Warner Bros FAIL: The Race Against the ROTTING DVD Epidemic

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  • Опубліковано 4 бер 2024
  • #retroblasting #warnerbros #dvd
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    The DVDs made by Warner Bros from 2006-2009 are a pile of rotting garbage, and you might not even know it. Better check your movie collection and THIS VIDEO: • Warner Home Video DVD ...
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  • @voxorox
    @voxorox 2 місяці тому +600

    I really get sick of the "but it's on streaming, grandpa" response to physical media. My reply is usually: "And it won't be on there tomorrow, kid, but I'll still have my discs."
    Big companies have never been interested in archiving anything unless there's profit in it. The BBC famously wiped 20-30 years worth of programming back in the 70s, costing us a lot of classic Dr Who episodes, nearly deleting Monty Python, but succeeding in deleting Spike Milligan's Q Series, which was a comedy show to rival Python.
    And of course there are unknown numbers of old movies that are just gone now because nobody cared.

    • @comicsgatekeeper9746
      @comicsgatekeeper9746 2 місяці тому +52

      They got rid of most of the peter cook stuff too.
      Culteral vandalism

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +37

      The problem with that argument is that your disc's won't last forever either and (as pointed out here) you may not even be able to count on then to last a particularly long time.

    • @Horstveratu
      @Horstveratu 2 місяці тому +34

      i feel like having an External Drive with 1 to 1 rips is the way to go because at this point all those companies are not getting any of my money since they are all scum

    • @scottstalcup6980
      @scottstalcup6980 2 місяці тому +20

      First series of The Avengers, Z Cars... There's still holes in At Last the 1948 Show and Do Not Adjust Your Set. They're still mucking about with Top of the Pops. Yes, Jimmy Saville is a thankfully dead bastard and if there is a Hell, he's in it, but to fling an entire programme down the memory hole because that bellend is on it? So wrong.

    • @gothamite27
      @gothamite27 2 місяці тому +29

      Back up your discs and put them all on a Plex server. It's not hard to do, especially with DVDs.

  • @TwistedTB
    @TwistedTB 2 місяці тому +305

    What a nightmare. That 2002-2009 window that WB was using the crappy manufacturing facility are probably the peak DVD collecting years for a lot of people.

    • @GroverJ83
      @GroverJ83 2 місяці тому +27

      Even among non collectors,the 2000's was when the peak of sales and people buying for a physical library was. Chances are if you have a Nan that has about 30-40 dvd's most of the buying of them was in those years.

    • @markpugh6808
      @markpugh6808 2 місяці тому +21

      This happened to Warner Brothers HD Dvds too they were notorious for Disc rot due to crap manufacturing so what you are telling me now is that Warner Brothers bog standard Dvds are now shit too makes me wonder if their Blu Rays will also fuck up like this within several years of ownership

    • @TrippingHawk
      @TrippingHawk 2 місяці тому +16

      @@markpugh6808 blu rays are gonna be fine, you're more likely to run into an issue of a disc using Flash based menus that can't play on modern players before you experience disc rot on Blu. Unless you've been storing them in like direct sunlight or they've been resurfaced, blus are insanely well made.

    • @RottieGuy1980
      @RottieGuy1980 2 місяці тому

      I have 92 HD DVD, a lot WB, scared to go back and see if they still work, its been over a decade,@@markpugh6808

    • @trancendedsoul
      @trancendedsoul 2 місяці тому +9

      I won't be buying Warner Bros movies again. I have soooooo many DVDs from Warner Bros.... I am furious!!!! I would sue Ina a hearbeat. I just got some of the DVDs on this list including all things Superman.

  • @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
    @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader 2 місяці тому +270

    Thanks for the shoutout! Sorry it’s on such a downer topic. I did a followup video when I tried contacting WB again and they did finally send me MOD copies of what they have in print- but it seems to be totally hit or miss that you actually get a response and then if you do, it’s probably going to be the usual crud I went through the first couple of times of not getting much help. The pandemic kinda threw everything out of whack, which makes sense, but it still did take me several years to get most of the rotted titles I have replaced. The others I just had to rebuy and hope or simply live with dead discs or watch my Laserdisc copies.
    There needs to be some sort of official recognition and a replacement program offered to at least send people Warner Archive MOD DVDRs in the mail for the rotter titles they have. The problem will be the ones that they don’t have available in print as MOD and others that they no longer have legal rights to.
    That’s why I’ve never been able to replace the bad disc in my Tarzan volume two set which has not been re-released, is long out of print and very expensive, but also the only video release of those films on any format. So unfortunately, there are examples like that.
    It’s all tied to the particular manufacturing plant and when this happened Criterion on some of their Blu-rays, they owned up to it and had a whole replacement program. That’s what Warner should’ve done years ago. I’m not sure if it’s the same plant that did all of Warners rotted HD DVDs but it’s very likely.
    The irony is after being a Laserdisc collector for years and always having people asking me or thinking laser rot was a terrible thing-DVD Rot is the worst disc rot I’ve ever experienced. I can avoid laser rot or find rot free pressings with no problem on particular titles.
    It’s also very difficult to diagnose DVD rot with these Warner discs because it manifests in different ways-sometimes there’s bronzing, sometimes it’s just a point randomly in the movie itself where you hit a freeze and the disc locks up, sometimes the menus go bad, sometimes the extras go bad, sometimes it’s the movie that went bad, and on double feature that sometimes it’s one film or the other or both. Even doing rips and checks with software doesn’t always get you a perfect back up as I found out the hard way. the only way to know 100% for sure is to go through the whole disc or back up you made and literally fast forward through 100% and then check all the menus and sub menus and extras.
    When I found my first rotted disc and then the rest of the box was shot, I went back to the random forum mentions I had seen in the past and then did the panic check of over 200 DVDs, which was not fun… thankfully it’s tied to a specific period of time and mostly on boxsets. Unfortunately, for Superman, most of the home video releases and refresh of Superman titles was in the affected period. The biggest offender is probably the big ultimate collectors edition tin set of the feature films, which if you go to it now most of the discs will have some sort of issue if not be completely dead already. And that was already if they hadn’t been scuffed up by the poor plastic disc tray packaging to begin with…🤦🏻‍♂️
    I really wish Warner Archive had been put in charge of all the home video releases years ago. The studio label currently makes nothing but boneheaded decisions and handles titles poorly across the board. Meanwhile, the archive division does their job perfectly and does the work the studio division never does on every single title. I’m not sure if the archive division is fully aware of the DVD rot issue, because honestly if George Feltenstein was involved there would have been some sort of official response immediately. He’s the head of the archive division and is a legend in home video going all the way back to the early VHS, Beta and Laserdisc days at MGM.
    I think the Warner studio division is just trying to ignore this particular issue, and I’m sure the only reason I had a box of MOD copies randomly show up at my door one day unannounced was because I made a video and included the link in the umpteenth letter I sent them with my compiled list of affected titles, and evidence of all the correspondence I had had with people trying to diagnose this issue.
    I get them not being able to provide replacement copies of titles no longer in print due to legal and other reasons, but there is no reason that they can’t provide people with MOD replacement DVDs for affected titles, which we can pretty much narrow down to a specific era. Or provide people with replacement copies of the version in print that doesn’t have problems. The flash that you showed in the plastic case is a good example because I have that same repress re-issue and all the discs are fine. It’s just the original pressing with the fancier digipack case that you have to worry about.
    Lastly I’ll say that yes the Rambo films are kind of cursed on home video because most every release of them has some issue. I picked up the German trilogy Blu-ray set because those discs were better encoded and better overall than the crappy US ones, but unfortunately the original audio presentation is quite poor. The UHD’s have color timing issues and also have issues with the original audio so I didn’t bother with those. The Laserdiscs along with the German Blu-ray set are really the only solid options. However, thankfully I can say there is a new 4K version being worked on by the same people behind the surprisingly good new 4K UHD release of Young Guns. Just like they did on that release they’ll be sourcing the PCM audio of the Laserdisc releases to provide the currently best available original audio presentation. So at least there’s some potential hope on that front as they’re also going to be addressing the color timing issues of the first UHDs.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +7

      The problem is I'm sure their corporate position would probably be that the media has a lifespan and that's probably enough to cover them. With physical media rapidly losing market share, I'm not even sure we can count on consumer outcry to help.
      Unfortunately, very few people are going to care about product issues from 15 years ago in a now outdated format.

    • @Chronically0nline
      @Chronically0nline 2 місяці тому +3

      @@user-do2ev2hr7hDVD still dominates the physical media market. I feel like you’re pretty ready to give in to WB, and to take I say, to quote dodgeball, “you’ve got to get angry, you’ve gotta get mean!”

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому

      @@Chronically0nline I'm just being realistic. I get being angry about this (I have numerous titles on this list), but WB simply isn't going to care about a 15 year old issue, especially at a time when physical media is a smaller part of their business than it has been for the last 40+ years.
      Be angry if you want but that's not going to make them care.

    • @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
      @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader 2 місяці тому +5

      This one is different because it’s a manufacturing plant issue. The example to point to is Criterion having a bad run of Blu-rays for the exact same reason and how they implemented a replacement program asap. With Warner the issue will be things no longer in print or things they don’t have rights to.
      But for everything available as an MOD dvd those are the same disc images and all they would have to do is print some additional copies for the affected titles and instigate a replacement program.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому

      I get that but the problem is at this point the issue is with 14+ year old product. They almost certainly aren't going to see the juice as being worth the squeeze as far as any type of replacement program.
      As someone who has a lot of DVD on this list in my collection I wouldn't hold my breath that anything is going to be done about it and certainly not anything that costs WB even a cent of additional money.

  • @SpiritOfBagheera
    @SpiritOfBagheera 2 місяці тому +153

    I have thousands of DVDs. And tons of Warner Bros. This is a f***ing nightmare.

    • @jameslacey5474
      @jameslacey5474 2 місяці тому

      I'm in the same boat as you are, I've been collecting DVDs, Blu-Rays, and now 4ks for a long time now. I don't have the funds, equipment, or space to back up all the discs I own. I've been trying to replace the DVDs in my collection whenever the film comes out on Blu-Ray or in the rare case as when DragonSlayer finally came out on 4k. However, and I'm sure as collectors you already know this, but not everything that is on DVD comes out on Blu-Ray or 4k. Just yesterday, I was thinking that they still don't have a Blu-Ray or 4k copy of 'Of Mice and Men', the original John Steinbeck classic starring Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. from 1939. The year that they widely consider to be the greatest in film history, in addition to it being nominated for Best Picture, and Lon Chaney Jr.'s most iconic role second only to The Wolfman. Why is this movie not out on a more premium format? At least put it out on Warner Archives, although after what you said I don't know whether or not to trust them again, and I just bought and switched out my DVD copy of 'The Great Ziegfield' for a Warner Archive Blu-Ray since it just came out. I want to do the same with my copy of "A Day at the Races", but at the risk of repeating myself not everything is out that is on DVD. There are five more Marx Bros. films that still need to be released that are only available on DVD. There are films like 'Bugsy', Alfie (2004), 'Star 80', 'American Spender', 'Thank You For Not Smoking'. Withering Heights' (also from 1939 and nominated for Best Picture), 'All of Me', and all of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers's films except for 'Swingtime', which was released on the Criterion collection a while back.

    • @StreetPreacherr
      @StreetPreacherr 2 місяці тому +19

      I don't even want to think about all the time/money I wasted Burning a library of 'BACKUP' DVDs in the early 2000s... Ever since I realized a few years ago that most of my home burned DVDs had almost all become corrupt and unreadable... And I had even made a point of using 'high quality' Taiyo Yeuden blank media. :( However I didn't realize this was ALSO a problem with retail 'professionally' produced disks!

    • @stevesaitz1706
      @stevesaitz1706 2 місяці тому +21

      all of my old dvd's are now in mkv format on an external hard drive

    • @CelestialWoodway
      @CelestialWoodway 2 місяці тому +22

      ​@@StreetPreacherrAll my old stuff works perfectly. I have no idea what you people are talking about. 😂

    • @Nerdiness1985
      @Nerdiness1985 2 місяці тому +7

      @@stevesaitz1706Finally, somebody that actually tried to use a tech solution. As opposed to being a standard consumer and not looking for a solution to a simple problem.

  • @comicsgatekeeper9746
    @comicsgatekeeper9746 2 місяці тому +113

    This gives me a sick feeling in my stomach.
    I'm terrified to check on my collection

    • @roberttorres9360
      @roberttorres9360 2 місяці тому +4

      I will slowly go through mine next week.. The ones I have at least have been repressed. I don't have anything too rare.
      Though I will take the Rambo challenge.. buy a boxset and see if it plays..

    • @blowba
      @blowba 2 місяці тому

      Same

    • @geoffshaw346
      @geoffshaw346 2 місяці тому +9

      You know what else terrifies?The CERTAIN knowledge that someday dvd's will be an aged out unplayable tech ,replaced by streaming only,or digital copies,if they feel like putting 'em out.All that plastic landfill,or shootable discs for target practice.

    • @thephoenixhasflown
      @thephoenixhasflown 2 місяці тому +2

      When I checked mine there was not enough left of it to fill a CD holder and my lonely mind almost blue. I hope you have a better time of it than I did. Some of them like Ed Edd and Eddy are not being made anymore either.

    • @jacksonteller3973
      @jacksonteller3973 Місяць тому

      that explains why those One Tree Hill DVD sets I bought wouldn't play certain episodes, fortunately in my case I was able to get early pressings of the first two seasons that worked.

  • @LondHo
    @LondHo 2 місяці тому +62

    George Feltenstein is really doing a tremendous job at Warner Archive. He has forgotten more about film and preservation than most of us will ever know.

    • @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
      @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader 2 місяці тому +8

      Absolutely! If he was the one in charge of the studio division there wouldn’t be any of the issues with WHV that plague their releases and he most certainly would have been on top of this disc rot issue years ago!

  • @NaiveSteve
    @NaiveSteve 2 місяці тому +48

    Oh my God, thank you, Michael. My father passed away years ago and he was a movie buff. I inherited his massive DVD collection and I spent a lot of money to display his collection in a way he never got to. I had no idea dvds rotted like this and now I am looking at this list of movies and seeing so many he has, that I have, that I need to preserve. This just isn't a sector of the internet I'm on so if you hadn't made this video I may have never known. Again, thank you.

    • @SharreIWright
      @SharreIWright 21 день тому

      Don't fret, I've never encountered this disc rot, I'm thinking it's just a myth, this guy is quoting Kevin Smith who's a cry baby

    • @noahwilliams8996
      @noahwilliams8996 18 днів тому +1

      ​@@SharreIWrightDisc rot is a very real thing. Information does not last forever.

  • @user-do2ev2hr7h
    @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +85

    There's a clock on the players too. The bottom line is that no media format had an infinite lifespan.

    • @Br1cht
      @Br1cht 2 місяці тому +29

      Nothing lasts forever but there must be some standard of quality, no?

    • @Chronically0nline
      @Chronically0nline 2 місяці тому +15

      @@Br1chtCorrect. Any media format that’s digital should last the run of your life if you take care of it.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +11

      @@Br1cht
      My comment wasn't really intended to defend the quality just to make the point that this idea many people have that owning a piece of physical media means they own something "forever" is a misconception.

    • @YourUncleBenis
      @YourUncleBenis 2 місяці тому

      That's true, but those can at least be repaired and maintained for a certain amount of time. You can't really fix a disk that came to you broken.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +9

      @@YourUncleBenis Most of them probably didn't come broken though. This type of rot tends to happen over time. Even the sealed set Michael talks about here probably would have worked if he had tried to watch them when he first bought them. (or rather when they were new.)
      This is all product that's 15 years old now at the earliest. From a corporate perspective it's ancient and done with., The idea this will ever even be on WB's radar at this point is wishful thinking.

  • @TriarchVisgroup
    @TriarchVisgroup 2 місяці тому +37

    14:16 The problem with streaming is they can take it all away from you at a moments notice. They already did this to Sony/Playstation users. Things just taken out of their account that they had PURCHASED. They had owned them, they were in their inventory... Poof! Gone! Same with digital only games. Delisted. Poof. Gone.
    Whether someone loves streaming or not, it needs to be said, we ALL need to support physical media. Not just that, but we all need to support and push companies to give us the best quality of physical media.
    Heck, this goes into anything. Why is it that refrigerators from the 1950s are still in use to this very day? Water heaters from the 1970s, still working. Vintage cars, still rolling... Yet we have clothing, and devices and machinery that is basically built to break. Apple with their forced obsolescence policies. None of this is okay, or good. It used to be that the mark of quality was you would buy something and it was made to last. As you say, Michael, if you take care of it, it will take care of you.

    • @roberthaynes8830
      @roberthaynes8830 Місяць тому +1

      Yes. I was speaking with someone in the vacuum cleaner business. He was saying that for every $100 you spend on a vacuum cleaner was equivalent of one years lifespan. He also said that one company builds obsolescence into their vacuum cleaners, which is very sad. So many companies, if you have a faulty product, just offer a replacement, instead of fixing their product. They just want us to keep buying things regularly, instead of getting a decent lifespan from the product. I have a chest freezer that was my stepdad's from the late 70s, and it still works strongly to this day. Some things, no matter how you take good care of, still fail. In 2006 Star Wars DVDs came out with the original trilogy versions as a bonus disc. All the discs worked when I first played them. I keep my discs in mint condition. Several years back I went to check out the discs to find that none would play. Six discs all had the same result. I tried them on many different players. I tried them in various laptops and external DVD players and the discs no longer read, at all. There are no scratches, and the discs look as new. No signs on DVD rot or the like. Other DVDs in the same area I had them play fine. I am at a loss as to what has happened. It's a ridiculous thing to happen, especially when I take such good care.

    • @chickginger
      @chickginger 25 днів тому +1

      We say all the time I wish we had more than just one dresser built before the 90s. Every other piece of furniture we have is falling apart but not Grandma's 50 year old ten ton dressar!

    • @Crosshatch1212
      @Crosshatch1212 23 дні тому

      And we are slowly moving in to the replace after ten yr .

  • @J-T-A
    @J-T-A 2 місяці тому +134

    Good morning, Mister Phelps... your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find a Warner Brothers DVD that will last longer than an ice cube in the sun. If you, or any of your IMF team are killed or captured, your DVD warranty will be null and void. This DVD will self destruct in... well... we're actually kind of surprised you are still able to watch this DVD to be honest...

    • @retroblasting
      @retroblasting  2 місяці тому +27

      hahahahahahahahahahahaha

    • @Chronically0nline
      @Chronically0nline 2 місяці тому +12

      Does this mission involve Ms.Atwell?

    • @JohnDoe-tm9wz
      @JohnDoe-tm9wz 2 місяці тому +5

      ​@@Chronically0nline Bruh...

    • @LucLightWolf121
      @LucLightWolf121 2 місяці тому +1

      Well played.😂

    • @JONNYSORENSEN_AU
      @JONNYSORENSEN_AU 2 місяці тому +9

      Now we know why the dossier would always self destruct. Had a dvd inside 😅

  • @RodimusPrimal
    @RodimusPrimal 2 місяці тому +43

    Great video. This is one of the many reasons I am really advocating for preservation by any means of media. Whether its the discs, digital back-ups, hard drive copies, etc. More often these companies no longer care about their past libraries and even have corporate big wigs who actively hate the past of the company. Disney and Warner seem to be a prime example.

    • @NightimeDemon
      @NightimeDemon Місяць тому +3

      Same! And with no single medium out there being perfect, it is all the more reason to copy and share them in multiple places, online or offline. Having something in only one or two places makes them much more likely to become lost forever. The more places, the better.

  • @Miakel
    @Miakel 2 місяці тому +44

    I admit when DVD was on the rise I jumped on it. As you said they opened up a huge library of movies and TV shows that were just not available before. I finally got some 1950s horror movies that I could not find before like Them and When Worlds Colide. Still have them today

    • @nick6var
      @nick6var Місяць тому +1

      That's the big question: you have the discs, but do you really have the movies?

  • @TheNerdHolden
    @TheNerdHolden 2 місяці тому +23

    As someone who has A LOT of DC DVDs from the 2000s and early 2010s, this is terrifying and extremely disappointing

  • @Chronically0nline
    @Chronically0nline 2 місяці тому +126

    All hail Damn Fool Idealistic Crusader, but screw Warner Brothers for doing this to those who have invested in this studio. Great video my friend, sorry I dropped this bomb on you.

    • @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
      @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader 2 місяці тому +18

      Sorry to be the bearer of bad disc news. All I can do is advise people to contact warner at the standard customer service email and do it enough times to where maybe you get to the right person. It took me several years and also making a video and compiling the list before randomly trying again got me a box of what they had as MOD.

    • @WyzGyzEntertainment
      @WyzGyzEntertainment 2 місяці тому +4

      @@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
      Thanks for your hard work. Please advise what is meant by MOD - Manufacturer On Demand. Does that mean they send you replacement copies of movies that rotted on you? Did they require you mail back the dead copies?

    • @Studebricker
      @Studebricker 2 місяці тому

      Sounds like you're not planning on buying Warner discs.....

    • @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
      @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader 2 місяці тому +8

      @@WyzGyzEntertainmentit took several years and many attempts but I must’ve finally gotten to someone at Warner who looked at my video. If you get to right person they can provide manufactured on demand copies of what they have in print. But it’s nearly impossible to get to someone who will answer you, not give you a hard time and help out especially with the continuing Warner corporate craziness going on.
      There should be an official response where Warner provides everyone with MOD copies of what they have in print from these affected titles.

    • @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
      @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader 2 місяці тому +2

      @@StudebrickerI still buy Warner releases because of the massive library but for anything from 2006-2009 on DVD you have to be careful because there’s a rot possibility-but it is mostly confined to the titles I compiled in the list. But more could pop up as time goes along.

  • @donwyoming1936
    @donwyoming1936 2 місяці тому +22

    I was the guy with Laser Disc, wide-screen movies, big screen TV, Dolby Surround Sound with all the speakers & subwoofers. While my friends watched mono VHS on a 19-inch TV.
    But even now, some Laser Discs and 90s CDs have died. Goo coming out. Aluminum cracking. Haven't had any DVDs or BluRays fail yet. 🤠

    • @Tampafan33
      @Tampafan33 2 місяці тому +2

      Ive had 1000s of dvds and blu rays since they were made and never had an issue. Weird

    • @SharreIWright
      @SharreIWright 21 день тому

      ​@@Tampafan33same here I've over 3000 discs and yet no disc rot even in those cardboard snap cases

  • @JMTDF
    @JMTDF 2 місяці тому +51

    Your advice on ripping is the best message to share.
    I was a video editor for 15 years, loved collecting physical media but had a change of heart when I moved with my wife and started a family.
    We didn’t have the space to store physical media but, like a stubborn dope, it took me until then to realize I should have this media ripped on my own… Backed up just like how I backup my work.
    A RAID is ideal but not necessary, use a battery back up and setup Plex, you’re good to go.
    Lastly, share, share, share. That’s our protection for all of this media!
    ✌🏼 from 🇨🇦

    • @thebaron512
      @thebaron512 2 місяці тому

      RAID is not a backup but still helpful

    • @JMTDF
      @JMTDF 2 місяці тому +1

      @@thebaron512 hard drives and a RAID 1 setup are great for backing things up. Ideally off site but this is never going to be perfect. Back up however you can and share!

    • @VirideSoryuLangley
      @VirideSoryuLangley 2 місяці тому

      Good boy, always obey your wife ahahahah

    • @StsFiveOneLima
      @StsFiveOneLima Місяць тому +1

      What do you consider to be the best way to back up a DVD?

    • @JMTDF
      @JMTDF Місяць тому

      Rip it onto your computer, back it up in multiple ways (DVD, HD) and share it online. @@StsFiveOneLima

  • @jetman80pops
    @jetman80pops 2 місяці тому +68

    I know exactly where that DVD factory in Pennsylvania is. Knew a few people who used to work there. It's near Scranton. Yes and I know for a fact they were told to cut corners while pressing some of the movies and TV shows.

    • @iamnobody2
      @iamnobody2 2 місяці тому +24

      scranton, home of such great companies like the michael scott paper company

    • @thomasfadden3394
      @thomasfadden3394 2 місяці тому +11

      I knew someone that worked there and he moved down to Tennessee to help them open another facility. Now I’ll have to start checking ones I got through him. I also got some great jazz cds through him. There’s an Ellington collection that is really great!

    • @mattneil1449
      @mattneil1449 2 місяці тому +4

      ​@@thomasfadden3394 skibidi bup bop bebop skibup

    • @danpetitpas
      @danpetitpas Місяць тому +2

      Heym isn't Joe Biden from Scranton? I rest my case.

    • @thomasfadden3394
      @thomasfadden3394 Місяць тому +2

      @@danpetitpas the plant was in Olyphant Biden was only there when they made records 😉

  • @SoulBroRyu
    @SoulBroRyu 2 місяці тому +31

    So when are we as consumers filing a lawsuit against WB? It's insane if they get away with this wholesale.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +7

      I'm no lawyer but I doubt there would be much of a case at this point. Absent an explicit guarantee, the implied warranty on consumer goods under US is generally only four years. The newest DVDs on this list would be over three times that old. In the eyes of the law they would likely just be goods that have reached the end of their natural lifespan.

    • @TheMediaHoarder
      @TheMediaHoarder 2 місяці тому +3

      Some of these rotted in less than 4 years. I had a ton of HD-DVDs rot fairly quickly. After the format died I tried to collect every title on that format. I now have about 60 discs that don’t play at all or freeze up.

    • @nick6var
      @nick6var Місяць тому

      I remember the Universal HD-DVDs that were advertised as "future-proof" with the other side being a DVD format.
      I doubt the claim would stand up in court, but it was clear at that point that the format was losing to Blu-ray.

    • @crosswalklarry
      @crosswalklarry 15 днів тому

      A bit of a pain(it took me multiple email attempts) but Warner replaced my bad 2 disc dvd set.

  • @MoparMcNeer
    @MoparMcNeer 2 місяці тому +40

    Having several thousand DVDs, this is exceptionally scary. I appreciate you putting this video out. I'll be checking the list vs my collection soon. Wow. Just Wow.

    • @MrCREWCRUSHIN95
      @MrCREWCRUSHIN95 2 місяці тому +1

      It's not a huge list. One factory for Warners during 3 years.

    • @mainstreetsaint36
      @mainstreetsaint36 2 місяці тому +4

      @@MrCREWCRUSHIN95 And how many titles were pressed during those 3 years?

    • @CTimmerman
      @CTimmerman Місяць тому

      My only rotten DVD is from RCV, article K4330DVD. The data side says: Sono Press 50812869/K4330DVD S 01 1FP LB 46

  • @lancebaylis3169
    @lancebaylis3169 2 місяці тому +19

    One thing I learned recently is that CDs, DVDs and BD/UHD all have their recorded media at a different surface to the others. Depending on the format, damage to either side could make it unplayable, or may not matter at all.
    The saddest part of disc rot is how unavoidable it might be. If the discs are poorly manufactured, and oxygen gets beneath the plastic layers, it's bye bye disc. You can even replicate the effect by cutting a disc with scissors, at the first puncture the data layer will start becoming visibly corrupted. A pin prick can do it. The bottom line is: be very careful with your discs, even removing and replacing them into packaging.
    It's also another reason why packaging matters. The tendency of companies to place discs in binder format or with overlapping disc trays is definitely part of the problem.

    • @johnathin0061892
      @johnathin0061892 2 місяці тому +8

      Nothing says "I don't care about my product" more than that kind of cheap and lazy DVD/BD packaging.

    • @roberthaynes8830
      @roberthaynes8830 Місяць тому +2

      Yes, some packaging these days leave a lot to be desired.

  • @JMan77
    @JMan77 2 місяці тому +29

    I was over 4000 dvds, bluray etc. I sold off about 800 or so. But it’s climbing again!

  • @kaltech04
    @kaltech04 2 місяці тому +36

    I didn’t know about dvd rot, but I knew Warner bros double-sided discs were crap, and I noticed that when I bought the Superman The Animated series when they came out and they would glitch right out of the package.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +6

      The problem with double sided disc's isn't really a defect per se but just a fault of the format. Even with careful handling (or just sitting in the case during shipping ect.) they're much more likely to receive damage to the playing surface.

    • @eddienothing9610
      @eddienothing9610 2 місяці тому

      I had the same prob with Superman TAS. Had two copies of the DVD set and the exact same episode in both sets would glitch and stop playing. So it wasn't due to potential damage, at least in this case

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +2

      @@eddienothing9610 That sounds like an issue with the layer change which is a common fail point for dual-layer DVDs Usually it's only a slight hiccup but sometimes can be more.

    • @thephoenixhasflown
      @thephoenixhasflown 2 місяці тому

      Mine weren't dead right out of the box but I knew that because they were double-sided they didn't have long period entire Superman animated series now landfill somehow the old Superman movie serial didn't take long either even though they were single-sided.

    • @jacksonteller3973
      @jacksonteller3973 Місяць тому

      @@user-do2ev2hr7h unfortunately the same is true for 4K discs, because of how much data is crammed on there they're super easy to accidentally damage which is one reason why I don't see any reasons to blow tons of money on a 4K player.

  • @patrickholt8782
    @patrickholt8782 2 місяці тому +24

    I bet who ever was the plant manager in charge of the dvd plant must have been pumped that 4 cents could be saved per disc. Now we pay the price.

  • @exidy-yt
    @exidy-yt 2 місяці тому +26

    This is why I didn't buy DVDs, I BURNED DVDs. The second the encryption was cracked I was renting and burning (and compressing if needed) high quality DVD-ROM copies of any movie (especially imports) or anime that were actually worth keeping. Thus to this day I have several binders full of good stuff that I will still be able to use for decades, and upload to the net once the last DVDs rot and the media is lost. I now archive to BD-ROM. Long may physical media endure! Great video!

    • @danpetitpas
      @danpetitpas Місяць тому +5

      Well, writable DVDs BlueRays only have a lifespan of 10 to 20 years, so you might want to keep an eye on the discs you've burned.

    • @exidy-yt
      @exidy-yt Місяць тому +3

      @@danpetitpasYeah, thank you. I def. check them every couple of years. Not found a disc to die yet, fingers crossed.

    • @esecallum
      @esecallum Місяць тому +3

      copy to hard drive/ssd

    • @exidy-yt
      @exidy-yt Місяць тому

      @@esecallumI've lost hard drives to crashes, I've lost SSDs to data corruption. I've yet to lose a burned DVD-BDR

    • @linksgard2
      @linksgard2 Місяць тому +1

      ​@@exidy-yttraditional platter type hard drives, with fewer discs internally, is the best preservation method. copy to a drive, then clone the drive to keep a backup. ssd's lose data over time without receiving power. cd's and dvd's will both rot woth time but also some drives wont be able to read burned discs. moreover burned discs will rot faster than pressed.

  • @jtoons99
    @jtoons99 2 місяці тому +5

    Very timely and telling video! It explains why every single disc of my beloved 3 seasons of Batman Beyond - from WB! - , bought for me years ago by my dear mother, are completely rotted. I barely touched them.

  • @ArtIsMySin19
    @ArtIsMySin19 2 місяці тому +13

    I had a single pack Blu-ray of Predator that I brought out and discovered had also bronzed/rotted. One quick Amazon search later revealed that people who bought that single pack had the same rot/bronzing. It's such a shame to see what should be collectors editions not holding up to time :(

  • @Dilios_of_Sparta
    @Dilios_of_Sparta 2 місяці тому +4

    Thanks Michael for bringing this to our attention, and for directing us to Damn Fool Idealistic Crusader. Sure enough, my SilverHawks Vol. 1, Disc 4 has rot. I just tried it, and it has pooped the bed. This is a total bummer, but now we know.

  • @4LoveOfMoney
    @4LoveOfMoney 2 місяці тому +13

    Excellent video as usual! I looked at the master list and my heart sank seeing the Looney Tunes Collection DVDs. I've had those since I was a kid and it sucks to know some of them have rotted.

    • @4LoveOfMoney
      @4LoveOfMoney 2 місяці тому

      @@JokerX350 Was not aware of this. I sold my GameCube and Wii years ago but I still kept the games that mean alot to me. My friend has a GC so I'll have to check it out.

  • @SuperCosmicMutantSquid
    @SuperCosmicMutantSquid 2 місяці тому +21

    It may be an issue with the players as well. I have the Shout Factory collection of Jem and the Holograms and for some reason the special features disc wasn't working on the player I had. I didn't know if it was the disc but chalked it up to that. When I got a new player and tried again the disc worked fine. No errors or skipping but for some reason it refused to play on the previous player.

    • @fredleggett923
      @fredleggett923 2 місяці тому

      The disc may still be problematic, with the new player just having better pit & land tracking. Try ripping it.

    • @jacksonteller3973
      @jacksonteller3973 Місяць тому +1

      I've had that experience as well, some discs wouldn't play at all on my Samsung DVD V2000 player but they would play just fine on my PC.

  • @ScrapyardDiecastRacing
    @ScrapyardDiecastRacing 2 місяці тому +10

    This is HORRIBLE news. As an avid movie collector with thousands of DVD!
    Last year I went to watch a DVD that I had only seen once and it was dead as a doornail. Just looked at who made that movie - New Line Cinema. And who owns New Line? WARNER BROS.!
    Now I’ll have to check them all!

  • @The_Rockin_Prof
    @The_Rockin_Prof 2 місяці тому +2

    Michael, thanks for being there for your fellow consumers and collectors (sounds like a good real-life RPG). I could say more at this point, but I'll keep it brief because I know you're busy! Needless to say, we'll be checking our Superman and Superman II DVDs tonight!

  • @mediamanjamessmith251
    @mediamanjamessmith251 2 місяці тому +2

    This is the first video I’ve ever seen of yours and it was incredible. Informative with objectivity and when you gave your opinion you would present them with facts to further prove your point(s). It is unfortunate how little this ‘experts’ care about physical media and hopefully that changes (but that seems to be a pipe dream for the long foreseeable future). Subscribed

  • @Sidicas
    @Sidicas Місяць тому +6

    Sounds like a class action lawsuit to me.

  • @WyzGyzEntertainment
    @WyzGyzEntertainment 2 місяці тому +3

    Great video as always. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of Laserdisc rot. This is disconcerting, but good to know. I am going to have to take a significant check of time to go through my library and check for this. And one of the reasons I support physical media is I cannot trust streaming content because the providers can remove the content, even purchased content anytime they wish. Without notice.

    • @WyzGyzEntertainment
      @WyzGyzEntertainment 2 місяці тому +1

      Also ISOs are fine so long as they’re not used to manufacture discs for resale. Since this is for our own personal use libraries we’re fine.

  • @Dannywebb1967
    @Dannywebb1967 2 місяці тому +5

    Separate issue: Anti-piracy software in players starting in 2010 has caused many problems for DVDs. Instead of assuming the dvd "rotted", try playing the DVD in a pre-2010 player or download a firmware update to your player. This was a huge issue with Sharp players

    • @timothyward8695
      @timothyward8695 2 місяці тому +3

      Both this channel and the _Damn Fool Idealistic Crusader_ channel have utilized multiple players in the process of looking into this matter.

  • @luis_e_saavedra
    @luis_e_saavedra 2 місяці тому +13

    This is insane, I will have to check my DVD collection asap.

  • @kieronball8962
    @kieronball8962 2 місяці тому +9

    Thanks for the heads up, Michael.
    Of course, in the UK, it's a slightly different story, as apart from the " popular " tv shows and movies, most of the Warner Bros. titles you mentioned, haven't even been released in the UK.
    This has forced UK buyers into purchasing American imports, who now have the problem of a rotting dvd collection.

    • @guyverkiller1234
      @guyverkiller1234 2 місяці тому

      Is this really a Uk issue? Cause I recently watched my ultimate edition superman boxset and that was fine

    • @phonomena
      @phonomena 2 місяці тому

      @@guyverkiller1234I’ve recently been buying stacks of DVDs from charity shops and haven’t found any problematic discs yet. I have bought a few Warner snap case ones so I assume they were manufactured somewhere different to the US discs.

    • @andrew6382
      @andrew6382 2 місяці тому +4

      I used to volunteer in a charity shop after being made redundant. My job was to check home media, one day we threw out 600 DVDs in one go. They were not scratched but had disc rot the titles were from Warner, Universal and Disney.
      I have a friend in America who says all his Blu Rays rot quickly, however, I have feeling his buying cheap manufactured stuff. He is into niche things like silent comedies, serials and horrible poverty row B movies.

  • @laserkid
    @laserkid 2 місяці тому +10

    Man this makes me glad I ripped all my discs to MP4s back in 2015. I don't know IF I have this problem with my discs, but the chances are insanely high.
    As has been said a lot recently, if buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing. I'm NOT a fan of piracy, but if media companies refuse to deal with the consumer fairly I can't blame anyone for turning to piracy to solve problems like this.

    • @frommatorav1
      @frommatorav1 2 місяці тому +4

      It's not piracy to copy your own media. Piracy is to distribute it.

  • @AmericanDischord
    @AmericanDischord 2 місяці тому +2

    Super informative. Now I have to run through my collection to see what may be compromised. Thank you.

  • @derektorres6260
    @derektorres6260 2 місяці тому +2

    Another spot on commentary. I have not taken as good of care of my DVDs as you have, and now I am afraid to find out how many i've lost to rot.

  • @veganguy74
    @veganguy74 2 місяці тому +5

    Thank you for this video. This is the first I’m hearing about the Warner disc problem. I have about 800 Blu-ray Discs (mostly movies, about a dozen TV series/miniseries) and about 200 of those discs are 4K Blu-ray. I have maybe 500 DVDs but there is some overlap of movies on DVD that I have since replaced with a Blu-ray upgrade. I’ve been ripping the bulk of my collection via MakeMKV to Plex (keeping the discs on hand) and that has worked out very well. I’m going to check those Warner DVDs I have yet to rip.
    I think out of all of my Blu-ray Discs, maybe 3 or 4 have some sort of error that is preventing their being ripped, but they all seem to work fine on a disc player.
    I cannot stress enough to everyone how important it is to back up one’s physical disc collection if at all possible via ripping. If you can do it, don’t wait! I’m really enjoying using Plex as I can stream my collection to any computer, phone or TV in the house but it’s still full quality just like the disc.

  • @Bttfboy85
    @Bttfboy85 2 місяці тому +3

    Wow, thank you so much for telling me about this. I have a lot of Warner Bros DVDs from this era. I’m gonna check them all out but thank you for telling me about this. They need to either release these on Blu-ray or like you said, send you a disk if you can prove you have it great video. i’m glad there are still people who care about physical media.

  • @OrlandoLionFanClub
    @OrlandoLionFanClub Місяць тому +2

    Thank you for this upload, I recently checked all the WB stuff I had (We are Marshall, one of the Tom and Jerry movies, where the wild things are, Charlie and the chocolate factory, Ant Bully and 2 superman animated movies. Last night I found out that when checking things again, Ant Bully that I've owned for more than 10 years has bit the bullet and is no longer functional. I'd not know about this issue if I didn't have this video in my recommendations

  • @AG-bp3ll
    @AG-bp3ll 2 місяці тому +16

    I lost a couple dozen Warner DVDs and another dozen or so HD-DVDs to disc rot. Every one was Warner.

    • @turrican4d599
      @turrican4d599 Місяць тому

      Matrix :_(

    • @crosswalklarry
      @crosswalklarry 15 днів тому

      Contact Warner. They replaced my 2 disc set. I'm not going to lie, it was a pain. Multiple emails, but finally got a replacement.

  • @kjpphotography4764
    @kjpphotography4764 2 місяці тому +4

    Another great post Michael and thanks for all your hard work on doing this on this topic.

  • @lukasjames69
    @lukasjames69 2 місяці тому +4

    Hi Michael, this is fascinating. I had no idea dvds could go bad. I had never heard of this before

  • @MichaelJShaffer
    @MichaelJShaffer 2 місяці тому +1

    Thank you for the Red Alert on this, Michael. I know what I'll be doing the next few days. Great information. Shocked at the extreme similarity in our personal home video journeys.

  • @vincentlee8009
    @vincentlee8009 2 місяці тому +5

    Thanks for this video. I had a good collection but my dad has a massive collection... I don't have the heart to tell him. We all have similar tastes in films. Thanks again Michael.

  • @TorontoJon
    @TorontoJon 2 місяці тому +5

    What I really despise about Warner Bros. is on numerous occasions, I've bought Warner Bros. Blu-rays new online that had digital codes included as well as the discs and yet, ALL of the digital codes had expired while that has NEVER, if ever, been the case when I purchased movies by Disney, Paramount, Universal, MGM, etc. which allowed much more generous time windows to download digital copies.
    It's reached a point where I refuse to pay any extra dollars to Warner Bros. for Blu-rays just because a digital code may be included when I know by now that those digital codes are likely invalid or expired.

  • @richardlegarda3288
    @richardlegarda3288 2 місяці тому +3

    Something unintended from this video is a reminder of how cool and out there DVD packaging was. Blu ray is kinda getting back to those heights primarily due to the boutique labels. But back then this was the studios going all out with these designs. Thanks for this video Michael.

  • @gieselats
    @gieselats 2 місяці тому +2

    Thank you Michael. I will ckeck my whole collection of DVDs. Belly up. Wow. This is hard. In the earliest years of CD , there is also a comparable problem. The prints on the CD burnt through the surface…. The result… rotten cds. Wow, I have to go the basement and revive my VHS-machines. Keep up good work.

  • @brettglenn9328
    @brettglenn9328 2 місяці тому +3

    This is why I love this channel. Now, I'm going to go check all my discs. Thanks for the list, I'm going to check it out.
    I have a friend whose father was a HUGE Superman fan, he collected all of the DVDs and unfortunately passed away before he had a chance to re-watch them after he retired. Now, his son has them.....and needs to know this.
    I know my Exorcist II : The Heretic won't play out of the box set. I thought it sure is funny how the only disc in the set that does not work is the most despised of the franchise. Made me think they used cheaper materials for a film they knew was not desired nearly as much as the others.

    • @wendyheatherwood
      @wendyheatherwood 2 місяці тому

      Could be that they were unsold copies of an earlier release that were repackaged in the box set in order to save money.

    • @brettglenn9328
      @brettglenn9328 2 місяці тому

      @@wendyheatherwood I just got my replacements for the discs that do not work in the box set. I was thinking the same thing, so I compared them.....they are very different from each other. For example my copies of Exorcist II...the rotted one from the box set compared to the earlier 2001 DVD release, look the same at first glance, but when you inspect it closer, you can see one company used a different color red than the other on the face of the disc. Then there are Also little identifiers on the inside ring of the disc that show different numbers. The difference between Exorcist Dominion and Exorcist The Beginning are vast. The rotted ones from the box set each show images from the film posters on the face of the discs, while the earlier prints have no images and are totally reflective like a blank disc with just the titles written in black letters, as well as the different info on the discs inner rung.

  • @KMack423
    @KMack423 2 місяці тому +11

    Kudos to RetroBlasting for yet another great and informative upload! I first noticed that Warner Bros had problems in their Quality Control Dept. in the late 1990’s when some CD’s in my music collection had begun to flake and disintegrate. The only CD’s showing this type of faulty craftsmanship were releases from bands on the Warner Bros label. I took pretty good care of my CDs and the rest of my collection during that time were holding up fine. I brought this to the attention of a couple music stores and retail stores where I bought a lot of my music and they all told me the same thing. That the disc damage was caused by being exposed to sunlight and/or being left inside a hot vehicle. (A common response given in order to pass the buck on to the consumer). They had no explanation of how the CD’s of bands NOT on the Warner Bros label had managed to escape this premature death. Once I had accumulated a couple spindles of worthless Warner Bros CD’s, my only option to replace those discs was to burn backup copies borrowed from friends or from 4shared. I never felt guilty or felt like I was stealing since I had already purchased these discs once. When some of my Warner Bros. DVD’s had started to suffer the same fate, I replaced those previously purchased discs with burned copies as well. Opening a DVD case and seeing my handwriting in black Sharpie on a DVD-R is a reminder of the failed Quality Assurance Focus Group at Warner Bros. 💿⚰️

  • @calvinchan8511
    @calvinchan8511 2 місяці тому +9

    When you mentioned Rambo discs, I ran to check my set. It's the Maple Pictures Blu Ray release and they all played fine. Gave me a scare.

  • @FigureFever
    @FigureFever 2 місяці тому +2

    That is very informative. OMG I worked at a retail store when DVD was released and had no idea. I need to check most of my DVD's. Thank you so much Michael. 🙂

  • @KeithC77-ux8vv
    @KeithC77-ux8vv 10 днів тому +3

    I have hundreds of DVDs some dating back as far as the very late 90’s. Some of them are WB discs. I’m the type of person who takes good care of my stuff, and I’ve never had a disc rot on me, nearly all of them look almost like I bought them yesterday, including the WB discs.

  • @jamiemezs9891
    @jamiemezs9891 2 місяці тому +22

    This calls for a class action lawsuit against Warner brothers

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h Місяць тому +1

      There's nothing to sue over at this point. Implied warranty on consumer goods under US law is 4 years. Obviously, that boat sailed long ago.
      They can just claim the disc's reached the end of their natural lifespan and have no liability.

    • @jamiemezs9891
      @jamiemezs9891 Місяць тому

      @@user-do2ev2hr7h
      Then you'd better Tell that to the Marines At camp lajune

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h Місяць тому

      That's a completely different matter governed by laws that have no bearing on this subject.
      The only thing you could have ever have sued for here was either explicit or implied warranty. There was never an explicit one and the implied warranty on the newest of these discs ran out over a decade ago.
      I share your frustration but under US law you have an extremely limited clock to sue over defective consumer goods. The law recognizes that things wear out.

    • @jamiemezs9891
      @jamiemezs9891 Місяць тому

      @@user-do2ev2hr7h
      Tell that to the progressed Democrats who make up laws . I think I'll take my chances with the people who paid good money and got cheated. ❤

  • @jesss1398
    @jesss1398 2 місяці тому +6

    Wow I had no idea this was even a thing. I have a decent sized collection of DVD's that I have collected over the years thinking I would be able to go back and play them at anytime, at least during my lifetime. I had no clue a DVD could go bad just sitting in a sealed box.
    I just started collecting stuff on Blue-ray because of things like Sony removing peoples purchased shows and streaming platforms pulling episodes of older shows (like Community's D&D episode) making it hard to watch complete movies and TV shows. Now it seems that no matter how you collect them you might not be able to watch the movies and shows you loved growing up.
    This is a real bummer, but thank you for bringing this to light. Guess now I have to go back and start checking all my DVDs to see which ones have died.

    • @JJ-uy2sg
      @JJ-uy2sg 2 місяці тому +1

      Yeah DVDs don't last. Back them up digitally.

  • @schlas2
    @schlas2 2 місяці тому +1

    Great video Michael. Oh and I live your M.A.S.K Boulder Hill and Raven in the background. Some of my earliest and fondest action toy memories.😊

  • @iamtherepairguy
    @iamtherepairguy 2 місяці тому +1

    Great video, Mr. RetroBlasting. I checked out the Damn Fool Idealistic Crusader. Thank you for educating us.

  • @garym6315
    @garym6315 2 місяці тому +8

    Ironically, I had an experience last week that was the exact opposite of this. I've been buying a lot of plastic DVD sleeves from T3L and storing a lot of my discs in those to cut down on space. Last week I discovered that almost every DVD and PS2 game in those sleeves had gone frosty and sticky on the surface. I have a bottle of glass cleaner and tried using that, wiping them down with a microfiber cloth and it worked perfectly. Out of curiosity I think tried the glass cleaner on a Tina Turner CD that had gone crystallised back in 1994 and I'd never been able to listen to it since. To my amazement it cleaned the surface, and although there is a slight fogging on the CD, I am able to listen to it for the first time in 30 years. I then tried it out on a PS2 disc that had always been kept in it's original case but had that matte frosty surface to it...and it cleaned it perfectly. I don't know what this problem is as the CD went bad barely a year after I bought it and was the only CD I've ever seen do that so always assumed it was "disc rot," but the glass cleaner cleaned it away, so it's obviously a surface level problem. The T3L plastic sleeves are a real problem for DVD and PS2 ganes but blurays and PS3/4 games seem fine. It must be some sort of reaction to the plastic. But the fact that it has happened to the occasional random game that has been kept in it's original case just baffles me. Anyway I was over the moon when my method worked for cleaning them and it made me feel that my collection would last forever.

    • @lordsofkobol7385
      @lordsofkobol7385 2 місяці тому

      IPA/distilled water 50/50 mix is safe but glass cleaner contains corrosive chemicals.

    • @dcalsbeek5831
      @dcalsbeek5831 Місяць тому

      Also check out MM Designs for sleeves.

    • @danpetitpas
      @danpetitpas Місяць тому +1

      So the lamination is breaking down. Interesting.

  • @WyldstaarStudios
    @WyldstaarStudios 2 місяці тому +5

    Oh, bloody hell! Now I've got to go through my library and see if there are any problem discs!

  • @newsbender
    @newsbender 2 місяці тому +8

    This is an alarming topic, Michael. Thanks for the head up, I had no idea this was even an issue. Great topic for a video.
    I've also had problems playing my First Blood blu ray, it skips around all over the place!

  • @joyrider6456
    @joyrider6456 2 місяці тому +4

    Sounds like a good case for a class action lawsuit against WB for knowingly and willingly selling people a bunch of crap.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h Місяць тому

      Not at this point. Implied warranty on consumer goods under US law is 4 years. Absent an explicit guarantee you can't really sue over the fact that something from 15+ years ago is now worn out.

    • @joyrider6456
      @joyrider6456 Місяць тому

      @@user-do2ev2hr7h But it was already "worn out" around 3-4 years and they knéw that from the getgo. And it's not one single individual, it's MILLIONS of customers, all with the exact same issues. That puts things in a whole different perspective.

  • @bramzwingli
    @bramzwingli 2 місяці тому +14

    How much of the old obscure tv and film is going to be lost because of things like this?

    • @thephoenixhasflown
      @thephoenixhasflown 2 місяці тому

      A whole darn bunch and sadly I guarantee you some already is

    • @kosmas173
      @kosmas173 Місяць тому +3

      I doubt it, there are other ways to make sure they get distributed. If you know what I mean.

    • @linksgard2
      @linksgard2 Місяць тому

      none. you can thank your local pirate.

  • @PelinalDidNothingWrong
    @PelinalDidNothingWrong 2 місяці тому +7

    I genuienly wish WB would release all of Ben 10 classic,Alien Force,Ultimate Alien and Omniverse on Blu-Ray. But it seems super unlikely now...

  • @patrickholt8782
    @patrickholt8782 2 місяці тому +9

    I can’t quote the exact decision, but making private back ups, even circumventing security measures, is legal. Just as long as you don’t distribute. It was the decision that made VHS recording legal.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 місяці тому +3

      Technically Yes but you have to be careful because the legal definition of distribution isn't necessarily what people think it is. Something like having the file sitting sitting on a drive on a networked computer may be enough to get you on trouble depending on the circumstances.

  • @theflyingninja1
    @theflyingninja1 2 місяці тому +8

    Just found out that i suddenly have a nice new set of coasters.

  • @scubapete9500
    @scubapete9500 2 місяці тому +4

    My bananas are turning, but I had no idea I should be worried more about my WB DVDs. Dam. Thank you for the insightful video. Kudos to Dam Fool too. 👍👍

  • @MrMark-hm9lk
    @MrMark-hm9lk 2 місяці тому +19

    The whole jump from VHS to DVD reason was VHS deteriorate and DVD last a lifetime. My VHS tapes still play.

    • @NinjaRunningWild
      @NinjaRunningWild 2 місяці тому

      Mine too, but the quality is pretty crappy.

    • @gaylordfocker7990
      @gaylordfocker7990 Місяць тому

      Ah yes 144p on a format that literally degrades everytime they're played? Gotta love that rewinding and fast forwarding function as well? Also gotta love how big the cassettes were too, right?

    • @davidclough3951
      @davidclough3951 Місяць тому

      Yep still have my video tapes and a working VCR. A have a couple dual layered VHS tapes that came in packs to record on. Even recording on the slowest speed for 6 hours of content, those tapes look perfect still when played. Better than some store bought movies have ever looked even.

    • @VHSBits
      @VHSBits Місяць тому +3

      @@NinjaRunningWildThe quality is fine for a small screen - which is all people had when VHS was at it's peak. Nobody imagined playing VHS on a 50"+ TV

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h Місяць тому +1

      Considering VHS has so so image quality and that the standard was pan & scan I wouldn't say it was superior.

  • @mcfehn25
    @mcfehn25 2 місяці тому +2

    OMG, I freaked out when you started talking about The Dukes Of Hazard being problematic. I literally just bought the series two weeks ago at Cooter’s Place in Nashville. We stopped in to meet Tom Wopat and picked up the box set on the way out. Here’s hoping I got a recent press!

  • @WeHaveExplosive
    @WeHaveExplosive 2 місяці тому +3

    I went through something similar with my CD collection a couple of years ago; discs bronzing, skipping and turning unplayable. The joke was the these CDs were replacements for vinyl copies that I exchanged because CDs are a more convinient format. I then had to go back and re-buy the LPs to replace the CDs that were dead. I had to learn to look at the matrix/runout info for dodgy pressing plants, then later found something used in the booklets could possibly be a factor in disc browning. What a mess.

    • @andrew6382
      @andrew6382 2 місяці тому +1

      I have a friend who is unlucky with his Blu-rays he says that they rot within a year. I have a feeling he is buying things that are for a niche baby boomer market. Meaning the manufacturers put them out cheaply and sell them at a collector's value. The releases are very bare bones not extras.

  • @thebluedragon6633
    @thebluedragon6633 2 місяці тому +8

    Weird I have old late 90s early 2000s copys of Rambo movies on DVD and they still work no problem it could be later copys

  • @somarriba333
    @somarriba333 2 місяці тому +4

    Damn! I had no idea this was a thing. I also didn't know you could rip DVD's like you can CD's. I need to look into that. I'll have to see what my oldest WB dvd is and play it.

  • @niccage6375
    @niccage6375 2 місяці тому +9

    One thing you didnt bring up is warner HD-DVDs. They are infamous in the HD-DVD community is they rot. Most of them are on bluray but some of them are stuck on that format.

    • @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
      @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader 2 місяці тому +2

      I’ve honestly wondered if the same manufacturing plant was responsible for Warner’s entire run of super rotted HDDVDs. That was the Warner rotted media I was always aware of before stumbling onto the much bigger issue of their rotted DVDs. (Not counting the few notorious Warner LD rotters pressed at WEA or DADC USA) I’m also pretty sure this same plant was also responsible for the run of bad Criterion Blu-rays a number of years ago that they had to instigate a replacement program for.
      At least with the Warner HDDVDs pretty much all of them were available with the same masters on all three formats and then Warner went fully Blu-ray quickly. The problem there was that we were stuck with crappier HDDVD era lower bitrate encodes and audio for years on the BD ports. Some films are still stuck in screwy early HD masters designed around HDDVD parameters.

    • @jacksonteller3973
      @jacksonteller3973 Місяць тому +2

      @@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader Stop Skeletons From Fighting did a video on HD-DVD and yes that same plant made a bunch of Warner's HD-DVD releases, fortunately there was another plant in Mexico that also made those discs and apparently there are some numbers you can check to see which factory it came from and if they came from the one in Mexico you're good to go.

  • @TheDylandProductions
    @TheDylandProductions 2 місяці тому +1

    Thank you, thank you, thank you Michael for this video!
    Coincidentally, I first discovered your channel thanks to your Superfriends release breakdown, and this is a subject that hits close to home. I got a bum WB box set disc in The Three Stooges' Gold Raiders/Meet The Barron - but, as I understand it, it's not a disc rot issue, but rather a known separate poor/corrupted encode - that unfortunately effects nearly all releases of those films. Thankfully, WB Archive re-released it a number of years ago standalone, and I was able to buy it like that. (used, just because I wanted the peace of mind the seller checked them)
    But, the fact that my other WB (or other studio) DVD releases could be at risk is an unfortunate horror, but a necessary one to face. I'm definitely going to prioritize getting some backup drives and ripping my entire (800+) disc collection to isos. It's something I've been wanting to do for a few years, but this video has really been my wakeup call. Like you, I keep good care of my discs, but I already have a few discs that are that yellow color already... hopefully it's not too late for too many titles.
    Regardless, I still loath streaming. I'd rather own physical media and, in cases like this, have it backed up (and double backed up!) and downloaded so no studio can censor, tinker, or otherwise alter the films beyond my control. Or remove them entirely. I still think, despite these hiccups, physical media and downloads are king. Such a shame WB cut corners. Now, we're all paying the price for that decision... Such an avoidable shame.

  • @TorontoJon
    @TorontoJon 2 місяці тому +11

    Yikes! I was checking a lot of my many Warner Bros. DVD movies and series sets, but was so relieved to discover that many of my Warner Bros. movies or series purchased in Canada were either manufactured after 2010 or were made in Mexico and not in America at that particular defective plant.
    Muchas gracias, México!

    • @TheMediaHoarder
      @TheMediaHoarder 2 місяці тому +1

      That Mexico plant had problems for a while also. Now it’s the only remaining disc plant for America.

  • @saltytexasranger6301
    @saltytexasranger6301 2 місяці тому +5

    Wow! My Rambo II disk is glitchy AF. I didn't realize this was a thing!

  • @MeaganEater
    @MeaganEater Місяць тому +2

    I have some older DVDs that will not play in my regular DVD player, but they play in my expensive Blue-Ray player.
    So, I picked up a Blue-Ray drive for my laptop and a DVD Ripper program and started ripping my DVDs to MP4 video. We also picked up a 1080P projector and I played 4K UA-cam nature videos through it while adjusting its saturation, white balance, color and focus. Dude, it plays my ripped movies and TV shows, and it feels like I am in a movie theatre. I even have a 120-inch screen and put-up curtains and added a simulated surround sound system I put together from thrift stores. It is a Dolby Digital and 5.1 Surround, but I can also set it to simulate surround sound for older movies and TV shows.
    A mixture of Panasonic, Sony tech hardware.
    Speakers are of the correct ohms but are also a mix of brands.

  • @iWalkChris
    @iWalkChris Місяць тому +1

    Thank you Retro. I didn't know about this problem. We have some data CDs here at our company and they have actually changed color around the outer perimeter. It's almost like the same change when silver oxidizes. I can see how this could go very badly for organizations that are using optical media for backup of any kind of mission critical data.

  • @booobtooober
    @booobtooober 2 місяці тому +3

    As I started to comment, you summed up the problem in the last few minutes.
    But in addition, and this applies to all corporations. Once the founders, creators, and visionary people that grew and made them great have retired, passed away, or bought out, then it's all downhill (about the bottom line) from that point on. The MBA mentality executive team comes in, and they have no skin in the game. It's cut cost, make everything as cheaply as possible, and their only focus is to create lucrative revenue streams to maximize profits. An infuriating example is Mercedes charging a subscription fee to turn on your heated car seat.

  • @braddl9442
    @braddl9442 2 місяці тому +7

    Base on how they have taken the mask off about digital. I dont think disc rot is an accident anymore, IMO they might be making them badly knowing they will rot in a few years on purpose.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h Місяць тому

      FWIW digital wasn't really a thing when the discs in question were made.

  • @stevegt2682
    @stevegt2682 2 місяці тому +1

    Thanks for making me aware of this. I had no idea my well stored physical media might not work.

  • @okrajoe
    @okrajoe 19 днів тому +1

    I recently found an old 2004 DVD-R that I had burned at work. Just for fun, I popped the DVD-R in the computer and amazingly it worked fine.

  • @Jkend199
    @Jkend199 2 місяці тому +4

    I got WB DVD Babylon 5 way back when... They lasted about 20 years, just replaced them with a new Blue Ray cuz they wouldn't play anymore... The disks are 20 years old at this point, but let's be real I keep them in their cases in a closet inside my place and they probably get played once a year, they are in pristine condition and they no longer play... I've tried 3 different DVD players at this point... At the time I bought the 5 seasons of this show they were about $100 a season, I spent $500 USD to own Babylon 5 on DVD and kept them in perfect condition, and after 20 years they stopped reading, for no apparent reason. You could argue I got my money's worth and perhaps so, but I expected them to play a lot longer than 20 years... I thought I was getting stuff that would play as long as I had a working DVD player to play them on... I have other DVD's that are older than that that still play just fine, and they were stored in the same closet...

    • @wills2140
      @wills2140 2 місяці тому +1

      Yep. We were led to believe that these digital disks were going to last "forever" by the manufacturers and entertainment companies. Now CD's and DVD's have problems with delamination and "rot"... Shows what kind of suckers us consumers are.

  • @evolcollector210
    @evolcollector210 2 місяці тому +8

    I too was a major dvd movie collector. I had three 5 shelf bookcases full. Until I started backing them up on MP4 format and now enjoy them on a external TB hard drive and watch on a USB port player in a DVD player or game console.

    • @Deviax28
      @Deviax28 2 місяці тому +1

      Same. But, I borrowed dvds from feiends and family and ripped wverything they had. Now just watch everything digitally cause I saw this coming ywars ago when syreaming became a thing

    • @locusmortis
      @locusmortis 2 місяці тому +3

      Back up your external drive also, I had a 16tb drive fail recently, luckily i got prior warning and was able to transfer off most of what was on the drive.

    • @pkkingcrimsonrequiem1332
      @pkkingcrimsonrequiem1332 2 місяці тому

      A properly mastered DVD lasts a lot longer than a Hard Drive

    • @TabbyTimeOut
      @TabbyTimeOut 2 місяці тому

      @@locusmortis Rule of three FTW!

    • @aceman1126
      @aceman1126 2 місяці тому +1

      ​@@pkkingcrimsonrequiem1332can't have too many back ups

  • @CastlesForEyes
    @CastlesForEyes 2 місяці тому +2

    Ive had to throw out the majority of my WB HD-DVD discs, but I had no idea that it went beyond that format.

  • @mr.smith45
    @mr.smith45 2 місяці тому +2

    Time to parse my collection I've been meaning to ISO everything but I've been sleeping on doing so thanks for the heads up.

  • @Toybinging
    @Toybinging 2 місяці тому +8

    Not a lot of people realized that before Blu-ray, and HD DVD there was D VHS. And if you happen to have a Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U D-VHS Recorder. You can record a digital off the air broadcast version of Star Wars the original trilogy that briefly aired over 20 years ago. I’m not sure if it was 720p or 1080i, but if you are one of the fortunate few who recorded this broadcast, you would’ve had a digital HD version of Star Wars 20 years before anyone else

    • @donwyoming1936
      @donwyoming1936 2 місяці тому

      I dunno. My original release Laser Discs are still my favorite to watch.

  • @MusicalAtmosphere
    @MusicalAtmosphere 2 місяці тому +5

    37:28 Yes! So well said about the big studios overall. They need to let the boutique labels take over releasing the catalog titles on home media. It's apparent they have no idea how to take care of their customers anymore or what we want and expect. Where's the respect for the classics? Any of us could do better because we are the ones that cherish classic cinema and television.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h Місяць тому

      I doubt most boutique companies would want to take over the entire catalogs. They make their money by curating releases for a niche audience.

  • @karenowen9365
    @karenowen9365 2 місяці тому +2

    When Warner Archive started I ordered the first sets of shorts that they produced. I didn''t watch the Joe McDoakes series right away. When I did I discovered that they had sent me a blank or otherwise not playable disc. I tried to get a replacement but didn't get anywhere.

  • @AndrewLoukidis-jr2bp
    @AndrewLoukidis-jr2bp 2 місяці тому +2

    Once formats began changing every few years I quit buying any physical media.

  • @mymangodfrey
    @mymangodfrey 2 місяці тому +7

    You’ve got a new subscriber. I really enjoyed this. You’re informed but not an annoying know-it-all.
    I recently dug through my old Warner DVDs and so many of them-including my Errol Flynn, Noir/Forbidden Hollywood, and Astaire/Rogers movies-were unplayable.
    A fair number of these titles were never released on Blu, and I really don’t want to pay Warners another $15 for a Warner Archive DVD. It sucks.
    But here’s a quick positive note: I also had a lot of rotted Criterion Blu-Ray discs from the first two years of their Blu-Ray output, and Criterion replaced every single one for me, including their OOP Howards End. Extremely consumer-friendly, nice company.
    In spite of all of the rot anxiety, 99% of my laserdiscs still play as well as new. DVD and 4K seem to be the most fragile formats. Blu-Rays are tanks-seemingly indestructible.

  • @TheChadTI
    @TheChadTI 2 місяці тому +6

    17:16 I bet many people invest in the boxsets just to have them and do not put them in often. This is really crazy and should qualify as consumer fraud.

    • @user-do2ev2hr7h
      @user-do2ev2hr7h Місяць тому

      There's a clock on things like that. The law doesn't expect that consumer goods will last forever.

  • @craigdixon6496
    @craigdixon6496 2 місяці тому

    Great info. Made me look at some of my DVDs and sure enough, had some yellowing ones from WB. While watching you video, try to play them and they would not/ play, could not read them. Thx Mike for the info

  • @joesilvestrini7480
    @joesilvestrini7480 2 місяці тому +4

    I’m having the same problems with my Sopranos boxed sets.
    Every season has at least one bum disc or a disc that will play only 1 of 2 or 3 episodes.
    What a disappointment

  • @Christian39521
    @Christian39521 2 місяці тому +4

    Rambo? That's Lionsgate. It was Artisan, then Lionsgate. I lost the Rocky Anthology though. Which is the first 5 movies.

  • @robertsinfiniterealms1308
    @robertsinfiniterealms1308 2 місяці тому +2

    I cannot tell you how much crying I did the more you have been showing. ARRRRGH. I own so much of these.

  • @indiana2096
    @indiana2096 2 місяці тому +1

    WOW, I really have my homework ahead of me, I have such a large collection WB titles. I have the George Reeves Superman sets already backed up, I purchased them second hand and not in pristine condition, now I believe it was much more causing the problems I had with them. Thanks for the video, very important info!

  • @superjoe12punch
    @superjoe12punch 2 місяці тому +4

    Well, this finally explains what happened to my Superman II Donner cut DVD.