Scratched Discs

[Titus]

It seems that almost 25% of the DVD's I order come with the disc dislodged and scratched -- just about every order comes with at least one dvd with the disc loose. What do the rest of you do about this? The DVD's typically still run fine, but I usually get them replaced because I worry about the damage shortening the lifespan of the disc -- is this a fallacy?

[miless]

It seems that almost 25% of the DVD's I order come with the disc dislodged and scratched -- just about every order comes with at least one dvd with the disc loose. What do the rest of you do about this? The DVD's typically still run fine, but I usually get them replaced because I worry about the damage shortening the lifespan of the disc -- is this a fallacy?

The only time I've ever had to return one was a 'snapper' case with the disc-holding-apparatus broken, so I obviously couldn't get a new one... unfortunately the store didn't have any more of that particular title.

If it's from a store, I would shake the container (like a kid at christmas) to see if it rattles... if it does, don't buy it

[The Invunche]

If there's a scratch I have the the disc replaced.

[Toxicologist]

If there's a scratch I have the the disc replaced.

Me too, regardless of whether it still plays fine or not.At the end of the day i'm not paying full price for effectively 'damaged' goods!

[Titus]

If there's a scratch I have the the disc replaced.

Me too, regardless of whether it still plays fine or not.At the end of the day i'm not paying full price for effectively 'damaged' goods!

That's always been my policy as well, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's justified. I just got BFI's release of Partie de Campagne in the mail and it was dislodged. It's got some light scratches on it, but it plays perfectly on both of my machines. I'm questioning whether it's worth sending it back overseas and waiting three weeks for my replacement.

Does anyone know whether scratches minor enough to not affect playback can accelerate the "rotting" of the disc longterm?

[Tommaso]

Does anyone know whether scratches minor enough to not affect playback can accelerate the "rotting" of the disc longterm?

That depends on whether disc rot is still a topic. The materials used today are said to last for at least 50 or 100 years; the disc rot that came up with some cds pressed in the late 1980s by Polygram UK was not due to the materials, but to improper colour substances used on the booklets which somehow destroyed the protective layer. It's far too early to judge how it is with dvds, of course, but all my cds bought back as far as 1984 still run 100% perfect, and so I guess it will not be different with dvds (BURNED dvds/cds are a totally different matter)
So, no, minor scratches will have no influence probably any time soon. If a disc is affected by rot, however, these scratches might pose another added difficulty for the error correction of the player. Minor scratches will also cause you difficulties when you want to re-sell the dvd on ebay....