Dear Laserdisc Enthusiast, 04/12/97 The following is a list of laserdisc titles that have been reported to me to have experienced laser rot, or have personally rotted on me, or I read about a rot problem on the Usenet Newsgroup alt.video.laserdiscs. At the end of this list I have started a list of laserdisc production defects. These are titles that have known pressing defects, and have nothing to do with laser rot. What is laser rot? Laser rot is a term used to describe a variety of conditions that are particular to laser discs (although some would argue that this can happen to compact discs). The defining characteristic of laser rot is picture (and sound) degradation over time, not caused by surface scratches or abrasions. This picture degradation may be either that the disc gets worse over time, or that more of the disc is affected. The picture of a rotten disc usually has a grainy pattern that randomly changes from frame to frame, or has random specs on the screen. In the audio, there is random noise. On CLV discs, the patterns may roll accross the picture if the rot is localized. What Causes Laser rot? If the glue used to attach the two laserdisc platters is not properly bonded to the disc surface, or if the glue degrades over time, oxygen can reach the disc surface, causing the reflective surface (Aluminum) to oxidize, which changes the reflective properties of the pits on the disc, which affects the picture and sound. This problem is usually attributed to a manufacturing defect, but I suspect that exposure to excessive heat or cold might also induce this defect. What laser rot isn't? The following laser disc defects are not usually indicitive of laser rot: Herringbone patterns, skips, grainy picture that is not random (i.e. the disk was made that way!), lines moving up and down, etc. In the list below, each title for which I have received more than 1 report is prefaced with a number indicating the number of reports that I have received concerning the particular title. Titles with multiple reports may or may not be more likely to have rot problems simply because the number of each title sold is not known to me, so the percentage of problems per title is unknown. What most people want to know is what are the odds that a laserdisc will rot? Based on a sample size of 4 LD collectors, the number of disks in your collection that are expected to rot each year are 0.824 per 100. Addmittedly, 4 is not a sufficient sample size. I really need more data on this, so please send me the following data, and I will update this statistic. The data I need is: Number of Disks in your collection, Number of titles that have rotted on you, and how long you have been collecting laserdiscs. Please send this data to rcook@gte.net. Thanks! DISCLAIMER: Just because a title is listed here does not imply that your title will ever experience rot, it simply indicates that someone has reported to have had rot problems with that title. This list simply represents my personal opinion, not that of my employer, or internet service provider. If you have ever had a title rot, let me know by sending E-Mail to me at rcook@gte.net. I will add your input to this list! Thanks to all of you who have contributed your inputs! Posted on 04/12/97 Key: * Additional entry since last posting on 03/12/97 SE Special Addition import Not a domestic release in the United States lbx Letterbox p/s Pan and Scan CLV Constant Linear Velocity CAV Constant Angular Velocity European PAL format 2001: A Space Odyssey (criterion, CAV) 13 x Abyss, The (SE CLV lbx & p/s) Ace Ventura * Ace Ventura, When Nature Calls Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, The (non-Criterion) * Age of Innocence, The Akira CLV/LBX (import) Alien (European, 1981 pressing) * 11 x Alien, SE (CAV) Aliens, (CLV P&S) * 12 x Aliens, SE All About Eve (old version) All Of Me All The Right Moves American Graffiti (THX) Arthur A.R.I.E.L. Visual 1 (import) * Awakenings Back To The Future, The (lbx) Back To The Future Part II (lbx) Bad Boys LDVS-002760-B-B28 3 x Bambi Barton Fink (fox) * 2 x Batman Returns * 24 x Beauty & The Beast, Work In Progress 6 x Beauty & The Beast (CAV,lbx) Before Sunrise (ws) Bird With A Crystal Plumage Blade Runner (Director's Cut) Blood For Frankenstein (import, japan) * Blood Simple Blow Up (criterion, CAV) * Blue Sonnet Part 1 (European) 2 X Blue Thunder * 2 X Blue Velvet Blues Brothers (European) Boyfriend, The Brass Target * 2 X Broadcast News Broadway Danny Rose * Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Bugs Bunny - Winner by a Hare (CLV) * 2 X Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (boxed set) 2 x Bye Bye Birdie (lbx) Car Napping (European, 1981 pressing) * 3 X Carrie (CAV & CLV criterion) * Casino Royale (WS) Casualties of War 4 x Charlie Chaplin Legacy of Laughter (Series) Christine (European) Citizen Cane City Lights (CAV) 3 X Civil War (box set) Chinatown Chinese Connection (lbx) Cleopatra Clerks * Client, The Cliffhanger (lbx) 3 x Clint Eastwood Box Set (Unforgiven, Outlaw Jose Wales) Close Encounters (CAV criterion, newer pressing with gatefold jacket) * 2 x Close Encounters (Special Edition, not criterion) * 2 x Conan the Barbarian (lbx) Converation, The Copy Cat * Cujo Damaged (Criterion) Dance, Girl, Dance Daryl Hall & John Oates Rock And Soul * Das Boot 5 X Dave * Dead Ringers (1987 Image Pressing) Duncan@hp.com * 3 x Deliverance Deer Hunter * Delores Claiborne * 4 x Demolition Man (CLV,LBX) * Desperado Devil In Miss Jones, The Diana Ross In Concert DIE FUERSTEN DER DUNKELHEIT (german) Die Hard (clv,lbx) * 3 X Die Hard 2 (clv,lbx (not THX)) * Disclosure Diva Doors, The (movie) (clv) Don't Look Now Driving Miss Daisy Earth Wind And Fire in concert 3 X Edward Scissorhands - side one LDVS-000402-A-A8 46280623 Electric Dreams 2 X Empire Strikes Back (CLV,WS,non-thx) * Empress Dowager, The (import) Exorcist, The (Newer Pressing) * Fair Game * 2 X Fargo Father Of The Bride (WS,1991) 6 X Fantasia (CLV & CAV) Fear of A Black Hat Fist of Fury (lbx) * Fleetwood Mac in Concert, Mirage '82 (w/o digital sound) Fletch (CLV) 2 X Flesh And Blood Flesh For Dracula (Import, Japan) * Fly, The (1996) Footloose For Your Eyes Only (Clv,lbx) * 5 X Four Weddings and A Funeral Free Willy Freejack Fright Night (European) * 8 x Fugitive, The (clv,lbx) Fury, The Ghostbusters (criterion) CAV/LBX Ghostbusters CLV/LBX Ghostbusters II CLV Girl Groups: The Story of a Sound * Gloria Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The * Godzilla vs Biollante (CLV, import) * Goonies, The 7 x Great Mouse Detective, The (CLV & CAV) * Gunsmith Cats Gus CLV Halloween (Old P&S Version) Halloween II * Halloween (Criterion SE) Hamburger Hill Hannah and Her Sisters * 3 X Heavy Metal Hellbound Hellraiser2 Hoffa CLV/CAV box set 5 X Hoffa (THX) * 2 x Honey I shrunk the Kids 3 X House by the Cemetary (Import) Hunger, The Hunt for Red October CLV/LBX INDIANA JONES TEIL I,II und III (european) Innerspace CLV/LBX Insatiable * Jazzercise * 3 X JFK director's cut Joe Versus the Volcano * Johnny Mnemonic * 2 x Jumanji 3 x Jungle Book, The (clv) Kid, The (Charlie Chaplin) Kimagure Orange Road Memory Box (import) King Kong King in New York CLV/LBX * Koyaanisqatsi KRIEG DER STERNE (European, 1981 pressing) Krull 2 X LA Story (clv) * 2 X Labyrinth (ws) * 3 X Last Action Hero CLV/LBX 2 x Last Boy Scout, The Last of the Mohicans (non AC3) Last Picture Show (Criterion, CAV) Last Tango In PAris (Criterion) * Last Unicorn, The (Animated) Laura Lawrence of Arabia CLV (1989 ed.) Lawrence of Arabia (criterion, CAV) 2 x LBJ Biography 2 X League of their own, A Leave Her To Heaven * Legends Of The Fall * Let it Be Lethal Weapon 3 Libeled Lady Lifeforce Little Big Man (P/S Original pressing) 5 x Little Mermaid, The (CAV & CLV) * Little Women * Lone Wolf & Cub (Episode 1) Longest Day, The Longest Yard, The Magnificent Seven, The CLV/LBX Making of Star Wars, The (Import, Japan) Making of Life Force / Invaders From Mars Mannequin M.A.S.H. LBX 2 X Mask, The (Non AC3) * 3 X Maverick Milk Money Miracle Mile Mississippi Burning Modern Times Money Pit, The CLV * 2 X Monty Python And the Holy Grail (Colombia, not Criterion) Monty Python And the Holy Grail (criterion) More! Police Squad! CLV Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever Mr. Bill and Toonces Collection MS 45 / (Abel Ferrara) Much Ado About Nothing * My Fair Lady Naked Kiss, The (Criterion) * 2 x Net, The 2 x "John Messenger" * Night Of The Living Dead (image) Night Shift * 5 X Nightmare Before Christmas, The (box set) Ninth Configutation, The (P&S) North By Northwest Nova: Hitlers Secret Weapon Nova: One Giant Leap Officer and a Gentleman, An (Orig pressing) Old Gringo Oliver Olivia: Physical Omen, The LBX One From the Heart One, Two, Three (1990 pressing) Parent Trap, The (first pressing) Pete's Dragon CLV 2 X Peter Pan CLV Philadelphia Experiment, Then (Import, japan) Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Planet Of the Apes Platoon Poltergeist CLV/LBX Portfolio Poseidon Adventure, The CLV/LBX 4 x Power Of One 2 x Predator CLV/LBX 2 x Predator 2 CLV/LBX * Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 2 X Prisoner, The (Various Volumes) Producers, The (Criterion) * 4 x Professional, The Pump Up The Volume (clv) Radio Flyer Raiders of the Lost Ark R.E.M. - tourfilm 2 X Real Genius (lbx) 4 x Rescuers, the (CAV) 5 x Rescuers Down Under, The (CAV & CLV) 4 x Return Of The Jedi, The (CLV lbx) * Return of the Killer Tomatoes, The Rich Little's Christmas Carol 3 X Right Stuff, The (ws, WEA Pressing) * River Runs Through It, A Robin Hood CAV * 3 X Rocketeer, The Run Runaway CLV/LBX * Runaway Train (P&S,CLV) Salaam Bombay 2 x Sense & Sensibility Seven Days In May Seven (Criterion, CAV) Shadow of a Doubt * 10 X Shawshank Redemtion, The Shogun Assasin * 2 X Showgirl Murders Silerado (criterion) * 2 x Silverado (WS, columbia) Simon, Paul: Born at the Right Time 2 X Sinbad Collection, The * Six Degrees of Separation Smithereens 10 Snow White & The 7 Dwarves (Supplement Disc) * Son In Law Sophie's Choice Sound of Music CLV 2 x Space 1999 (Various Volumes) * Spacecamp (P&S) Specialist, The Splash CLV * 2 X Stand By Me Star Struck * Star Trek: Original Series Episodes 59 & 58 * Star Trek: Original Series Episodes 51 & 52 Star Trek The Motion Picture 2 x Star Wars CLV/LBX * 13 X Star Wars: The Definitive Collector's Edition CAV/LBX Starman * Stepfather, The * 2 x Streetcar Named Desire (dir cut) Striking Distance 3 X Styx - Caught in the act Superman (lbx) Sword in the Stone, The CLV 2 x Taxi Driver (CLV Criterion) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secret of the Ooze 2 X Terminator CLV/LBX Terminator 2 CLV/LBX Three Caballeros CLV Three Ninjas Kick Back (Lbx) 2 X They All Laughed * Tiger Cage (import) * Time / Life History of Rock 'n' Roll 3 X To Die For Tootsie * Top Gun (non THX) Tora, Tora, Tora (ws) * 3 X Towering Inferno, The (Older pressing) Tron Turner & Hooch CLV Twilight's Last Gleaming Two Jakes, The (LBX) * 2 X Vaughan, Stevie Ray and Double Trouble: Live from Austin, Texas Victor/Victoria 2 X Videodrome War of the Roses (SE CLV/CAV) War of the Roses, The * We're all Devo (pioneer artists) Weird Science CLV West Side Story (cav, criterion) White Fang * Who: Tommy Live, The Who Framed Roger Rabbit CLV 4 X Willow (non THX) * 4 X Willow (ws, THX) Women, The (remastered) Working Girl * Yani, live in the Acropolysis 3 x Yankee Doodle Dandy You Only Live Twice (WS) PRODUCTION DEFECTS: Fly, The there is a 6 frame sychronization error on the DOLBY ac-3 channel. Spirits of the dead, the dual-language channels are reversed on side 2. Stargate (Widescreen, not Deluxe edition). The original pressing had defective dolby surround mixing. The dialog would come from all the speakers, not just the center channel. Drugstore Cowboy does not play on all machines. Call Pioneer Customer Service 1-800-526-0363 for a replacement. Justine (XXX Title) missing right channel audio. Hunt for Red October, AC3 missing AC3 on the left read channel on side 3. I know that there are many more production defects than these, so if you have any data to add to this list, please sent it to me at rcook@gte.net.