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

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by rdandura

This is completely, absolutely awful and I will NEVER, EVER heal from this. This makes everyone feel stupid for buying these on release day, knowing they would become useless just a FEW SHORT YEARS later. These are supposed to last 20 years!

20 years? since i have seen claims that they should last from 100 to 150 years, i would at least expect them to last 50 years, 20 seems too low.

[captveg]

Depending on the title, multiple replication plants may be used for first pressings, which is probably why it's not a universal issue. It is most likely a particular batch or two from a specific replicator. Which sucks, of course, but may take a bit of time for Criterion to track down.

[rdandura]

Originally Posted by captveg

Depending on the title, multiple replication plants may be used for first pressings, which is probably why it's not a universal issue. It is most likely a particular batch or two from a specific replicator. Which sucks, of course, but may take a bit of time for Criterion to track down.

Or it could be another 3-6 months of dead silence from their end. Which at that point the disc plague will spread, the panic spirals out of control, and we see Criterion lose millions of dollars and go out of business.

We need some people to camp out in front of their office and demand answers.

[neo_reloaded]

Originally Posted by rdandura

Or it could be another 3-6 months of dead silence from their end. Which at that point the disc plague will spread, the panic spirals out of control, and we see Criterion lose millions of dollars and go out of business.

We need some people to camp out in front of their office and demand answers.

Seriously, you should calm down. You're panicking.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Brent L.

For those with no issues, yet, do you also have "first printing" copies of the aforementioned discs?

None of my Criterion Blu-rays have the above-mentioned browning issues.

I bought all of my Criterion Blu-rays since December of 2012, because that was when I bought my first Blu-ray player. I do not know if my copies of Walkabout, M, Days of Heaven, Stagecoach, and Paris, Texas are "first printings", but I bought all of them from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or the Criterion site at least a couple of years after their initial release. I bought a "Used - Like New" copy of the out-of-print Pierrot Le Fou last year, and that disc looks fine as well.

[joie]

My copy of 8 1/2, first printing, 2009, is a golden bronze across the disc. Going to chapter 27-or-so the picture freezes and the player's counter runs fast and it's back at the main menu. The main menu page is completely black, except for the selector widget, which works. The disc played correctly when new -- bought late 2010.

edit: This failure is with the same player that worked before, a Sony 570.
edit: Comparing with the "Umberto D" disc, it looks like it may be a coating problem. The coating on the 8 1/2 disc looks like it sagged over the disc's edge -- the edge isn't completely coated.

[Cocophone]

I just checked my Summer Hours disc. I fast forwarded to about 48 minute mark and hit play. The disc played until 51 minutes 39 seconds and then froze.

[Vriess]

My copy of Walkabout has the bronzing and will not play in my PC

Hope to hear something from Criterion about this this is disappointing

[Brent L.]

I'm envious of you guys who have discs that play at all. Mine wont even load in any of my players, haha.

[cricketfan]

My version of Walkabout is also browning along the edge. I'll be emailing Criterion too. I'm bummed. Walkabout was my first...Criterion blu-ray

[Spire]

I wonder how costly it would be to manufacturers to use something like this instead.

http://www.mdisc.com/what-is-mdisc/

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by Spire

I wonder how costly it would be to manufacturers to use something like this instead.

http://www.mdisc.com/what-is-mdisc/

1000 years? The company itself won't be around long enough for anyone to sue it for false advertising.

[neo_reloaded]

Originally Posted by Spire

I wonder how costly it would be to manufacturers to use something like this instead.

http://www.mdisc.com/what-is-mdisc/

A fancy BD-R, great. No thanks.

[rdandura]

Originally Posted by neo_reloaded

Seriously, you should calm down. You're panicking.

Of course I'm panicking: every single title they made in a six-month window is going bad! This is the biggest crisis the company has ever faced and they have their heads buried in the sand. In between postings, we are seeing 2-3 more titles with more problems. It's increasing exponentially at this point.

[bokes]

Ugh.
I have not heard the term "laser rot" since back to the days of laser disc.
Don't tell me we are going to relive that nightmare.

I suspect Criterion will stand by their product and replace any legitimate claim.
They are a top notch company.

[gill08]

I looked at Stagecoach and it doesn't have the ring. I'm not sure if its a first edition. I bought it 4 years ago though.

[neo_reloaded]

Originally Posted by rdandura

Of course I'm panicking: every single title they made in a six-month window is going bad! This is the biggest crisis the company has ever faced and they have their heads buried in the sand. In between postings, we are seeing 2-3 more titles with more problems. It's increasing exponentially at this point.

You have no idea what they're doing. It is actually much more likely that they're figuring out how best to address this. Your belief that they will do nothing goes against all logic and all prior precedence of their quality customer service.

[Thomas Irwin]

I just got done checking my Walkabout disc - one of the first I purchased overall, probably around late 2010, and have never opened until now. The entire disc appears to me to have a slightly peculiar hue perhaps, and it is definitely perceptably more bronze around the entire outer edge, though not markedly so. I scanned through the entire disc at an increased speed and there appear to be no discernable issues, though I guess I can't be sure until I play it back at normal speed. I do not know if this is typical for this title, but it is by far the second slowest loading disc I've ever played in my generally quite quick Panasonic player. I will be very unhappy if this disc goes south on me in the future, given that it is my second favorite Australian film.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by rdandura

Of course I'm panicking: every single title they made in a six-month window is going bad! This is the biggest crisis the company has ever faced and they have their heads buried in the sand. In between postings, we are seeing 2-3 more titles with more problems. It's increasing exponentially at this point.

This sounds like a batch or factory problem. You don't really need to panic.

I wonder if it could be related to Criterion ordering smaller batches than the major studios do for New Release blockbusters?

[Brian81]

Thanks for posting this. Unfortunately, I own most of those titles, and have to look. Sucks that a few are OOP titles. 'Pierrot Le Fou' is one of my favorite Criterion titles...