DVD End of Life

Do you have a DVD collection? Well, a wave of dismay is sweeping through film enthusiasts and collectors as it's revealed that hundreds of Warner Bros. DVDs, particularly those manufactured between 2006 and 2008, have become unplayable due to a phenomenon known as "laser rot." This issue, reminiscent of the laserdisc era, is leaving collectors with thousands of worthless discs and potentially lost media.

Cause:

• The primary cause is the oxidation of the reflective layer of the disc, which is typically made of aluminum.
• This oxidation often occurs due to poor quality adhesives used to bond the layers of the disc together. When these adhesives break down, they allow oxygen and moisture to reach the reflective layer, causing it to corrode.

Effects:

• On DVDs and CDs, the deterioration can lead to skipping, freezing, pixelation, and eventually, the inability to play the disc at all.

For aficionados of classic Hollywood cinema, physical media has been a lifeline, especially for titles unavailable on streaming platforms. However, a recent string of disc failures has uncovered a widespread manufacturing defect. "It turns out that virtually every Warner Bros DVD disc manufactured between 2006 and 2008 has succumbed to the dreaded laser rot," the author explains. "Once it happens, it can’t be undone."

The affected titles range from classic films like The Wild Bunch and The Shawshank Redemption to TV collections like The Dukes of Hazzard. While many of these titles have been reissued on Blu-ray or digital HD, a significant number, particularly those from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the Looney Tunes Collections, remain exclusively on these now-defective DVDs.

This has effectively turned these discs into "lost media" for many collectors, as they are no longer accessible. The issue stems from the specific manufacturing process used during that period.

It may be time to try ripping these and keep them in a digital format, if you still can.

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