DVD Scratches

[Rick Lawler]

My cheap Sony DVD player from Costco freezes if it's playing a DVD that is even slightly scratched. Is it generally the case that more expensive DVD players handle scratches better? If so, why? Exactly what feature(s) on the more expensive players are responsible for dealing with scratches--so that next time I buy one I will be able to look for that. And so I can justify the extra expense to my wife!
Thanks,
Rick

 

[JVC]

Some game stores and pawn shops, have a machine that can repair discs. It basically buffs the scratches out. Our local pawn shop has one, and they charge $1.99 per disc, to repair them. They look brand new, when they finish. Takes 2-3 minutes. They have fixed a couple that had really bad, deep scratches in them, and they looked and played like new.

Call around your area, and ask if they repair discs..........
Good luck!

I just know that some players will play scratched discs, better than others. I don't know why. I do know that they aren't always more expensive players. I've seen a couple of the real cheap players, play them good...............

 

[JaceTheAce]

Yeah and don't use the "Disc Doctor" - it does a horrible job at fixing scratches. It will fix most scratches, but in the end it puts several fine "pinwheel shaped" scratches around the entire disc. The disc in the end looks dull.

 

[j_garcia]

McGuiar's makes plastic polish that works well, and though it ain't cheap, it will pretty much last forever if you are only using it for CD/DVDs.

 

[Francious70]

Toothpaste will actually clean up most finer scratches. Colgate works better than Crest. Just don't rub to hard.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

My cheap Sony DVD player from Costco freezes if it's playing a DVD that is even slightly scratched. Is it generally the case that more expensive DVD players handle scratches better? If so, why? Exactly what feature(s) on the more expensive players are responsible for dealing with scratches--so that next time I buy one I will be able to look for that. And so I can justify the extra expense to my wife!
Thanks,
Rick

I've never had scratch issues. When you think abou it, DVDs are quite durable indeed. Im sure some DVD players can read better than others, but it has never been an issue of mine.

I typically 'scratch-off' offending scratches by buffing them out from the 'center-outward' on the disc with the tail of my shirt

My method has never failed, and I have two kids who can scratch the hell out of DVDs.

Just remember........ wax on & wax off.... from center out!!

Sincerely,
Mr. Miyagi

 

[Jedi2016]

Yes, some players are better at damaged discs than others. I have a Sony 575-something-or-other that's generally quite good at it. I think it does it by reading ahead on the disc a little bit, so it can "work" on a bad section of the disc before the actual playback gets to it. It also has the added benefit of all but eliminating any pauses when switching layers.

I don't have many scratched discs, but I do have at least one that was mis-pressed. You can actually see it on the bottom of the disc, looks like some kind of "bubble" in the data layer. On my old Panasonic that episode was unplayable (Stargate SG-1, S7, Disc1), but my Sony plays it just fine, no hitches at all. It also does fairly well at well-rented discs, although it does have problems with full-blown scratches. I had to chapter-skip the last time it happened (only missed a minute or so of the movie), but at least the player didn't lock up like my old Panasonic would.

 

[mtrycrafts]

My cheap Sony DVD player from Costco freezes if it's playing a DVD that is even slightly scratched. Is it generally the case that more expensive DVD players handle scratches better? If so, why? Exactly what feature(s) on the more expensive players are responsible for dealing with scratches--so that next time I buy one I will be able to look for that. And so I can justify the extra expense to my wife!
Thanks,
Rick

Yes, some players are better at handling scratches than others. Not sure what design in them does this improvement. But, as you can see, it is somewhat easy to fix.

 

[samNOISE]

Rick

Rick,

As mentioned above - yes indeed, some players are better than others at reading scratched DVDs. Its not a matter of price however as my fairly pricy (at time of purchase) Pioneer DVD/DVD-A/SACD player is very finicky with DVDs that are not near-perfect - yet my older Toshiba, at less than half the price, had no problems whatsoever with the same DVD...

Andrew D.
www.cdnav.com

 

[Nick250]

I don't know if it's scratches or some foreign material on the DVDs, but soap and water has often worked for me. I use whatever dish soap is on hand, a regular sponge in a light swirling motion, and then pat it dry with a dish towel. Crude, but effective so far.

Nick