Maybe I have bad luck, but I seem to regularly get brand new HD DVD discs with scratches on them. The discs in these cases weren't loose from the hub. Usually, they'll be a series of many small but parallel scratches. I've exchanged them in the past, but I'm getting kind of tired of doing this, because they occur so frequently.

Maybe I have bad luck, but I seem to regularly get brand new HD DVD discs with scratches on them. The discs in these cases weren't loose from the hub. Usually, they'll be a series of many small but parallel scratches. I've exchanged them in the past, but I'm getting kind of tired of doing this, because they occur so frequently.

are you getting them from the same place if thats the case trying going to a different store maybe?

are you getting them from the same place if thats the case trying going to a different store maybe?

Amazon, Deep Discount, Best Buy.. I'd say one out of every 10 discs. They are almost always from Universal.

Brian81,

You are not the only one. I have been experiencing similar issues with Universal discs. In my case, the rate of Universal scratched discs are in the range of 30 to 60%. On the celophane wrap of Universal discs I sometimes notice this inscription: "Made in Mexico". Hmmm!...

from the sounds of it they are'nt taking alot of care with the handling of the discs.

my only problem disc has been uni's miami vice, not really scratches per say , but not really clean either rinsed with warm to hot water no help..Universal's qc little spotty even on dvd

Brian81,

You are not the only one. I have been experiencing similar issues with Universal discs. In my case, the rate of Universal scratched discs are in the range of 30 to 60%. On the celophane wrap of Universal discs I sometimes notice this inscription: "Made in Mexico". Hmmm!...

Good (but unfortunate) to read that I'm not alone here. Considering Universal probably makes up about half of my discs, and it's almost always THEM, I'd say it's probably 20% here.

Brian81,

You are not the only one. I have been experiencing similar issues with Universal discs. In my case, the rate of Universal scratched discs are in the range of 30 to 60%. On the celophane wrap of Universal discs I sometimes notice this inscription: "Made in Mexico". Hmmm!...

A big boo on anything made in Mexico

A big boo on anything made in Mexico

Hey...I love Tacos.

They just load them on to big spindles one person being smart *ss and spinning them can we say marks and rub spots that happened to my Planet earth disk1,disk2 call they are sending a full new set we will see.

I have 34 HD DVDs (12 being from Universal) and I don't have a single scratch on any of them...about half were bought used and half were bought new...I also bought at places like Amazon, Deep Discount, Best Buy, and even on here and I've just never had a problem...however, I don't think I've ever had ANY misfortune when it comes to anything audio/visual whether it be movies or equipment...I just always hear horror stories about how people even buy stuff new and it just doesn't work or it's damaged...I just never seem to have that problem...I am buying a bunch of new equipment this summer so we'll just have to wait and see how that works out *knocks on wood*

They just load them on to big spindles one person being smart *ss and spinning them can we say marks and rub spots that happened to my Planet earth disk1,disk2 call they are sending a full new set we will see.

I heard from someone on here that it was the case for Planet Earth that scratched the disks...don't know how credible that is though...I bought mine new from Best Buy and it was perfect...I keep them in a separate cd case though just to be safe...also they are a b***h to remove from the planet earth case and I just didn't want to risk damaging them

I have 34 HD DVDs (12 being from Universal) and I don't have a single scratch on any of them...about half were bought used and half were bought new...I also bought at places like Amazon, Deep Discount, Best Buy, and even on here and I've just never had a problem...however, I don't think I've ever had ANY misfortune when it comes to anything audio/visual whether it be movies or equipment...I just always hear horror stories about how people even buy stuff new and it just doesn't work or it's damaged...I just never seem to have that problem...I am buying a bunch of new equipment this summer so we'll just have to wait and see how that works out *knocks on wood*



I heard from someone on here that it was the case for Planet Earth that scratched the disks...don't know how credible that is though...I bought mine new from Best Buy and it was perfect...I keep them in a separate cd case though just to be safe...also they are a b***h to remove from the planet earth case and I just didn't want to risk damaging them

I will wait and see what they send,told not to return old ones played the two disk no problem but I have not one disk in my collection with even a spic of dust on it.but just don't look cleanable:)

Brand new - scratches on discs. What do you do?

Try playing it, see if it has an issue.

I had well over 100 HD DVD's at one time or another almost all bought new from multiple sites. I'd say 1/3 had some marks on the disc surfaces. Some had parallel lines almost like someone slid it on a surface, several had straight radial lines from the center to the edge, and some (Planet Earth and French T2 specifically) had marks that made arcs around the outer 1/3 of the disc that looked like someone had spun the disc. The same thing happened to my BSG S3 DVD set I just got from Amazon -- at least 3 of the discs had some marking on the surface that shouldn't be there/ Very few of the new BR's I have seen had more than a speck on the surface. To be fair, I've never had one of the 'scratched' discs not play properly so it is more of a nitpick in the big picture.

It's very frustrating for someone who likes pristine discs. I'm more a bit particularly about handling discs without touching the surface and never lay a disc down on anything it's not supposed to be sitting on. A habit started early in life living with an LP collector and instilled to my core. It's probably the reason I never got into the Netflix and similar services -- I'm not putting most of those discs into one of my players.

Reading this made me think of something that has nothing to do with HD DVD, but with discs being made in Mexico. I've noticed a lot of DVDs in the WM $5 bargain section are now made in Mexico. I think I'll look more closely when making selections including HD DVDs.

I just opened "In the Valley of Elah" that I recently received as new from Amazon.com. It was sealed as usual and the disc was firmly in place in the holder, but when I was about to play it I just took a look at the HD DVD side before putting it into the player as I usually do. I was surprised to find a rather visible scratch on the HD DVD side, about 0.5 cm long around the middle of the disc. I tried playing it anyway but it produces errors between 1h:11m to 1h:15m and playback repeatedly stops in that area. I tried in two different players with similar results. I had to watch part of it from the DVD side eventually to get through the whole movie. I've contacted Amazon for a replacement. This is the first disc I've received with such a scratch apparently straight from production...

EDIT: Amazon's really great with customer service once again, I received a response in a couple of minutes from them and they will ship me a new one without any cost to me and I don't need to ship this scratched one back either because return shipping from abroad is prohibitively expensive. Great!

I heard from someone on here that it was the case for Planet Earth that scratched the disks...don't know how credible that is though...I bought mine new from Best Buy and it was perfect...I keep them in a separate cd case though just to be safe...also they are a b***h to remove from the planet earth case and I just didn't want to risk damaging them


Same here!!! It IS the HD-DVD case for Planet Earth that scratches the disks.

I had to return my copy 3 times, then I got a box with 3-of-4 in perfect condition. After watching the discs, I placed them back carefully. But when I took them out again, they were all scratched!

These mystery scratches are all radial. It has something to do with the opposite force put on the disc when you remove it form the "terrible" case. The equal-but-opposite force applied to remove the disc/s [and sliding it around to release] will scratch the disc!

I removed mine and also put them in separate cases.

uggg.

F.

this happened to me three times out of about 150 discs owned. once was one of the blade runner discs, it was scratched up because it came loose, i exchanged the disc at the store.

the second time was top gun, it had some light random scratches on it, and played fine so i didn't cause a fuss (9.99 online).

the 3rd time was time cop, it was a made in mexico disc, amazon exchanged it with no problem.

i run into about the same % of messed up new discs as normal DVDs, not some huge problem.

the 3rd time was time cop, it was a made in mexico disc, amazon exchanged it with no problem.



How do returns work with Amazon? Do they send you a pre-paid return label?

How do returns work with Amazon? Do they send you a pre-paid return label?
Yes...

AMS

my only problem disc has been uni's miami vice, not really scratches per say , but not really clean either rinsed with warm to hot water no help..Universal's qc little spotty even on dvd


Not to thread jack but, how is your PQ w/ MIAMI VICE ? It seems ALOT of the darker scenes, like in the beginning of the movie where the bar fight occurs, and other dark scenes are almost unwatchable due to EXTREME graininess and pixelation...it almost looks like salt and pepper it's so bad. It's alot worse on my A35 than on XA2, has this been your experience??:eek:

AMS

yesterday: two brand new discs in the mail..


into the wild: large fingerprint, with a few very light scratches on it underneath. wiped it off...they aren't that visible. i'm just going to keep, since it was from BestBuy.com

things we lost in the future: a actual scuff..but it's very small and at the edge of the disc, barely going into the area where recorded area is. i know that with cds (and lds), you can tell where a disc is recorded at. but with dvds and hd dvds, how can you tell? do they spread it over the entire length of the disc?

It's funny - I made a thread about this in November or December '07 and was attacked as a Blu fanboy just trying to start problems..

But yes, I've experienced scratches and fingerprints on a large number of HD DVDs. Universal discs were particularly bad - whoever they were using for manufacturer didn't have the tightest quality control it would seem. It was very frustrating - I sent many a disc back to Amazon for replacement.

So, if a disc has smudges or fingerprints on it, how
do you guys remove those? Is there a special cloth or solution?
On DVDs, when I try even with soft cotton towels, I end
up adding a bunch of scratches.

yesterday: two brand new discs in the mail..


into the wild: large fingerprint, with a few very light scratches on it underneath. wiped it off...they aren't that visible. i'm just going to keep, since it was from BestBuy.com

things we lost in the future: a actual scuff..but it's very small and at the edge of the disc, barely going into the area where recorded area is. i know that with cds (and lds), you can tell where a disc is recorded at. but with dvds and hd dvds, how can you tell? do they spread it over the entire length of the disc?

i got my Planet Earth HD DVD from Discovery Store and the #1 disc has a huge circular scratch, like it was dropped on a tray while spinning fast. It plays fine, but hate the fact that an item brand new is already damaged.

So, if a disc has smudges or fingerprints on it, how
do you guys remove those? Is there a special cloth or solution?
On DVDs, when I try even with soft cotton towels, I end
up adding a bunch of scratches.

I've never tried towels, as they are bristle-y. I generally use 100% cotton t-shirts, most of the time slightly damp, and I just hope for the best. I've scratched a disc or two (very lightly) wiping discs, but sometimes you just have to.

i got my Planet Earth HD DVD from Discovery Store and the #1 disc has a huge circular scratch, like it was dropped on a tray while spinning fast. It plays fine, but hate the fact that an item brand new is already damaged.

I also recieved the Planet Earth with both the 1st and 4th disk with the same problem e-mailed them they shipped me another set got today all were ok told to just keep the first set will use them for back up.
Just send them an e-mail.:)

Try liquid car wax and non-lotioned Kleenex/Puffs tissue (one tissue to apply the wax and several others to buff the scratches off--only works for light scratches). To clean the discs I just use the same type of tissue and my breath vapors for spot cleaning or Windex sprays for cleaning entire disc. Pledge furniture polish also make quick disc cleaning and buffing easy.

Always wipe radially from hub outward as if you do introduce scratches radially, it's not important as linear scratches.

For deeper scratches, you may have to repeat above process several times. Sometimes, a scratch or crack is beyond home repair. I've ruined SD-DVDs trying to buff out scratches with rotary tool and buffing attachment; so don't try powertools as it'll just eat or melt the clear plastic covering :D

These things can happen occasionally but shouldn't happen frequently. If I was in the OP's shoes I will alert the merchant. If this keeps happening again and again we can instruct the merchant to make amendments in their returns and refunds policy to purview this issue seriously. For instance amazon recently offered me a 10% refund of the entire order amount as one disc had popped out of the holder. However I politely refused to accept the refund due to the rare occurrence of this event. If this happens with every shipment then I will have to request the merchant to offer some kind of refund.

I am so glad that you posted this thread because i was going to post one on the verysame subject.Yes, i have noticed ALOT of the new discs i have bought recently either have minor scratching and/or are dirty to an extent.I have noticed this to a greater extenent since HD-DVD was closed down and the studios have either released or are in the process of releasing their last discs.The biggest culprits are the Combo discs as if that would even be a surprize.I had to call Warner's and have them send me a replacement for the HP and the Order of the Phoenix disc i bought for my brother because the disc ended up being scratched on both sides and would not play on the HD side.BB had already sent their discs back and i couldn't get a replacement at retail.Another disc i had to exchange was "Into the Wild" because the copy i bought came with a nasty scratch on it.I don't know what is with the decline in quality of the HD-DVD coming dirty/scatched and/or scraching so easy the way they do lately but i consider it unacceptable.The one thign i will say i LOVE about Blueray discs are that they are scratch resistant and also repel dust, thus are easy to keep in top shape if you take care of them.With certain HD-DVDs, if you don't handle them with gloves, you are asking for trouble,lol.

If someone is going to keep an HD-DVD(NON COMBO)in the red HD case i reccommend placing the label side down with the media/silver side up.This avoids any possible scratching from the opposite force applied to the bottom of the disc during removal.You'll have to be careful to avoid touching the silver/media side but you'll also avoid those "mystery" scratches that seem to pop up on HD-DVDs durin removal from their cases sometimes.s for the Star Trek:TOS HD Combo sets, 1. Keep the HD side UP and keep them in the disc flipper they came in.What i did was take a can of
compressed air and cleaned ot any smal debri that might be on the clear disc storage platters and then replaced the discs back in the disc flipper with the HD sides up and "knock on wood" with
alot of care my discs are in excellent shape.That set being the pride of my collection along with some of my imports, i am sure to take extra care with them whenever i use them.

Try Meguiar's Plastx Cleaner, it has repaired a few Netflix discs for me.
Dan

I have experienced these exact same issues. My personal experience is Universal HD DVDs are more apt to be scratched than any other studios, but Paramount's are up there too. Combo Format discs are the worst offender, with it being nigh impossible to find one without at least one scratch.

In fact, as silly as it sounds, scratched HD DVD media is one of the main reasons I wound up preferring Blu-ray Disc. Perhaps it was due to necessity being that the data is written closer to the surface, but I have had far less problems with scratched BDs... until just recently. :( I had a number of scratched Blade Runner, Bonnie and Clyde, and Dogma discs. Scratches on BD worry me more, again due to the proximity of the data, and the fact you can't buff them off if its under the coating.

My solution? I buy from Amazon whenever possible. Their flexible return policy is a boon for the anal, OCD among us (myself definitely included). As for Combo Format discs, I have 'learned to live with' a few hairline scratches.

I am so glad that you posted this thread because i was going to post one on the verysame subject.Yes, i have noticed ALOT of the new discs i have bought recently either have minor scratching and/or are dirty to an extent.I have noticed this to a greater extenent since HD-DVD was closed down and the studios have either released or are in the process of releasing their last discs.The biggest culprits are the Combo discs as if that would even be a surprize.I had to call Warner's and have them send me a replacement for the HP and the Order of the Phoenix disc i bought for my brother because the disc ended up being scratched on both sides and would not play on the HD side.BB had already sent their discs back and i couldn't get a replacement at retail.Another disc i had to exchange was "Into the Wild" because the copy i bought came with a nasty scratch on it.I don't know what is with the decline in quality of the HD-DVD coming dirty/scatched and/or scraching so easy the way they do lately but i consider it unacceptable.The one thign i will say i LOVE about Blueray discs are that they are scratch resistant and also repel dust, thus are easy to keep in top shape if you take care of them.With certain HD-DVDs, if you don't handle them with gloves, you are asking for trouble,lol.

If someone is going to keep an HD-DVD(NON COMBO)in the red HD case i reccommend placing the label side down with the media/silver side up.This avoids any possible scratching from the opposite force applied to the bottom of the disc during removal.You'll have to be careful to avoid touching the silver/media side but you'll also avoid those "mystery" scratches that seem to pop up on HD-DVDs durin removal from their cases sometimes.s for the Star Trek:TOS HD Combo sets, 1. Keep the HD side UP and keep them in the disc flipper they came in.What i did was take a can of
compressed air and cleaned ot any smal debri that might be on the clear disc storage platters and then replaced the discs back in the disc flipper with the HD sides up and "knock on wood" with
alot of care my discs are in excellent shape.That set being the pride of my collection along with some of my imports, i am sure to take extra care with them whenever i use them.

I don't seem to have any problems of creating new scratches on discs with the standard cases. If label side is placed down, I would worry about all those paper inserts inside the cases scratching the disc (unless of course you throw them out). I believe that a case has only once led to a scratched disc for me and that is Planet Earth BBC and it's 4 disc flapper case. I have a circumferal scratch which is quite ugly now and I'm concerned if it will still work!

I decided to look over all of my discs (ALL bought new). Out of about 200, around 50 of them have some amount of scratches on them. This ranges from barely noticable and very tiny (ones I wouldn't bother exchaning) to dead obvious (ones I wish I would have exchanged..had I noticed these before). I only thought I had around 10 with scratches on them (this is after going through the entire collection a month or two ago to look for the very same thing), but noticed WAY more than I remember. Heck, some were ones I inspected VERY closely (or so I thought) just to make sure there weren't any on there! Hold the disc to the light, and slowly rotate the disc. My copy of "Reds" and "Matador" have quite a few circumferential scratches. :eek: I received "Matador" very recently, and looked at it to make sure it was free of any scratches, and thought it was. I haven't played 80% of the titles yet, so these are how they came new.


I think I may just give up on this. It's a lost cause.