The low quality of Star Trek DVD:s

[Lynx]

I'm really sorry That I have to bring this up again.

But now I have finally got enough of the low quality of the Star Trek DVD.s which Paramount are producing.

In the last ten years or more I have had a constant hell with DVD:s which starts malfunctioning after two or three viewings.

My problems with those DVD:s have been described in the TNG and DS9 forums. The whole sad story can be read here:
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/what-the-is-wrong-with-my-ds9-dvd-s.262327/

and here:
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-quality-of-ds9-dvd-s-again-and-how-angry-i-am-now.298231/

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-low-quality-of-star-trek-dvd-s.310401/

and here
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/and-here-we-go-again.312673/

And now it happens again!

This time with the season 4 Voyager DVD:s I bought three years ago.

I bought the first three seasons of Voyager back in 2006 and those DVD:s are still functioning, even if I noticed a small glitch in the episode Tuvix some months ago. But I could actually watch the whole episode without problems.

Forcertain reasons I haven't bothered that much with the later seasons of Voyager and stil don't. However, I had some ideas about watching the rest of it and therefore bought season 4 on Amazon about threee years ago.

OK, so far I've only watched half of it. As I wrote, the later seasons of that series arent exactly my favorites.

But yesterday, I just wanted to watch the episode Nemesis again.

And the DVD simply refused to start!

After trying a few times, I took our the disc and examined it. It looked terrible, as if parts of it were stained.

When I examined the other DVD discs, it was the same. And note that it includes two discs which I have never watched at all!

So now I'm really angry over the crap which Paramount sells to its customers!

If any of you who reads this bother to look at the links I have provided in this posts about all the problems I have had with DS9 and TNG DVD:s, then you will understand my situation.

In ten years or so, I've been forced to buy new boxes ober and over again. I've written to Paramount about the problems in messages and "snail mails" but those crooks and criminals have never sent a reply to me.

I can't go on and waste my money on buying the same boxes all over again and i don't want to give the thieves and criminals at Paramount a single cent of my hard-earned money. I'm tired of being constantly cheated by

And I definitely don't want to sign up and pay a monthly sum for some imbecile "streaming" service in which they all of a sudden remove the series which I'm watching with some comment about "sorry, but this series is no longer available here". And when I call trhem, they advice me to watch some other crap instead which I won't watch even if they paid me for it. Not to mention that everything they got except for the series i wanted to watch are 99% crap.

Now I'm looking for other options.

I don't want to violate any forum rules here so any option which can be regarded as violating forum rules can be sent to me in a private message.
All that has happened to me.

 

[James Cole]

I'd recommend visiting either the DVD Talk forum or Home Theater Forum and posting there about your problem. In the physical media collector community it's well known that there was a DVD fabrication plant in Pennsylvania that saw most of their discs produced between circa 2006 and 2010 go bad. This mainly effected Warner Bros releases, but maybe Paramount did some there as well?

You can also try and get replacements directly from Paramount. This news story about a form people can use to obtain replacements for the PICARD season 3 Blu-ray could easily apply to you.

 

[Lynx]

I'd recommend visiting either the DVD Talk forum or Home Theater Forum and posting there about your problem. In the physical media collector community it's well known that there was a DVD fabrication plant in Pennsylvania that saw most of their discs produced between circa 2006 and 2010 go bad. This mainly effected Warner Bros releases, but maybe Paramount did some there as well?

You can also try and get replacements directly from Paramount. This news story about a form people can use to obtain replacements for the PICARD season 3 Blu-ray could easily apply to you.

The point is that I didn't order it from Paramount but from a retailer in Europe. I doubt that Paramount will help me with that. I can always try but I don't think that it will do any good.

I also think that most of the malfunctioning crap I've bought from them in recent years have been made after 2010.

Not to mention that they haven't bothered to anser any of my mails or letter in the recent three years so why would they help me now?

Anyway, I have used the form on Paramount's site so we will see what happens. Since I live on the other side of the Atlantic and bought the crap DVD.s from a retailer in europe, all this might be a complicated issue.

 

[Forbin]

I'm curious about why you use a colon in "DVD:s." Most people (incorrectly) use an apostrophe. Using a colon is a first! It's properly just "DVDs."

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

My TREK DVDs generally hold up quite well still, though many of my Warner Brothers discs have a tendency to ''jam up'' over time.

 

[James Cole]

The point is that I didn't order it from Paramount but from a retailer in Europe. I doubt that Paramount will help me with that. I can always try but I don't think that it will do any good.

Ok, it'll depend on the country then. In some Universal actually puts the discs out. If it's an EU country, you might even be able to make a general consumer protection complaint about poor manufacturing processes.

Any chance you accidently ended up with DVD-R knock offs?

 

[1001001]

Any chance you accidently ended up with DVD-R knock offs?

I was wondering the same thing. Is it possible you’ve got bootlegs?

It seems very odd that you’d have so many different problems with the products.

Why can’t you return them to the place you purchased them?

 

[Lynx]

I'm curious about why you use a colon in "DVD:s." Most people (incorrectly) use an apostrophe. Using a colon is a first! It's properly just "DVDs."

Simply a mistake by me, a person from a non-English-speaking country.

Honestly, I don't know where I got it from and why I've been doing that.
Thanks for pointing it out!
I have corrected the text.

Ok, it'll depend on the country then. In some Universal actually puts the discs out. If it's an EU country, you might even be able to make a general consumer protection complaint about poor manufacturing processes.

Any chance you accidently ended up with DVD-R knock offs?

I don't really know how "country dependent" it is. I just got a feeling that Paramount wouldn't bother and blame the retailer instead.

However, it looks like I can get the whole box for the series at a decent price so I might go for that option-this time.

DVD-R knock offs? I don't think so since those DVDs actually worked fine when I first watched them. There were no "stains" on them then.

Maybe Paramount are producing DVDs which are set to self-destruct after one or two viewings?

 

[James Cole]

However, it looks like I can get the whole box for the series at a decent price so I might go for that option-this time.

Try and go through Amazon (shipped and sold by) or another major known brand (Rarewaves, HMV, Fnac, ImportCDs). If you have a region free player, maybe consider getting the US version so you get the original pitch with no PAL speed up.

DVD-R knock offs? I don't think so since those DVDs actually worked fine when I first watched them. There were no "stains" on them then.

eBay is full of even pressed counterfit discs, so it would be hard to tell at first.

Maybe Paramount are producing DVDs which are set to self-destruct after one or two viewings?

Oh, luckily the DIVX format died quickly...

 

[Lynx]

I was wondering the same thing. Is it possible you’ve got bootlegs?

It seems very odd that you’d have so many different problems with the products.

Why can’t you return them to the place you purchased them?

No, I don't think that they were bootlegs, none of them.

Unfortunately I don't have the receipt (is that the correct word?) for the purchase left so it will be a bit difficult. But that store has been good to deal with, no problems with other products I've bought.

There have been so many turns around this so I hardly remember where I bought the different boxes but what I know they have been either made in the UK and distributed to the rest of Europe or imported from the US to the UK and distributed from there.

The two recent "replacement boxes" I have bought, one for TNG and one for DS9 are at least from Amazon UK. Right now I'musing their DVDs as replacements for possible non fuctioning DVDs from previous purchases. So far I've replaced one season 7 TNG disc and one season 7 DS9 disc. I was fortunate to have the recepts from the previous DS9 box left so at least I got that one without having to pay full price for it.

I don't know if Paramount simply ships crap DVDs to Europe and if the US discs are of better quality. In that case, I might buy the next replacement directly from the US despite the heavy freight costs and customs taxes.

Howver, I've seen a lot of complaints from US buyers as well so I won't hope too much.

Try and go through Amazon (shipped and sold by) or another major known brand (Rarewaves, HMV, Fnac, ImportCDs). If you have a region free player, maybe consider getting the US version so you get the original pitch with no PAL speed up.


eBay is full of even pressed counterfit discs, so it would be hard to tell at first.


Oh, luckily the DIVX format died quickly...

I've been buying the recent stuff from Amazon UK, as mentioned above.

I haven't bought any DVDs from Ebay and I won't do it either, unless it's the only option left. All my dealings had been with companies who have imported legal stuff.

As I wrote above, is it possible that Paramounnt only ships crap DVDs to Europe or are the US DVDs as lousy as those that I have bought?

 

[fireproof78]

As I wrote above, is it possible that Paramounnt only ships crap DVDs to Europe or are the US DVDs as lousy as those that I have bought?

I doubt it's that. More it's the cheapest possible because that's how businesses operate. Like you, who is trying to minimize costs like taxes and customs, businesses will try to minimize costs.

The only way to deal with it is to let them know (returning it and the retailer will claim credit from the manufacturer. Enough returns will result in reviewing of a product) and contacting them.

Yes, I know I've said this in the past and apparently that has resulted in no response. So, why keep buying them?

 

[Lynx]

I doubt it's that. More it's the cheapest possible because that's how businesses operate. Like you, who is trying to minimize costs like taxes and customs, businesses will try to minimize costs.

The only way to deal with it is to let them know (returning it and the retailer will claim credit from the manufacturer. Enough returns will result in reviewing of a product) and contacting them.

Yes, I know I've said this in the past and apparently that has resulted in no response. So, why keep buying them?

How can I watch my favorite series if I don't buy the DVDs?

And please don't mention "streaming". I have horrible experiences from that "service".

 

[fireproof78]

How can I watch my favorite series if I don't buy the DVDs?

If the quality of the product is poor, sadly, the only choice is to not buy.

Until the business fix it. If we keep buying (and that is a generalized we) businesses will not learn anything because we keep purchasing.

 

[James Cole]

As I wrote above, is it possible that Paramounnt only ships crap DVDs to Europe or are the US DVDs as lousy as those that I have bought?

I really don't know what to tell you. I've bought hundreds of Blu-rays and dozens of 4K UHDs in the past decade, and only scant few DVDs. During the pandemic downtime, one of my major projects was going through my collection and verifying all the Blu-rays as still playable and future proofing my DVDs. I only identified 5 problems in 5000+ discs. Typically discs from Europe actually have higher quality than the North American ones... so much so that Paramount actually made the recent 4Ks of the TOS and TNG films and the PRODIGY Blu-rays in Germany instead of the remaining North American plant in Mexico, which is infamous for faulty scratched discs.

Do you have a DVD drive in your computer? There are several programs that let you scan new DVDs for errors.

I know you don't like streaming, but maybe consider buying the seasons on iTunes or Amazon Prime Video when a sale comes around. There's a decent chance DS9 and VGR will finally be remastered in HD, so you might have better options in a few years.

You can track the past VGR iTunes series price here and DS9 here

 

[1001001]

How can I watch my favorite series if I don't buy the DVDs?

And please don't mention "streaming". I have horrible experiences from that "service".

That’s too bad. We love P+, not only for Star Trek, but we’ve found several other things we like.

Being able to just hit play on everything in the franchise is pretty cool. And here it’s $12 a month. I don’t know what DVDs cost these days.

 

[Lynx]

If the quality of the product is poor, sadly, the only choice is to not buy.

Until the business fix it. If we keep buying (and that is a generalized we) businesses will not learn anything because we keep purchasing.

Still the question remains: How can I then watch my favorite series?
Nothing will change if little me stops buying their products.

And what should I do instead? Watch some dystopian, blood-splattering, political correct crap on TV. Since NCIS crashed when the best characters left, I no longer watch any series on TV.

I really don't know what to tell you. I've bought hundreds of Blu-rays and dozens of 4K UHDs in the past decade, and only scant few DVDs. During the pandemic downtime, one of my major projects was going through my collection and verifying all the Blu-rays as still playable and future proofing my DVDs. I only identified 5 problems in 5000+ discs. Typically discs from Europe actually have higher quality than the North American ones... so much so that Paramount actually made the recent 4Ks of the TOS and TNG films and the PRODIGY Blu-rays in Germany instead of the remaining North American plant in Mexico, which is infamous for faulty scratched discs.

Do you have a DVD drive in your computer? There are several programs that let you scan new DVDs for errors.

Let's say you order new DS9 and VGR collections from Amazon UK, and the new discs look identical to your old ones. Maybe 1 disc out of 50 in the new collection is bad, or has a concerning scratch, or the box has a ding in it. You could then swap out the new good discs with your old bad discs, and send it back from a refund.

I haven't gone through my discs, almost all of them DVDs so far. but I've never have had so much problems with any DVD series as I've had with the Star Trek products. I mean, discs starts malfunctioning after two or three viewings. I have stuff which I bought in the beginning of the 2000,s which are still working perfect.

Blu-rays seem more reliable. next time any TNG disc man¨lfuctions, I'll buy it on DVD instead. I just hope that TOS, DS9 and VOY will be available on Blu-ray as well.

I do have two computers which I can play DVDs on, one older and one newer. The first i do when I got some malfunction is to check if they work on those computers. If they don't, then I check with one of my neighbors who has a good DVD and Blu-ray player.

As for the recent malfunction with the Voyager season 4 DVDs, I just had to look at the discs to see the problems. Horrible!

 

[Lynx]

That’s too bad. We love P+, not only for Star Trek, but we’ve found several other things we like.

Being able to just hit play on everything in the franchise is pretty cool. And here it’s $12 a month. I don’t know what DVDs cost these days.

I don't know if P+ is available where I live.

The streaming services in my country are horrible. 99% crap.

 

[James Cole]

I haven't gone through my discs, almost all of them DVDs so far. but I've never have had so much problems with any DVD series as I've had with the Star Trek products. I mean, discs starts malfunctioning after two or three viewings. I have stuff which I bought in the beginning of the 2000,s which are still working perfect.

Maybe demand for DS9 and VGR on disc in Europe is low, and there was a bad production line. So when you go to replace them, you end up just duplicating the problem. This happened to me with a Blu-ray that went bad. I ordered a replacement four years after the original one, and it had the exact same issue. Luckily the complete series had been reissued by a different company and was on fire sale, so I was able to fix the problem and future proof the rest of the series with minimum economic damage.

Could your player somehow be damaging the discs? Do you live in an outlier climate region?

I know how frustrating it can be to have a problem and then have people just shrug and go well this is an extreme outlier, not sure what to do, and time it out. Considering your bad run of luck, I'd maybe just go the iTunes route.

 

[fireproof78]

Still the question remains: How can I then watch my favorite series?
Nothing will change if little me stops buying their products.

Nothing will change if you keep buying either, sadly.

Making people aware and hopefully that they are not alone in facing these errors. I would be hard pressed to believe your experience is isolated incidents.

nd what should I do instead? Watch some dystopian, blood-splattering, political correct crap on TV. Since NCIS crashed when the best characters left, i no longer watch any series on TV.

Sometimes I don't watch anything at all. I write stories, build worlds, do model work (building models), paint, photography, etc. as part of my fan experience.

 

[Orac]

Do you store your discs in a place that occasionally gets damp or humid?