How Now Brown Blu-rays

[hearthesilence]

Has anyone had issues with Vivre Sa Vie? I notice my player takes an uncharacteristically long time to load that one for some reason, although the feature doesn't appear to have playback issues. The only thing is in the supplements there's a slideshow with an essay, and it doesn't flip through the slides properly, skipping over them occasionally.

Not like this, but mine did brown.

[richast2]

The disk began skipping right around the climactic zero gravity scene and remained unwatchable through the end.

That's exactly what happened to mine.

[Luke M]

Dear Criterion Forum, I never thought it would happen to me but I just tried watching Summer Hours and it stopped playing about halfway through. I then checked the other discs on the list and I have browning on Walkabout and The Seventh Seal. (Luckily no signs of it on Pierrot le fou nor M)

[Yakushima]

My copy of "The Lady Vanishes" Blu-ray would not load properly on the last attempt. The big C would appear in the corner and then - just a dark screen indefinitely. It used to play just fine. I have not noticed any discoloration on the surface. Just received a replacement from Criterion a couple of days ago and it plays fine. Wonder if anyone has experienced issues with this disk?

[swo17]

I just tried mine out. It took quite a while to load actually but eventually seemed to play just fine.

[hearthesilence]

I just tried mine out. It took quite a while to load actually but eventually seemed to play just fine.

Same here. It took so long, I thought I might have had a failing disc, but the menu eventually came up and it played fine. I only have an Oppo on hand, and it generally takes some time to load Criterion discs. I used to have a PS3 that was VERY fast with loading any BD, but it was a piece of junk due to a design flaw - died after a year. Anyway, it's hard to say if the Oppo is just slow or if something is amiss with this disc.

[fdm]

I've seen several reports of Lady Vanishes having issues. I dug mine out a year or two ago to see if my copy was okay and at the time it played fine (Oppo also). I don't recall any sluggishness in loading, but then again it was a year or two ago...

[swo17]

Oppo here too.

[Yakushima]

Mine is OPPO is well, but there is no sluggishness whatsoever with the replacement copy Criterion has provided. The old disk, on the contrary, would not proceed further than letter C no matter how long I waited (my patience ran out after 3 minutes

[hearthesilence]

It looks like I have yet another problem disc. My copy of Jane Campion's Sweetie freezes and eventually stops playing at 1:20:33. (Skipping ahead just leads to brief stuttering before freezing.)

Pressed on the actual substrate near the inner rim: IFPI L323
Pressed into the clear plastic on the inner hub: IFPI OWYP

[Pepsi]

My copy of Tuesday, After Christmas (DVD) Second Run DVD is browning. Anyone else?

[Bando]

Anyone have problems with Dont Look Back? Can't get my blu-ray disc to load.

[ShellOilJunior]

Anyone have problems with Dont Look Back? Can't get my blu-ray disc to load.

You way want to try the disc on another blu-ray player. Some blu-ray players won't play certain CC discs. The Lady Vanishes plays on my PS3 but not another Sony BR players I own.

[Bando]

Anyone have problems with Dont Look Back? Can't get my blu-ray disc to load.

You way want to try the disc on another blu-ray player. Some blu-ray players won't play certain CC discs. The Lady Vanishes plays on my PS3 but not another Sony BR players I own.

Because we all have multiple BR players hanging around?

[Pepsi]

My copy of Tuesday, After Christmas (DVD) Second Run DVD is browning. Anyone else?

Best Customer service ever at Second Run DVD. I got a new copy in two days! Thanks.

[Yaanu]

On a lark, I checked my BDs last night to see if there were any issues. I have M, HOWARDS END, and STAGECOACH, and it would appear that STAGECOACH has skipping issues in "Bucking Broadway". I shot off an email to Mulvaney for help with getting a replacement. If anybody has a definitive timecode or feature in which M skips from browning, please let me know.

I'm mostly just posting to apologize for apparently promising three years ago to keep the list of affected titles updated. At some point, I appear to have not only forgotten about the list, but also that I had shipped my copy of HOWARDS END to be replaced. Either I'm getting old or I'm just stupid.

I also wanted to make a joke about the slipcover to LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD becoming brown from exposure to the elements, but I don't have any pictures. I should remember to ask if they have replacements for those as well.

[McNulty]

On a lark, I checked my BDs last night to see if there were any issues. I have M, HOWARDS END, and STAGECOACH, and it would appear that STAGECOACH has skipping issues in "Bucking Broadway". I shot off an email to Mulvaney for help with getting a replacement. If anybody has a definitive timecode or feature in which M skips from browning, please let me know.

Just checked my Stagecoach disc and yep, "Bucking Broadway" is basically unwatchable from 9:40 onward. It skips all the way to around the 43 min mark, and continues to skip after that. Will send Mulvaney an email Monday.

[Yaanu]

From an email I just received from Mulvaney:

We have confirmed that certain Blu-ray discs pressed at a replication facility that we used for a period in 2010 have become defective, showing a noticeable bronze discoloration on the underside and developing playback problems. We have confirmed the problem on ten titles, but not on all copies of these titles. All of these titles have since been re-pressed at a different pressing plant, and the vast majority of discs in circulation should not be affected.

The confirmed potentially affected Blu-ray titles are:

SUMMER HOURS
WALKABOUT
PARIS, TEXAS
M
THE SEVENTH SEAL
PIERROT LE FOU
HOWARDS END
MONSOON WEDDING
MONTEREY POP
RIDE WITH THE DEVIL

[...]

If you decide not to send in a disc that is playing fine and it starts to show signs of the defect at a later date, we will be happy to exchange your disc at that time. If we learn that other titles are similarly defective, we will add them to the list and continue to replace them as well (excluding discs that are out of print that aren't listed above). The best way to tell if your disc from the list is defective is by looking on the under side of the disc (the shiny side) and if you see the letters 'BVDL' your disc will be fine. If you don't see those letters you should send in your disc.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Jon Mulvaney

Thought it might be useful. I don't recall anybody bringing up the "BVDL" thing, but then again I've apparently forgotten everything from the past three years.

[Morbii]

Wow, so those that have Poerrot le Fou might be lucky?

[Ovader]

My The Seventh Seal has the BVDL but my Pierrot le fou doesn't. The latter still plays fine.

[TMDaines]

I only have Paris, Texas of these and mine was fine when I watched it about six months ago.

[noirbuff]

"The Lady Vanishes plays on my PS3 but not another Sony BR players I own."

"I've seen several reports of Lady Vanishes having issues."

Mine loaded slowly and stopped at 1:20:27 on several tries and two Sony bd players.

[John Shade]

I'm worried about my copy of Pierrot and wondering if I should get the studiocanal release as a backup. Anyone seen that transfer? Worth picking up?

[Ribs]

Why not just get it replaced? It’s just the cost of postage.

[John Shade]

Always learning something new on this site