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

[fdm]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

LOLA MONTES is on the Criterion list, but if anyone has reported a problem with it in this thread, I couldn't find it. I wonder if I should send it in to Criterion anyway just to be on the safe side. ???

If nobody has any problems with it, and it is not on Criterion's official list, and it plays fine then I'd say why bother.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by fdm

If nobody has any problems with it, and it is not on Criterion's official list, and it plays fine then I'd say why bother.

Well it's on the list here at BluRay.com and if it IS a known issue now, I don't want it to go bad at a later date and I am left with no recourse. I just wrote Criterion and asked them their official stance on this title. I'll report back if/when I hear anything.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Well it's on the list here at BluRay.com and if it IS a known issue now, I don't want it to go bad at a later date and I am left with no recourse. I just wrote Criterion and asked them their official stance on this title. I'll report back if/when I hear anything.

Criterion will not refuse to replace any defective disc. They put out an "Official List" of titles that they were aware of as having this current problem, and they were asking -- last year -- that people only send in those titles, because they didn't want to get deluged with discs that may or may not be problematic.

I have absolutely no doubt that unless Criterion goes belly-up down the road, it will never be too late to get a disc replaced.

And the thing is, this problem would have been starting to manifest itself as soon as the discs were rolling off the press. If your disc is still playing five years later -- and that's assuming that you picked up your copy of Lola Montes when it first came out, and was pressed at the "bad" plant -- it's not likely going to fail later on.

[fdm]

^^^ I don' really agree with that last paragraph (the rest I do)... It may take some discs longer to turn bad than others, they were not bad out of the gate (at least one of mine played fine prior to going bad), but who's to say they should all have turned bad by now if they're going to? This problem was practically unknown a year ago...

So yes, some may never go bad while others very well still could. But it's going to vary title by title. Since it's rare or unknown whether Lola Montes is a good one or a bad one, I repeat: If nobody has any problems with it, and it is not on Criterion's official list, and it plays fine then I'd say why bother. I'll add: If it's obviously turning brown like the others that have failed, only then would I be concerned. (I have a few that are browner than others, but all of the ones I've tried have played so far; whether I'll be able to say the same this time next year or several years down the line, we'll see.)

I did swap out the official ones, and haven't quite made it through the others yet, but of the ones I did nothing so far.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Criterion will not refuse to replace any defective disc. They put out an "Official List" of titles that they were aware of as having this current problem, and they were asking -- last year -- that people only send in those titles, because they didn't want to get deluged with discs that may or may not be problematic.

I have absolutely no doubt that unless Criterion goes belly-up down the road, it will never be too late to get a disc replaced.

And the thing is, this problem would have been starting to manifest itself as soon as the discs were rolling off the press. If your disc is still playing five years later -- and that's assuming that you picked up your copy of Lola Montes when it first came out, and was pressed at the "bad" plant -- it's not likely going to fail later on.

They initially refused me replacements on both Paris Texas and Walkabout. My discs went bad before they officially "acknowledged" the problem, but wouldn't replace my discs. I had to re-buy them.

Both my and my friend's copies of The Lady Vanishes have been exhibiting problems. Keep an eye on that one for the future.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Well it's on the list here at BluRay.com and if it IS a known issue now, I don't want it to go bad at a later date and I am left with no recourse. I just wrote Criterion and asked them their official stance on this title. I'll report back if/when I hear anything.

Wow, heard back from Jon at Criterion already! A very nice note wherein he said if I experience any problems with LOLA MONTES to definitely return it to them for a quick replacement, even though it's not on the official list. Excellent customer service all the way around.

[neo_reloaded]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Both my and my friend's copies of The Lady Vanishes have been exhibiting problems. Keep an eye on that one for the future.

The Lady Vanishes was released a good year or so after the end of the "problem range" and was presumably pressed by Sony instead of the plant with the bad discs. Can you verify the IFPI or mould numbers, and can you elaborate on what problems you and your friend's discs are displaying (bronzing, playback problems, etc.)?

[pedromvu]

Didn't expect this thread to be still alive.

Today I decided to rewatch Monsoon Wedding, and it skipped from 1:35 to 1:45 which is the same as some other people reported , when this problem was first brought up in this thread I did a lot of research with my discs, and it was playing fine, I can't really detect it being bronzed, maybe just a little but not sure.

I guess I need to rewatch the other candidates (discs with L021 or LB42 codes) before emailing Criterion, here is my list with my first press possibly problematic discs, with the red ones already been exchanged:

--------------------------------------------Inner--Outer
Oct 20 2009--Monsoon Wedding---------L021--L021------Skips from 1:35-1:45
Apr 20 2010--Vivre sa Vie---------------LB42--LB42-------Update: Played entire film and extras without problems
Apr 20 2010--Summer Hours------------LB42--LB42------Shows a lot of browning, skips around 51 minutes
May 11 2010--M--------------------------LB42--LB42
May 18 2010--Walkabout----------------LB42--LB42------This is the one I received as replacement for it's previous problem, so it was replaced long before this browning issue came up.
May 25 2010--Stagecoach---------------L021--L021-----Shows slight brown, skips 2 mins around minute 15, skips around 30 mins in Bucking Broadway extra

I guess the only way is to watch the whole films, and who knows if they are going to work fine next year, wish I could just send all 4 for replacement just in case, as it seems some of the discs are deteriorating at a slower pace.

[turls]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

How will this thread ever be properly updated in the OP if the person who started it is "BANNED?" This is one of the most helpful threads on the site and I would hate for it to just fade away while people are still stuck with bad discs.

Ditto. I have a lot of unopened discs and many times the first time I watch a movie is when I have friends over. I hadn't watched Sunshine since I saw it on DVD and when I played it this weekend I had the dreaded PiP glitch. To add insult to injury, yes I'm glad the replacement plan is still offered but I'm going to have to waste time and money sending it back for a Blu-ray that can be bought new for a few dollars more. Before they didn't make you return it -- I'm sure abuse killed that.

So I'm bookmarking this thread and will go through my collection more proactively as time allows, but what happened to the OP? No guarantee any thread would get updated, but one like this it would be nice to have some moderator involvement with.

[Oniros]

How long did it take for you all to get your replacement discs? I sent mine a month ago and I still have yet to hear from them.

[atlantajoseph]

Originally Posted by Oniros

How long did it take for you all to get your replacement discs? I sent mine a month ago and I still have yet to hear from them.

If you are talking about the Criterion replacement program, I got mine in around three weeks. You may want to e-mail them for an update.

[Trekkie313]

Sending my copy of Walkabout out tomorrow.

[Lord Summerisle]

This has probably already been addressed in this thread and I apologize if so. If you buy one of these "bad" titles now in 2015, what are the chances of getting a bad disc? I want to pick up Vivre sa Vie during the 50% off sale, but I'm hesitant because it's on the list of problematic titles. The copy that I saw at the store said First Printing 2010. Are the reprinted discs not indicated on the artwork?

[neo_reloaded]

Originally Posted by Lord Summerisle

This has probably already been addressed in this thread and I apologize if so. If you buy one of these "bad" titles now in 2015, what are the chances of getting a bad disc? I want to pick up Vivre sa Vie during the 50% off sale, but I'm hesitant because it's on the list of problematic titles. The copy that I saw at the store said First Printing 2010. Are the reprinted discs not indicated on the artwork?

The "first printing" text only changes when the contents of the disc is changed, like Eraserhead where they added a previously missing shot or Carlos where they fixed an audio error.

For this bronzing issue, the fixed discs have the exact same content, they were just replicated at a different manufacturer. In fact, many of the discs had already been re-replicated at said different manufacturer before any problem was ever discovered simply because Criterion had switched manufacturers on their own.

Long story short, the "first printing" stuff is irrelevant here, and you are most likely fine to buy any of these titles. The real check is the small IFPI text on the underside of the discs, but you obviously can't check that without purchasing the movie first, unfortunately.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by neo_reloaded

The "first printing" text only changes when the contents of the disc is changed, like Eraserhead where they added a previously missing shot or Carlos where they fixed an audio error.

For this bronzing issue, the fixed discs have the exact same content, they were just replicated at a different manufacturer. In fact, many of the discs had already been re-replicated at said different manufacturer before any problem was ever discovered simply because Criterion had switched manufacturers on their own.

Long story short, the "first printing" stuff is irrelevant here, and you are most likely fine to buy any of these titles. The real check is the small IFPI text on the underside of the discs, but you obviously can't check that without purchasing the movie first, unfortunately.

Do the "fixed" discs have a different IFPI number on them or something? I'm probably fine with Walkabout since I just bought it during the July sale at B&N, but I wanted to check some of my older titles like Stagecoach. I had completely forgotten about all of this.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

Do the "fixed" discs have a different IFPI number on them or something? I'm probably fine with Walkabout since I just bought it during the July sale at B&N, but I wanted to check some of my older titles like Stagecoach. I had completely forgotten about all of this.

Fixed discs will have different numbers on them. The ones that are potentially problematic have IFPI 10K6 and 10K7 (and perhaps 10K8) on them.

(It's a long thread, but this is all in there.)

[surfinhank]

I noticed today that my copy of "The Getaway" (Steve McQueen) is starting to show this bronzing ring along the outer edge. Fairly troubling because this is a Warner Bros. disc and it doesn't seem anyone else has reported issues with Warner titles.

If anybody reading has this title can you check yours and report back?

[rdandura]

Originally Posted by neo_reloaded

The Lady Vanishes was released a good year or so after the end of the "problem range" and was presumably pressed by Sony instead of the plant with the bad discs. Can you verify the IFPI or mould numbers, and can you elaborate on what problems you and your friend's discs are displaying (bronzing, playback problems, etc.)?

Mine's showing playback problems too, it freezes at random places around the 1:20 mark for 1-2 seconds and continues playing. I see no signs of physical damage, and the IFPI (L324) indicates that it might be a sony-manufactured disc. Sent an email to Mulvaney this evening but very doubtful a replacement is going to solve the problem.

Has anyone purchased the early Hitchcock set and noticed anything there?

[mikesncc1701]

Well, I finally got to checking my CC discs and I'm definitely going to have to send some in. My only question, what will they do about Pierrot Le Fou seeing as it's OOP and all? If anyone can answer me that I'd be most appreciative.

In the mail they go (discs only of course)....

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by surfinhank

I noticed today that my copy of "The Getaway" (Steve McQueen) is starting to show this bronzing ring along the outer edge. Fairly troubling because this is a Warner Bros. disc and it doesn't seem anyone else has reported issues with Warner titles.

If anybody reading has this title can you check yours and report back?

I checked my copy. No bronzing. I didn't spin it up, but I've watched it within the last few months and didn't notice any playback problems.