Millions of DVDs made by Warner Bros that were sold between 2006 and 2008 no longer work, having succumbed to a phenomenon known as “laser rot”, which stems from the way the discs are manufactured.
As the movie blog JoBlo reported, it has transpired that almost every DVD manufactured by Warner Bros between 2006 and 2008 has now expired due to the laser rot issue, which causes the discs to stop working. Once it happens, there’s no way to rescue it, such as by burning a new DVD or ripping the file to a hard disc or online service.
JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray explained that while this laser rot issue was a frequent problem with laser discs during the 1980s and 1990s, it has never been a huge issue for DVDs, which are supposed to last for much longer. However, more than 300 movies sold as DVDs by Warner Bros have “broken” earlier than expected.
According to Bumbray, he only discovered the issue after attempting to watch the DVD film Passage to Marseille starring Humphrey Bogart, only for the disc to fail half way through the movie. He then realised that the same problem affected some of his other DVDs, and later found plenty of discussion about the issue on online forums.
On the Stevehoffman.tv forum, a user posted that the problematic DVDs bear the “mould code” IFPI 2U** just above the spindle hole. If you have an old disc with that code, it’s likely that it won’t work anymore. If it does still work, you’ll probably want to rip it to a hard drive pronto, for it won’t last much longer.
DVDs – and Blu-ray discs – are normally supposed to be able to last for several decades, with some estimates saying they can even last for 100 years if stored very carefully in the right conditions. It’s not clear exactly why the laser rot problem has affected the 2006-2008 batch of DVDs so much earlier.
The issue affects titles including The Shawshank Redemption, Rebel Without a Cause, Blade Runner (Collector’s Edition), Superman: The Movie, plus later editions of A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut and 2001: A Space Odyssey. FlatPanels HD has since posted a list of all of the affected DVD titles.
After JoBlo’s post went viral, Warner Bros responded to the publication saying that it has become aware of the issue affecting select DVD titles manufactured between 2006-2008, and has been “actively working with consumers” to replace defective discs.
It adds that consumers can reach out to the company and, where possible, obtain a replacement for their defective discs – but that will only be possible if the title in question remains in print.
For titles that are no longer in print, or if the company’s rights to that title have expired, there’s nothing it can do. However, it will instead offer them a different title of like-value, it said.
“Consumers with affected products can contact the customer support team at whv@wbd.com,” the company added.
