Serious concerns about off-gassing in cases

[Waboman]

First time I noticed this was on the LOTR UHD set. I was like wtf is this stuff?🤨

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by Waboman

First time I noticed this was on the LOTR UHD set. I was like wtf is this stuff?🤨

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Yeah, I'm not of the opinion that this filmy layer inside the cases is due to the plastic itself continually farting, unless you live on Mercury or something. I think it's more to do with the initial manufacturing process, maybe not even of the case itself but when they're shrink wrapped perhaps, the heat of the pliant wrapper makes the plastic sweat a bit?

In any case it's definitely a thing, though much more prevalent on US releases for some reason. UK cases have it too but it doesn't seem to spread all over the inner surface of the covers like a rash, it often appears as little circles of this filmy residue instead. But I always wipe down the hubs on new purchases anyway.

Yeah which would lean into environmental factors, and not just the manufacturing process.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Scottishguy

Yeah which would lean into environmental factors, and not just the manufacturing process.

Eh. Different facilities on other sides of the world may use different processes for the wrapping of the discs which results in more of this residue building up in the US cases, it's really not an environmental thing IMO. Shit, even if US discs do get a bit more sweaty having been made in Mexico, it doesn't keep spontaneously happening while they just sit on our shelves. It's a one time thing, and as long as people wipe the hubs down when they first get them then they'll be fine.

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Eh. Different facilities on other sides of the world may use different processes for the wrapping of the discs which results in more of this residue building up in the US cases, it's really not an environmental thing IMO. Shit, even if US discs do get a bit more sweaty having been made in Mexico, it doesn't keep spontaneously happening while they just sit on our shelves. It's a one time thing, and as long as people wipe the hubs down when they first get them then they'll be fine.

I'll have a look over my UHDs soon. I've never had to wipe any down.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Eh. Different facilities on other sides of the world may use different processes for the wrapping of the discs which results in more of this residue building up in the US cases, it's really not an environmental thing IMO. Shit, even if US discs do get a bit more sweaty having been made in Mexico, it doesn't keep spontaneously happening while they just sit on our shelves. It's a one time thing, and as long as people wipe the hubs down when they first get them then they'll be fine.

Both my Hobbit/LOTR is clean, you talk about being sweaty, maybe you should consider how they were shipped? You stick stuff in an airline cargo bay with pressure/temperature changes to inside the case is possible if not air tight. Do you think plastic wrap on a case meets that?

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

Both my Hobbit/LOTR is clean, you talk about being sweaty, maybe you should consider how they were shipped? You stick stuff in an airline cargo bay with pressure/temperature changes to inside the case is possible if not air tight. Do you think plastic wrap on a case meets that?

And yet someone else noticed it on their LOTR set, and they is in Amerikuh! Wherever this residue is coming from it's been an actual thing for years.

Originally Posted by Scottishguy

I'll have a look over my UHDs soon. I've never had to wipe any down.

Not the discs, the cases.

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

And yet someone else noticed it on their LOTR set, and they is in Amerikuh! Wherever this residue is coming from it's been an actual thing for years.


Not the discs, the cases.

I meant ze cases.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

And yet someone else noticed it on their LOTR set, and they is in Amerikuh! Wherever this residue is coming from it's been an actual thing for years.

USA has a wide range of different weather environments you know. 40 times the size of the UK.

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

USA has a wide range of different weather environments you know. 40 times the size of the UK.

Scotland has one. S*it.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

USA has a wide range of different weather environments you know. 40 times the size of the UK.

Yeah...and as SG hints we only have two over here: winter and July. And yet somehow virtually every US disc I buy that comes in a regular Elite case is smothered with this residue inside, not after being kept on my shelf in direct sunlight with me holding a magnifying glass over it for good measure, but from the moment I crack it open after the postie hands it over.

[314carpenter]

I thought I was OCD because of my habit of removing the black security tags with reflectors or magnetic strips and their accompanying adhesive strips from the inside of all of my media cases. External stickers come off too. Anything with adhesives that may off-gas. Not for my health and air quality, but for the health of the disks only. I never even considered that the cases themselves may off-gas as well. Now I have to consider this too?

[Auditor55]

Originally Posted by mar3o

I'm the thread starter and nowhere in this thread have I said I have a serious problem with disc rotting. I'm saying I'm concerned about long-term longevity of my discs in some of the cases that have this oily substance. I think it was another poster that said he had a few discs go bad.

Got ya.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Vilya

They are actually in three rooms making it rather impossible to do a family photo. The DVDs AND the few remaining laserdiscs (179) and VHS tapes (126) are relegated mostly to a spare bedroom and my office. The blus and 4K discs are more prominently displayed near my actual home theater gear.

But the question is, do you have any SelectAVision discs?

I own one - The Black Hole. Never owned a player; I just wanted to own one for the sake of it, and since I love The Black Hole I chose that one.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I have experienced extremely few cases of disc failure from all causes dating all the way back to the early 90s when I collected laserdiscs. I estimate my total disc failure rate at about 0.4% over three decades of collecting disc based physical media.

Of the very few that did fail, bronzing was the primary cause. Those early two sided flipper DVDs were notorious for their high failure rates. A small number of my laserdiscs rotted, too. I have not had many failures with the more recent formats, blu-ray and 4K, but that might be because they are newer. None of my 4K discs have failed. Time will tell as it always does.

In most cases I received free replacements by either writing to the studio or complaining to the retailer that sold them; both would often grant free replacements as a goodwill gesture. Disney is the exception; they won't replace anything, but they will wish you a magical day.

I had A Disney 3D disc fail on me about 2-3 years ago - Disney's Christmas Carol with Jim Carey. It played the first Christmas I bought it. The last time I tried playing it it locked up late in the film. Turned to pixels and just froze. I couldn't skip past it either. Tried several times and it couldn't skip past that chapter. I had to buy another copy. Now I'm worried about that title. I just watched it this past Christmas and it played fine.

I had several dual-sided DVDs fail on me long ago - several discs from Universal's Battlestar Galactica DVD release. I own their Buck Rogers DVDs too and I wouldn't be surprised if those are long dead now too, since they are also dual-sided, but I own the blu-rays so it doesn't matter. Universal did send me replacement DVDs long ago but warned me if they failed again I'm on my own. It actually said that in a note they included.

Long ago I had a Disney rep agree to send me a replacement disc in the Disney Treasures line - long after they were out of print. I discovered there was a replacement program for one of the discs in my set and just for the heck of it I called and asked, and the rep looked into it and told me he found a copy of the corrected disc and sent it to me no charge! Those were the days!

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Yeah, I'm not of the opinion that this filmy layer inside the cases is due to the plastic itself continually farting, unless you live on Mercury or something. I think it's more to do with the initial manufacturing process, maybe not even of the case itself but when they're shrink wrapped perhaps, the heat of the pliant wrapper makes the plastic sweat a bit?

In any case it's definitely a thing, though much more prevalent on US releases for some reason. UK cases have it too but it doesn't seem to spread all over the inner surface of the covers like a rash, it often appears as little circles of this filmy residue instead. But I always wipe down the hubs on new purchases anyway.

I was wondering if it was manufacturing oils being left on the cases rather than outgassing.

But, I wiped one of the black Vivas Elite 4k cases down just a couple months ago. It was a brand new release and it was coated with this gunk inside. It was clean as a whistle inside when I was done. Just a couple months later I looked inside and there was already a new layer of that coating building back up. But it's not as bad as it was (yet). These Viva 4k cases are awful for this, and the Viva blu-ray cases are bad too.

Maybe it's a combination of outgassing and something related to the original manufacturing process too?

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by mar3o

But the question is, do you have any SelectAVision discs?

I own one - The Black Hole. Never owned a player; I just wanted to own one for the sake of it, and since I love The Black Hole I chose that one.

No, I never owned any SelectAVision discs or hardware. I began my hobby with VHS tapes and a Hi Fi VCR that cost $800 in 1986. That's $1889 in today's dollars- for a VCR.

Having paid such prices then for such primitive technology makes me appreciate the incredibly affordable prices we pay today for the amazing technology that we enjoy now.

[Frank@Chicago]

I used to see Disney discs that were so lubed-up they practically squirted out of my hands.

I always thought the lube was to prevent scratches on the more sensitive BD format (vs DVD).

I would just wash the most slippery ones and basically take care with my discs afterwards.

[Scottishguy]

[mar3o]

The clear hard plastic trays that are attached to some sets and digipacks never have this issue. And I've had just as many cracked-up and broken standard blu-ray cases as those.

I hate eco-cases but I'm thinking they might have one true benefit - less plastic so less outgassing right underneath the disc.