way...

[lDlisturb3d]

Ive only ran into 1 scratched blu ray in my 200 collection, but it looked like someone was chewing on it, so with that said id have to agree with the above post. They are scratch resistant not proof. BTW you almost intentionally scratch them to leave cosmetic damage.

[crazyBLUE]

I myself have not seen one single scratch on any of my Disc's .

[blu-bry]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

I myself have not seen one single scratch on any of my Disc's .

+1 Also, renting Blu-rays is a much more pleasant experience than renting DVDs. I used to get scratched DVDs all the time. So far, no Blu-rays that I've rented have been unplayable.

[Crimson King]

Originally Posted by MOONPHASE

Blu-ray discs are scratch-resistant not scratch-proof. But hey at least it's not as easily scratchable as dvds which have pretty much no protection.

Good point. The same can be said for watches as well. Water resistant does'nt exactly mean water-proof!

[kdo]

Originally Posted by crazyblue

i myself have not seen one single scratch on any of my disc's .

+1

[Atreyu]

Not one scratched one in the lot!

[Septimus Prime]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

+1 Also, renting Blu-rays is a much more pleasant experience than renting DVDs. I used to get scratched DVDs all the time. So far, no Blu-rays that I've rented have been unplayable.

I remember during the format wars, a lot of HD DVD guys were saying that a scratched BD would be completely unplayable and considered destroyed. It's not true; a scratched BD is just like a scratched DVD, though with the higher data density, the same size scratch will probably take out a larger chunk of your data.

All the scratched and/or unplayable (some of them look like their data layers were warped or something) BDs I've ever encountered were from rentals.

[K_Williamson42]

I work part time at a local movie store, and Not once have I had a problem with people complaining about a scratched Blu-Ray. Every movie BD and DVD alike are scratch resistant if treated right.

[drummerboy_2002]

Originally Posted by Septimus Prime

I remember during the format wars, a lot of HD DVD guys were saying that a scratched BD would be completely unplayable and considered destroyed. It's not true; a scratched BD is just like a scratched DVD, though with the higher data density, the same size scratch will probably take out a larger chunk of your data.

All the scratched and/or unplayable (some of them look like their data layers were warped or something) BDs I've ever encountered were from rentals.

The reason for the scratch protection is due to the fact that in BD's, the data layer is very close to the bottom of the disc, unlike DVD and HD-DVD where the data layer was pretty much in the middle. Without scratch protection, even a minor scratch could destroy data. Having said that, I've never seen a scratch on a single BD or experienced skipping.

[lDlisturb3d]

BD's typically don't get scratched at all, but what i do run into is alot of finger prints and smudges thats about it. I buy used often.

[Toby Jack]

Since I upgraded my Netflix account to Blu-ray access I haven't seen a single scratch on a disc. However, I have received two CRACKED discs in the last month. This never happened to me with DVDs. I guess the new hardened material is less susceptible to scratches but more susceptible to breaking.

[neos_peace]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

BD's typically don't get scratched at all, but what i do run into is alot of finger prints and smudges thats about it. I buy used often.

exactly. In my experience I find that Blu's actually get smudges, and finger prints on them easier. OF COURSE, they are easier to clean if this does happen.

[LS2782]

Only new for me, All I own has 0 scratches in mint condition

[Captainhawk1]

Am I the only that has noticed that lately BD's have not been being made with the same materials that they used to be. Don't you notice that they feel like DVD's and not BD's? I'm really noticing this on older catalog titles. I'll post a list later but I can tell you right off the bat that my copies of Terminator, ID4, Commando and Predator are all like that and I've purchased them within the last 30 days.

My theory: in order to get the cost down, they've started using a cheaper process and cheaper materials.

But, as far as the regular BD's that I'm used to, they are nigh impossible to scratch unless you are trying to scratch them. But, yes, as previously stated they are a flippin' magnet for finger prints and are lot harder to get off than they were on DVD's.