Do studios exchange bad DVDs for good?

March 19, 2009 12:41 AM

Is it true that non-working DVDs will be replaced by the studio (specifically, Paramount/Viacom) that released them, depending on the licensing agreement?

I have a multi-disc set that is expensive to replace. One of the discs halts at a specific point during playback.

I have read that the DVD license is such that studios will exchange bad discs for new, on request.

Does Paramount/Viacom honor this and is there a good, non-generic contact for facilitating this?

Failing that, do off-the-shelf DVD repair kits actually work?

posted by Blazecock Pileon to technology (7 comments total)

I have read many comments to the effect that, if companies won't let people back up their media, those companies ought to offer replacements for damaged media. I've never heard of companies that actually do.

Failing that, do off-the-shelf DVD repair kits actually work?

One of my friends had success getting scratched PS2 games repaired using a service where you mailed them the DVD, they recondition it, then they mail it back. According to their advertising materials, they did this with special equipment which skimmed 10 microns off the surface of the disk, polished the newly exposed surface, and tested the disk's readability. He paid about $5 per disk including shipping both ways.
posted by Mike1024 at 2:43 AM on March 19

If it's actual physical damage to the disc, you could try the toothpaste method.

If it's a dodgy press, I would find somewhere with a no questions asked returns policy, buy another copy, swap the faulty DVD out, and take it back and get a refund.

I've never heard of a studio replacing a DVD.
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:10 AM on March 19

We have repeatedly bought DVD sets from Amazon where the last disc is scratched to hell. I assume it happens in transit. I've never been bold enough to contact Amazon, let alone the studio, to find out if there was something to be done about it. We have actually had a lot of luck removing these fine, surface scratches with that little kit you can get at a music or video game store. One of them still won't play properly in our DVD player, but now plays on a computer.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:24 AM on March 19

I have contacted companies due to damaged DVDs and CDs. I think, like a lot of customer service things, it depends who you talk to, but I have had success in getting a factory damaged DVD and CD replaced.
posted by MattScully at 9:51 AM on March 19

In the early days of DVD (1998 or 1999), I was able to contact a publisher directly about a defective disk and they mailed me a new one. Couldn't tell you the studio or even the title. Things may be different now. I know the last ten minutes of my copy of Brazil is defective (no visible scratch) and I need to try with Criterion to see if I can get a replacement.
posted by inthe80s at 9:53 AM on March 19

I don't know where I heard this, but I remember several people saying that companies will replace single discs from multi-disc sets without any problems.
posted by puritycontrol at 2:12 PM on March 19

Well, if you can't get it replaced for free, you can at least get just the single disc you need for a relatively low price at Just the Disc. Instead of having to reorder the set, or a mismatched burned copy.
posted by timepiece at 2:25 PM on March 19