Uh oh - cloudy discs (disc rot?) - anyone else ?

[MJeeves]

Hello,

I was hoping some of you may be able to help me please...

I just reached for my "AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON" HD-DVD Combo disc to watch. When I got the disc out of the case I noticed that the HD-DVD side was all "cloudy". I mean the entire disc had a cloudy appearance WITHIN the disc. I gently wiped the disc centre-to-edge with a soft cloth and it made no difference to the appearance of the disc. I tried to play the disc and it would freeze and stutter. I know that I played this disc fine when I purchased it (Dec 2006) and put it away on my DVD rack afterwards where it has remained til tonight. My room is dry and of a suitable temperature. I am confused and a bit worried about this. What shall I do?

Could this happen to other discs? Have you had other "issues" like this with discs of yours? I also notice that the INSIDE of some of the disc cases are a little "cloudy". Is this normal?

Please let me know if you have seen anything like this yourself. Thanks!

[brian s]

It sounds that it maybe laser rot. It used to be quite common with Laser Disc at one point. I have some Laser Discs with this. The quality is very poor on most of them although one with a brownish stain beneath the surface still played ok the last time I put it on. I remember Philips came up with a new cheaper way of gluing the 2 sides of the Laserdiscs together at one point. This resulted in a big batch of laser rot problems.

I've not noticed any problems with my own DVDs but I remember reading about one of the Terminator discs having laser rot.

With your combo disc it maybe the same kind of problem as Philips had. You
have a DVD attached to a HD DVD. Whatever process they have used to glue/attach the 2 playing sides together, it might be eating into one or both of the playing sides. Doesn't sound good for combo discs if this is the case.

All the best
Bri

[R1PLEY]

I had it once on a Region 1 version of Terminator 2 (ultimate edition in metal case) on standard DVD. It used to skip a lot. I cleaned it with a 'SkipDr' and whilst not removing the cloudyness it stopped the skipping.

[MJeeves]

This is kind what it looks like...





Not good!

[brian s]

I think that could well be the dreaded laser rot. Contact your dealer and if possible the company who put it out.

Best wishes
Bri

[MrSynner]

Try giving the disc a bath.

No, stop laughing, I'm serious.

I get this from time to time with some DVD's - a gentle soak in warm (not hot) soapy water for a few minutes, followed by an hour to air dry will clean it up.

I have to give Rocky and the Terminator a bath every so often. Now there's a sentence you don't get to type very often.

[MJeeves]

Originally Posted by MrSynner

Try giving the disc a bath.

No, stop laughing, I'm serious.

I get this from time to time with some DVD's - a gentle soak in warm (not hot) soapy water for a few minutes, followed by an hour to air dry will clean it up.

I have to give Rocky and the Terminator a bath every so often. Now there's a sentence you don't get to type very often.

Serious? Interesting...

What causes it? Do you know?

[MrSynner]

Originally Posted by MJeeves

Serious? Interesting...

What causes it? Do you know?

Yes, seriously. I'm not sure what causes it - but my theory is there is something in the plastic of the case that something in the disc reacts to. Warm water gets rid of it, but it does come back after a while.

Once the disc has been washed, it will play perfectly.

[The_Wierd]

I've had this on a couple of discs in the past the original Terminator release was one of them, I think there was a batch problem at the time, though I don't remember the details.

I also heard about some other discs being cloudy becasue an importnat washing stage in the process was not carried out leaving contamination inside the disc.

As DVDs are made from several layers of metallic film in a sandwich, there is a glue to hold the layers together. It does make some sense that if you warm the disc up the glue will soften and the layers will re-bond. I suppose if you 'over-cook' it though that you could warp the disc, so be careful.

This is a manufacturing defect, not a handling problem, so you are within your rights to request a replacement from the supplier.

[brian s]

I'd go for a replacement rather than wash it. Apart from anything else it will alert the company to the problem. Hope you get a decent replacement.

All the best
Bri

[MJeeves]

Thanks guys. Appreciate your feedback.

Can we keep this thread "alive" so if anyone else has this issue or if there is anything else to add it gets posted here?

Thanks again.

P.S. Do you think it might help if I put my BluRays/HD-DVD's into normal DVD cases rather than keep them in the plastic HD-DVD and BluRay cases?

[brian s]

Originally Posted by MJeeves

Can we keep this thread "alive" so if anyone else has this issue or if there is anything else to add it gets posted here?

P.S. Do you think it might help if I put my BluRays/HD-DVD's into normal DVD cases rather than keep them in the plastic HD-DVD and BluRay cases?

Let's hope there's not enough of these discs to keep this thread alive but everyone with such discs should post here.

I wouldn't have thought a change of case will make any difference but...

Cheers
Bri

[MJeeves]

Thanks guys. I'll keep an eye on my other discs. Meanwhile I've sent "AMERICAN WEREWOLF" back to where I got it from. I will also inform Universal.

I may invest in some "de-humidifying"...?

[Nic Rhodes]

Looks like poor manufacturing, perhaps one that has got through the quality control? Should happen but it does! I have had DVDs like this.

[brian s]

Originally Posted by MJeeves

Thanks guys. I'll keep an eye on my other discs. Meanwhile I've sent "AMERICAN WEREWOLF" back to where I got it from. I will also inform Universal.

By far the best thing to do mate.

All the best
Bri