Warning about storing Blu-rays in anything other than cases

[Rik1138]

Well, after you load it up with Blu-ray, you can lay one or two more on top! (I actually do that on my BD shelf when it gets too full...)

And the Post Office now makes a really cool shipping box that folds to the shape of a CD, DVD or Blu-ray (up to two of them even). It's a Priority Mail only box, but it is about time they did it... It's kind of like those folded boxes Amazon uses (or used to use anyway...).

[Lutra]

I don't live in a hot/humid area....I've kept stuff in binders for years now without problems. The key I believe is how they're stored...vertically or horizontally. I've always been told vertical is better to avoid pressure or increase the chance of the disc warping. I used to have my dvds in binders too...when I moved I put them back in their cases and they are stored vertically now....all play just fine.

Lesson to learn--just store them vertically in a shelf like books and you'll probably be just fine. Not everyone needs to freak out over this stuff.

[pi2loc]

Originally Posted by cvm

Moral of the Story. Keep the disc in the containers they come in and do not stack them.

Haha, easy as this!

[img eL]

Has anyone had any issue's with DiscSox's stored like in the Attached photo below?

http://mmdesign.com/products/hidef-pro-poly-sleeve.php

If anyone has had DiscSox for awhile could you please check if there are any issue's thanks

[mars396]

Originally Posted by Rik1138

Now, this part is kind of cool: Since I now had discs that were unreadable, I figured I'd take a chance with them and see if heating them up somehow would fix them. A friend tried it on one of his (I'm not the only one to confirm this problem) with a hair dryer, and was actually successful in removing the pits by heating them. So, I tried several of mine that wouldn't read anymore, and I was able to recover them all (unless the pits return over time). Obviously, you don't want to melt your discs, so be careful, but it is an interesting discovery. (It's also possible that, over time, taking your disc out of the envelope and putting it in a case will slowly cause the pits to disappear... Not sure about that...)


Rik

Very interesting.

I know I am very late to comment on this, but I just saw this today.

I had the exact issue a few years ago; I started a topic for it in the Newbie Section:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=155993

I store my Star Trek DVDs in zippered cases.

[Show spoiler]

When I started to upgrade to Blu-ray, I also stored them in those cases. The DVDs work fine, but the Blu-rays all became unwatchable. I tried so many solutions, until finally I figured they are unwatchable, how could they get worse if I try HOT water to fix them. And voila! Burning hot water fixed them. I never quite figured out why (stubborn dust?) until I found this topic today.

Thank you, Rik.

Oh and yes: I put all my Star Trek Blu-rays back into their original cases (after melt-fixing them), and they all work perfectly, and have for years now.

[Todd Tomorrow]

I've been storing most of my Blu-rays and DVDs in white paper sleeves for many years now, because I don't have the space for the shelves nearly 1000 titles would require. Never had any problems of any of them not playing.

[Johnny Blu]

Originally Posted by img eL

Has anyone had any issue's with DiscSox's stored like in the Attached photo below?

http://mmdesign.com/products/hidef-pro-poly-sleeve.php

If anyone has had DiscSox for awhile could you please check if there are any issue's thanks

I have all of my blu rays (that came in amaray cases) in Discsox's sleeves for about 5 months now. I have had no issues.

[Roeland]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

I've been storing most of my Blu-rays and DVDs in white paper sleeves for many years now, because I don't have the space for the shelves nearly 1000 titles would require. Never had any problems of any of them not playing.

I have the same space issue as you. Was also thinking about putting my discs in paper sleeves (starting with my dvds), but I'm reading all these stories about paper sleeves scratching the discs. You're saying you haven't got these scratch issues?

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Roeland

I have the same space issue as you. Was also thinking about putting my discs in paper sleeves (starting with my dvds), but I'm reading all these stories about paper sleeves scratching the discs. You're saying you haven't got these scratch issues?

Nope, just be careful when handling them. And it's not like every disc gets handled every week, most get a play once every few years, so it's not like they go in and out all the time. I store them in Muji filing boxes where there is space and they aren't squashed together.

[HotRats]

I've been using Tyvek sleeves for years and I haven't found any damage or decomposition on any type of disc from CD-RW to BD

[Villiam Hayes]

Originally Posted by HotRats

I've been using Tyvek sleeves for years and I haven't found any damage or decomposition on any type of disc from CD-RW to BD

Tyvek helps protect your discs....that's what LoveFilm tell ya anyway.

[Rik1138]

Originally Posted by Villiam Hayes

Tyvek helps protect your discs....that's what LoveFilm tell ya anyway.

Definitely use Tyvek sleeves vs paper if you can. The material is a little softer, and wont leave these pressure marks on the surface as easily.

Since this thread I've had plenty of time to 'experiment'. I have a lot of discs in Tyvek sleeves in a little drawer. As long as the discs aren't packed in tightly, and they are stored vertically, I haven't had any problems with them (although I do still see a slight pit or two, nothing has caused playback issues).

Taking the disc out of the sleeve and just letting it sit (or putting it back in it's proper case) is enough to fix it eventually. The pits will slowly disappear (using a hair dryer or the hot water trick (hadn't though of that one) just speeds the process up).

While the damage doesn't seem to be permanent, I still wouldn't recommend storing Blu-rays in anything that actually comes into contact with surface of the disc. But if you do, just don't do it in a way that there's a lot of pressure against the discs (like stacking them on top of each other, or using a completely stuffed binder or drawer to store them in). Give the sleeves/pages a little wiggle room.

[honeylatte]

After putting my old CD collection in binders and having them all scratched up and skipping now , I learned my lesson and don't store discs outside of their cases.

[jgiddy]

I know some will scoff at this, but I stack mine in spools. There's nothing to worry about if you take a few simple precautions. Get the dust off both sides of the discs in a safe way before putting them back, store them with the spool turned on its side, don't exceed the capacity of the spool, and always use the spool cover. Been doing this for years with no problems.

[Villiam Hayes]

Originally Posted by jgiddy

I know some will scoff at this, but I stack mine in spools. There's nothing to worry about if you take a few simple precautions. Get the dust off both sides of the discs in a safe way before putting them back, store them with the spool turned on its side, don't exceed the capacity of the spool, and always use the spool cover. Been doing this for years with no problems.

I think only a spool would do that...

[Rik1138]

Originally Posted by jgiddy

I know some will scoff at this, but I stack mine in spools. There's nothing to worry about if you take a few simple precautions. Get the dust off both sides of the discs in a safe way before putting them back, store them with the spool turned on its side, don't exceed the capacity of the spool, and always use the spool cover. Been doing this for years with no problems.

You just have to be very careful about the dust thing... Spools work from the manufacturing plant because they are in a clean-room environment (or at least the machine is where the discs are spooled), and they are all made from the same press.

Any grain of dust/dirt sandwiched between discs will scratch them, especially if the discs manage any kind of spinning on the spools (which happens pretty much any time you move the spool). For CDs this is very destructive as it removes the reflective layer off the label side of the disc which can't be repaired.

All discs are made with a small 'hub' around the hole in the center of the disc (look at any disc you have, you will see this ring sticking up from the disc). This is what prevents the surface of the discs from touching each other. All the weight of the spindle (and each disc) is applied into this one little ring. The catch is, different manufacturers make this ring differently, so stacking discs made at different places on one spindle could cause this protective hub to not work correctly. With care and clean discs, you still shouldn't have a problem, but you just have to be careful with them.

And, yeah, definitely don't cram in more than it should hold. That completely defeats the purpose as it presses the surfaces of the discs together.

Not an impossible solution, but one that requires a lot of care to use successfully (and probably not recommended in general). (And can make it tricky to get to any disc other than the top one as you have to shuffle them around a little, handling them more than they probably should be.)

[jgiddy]

Yeah I know it's not ideal, but all of the major damage done to my discs was done by the sleeves I used prior to using spools.

Now if someone makes a binder case that uses trays with hubs, we'd be in business. Anyone know of one? A long time ago I had one that held about 36 discs but can't find it anywhere now. It was a really interesting design. I think I got it at Target. I went back and they do not sell it or anything similar there anymore.

[alvarez468]

Originally Posted by jgiddy

Yeah I know it's not ideal, but all of the major damage done to my discs was done by the sleeves I used prior to using spools.

Now if someone makes a binder case that uses trays instead of sleeves, we'd be in business. Anyone know of one? A long time ago I had one that held about 36 discs but can't find it anywhere now. It was a really interesting design. I think I got it at Target. I went back and they do not sell it or anything similar there anymore.

I've been looking for that exact design for the last 3 years or so.

[jgiddy]

Originally Posted by alvarez468

I've been looking for that exact design for the last 3 years or so.

I just dug around and found a smaller one (same concept):



Google "12 dvd case".

[lateralspin]

I noticed damage to a disc from the cut-outs on an eco case. It looks like the edge of the cut-outs can leave an imprint on the disc surface.