Problem Disks: Rocky, Casino Royale

[allengarman]

My Toshiba DVD player has been unable to play two recent DVDs, Rocky and Casino Royale.

I have no problems playing other disks. My eMachines computer DVD player also does not recognize the disks.

Netflix sent a replacement of Rocky, but this disk will not play either.

Someone on the web suggested there is a potential problem with Sony DVDs. Anyone heard of this issue?

[Seth=L]

Yes, they keep employing new copyright protection that makes DVDs impossible to play on certain players and play incorrectly on some other players. If you try playing Casino Royal using Real Player, it may work without any problems.;)

[allengarman]

Thank you for the suggestion, but I prefer to watch the movie on my TV.

Why would Sony manufacture a product that will not play on many DVD machines? It seems like they will end up with a large number of disk returns. I thought they were recently fined for this kind of behavior.

[GlocksRock]

Just don't buy sony's crappy products and you won't have to worry about the discs not playing on your dvd player.

[Seth=L]

Just don't buy sony's crappy products and you won't have to worry about the discs not playing on your dvd player.
Yes, but we don't determine what movies they make, they do. Sometimes they have ones we want to see.;)

This is one reason why I have multiple DVD players at my disposal. So if one won't play a disc I have three others that might.:)

[Sheep]

Both of these disks played properly on my Denon player... Are you sure it's Sony's fault?

SheepStar

[GlocksRock]

Yes, but we don't determine what movies they make, they do. Sometimes they have ones we want to see.;)

This is one reason why I have multiple DVD players at my disposal. So if one won't play a disc I have three others that might.:)

I know we can't control what movies they make, I was referring to their gear, not their movies. I too have multiple dvd players ready to go, but none of them are Sony :D

[Seth=L]

He was using a Toshiba DVD player anyway. I have a Toshiba but it has no problems with these discs. The player I am using was made in 1999 and plays anything aside from DVD-R and other writeable media. Newer players employ different copyright protection. If you got one from a couple of years ago then the new copyright protection employed on new discs was not known. They might not realize they don't play correctly on these players untill the DVDs are released, and by then it is too late because they have already printed the majority of discs that they will sell of that edition.

[billnchristy]

They sabotage the DVDs so you buy blu-ray! ;)

Kind of odd it didnt work on their biggest HD competitors equipment isnt it?

[allengarman]

My Toshiba SD 4800 plays all other DVDs without any problems. I too am wondering if Sony is involved in some anti-competitive behavior towards Toshiba products.

Another site noted the following Sony Pictures releases with new coding:

Casino Royale
Grudge 2
Marie Antoinette
Open Season
Running with Scissors
Saw III
Zoom
The Holiday
Stranger than Fiction
Rocky Balboa

I sent an email to Toshiba regarding the problem and will let everyone know the response.

I hope BlueRay fails in the marketplace.

[allengarman]

Toshiba is mailing a firmware update.

[Seth=L]

Toshiba is mailing a firmware update.
For free I hope, that is kind of a rub in Sony's face. LOL:D:D

I rented Stranger than Fiction the other day. I should have tried it one the computer to see if it would do the same thing as the other two.

[j_garcia]

Watched Stranger Than Fiction on BD. Good flick, no issues. I think what they are trying to do is kill off SD DVD...both of them are AFAIK. The Toshiba players have always been more picky, as have some Pioneer players IMHO.

[allengarman]

The firmware update from Toshiba did not correct the problem.

I am still unable to watch Rocky or Casino Royale.

Toshiba indicated that they are still working on a new update and will mail it when available. I don't know why they sent a firmware update if they knew that it would not correct the problem. However, they were friendly and helpful, so I have confidence that they will provide a usable update shortly.

[furrycute]

Have you tried watching those discs in your computer DVD drive?

Make sure you disable autorun, as Sony has been known in the past to bundle nasty rootkits with their CDs.

[allengarman]

My eMachines PC running XP Media is unable to play the disks.

[Seth=L]

My eMachines PC running XP Media is unable to play the disks.
Try real player, it worked for me.:)

[furrycute]

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

You can give the VLC player a try as well.

But I get the suspicion that Sony probably introduced some kind of new copy protection scheme that is preventing your computer DVD drive from reading the disc. This is not the first time Sony has done this...

[Pwner_2130]

There are certain dvds that will not play on many DVD players. Any suggestion that it's Sony's conspiracy is not true. If you have a problem, go buy a Sony DVD player, which plays my collection of 500+ DVDs. (many which are not produced by Sony) I purchased the player in 2000 and it still works like the day i bought it.

[furrycute]

Don't place too much faith in Sony...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal


I wouldn't be too surprised that now two years later Sony is starting to implement some new kind of DRM on their DVDs.

[allengarman]

The Pursuit of Happyness

The Holiday

Sony fixes problem DVDs
Copy-protection glitch reported on Casino Royale, Pursuit of Happyness, others
By Jennifer Netherby 4/17/2007
APRIL 17 | Sony Corp. of America says it has fixed a glitch on recent DVD releases including Casino Royale, The Pursuit of Happyness and Stranger Than Fiction that prevented the movies from playing on some DVD players.

Sony said the problem was due to an update of its ARccOS copy-protection system, an additional layer of protection meant to prevent ripping. The studio has included ARccOS on its DVDs for the past two years. The copy-protection is continually updated to keep ahead of hackers.

“Recently, an update that was installed on approximately 20 titles was found to cause an incompatibility issue with a very small number of DVD players (Sony has received complaints on less than one thousandth of one percent of affected discs shipped),” the company said in a statement. “Since then, the ARccOS system has once again been updated, and there are no longer any playability problems.”

Several hundred users complained directly to Sony and on discussion boards at Amazon.com and other blogs, saying their players were freezing or shutting off in the menu section of recent releases from the studio.

Sony is providing replacement discs to customers that have had problems. Customers can call Sony Pictures Home Entertainment customer service at 800.860.2878 for replacement discs.


ARccOS is known to have compatibility problems with some models of Sony, Toshiba and Harman Kardon DVD players. Those were the same players that users on Amazon reported problems with.

[Pwner_2130]

Any ideas that Sony has a "conspiracy" are not true. I own a Sony DVD player which i purchased in 2001, and it plays my copy of Casino Royal fine, along with my 500+ other discs. I think your Toshiba is just picky and sensitive

[bdworak]

I tried playing Casino Royale in a brand new Sony DVD drive for my computer, and it has problems playing it. Any suggestions?