Defects - "It Not Our Fault"

Welcome back loyal readers - probably about six at this point :-) What do I need to vent about today? It's fairly obvious by the title.

Defects, how do I start this? They will and do occur. Also, whoever created the defective product, will usually deny it vehemently and blame someone else. Don't you just love our country? Throughout the first two years of DVD, I've been fortunate, I've only purchased two defective DVD. Where's the fun part of this deal? I get to try to return these discs to my distributors. This is where the fun starts.

I will admit, returning defective discs has never been a big problem with my distributors, excluding the instances that I  have to take a replacement copy. I do the write ups, and send them away. No big deal. The problem I'm having is that certain studios not correcting the problems, they'll just blame the machines.

There have been two well publicised situations where the machines were at fault. The initial firmware upgrade that was needed for certain Toshiba DVD players and, how should I put it? The Fleetwood Mac update for first run of Pioneer's DVD players. The manufactures sent out notices to the retailers that sold their product, and we contacted the customers. Both companies made the necessary changes at no cost to the consumer. This is how problems of this sort should always be handled. Unfortunately, this is not how the software is handled.

The problems I have experienced with defective DVD's are the following. Primarily, defective disc don't behave the same way with all players. Second, when the product is obviously defective, the studios have never publicly admitted fault with their discs. And, believe me, it was the same way with laserdiscs, but problems seemed to be corrected much faster. Here are some examples:

The Hunt For Red October (THX, DD, LD)
Someone forgot to put the right rear DD channel on side three of the laserdisc. When I called THX, I essentially received a "Huh?"  for an answer, followed by some minor swear words. When I talked to my Pioneer rep the next day, she mentioned something about a representative from THX flying in to go over the problem. OOPS. If  I remember correctly, all the remaining copies of the disc were pulled off the shelf, and the replacements arrived about two months later. Defect Status: Admitted and corrected.

Stargate (THX, DD, LD)
THX again.. DOH! Now I'll give them some leniency with the first title, while the problem should  not have happened, it was located in the DD audio, so someone may have overlooked it. But this title I couldn't figure out. The pro-logic code for the standard audio was wrong, and to say it didn't sound correct is an understatement. Pioneer and Artisan (Live) immediately issued a recall. The corrected disc arrived in month. Defect Status: Admitted and corrected.

You can see a pattern with what LD's I've told you about, defects were admitted (at least in a little more obvious matter), and replacements arrived within a reasonable amount of time. Now on to the issue of DVD's. These are some defective disc I've had to deal with:

Highlander (THX, DD, DVD)
Ok, this will be the last THX product I'll harp on, but considering their quality control issue... From everyone I've heard from, this disc is a disaster, in terms of pixilization. Why there was never a re-issue, with a properly encoded film, I'll never understand. Defect Status: Never admitted or corrected. (If someone knows otherwise, please inform me)

Devil's Advocate, The (Original Cut)
This disc was defective! Why this disc worked on earlier generations of Pioneer DVD players, and not the DV505 and similar generation of machines, I'll never understand. Some of you will say it's Pioneer's fault. I ask you this, why does the new edition of the film work perfectly?  Part of the reason Warner could not re-issue the original cut, was legal, as many of you know. Now,  I can't even return this first disc as defective, because it is on moratorium. This is wrong. I urge you to contact Warner Home Video directly to receive replacements. Defect Status: Never admitted, corrected on subsequent pressing with altered footage.

The Hard Way (DVD)
The problem: the audio goes about 1/2 second out of sync in chapter 8. After checking with Blain Young of Blam Entertainment, I have learned Universal has already corrected the master. They have yet to re-issue the title, or recall the original disc. Call or e-mail Universal Home Video, and demand they get off their butt on this title. Defect Status: Unofficially admitted, not corrected.

1941 (DVD)
Just kidding, believe it or not. This title isn't really defective, it was shot with tons of fog and filter effects. It looks just like the previous LD pressing. If you find it necessary to bitch since it wasn't a new pristine transfer, good luck. Sometime you use what you've got to work with. Defect Status: Not defective,  consumers had too high of expectations.

Batteries Not Included (DVD)
On current generations of Pioneer DVD players, (DV414, DV09, DVL919 and DVL91), this title pauses and skips in chapter 8 at 56:25. I know it doesn't do it with all other machines, but again, if your having problems, not only take this disc back for a refund, call or e-mail Universal Home Video and complain. Defect Status: Pending?

The Crow (DVD)
Over exposed reel of the film that looked washed out, I believe this is where Brandon Lee first returns to his home after been brought back. Disney did correct this title, but never admitted fault. If you can, return the disc to where you bought it for the new one. Unfortunately, there are no outer markings that signify a difference. The serial number on the physical disc is different. Defect Status: Never admitted, but corrected.

Dante Peak (DVD)
Exceeding long layer break pause, corrected by Universal. These new discs were initially marked with a Q label. Defect Status: Admitted and corrected.

Black Hole, The (DVD)
Right front audio channel missing. Huh? Ok, with the Hunt For Red October (LD),  a missing audio channel was possible, not excusable, but possible. The pro-logic audio was fine. But how the hell do you miss an audio channel when Dolby Digital audio is the only audio track? Defect Status: Admitted, pending, figuring it out... the Mouse House is probably at fault, even though Anchor Bay released it.

We are two years into this format, why are we still having problems with DVD mastering? I know it's not that simple, but why aren't are all the DVD units standardized on how they process the info? You'd would think at this juncture there wouldn't be a problem. If the studios are having problems with a disc's mastering, they should delay it, and not force themselves to hit street date with a defective product.

I not saying you should complain over ever minor detail on a disc, but you should at least bitch at the studios. Without feedback, the studios will slack off on quality, and what's the point of this new format? The same saying also goes for when they don't release a title the way you want it...