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DVDs...

J

James Collins

Guest
Mar 25, 2017
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5,493
#1
I get that DVDs are a thing of the past and that it is much easier to stream things online. I also know nothing lasts forever.

With that said, I find it really annoying that occasionally DVDs fail completely. It really doesn't matter for most movies or television programs I have on DVD, but there are a couple of unusual instances where this matters and it means trying to find a "new" copy of the DVD because that was the only way that it was ever really made.

Most of these are old Chinese martial arts films that I managed to get a copy with the Chinese audio instead of some English dubbing. --Wheels on Meals was the recent one. Before you mention that it is on Prime Video--that is English audio only.

On top of that, in the US it is illegal to burn a copy of a DVD you already own to have a backup.

Rant over.
 
#3
Are the failing DVDs “factory pressed”, or “home burned”? The latter are garbage and will not last forever.

Are the failing ones badly scratched up on the playing side? DVDs are very easily damaged. Blu-rays have a much better scratch-resistant coating.
 
#4
Alkali Ike said:
Are the failing DVDs “factory pressed”, or “home burned”? The latter are garbage and will not last forever.

Are the failing ones badly scratched up on the playing side? DVDs are very easily damaged. Blu-rays have a much better scratch-resistant coating.
Click to expand...
Factory pressed and no scratches. No scratch at all. As best I can tell it is a phenomenon called DVD rot. There is no solution, except time consuming or illegal activities

Most of them are fine. It is just an occasional one, but it is annoying all the same.

ArtechnikA said:
It's also illegal to drive 56 in a 55 zone, but it's been known to happen...
So I'll just leave this here: DVDFab ...
Click to expand...
I don't really want to endorse illegal activities. Talkbass is an international forum. So it might be legal to use something like MakeMKV or HandBrake in addition to the ones you listed depending on your jurisdiction.
 
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#5
Also, I want to add about the download services like Amazon Prime and Vudu: you really don't own the video. You buy it and can stream it from them or download it and play it with their player. What happens when that goes the way of UltraViolet? I remember when that was going to be the future. Your purchases would just become worthless...like buying a DVD and having it fail.
 
#6
James Collins said:
On top of that, in the US it is illegal to burn a copy of a DVD you already own to have a backup.

Rant over.
Click to expand...
"Copying
Copyright laws allow DVDs to be copied for archival reasons. However, only one person should have access to the copy. For example, you may make a single copy of a DVD movie if you are concerned about the DVD being scratched or stolen. "

DVD Copyright Rules
 
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#8
Stumbo said:
"Copying
Copyright laws allow DVDs to be copied for archival reasons. However, only one person should have access to the copy. For example, you may make a single copy of a DVD movie if you are concerned about the DVD being scratched or stolen. "

DVD Copyright Rules
Click to expand...
Invalid Link Removed
The laws in your linked page are really referencing DRM free things and designed for ability to download and make copies of software. For example, you bought some legacy software like Office and you can save multiple copies of the install file.

It is illegal to circumvent DRM protections on a DVD in the USA. If the DVD doesn't have those protections, you can copy it all day long.
 
#9
I'm very anti-piracy.

Having said that, there's the letter of the law, and there's the spirit of the law. If your factory-original legal copy is degrading and you make a backup copy for yourself to preserve it, no harm no foul.

"I am not a copyright attorney or enforcer"
 
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#10
James Collins said:
Invalid Link Removed
The laws in your linked page are really referencing DRM free things and designed for ability to download and make copies of software. For example, you bought some legacy software like Office and you can save multiple copies of the install file.

It is illegal to circumvent DRM protections on a DVD in the USA. If the DVD doesn't have those protections, you can copy it all day long.
Click to expand...

from the statements of facts in a linked case from that page: "Real started fifteen years ago as a pioneer in the market for technology that relates to the delivery of audio and video content over the Internet."

that right there is the basis for not circumventing copy protection--delivery of audio and video content over the internet. it is still 'fair use' to archive for personal use. that is one of the reasons that fair use exists, so that individuals and institutions can replace a defective copy that is otherwise unobtainable.

i am no attorney.
 
#11
James Collins said:
On top of that, in the US it is illegal to burn a copy of a DVD you already own to have a backup.

Rant over.
Click to expand...

I understand this issue better than you may think.

In my recent position, I led a university unit that was asked to rip DVDs for classroom use every day. I won't comment about where those files may or may not reside in this public forum, but I can say that neither students on campus and online are deprived of access. Many of those video materials are no longer commercially available but are excellent teaching tools. Many are commercially available but the copyright laws dealing with these materials are 20 years behind reality. Teaching goes on regardless.

I think a more practical approach to this is appropriate. Especially if you have a DVD that's no longer commercially available, common sense tells you that it's wise to rip a copy either to file or to disc (or both) in case the original disc is damaged. Big brother is not looking over your shoulder, there is no adverse commercial impact of your making the copy, and it is not replaceable.

If I want to rip a DVD and view it on a tablet while on an airplane, am I likely to worry about that? No. Haven't for years. I own one copy, and I'm only using one copy. There is plenty of free software out there that will rip DVDs quite nicely, thanks. My favorite, DVD Catalyst, hasn't been available online for a few years but still works, and it takes only about 15 minutes to rip a DVD into a file that works nicely on an Android tablet or iPad.

Other examples:

It's illegal to fail to come to a 100% absolute motionless dead stop. No one does.
It's technically illegal to drive 1 or 2 MPH over the speed limit. Most people break this law every day.
It's illegal to make a lane change in CO without signaling 100 feet ahead (under 40 MPH)...most of the drivers in this state don't even know that.

Society does not fail because no one observes these laws.

Let's be real, we all use our own discretion every day.
 
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#12
I have hundreds of factory produced DVD movies and keep them in pristine condition in a room with good storing conditions. Yet a small percentage of them have developed bad spots and won't play short segments. The playback will suddenly get stuck and I need to skip several seconds or even minutes to resume playback. My DVDs that do this usually develop several bad spots and a couple of them have quit playing altogether and none of my players will recognize the discs.

Home burned DVDs are a crap shoot. Use the best quality blanks and burn them at a slow speed to avoid errors and they'll last for years. Or they might fail right away.
 
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#13
FWIW -- I still have LaserDisk media that still works fine...
I got into LaserDisk when 'The Keep' was available in no other medium at "consumer" prices.
I've bought out several collections from people abandoning the format over the years, probably a hundred titles (and maybe 6 copies of 'Aliens' until I found the "LaserDisk-only" version I was after - only to have it eventually appear on either DVD or BluRay - don't recall...)
Anyway - "Disk Rot" was a phenomonon even then, when there was no such thing as 'home-burn' (and probably still isn't)...
My combo DVD-LaserDisk player still works fine, even as I light it up only rarely these days.
I'm no fan of "owning" streaming media.
 
#14
ArtechnikA said:
FWIW -- I still have LaserDisk media that still works fine...
I got into LaserDisk when 'The Keep' was available in no other medium at "consumer" prices.
I've bought out several collections from people abandoning the format over the years, probably a hundred titles (and maybe 6 copies of 'Aliens' until I found the "LaserDisk-only" version I was after - only to have it eventually appear on either DVD or BluRay - don't recall...)
Anyway - "Disk Rot" was a phenomonon even then, when there was no such thing as 'home-burn' (and probably still isn't)...
My combo DVD-LaserDisk player still works fine, even as I light it up only rarely these days.
I'm no fan of "owning" streaming media.
Click to expand...

I have a two-sided LD player and a stack of LD media about 2 feet high. I'm digitizing them as time permits. Call me a rebel...
 

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