OCD on 4K/Blu-ray Condition

[stackerboy99]

Hello,

I know I have made a lot of forum posts already on this topic, but I feel at this point, I need some help and closure with this, and if ANYBODY has ANYTHING that can help, that would be very appreciated.

For the last year or so, I have been growing an obsession with the condition of Blu-ray/4K/DVDs. Whenever I purchase a title, brand new, and notice any sort of scratch (even those invisible ones that only appear when you hold the disc up to the light a certain way) or any imperfection that I cannot wipe off, then I end up having to rebuy the same title(s) until the disc condition is pristine. It also equals an automatic rebuy for me when a title arrives and I hear a loose disc.

Thankfully, I have gotten a little better at this by not looking at the bottom of the disc whenever I buy a title, but I think my worst culprit are the Blu-ray seasons of Supernatural. I own every season, but one season has had imperfect discs with every duplicate purchase I make of it.

I think my mindset is that if there is any sort of imperfection on a disc, then that automatically means to me that the disc is defective and will not play properly, even when I have not tested it at all. It's also gotten to the point where, if I do look at a new disc, I then end up deeming it unplayable with every wipe of my shirt I give it, causing another rebuy. This obsession has only occurred with small portions of my collection (thankfully) and I do not plan to do this with every title I own.

All of these things have been causing me to think maybe I should move to digital media and just purchase movies via VUDU and own them digitally. I know physical media reigns supreme to many, but with digital, you don't have to worry about rebuying or the condition of it.

If anybody has any sort of advice, or help, or ANYTHING that can go towards ending this OCD obsession, that would be appreciated. The main TL;DR here, is that I worry about the condition of discs in my collection, and feel the need to rebuy a title if I ever notice an irremovable scratch/smudge on a disc, and I want to be able to not worry about it anymore. This didn't start happening until a year ago, so I don't know why it has become such an issue when it meant nothing to me before.

[Lee A Stewart]

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by stackerboy99

Hello,

I know I have made a lot of forum posts already on this topic, but I feel at this point, I need some help and closure with this, and if ANYBODY has ANYTHING that can help, that would be very appreciated.

For the last year or so, I have been growing an obsession with the condition of Blu-ray/4K/DVDs. Whenever I purchase a title, brand new, and notice any sort of scratch (even those invisible ones that only appear when you hold the disc up to the light a certain way) or any imperfection that I cannot wipe off, then I end up having to rebuy the same title(s) until the disc condition is pristine. It also equals an automatic rebuy for me when a title arrives and I hear a loose disc.

Thankfully, I have gotten a little better at this by not looking at the bottom of the disc whenever I buy a title, but I think my worst culprit are the Blu-ray seasons of Supernatural. I own every season, but one season has had imperfect discs with every duplicate purchase I make of it.

I think my mindset is that if there is any sort of imperfection on a disc, then that automatically means to me that the disc is defective and will not play properly, even when I have not tested it at all. It's also gotten to the point where, if I do look at a new disc, I then end up deeming it unplayable with every wipe of my shirt I give it, causing another rebuy. This obsession has only occurred with small portions of my collection (thankfully) and I do not plan to do this with every title I own.

All of these things have been causing me to think maybe I should move to digital media and just purchase movies via VUDU and own them digitally. I know physical media reigns supreme to many, but with digital, you don't have to worry about rebuying or the condition of it.

If anybody has any sort of advice, or help, or ANYTHING that can go towards ending this OCD obsession, that would be appreciated. The main TL;DR here, is that I worry about the condition of discs in my collection, and feel the need to rebuy a title if I ever notice an irremovable scratch/smudge on a disc, and I want to be able to not worry about it anymore. This didn't start happening until a year ago, so I don't know why it has become such an issue when it meant nothing to me before.

Just assume none of them are scratched. Stop looking, basically. Buy your Blu-ray, watch it, enjoy it.

The discs are less prone to errors from scratches anyway, DVD was far worse for that and even then, it was rare imo.

So, even if you find a scratch, it’s unlikely to cause playback issues.

You should not accept inferior quality by going digital. I presume you love film so get back to loving film.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Just assume none of them are scratched. Stop looking, basically. Buy your Blu-ray, watch it, enjoy it.

The discs are less prone to errors from scratches anyway, DVD was far worse for that and even then, it was rare imo.

So, even if you find a scratch, it’s unlikely to cause playback issues.

You should not accept inferior quality by going digital. I presume you love film so get back to loving film.

[stackerboy99]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Just assume none of them are scratched. Stop looking, basically. Buy your Blu-ray, watch it, enjoy it.

The discs are less prone to errors from scratches anyway, DVD was far worse for that and even then, it was rare imo.

So, even if you find a scratch, it’s unlikely to cause playback issues.

You should not accept inferior quality by going digital. I presume you love film so get back to loving film.

Agreed, thank you. One of the mottos I have been trying to go by is "If it plays, that's all that matters," but yours will also help.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by stackerboy99

Agreed, thank you. One of the mottos I have been trying to go by is "If it plays, that's all that matters," but yours will also help.

Enjoy mate.

[slimjean]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

You should not accept inferior quality by going digital. I presume you love film so get back to loving film.

Perplexing to me that someone would ignore the obvious failings of digital (bit rate drop/bad compression/signal loss), but drive such a hard standard just because it is physically there?

Reminds me of the foolish notion of something being "broke" because it needs an update while ignoring the fact that streaming dedicated servers no doubt go through the same thing...you just don't know about it because of the nature of the beast?

Contradictory prejudice, that is the true sickness.

[PhysicalMediaNut]

Originally Posted by stackerboy99

Hello,

I know I have made a lot of forum posts already on this topic, but I feel at this point, I need some help and closure with this, and if ANYBODY has ANYTHING that can help, that would be very appreciated.

For the last year or so, I have been growing an obsession with the condition of Blu-ray/4K/DVDs. Whenever I purchase a title, brand new, and notice any sort of scratch (even those invisible ones that only appear when you hold the disc up to the light a certain way) or any imperfection that I cannot wipe off, then I end up having to rebuy the same title(s) until the disc condition is pristine. It also equals an automatic rebuy for me when a title arrives and I hear a loose disc.

Thankfully, I have gotten a little better at this by not looking at the bottom of the disc whenever I buy a title, but I think my worst culprit are the Blu-ray seasons of Supernatural. I own every season, but one season has had imperfect discs with every duplicate purchase I make of it.

I think my mindset is that if there is any sort of imperfection on a disc, then that automatically means to me that the disc is defective and will not play properly, even when I have not tested it at all. It's also gotten to the point where, if I do look at a new disc, I then end up deeming it unplayable with every wipe of my shirt I give it, causing another rebuy. This obsession has only occurred with small portions of my collection (thankfully) and I do not plan to do this with every title I own.

All of these things have been causing me to think maybe I should move to digital media and just purchase movies via VUDU and own them digitally. I know physical media reigns supreme to many, but with digital, you don't have to worry about rebuying or the condition of it.

If anybody has any sort of advice, or help, or ANYTHING that can go towards ending this OCD obsession, that would be appreciated. The main TL;DR here, is that I worry about the condition of discs in my collection, and feel the need to rebuy a title if I ever notice an irremovable scratch/smudge on a disc, and I want to be able to not worry about it anymore. This didn't start happening until a year ago, so I don't know why it has become such an issue when it meant nothing to me before.

I have the EXACT same problem. I’ve been looking into seeing someone to talk about my anxiety/depression and suspected ocd. I feel like I have been struggling with OCD for a long time. It can make life very difficult. The only thing that works for me is to shift my focus to my video game obsession, so I can forget about it for a little while. I’ve thrown discs out just because they have a scratch on them. I also have a lot of duplicates as well.

[mjjckc]

Originally Posted by PhysicalMediaNut

I have the EXACT same problem. I’ve been looking into seeing someone to talk about my anxiety/depression and suspected ocd. I feel like I have been struggling with OCD for a long time. It can make life very difficult. The only thing that works for me is to shift my focus to my video game obsession, so I can forget about it for a little while. I’ve thrown discs out just because they have a scratch on them. I also have a lot of duplicates as well.

This is a tough one. We're already a pretty self selected bunch just being here on this forum... people that not only invest in higher quality TVs and want great PQ in their media, but go about it with a collector, completionist mentality.

Even though you don't like that particular movie, you'll buy it so you'll have everything from that director. That spin off wasn't that great, but you want to have everything from that franchise. You'll double dip since that film is getting remastered and you can ditch that old dated 2007 MPEG-2 release with DNR and EE. DVD -> BD -> 4K...

Quality control during manufacturing and shipping has plummeted in the last few years. Those 4K disc cases used in the US have a high tendency to get cracked. 4K discs themselves are pretty fragile... I've had to send back around 1 in 10 for playback errors. After a few near misses, I now scan all new BDs for read errors on my laptop. Most of my collection is TV on BD. If you have a 1 in 100 chance of a bad disc, the odds of clearing a complete series with over 50 discs is a reasonable concern.

I think the key is realizing just where to draw the line. Probably the personality characteristics that draw us to better PQ TV and disc collecting likely correlate to the risk of developing OCD under conditions of stress and depression. If you can't control other aspects of your life, at least you can exercise some control here by perfecting your collection. The last two years have been horrible for almost everyone. It makes sense why some people might be running up against OCD in the process. It's great you and the OP are able to recognize that things are amiss.

[Hitman Horton]

Originally Posted by stackerboy99

Hello,

I know I have made a lot of forum posts already on this topic, but I feel at this point, I need some help and closure with this, and if ANYBODY has ANYTHING that can help, that would be very appreciated.

For the last year or so, I have been growing an obsession with the condition of Blu-ray/4K/DVDs. Whenever I purchase a title, brand new, and notice any sort of scratch (even those invisible ones that only appear when you hold the disc up to the light a certain way) or any imperfection that I cannot wipe off, then I end up having to rebuy the same title(s) until the disc condition is pristine. It also equals an automatic rebuy for me when a title arrives and I hear a loose disc.

Thankfully, I have gotten a little better at this by not looking at the bottom of the disc whenever I buy a title, but I think my worst culprit are the Blu-ray seasons of Supernatural. I own every season, but one season has had imperfect discs with every duplicate purchase I make of it.

I think my mindset is that if there is any sort of imperfection on a disc, then that automatically means to me that the disc is defective and will not play properly, even when I have not tested it at all. It's also gotten to the point where, if I do look at a new disc, I then end up deeming it unplayable with every wipe of my shirt I give it, causing another rebuy. This obsession has only occurred with small portions of my collection (thankfully) and I do not plan to do this with every title I own.

All of these things have been causing me to think maybe I should move to digital media and just purchase movies via VUDU and own them digitally. I know physical media reigns supreme to many, but with digital, you don't have to worry about rebuying or the condition of it.

If anybody has any sort of advice, or help, or ANYTHING that can go towards ending this OCD obsession, that would be appreciated. The main TL;DR here, is that I worry about the condition of discs in my collection, and feel the need to rebuy a title if I ever notice an irremovable scratch/smudge on a disc, and I want to be able to not worry about it anymore. This didn't start happening until a year ago, so I don't know why it has become such an issue when it meant nothing to me before.

What you need is an appointment with your doctor. He/she may want to refer you to a mental health specialist. The term OCD is thrown around here all the time but, in most cases, it's used incorrectly. Counselling and possibly medication may be what you need. A visit to you doctor is where you should start.

[Abdrewes]

Don't stack em, boy, that'll make it 99x worse!

[Katatonia]

Originally Posted by Hitman Horton

What you need is an appointment with your doctor. He/she may want to refer you to a mental health specialist. The term OCD is thrown around here all the time but, in most cases, it's used incorrectly. Counselling and possibly medication may be what you need. A visit to you doctor is where you should start.

As someone who actually is diagnosed with OCD, and has had it since being a child before society even really knew the terminology... yes, the term gets thrown around way to much now, often to the point of being nearly insulting to those who actually suffer from it.

I can say that counselling for the most part is effectively worthless however. Medications help to a degree, but behavioral therapy (which one can do better on their own) is what can truly work to alleviate it.

[Hitman Horton]

Originally Posted by Katatonia

As someone who actually is diagnosed with OCD, and has had it since being a child before society even really knew the terminology... yes, the term gets thrown around way to much now, often to the point of being nearly insulting to those who actually suffer from it.

I can say that counselling for the most part is effectively worthless however. Medications help to a degree, but behavioral therapy (which one can do better on their own) is what can truly work to alleviate it.

Each person is different. What works for you may not work for someone else. That's why I said a trip to the doctor is the first step. I'm glad that you have found what works for you.

[Robbie The Robot]

I have observed a lot of concerning behaviour on this site over the years and it seems to have escalated as the industry has shifted from physical to digital. I have lived through Beta Max, VHS, (skipped Laser Disk), DVD, Blurray and now UHD. There isn't a disk released this day that doesn't come under fire on this site from people with a similar condition. The disk manufacturing, slip covers, colour timing, crush, scratches, DNR etc.... Sure some releases are just outright rubbish. But over time this has shifted to a general take down of everything.

I just wonder if anyone is willing to go back to VHS if they are all so consistently unhappy with their product. A LOT of the time it comes down to your player and tv and player/tv settings but people just assume its faulty out of the box. Too obsessively focused on the bacteria growing on the mushrooms growing on the tree in the forrest instead of just looking at the forrest.

I really don't like streaming for a myriad of reasons. If I was a studio visiting this site I would become very desensitised and quickly give up trying to please anyone and just run to streaming as a release platform. At least you're not encumbered with constant demands and costs of product replacements over what sometimes is a two second glitch.

If your disk isn't good to go out of the box then it is faulty. But don't look at it just stick it in your player and watch the movie. Watch the movie - don't get hung up on a flicker or a twitch. If the sum total of the experience is good quality then its a good quality purchase.

If it doesn't play or has a baked in fault that affects the duration of your experience then rattle the cage.

And yes - there is enough advice and help on line to guide you with controlling OCD. Unless you are REALLY bad give all that a try before you turn to dropping money on help.

[Hitman Horton]

Originally Posted by Robbie The Robot

I have observed a lot of concerning behaviour on this site over the years and it seems to have escalated as the industry has shifted from physical to digital. I have lived through Beta Max, VHS, (skipped Laser Disk), DVD, Blurray and now UHD. There isn't a disk released this day that doesn't come under fire on this site from people with a similar condition. The disk manufacturing, slip covers, colour timing, crush, scratches, DNR etc.... Sure some releases are just outright rubbish. But over time this has shifted to a general take down of everything.

I just wonder if anyone is willing to go back to VHS if they are all so consistently unhappy with their product. A LOT of the time it comes down to your player and tv and player/tv settings but people just assume its faulty out of the box. Too obsessively focused on the bacteria growing on the mushrooms growing on the tree in the forrest instead of just looking at the forrest.

I really don't like streaming for a myriad of reasons. If I was a studio visiting this site I would become very desensitised and quickly give up trying to please anyone and just run to streaming as a release platform. At least you're not encumbered with constant demands and costs of product replacements over what sometimes is a two second glitch.

If your disk isn't good to go out of the box then it is faulty. But don't look at it just stick it in your player and watch the movie. Watch the movie - don't get hung up on a flicker or a twitch. If the sum total of the experience is good quality then its a good quality purchase.

If it doesn't play or has a baked in fault that affects the duration of your experience then rattle the cage.

And yes - there is enough advice and help on line to guide you with controlling OCD. Unless you are REALLY bad give all that a try before you turn to dropping money on help.

That is terrible advice. The first thing that is needed is an accurate diagnosis. Google can't do that.

[slimjean]

Originally Posted by Hitman Horton

That is terrible advice. The first thing that is needed is an accurate diagnosis. Google can't do that.

Did he say only that? There is great advice everywhere (as well as bad) and there is nothing wrong woth self help as long as you don't stick to one source as the be all end all.

Only a fool would think that doctors office is the only way to go.

[Hitman Horton]

Originally Posted by slimjean

Did he say only that? There is great advice everywhere (as well as bad) and there is nothing wrong woth self help as long as you don't stick to one source as the be all end all.

Only a fool would think that doctors office is the only way to go.

A medical condition requires medical intervention.

[slimjean]

Originally Posted by Hitman Horton

A medical condition requires medical intervention.

A what exactly defines a medical condition?

By that tunnel vision rationale nothing could ever be solved unless you go to a doctor.

[captainron_howdy]

Hi, has anyone in this thread ever heard of Synesthesia, particularly Auditory-Tactile Synesthesia? OCD comes along with that territory, but this may not just be an OCD thing. I'm basically the same way with all my collections, whether it's Discs, Action Figures, Comic Books etc....

The last two years have really been something & I think Steedeel gave some of the best advice I've ever read here. Just assume nothing is scratched unless there are playback issues. My Alligator UHD and Blu-ray have scratches and so does the sequel. I'm learning to just let this kind of stuff go unless there is a real problem. Maybe it's just the older I get or the fact that I'm at a point where I know a scratched disc is inevitable w the lack of QC now.

Best of luck and just try to enjoy your movies and not let stuff like this eat at you. Trust me, I know. FYI: If you want to watch a movie that will make you feel like you have everything you could possibly need.....check out The Turin Horse by Bela Tarr.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by captainron_howdy

Hi, has anyone in this thread ever heard of Synesthesia, particularly Auditory-Tactile Synesthesia? OCD comes along with that territory, but this may not just be an OCD thing. I'm basically the same way with all my collections, whether it's Discs, Action Figures, Comic Books etc....

The last two years have really been something & I think Steedeel gave some of the best advice I've ever read here. Just assume nothing is scratched unless there are playback issues. My Alligator UHD and Blu-ray have scratches and so does the sequel. I'm learning to just let this kind of stuff go unless there is a real problem. Maybe it's just the older I get or the fact that I'm at a point where I know a scratched disc is inevitable w the lack of QC now.

Best of luck and just try to enjoy your movies and not let stuff like this eat at you. Trust me, I know. FYI: If you want to watch a movie that will make you feel like you have everything you could possibly need.....check out The Turin Horse by Bela Tarr.

The scratches that most people are seeing on Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs is on the protective coating, not penetrated enough to affect the playability of the movie, unless a person takes a sharp object and deliberately scratch the disc that it's damaged.