'New' is the new 'obsolete'

September 11, 2008 5:26 AM

new-ish DVD player only plays new DVDs, but none from the library. What's going on?

Brand-new out of the package DVDs work in my DVD player, but rentals don't. Citizen Kane (from the library) didn't play on my DVD player, nor on my 2005 iMac, but DID work on my 2008 iMac. What's going on?

If these 'old' DVDs can't be played in my 'new' DVD player, does this mean that there's now an older, obsolete form of DVDs? If yes, can you recommend any products that would play all types of DVDs?

posted by Jason and Laszlo to Technology (9 answers total)

I don't think there's anything like that. New DVD players are backwards compatabile (and generally more compatible with burned DVDs, etc. than the older ones).

Name & model of your player?
posted by polexa at 6:27 AM on September 11, 2008

Library DVDs often haven't been well looked after, with scratches and dings. Some DVD players may have a lower threshhold of rejection for damaged media than others. I don't think the format has changed in a non-backwards compatible way (e.g blu-ray players should still be able to play normal DVDs).
posted by Sparx at 6:32 AM on September 11, 2008

The primary difference between "Brand-new out of the package DVDs" and "rentals" is that one is scratched all to hell and the other isn't. Flip the DVD over; see how the media looks like someone put it in a bag full of pointy rocks? That's more or less what all CDs and DVDs that lots of other people touch wind up looking like. I doubt this is related to compatibility so much as the ability of your devices to read heavily damaged DVDs.
posted by majick at 6:36 AM on September 11, 2008

Give 'em a good cleaning and try again. Everyone has their own tricks to get scratched discs to read. I'm partial to Pledge and an old, clean tee shirt myself
posted by piedmont at 7:17 AM on September 11, 2008

Pledge and an old t-shirt ::making note::

Scratches are the killer to DVD's - one good or deep scratch and you can kiss that piece of plastic goodbye. Cleaning the disc may work, though it's not a guarantee. The other option / suggestion would be to try playing it in your computer's drive instead of your DVD drive. Computers sometimes have better-reading drives and can error-correct. Also, sometimes older DVD players were actually a little better at the reading-scratched-disks department. If you happen to have an older player just laying aloud, give it a try in that.
posted by chrisinseoul at 8:24 AM on September 11, 2008

Response by poster: thanks everyone, I assumed it was the player. This is all so annoying. Looking forward to that day it's all digital.
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 8:40 AM on September 11, 2008

Ask the librarian's advice the next time you stop in.
posted by Carol Anne at 9:41 AM on September 11, 2008

You might try rubbing out the scratches on those older DVDs with Brasso, rubbing compound or gritty toothpaste. Rub radially (from center to edge) not in a circular motion around the disc. It's sort of a pain for something you only rented, but it only takes a few minutes and you leave it nicer for the next patron too.
posted by caddis at 11:18 AM on September 11, 2008

Yeah, scratches... the ones I get from UKEquivalentOfNetficks are usually ok, but every now and again they are skippy because of light scratches. I basically gave up on renting them from my local library a long while ago because most of them looked like someone had try to play them on a circular sander rather than a DVD player and they were useless.

I've found washing the DVD with mild soapy water can sometimes help, plus sometimes the problem is grease marks and that will cure it
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:32 PM on September 11, 2008