Even though I'm pretty pro-streaming, it is annoying if the streamer discontinues or doesn't offer what you want. Case in point, in the Netherlands I got SkyShowtime, which offers Paramount+, to watch Discovery and Strange New Worlds. It doesn't even offer Discovery yet, even though it was taken off Netflix close to a year ago, so I'm still not able to stram that. (Without using a vpn that is)
That’s why I normally use streaming but still get DVDs for my absolute favorites. Episodes get censored every time sensibilities change, properties change owners. I can still see the original unedited DVD whenever I want and the property owner can’t stop me. But being able to do that is a luxury now. Yeah, if you need to replace your DVDs every 4 years you are not taking care of them.
Normally, I would be very insulted over a comment like that, considering that I actually do take care of my DVD:s As I've stated before, I'm very careful with my DVD:s and have them stored in a locker in a storage room with no sunshine and humidity at all. As I wrote before, this was the fourth time I've watched this episode on this DVD since I bought them in 2019. I must also point out that it is the TNG and DS9 DVD.s that has been a continuing headache since the beginning of 2013 as you can see in the links in my original post. I have other series on DVD, most likely The X-files, CSI NY and the western Macahan Family (with James Arness as Zeb Macahan and Harris Yulin as the villain Deek Peasley) which I've probably watched as many times or more than those Star Trek DVD.s. Not to mention the first three seasons of Star Trek Voyager which I bought back in 2006 and they still works fine. I have some movies too which I bought many years ago and they stii works fine, so does also some game DVD.s from the 90:s. And I did forget to mention my TOS DVD.s which I also bought in 2006, although half a year later than the Voyager DVD:s. So can you please explain why it's only the TNG and DS9 DVD.s which are causing problems? As I wrote before: Bad quality of the Paramount products. Obviously their earlier DVD.s were better since the TNG and TOS DVD:s bought 2006 still are in good shape despite "that I don't take care of my DVD:s". Otherwise I agree with your comments about censorship and "owners right".
Guy Gardener made a comment about having to replace DVDs every 4 years, that’s what I was responding to. I don’t know if those particular DVDs are worse. I’m just saying, over 95% of the DVDs I have still work after decades.
Which means it's time for another email and another let. It clearly isn't that big of a problem, and/or falls within the expected margin of error for DVD production.
Sorry, I thought it was directed to me sine I'm the one with the ruined DVD:s. Guy Gardener's comments were actually replies to me. I don't thinh he have any problems with DVD:s for the moment. I can probably state that about 95% of all my DVD.s and CD records which I've bought and own since the beginning of the 90's works fine too after all those decades. The only problems I've had are with those TNG and DS9 DVD:s Which is annoying since I like to watch them from time to time and I actually expect better products from a company like Paramount. I will continue to send them emails and letter until this problem is solved. I just wish that others who have the same problems would do the same.
Bit late to say this, but if you don't live in the States, CBS or paramount may not be the distributors of the dvd's. In the Netherlands it has been Universal for a few years, nowadays it's a local dvd company. If CBS or Paramount don't release your dvd's, maybe you should contact the company that does.
This is unlikely... Are you certain that you bought authentic DVDs? Sure you're buying from a box store probably, or somewhere equally reputable, but do you have Parallel importing? I bought a bunch of Buffy on VHS from Britain and they were surely made from recycled old mcdonalds toys. Meanwhile friends brought back with them hundreds of DVDs they bought on the street in India. There was a season of House where it still had the advert breaks.
I can't speak to the general quality of Paramount-produced DVDs, or Trek DVDs in particular, but my recollection is that by and large my DS9 DVDs still work fine, and I don't take the greatest care of them, though I do make an effort to keep them in their original (not-great) packaging. If there's been broad quality concerns about them, this is the first I'm hearing about it. This could just be a case of exceedingly bad luck.
The silver-looking discs, sure. The MoD discs are just off-the-shelf burns, looking blue or purple, and their lifespan is typically 5 years before degradation of the dye material on the burnable surface decomposes, though I had the occasional disc develop issues after 2 to 3 years and they were kept stored vertically, in a light-proof case, etc... Now if you really want to back up all eight trillion discs in your collection*, a stout RAID-6 configuration with a mirror of that array - woohoo!! * like those discs featuring these purrfectly entertaining gems: (Woops, that's a dogfight, but it's about Khitomer!) etc
If this is a reply to me, yes. CBS/Paramount subcontract releases in the Netherlans. Definitely completely legal. You could import from Germany or somewhere, but here it's released by another company called DFW (I think), they have been buying the rights to (mostly) films for donkey years now. If it's not a reply to me, ignore this post!
It's not only about impatience. It also has something to do with Paramount's total ignorance of the fanbase.
I've bought them from a Scandinavian retailer, actually Amazon.se. But the box is exactly the same as the US issue. However, you do have a point here. If this latest issue I've bought screws up, then I will order it from the US next time. However, it will be much more expensive for me.
Obviously there are multiple ways in which this problem continues on in that individuals are unwilling to delay gratification in order to make Paramount aware and actually cost them money because of the poor product. Again, there is an expected failure rate to DVDs, as with most other products. So, the questions are how common is the failure, how much does Paramount know, e.g. do they actually print them or is it a 3rd party, and how is the problem being communicated? Lynx, you're doing your best but I strongly suspect that many who encounter this error return to the place they purchased it, e.g. Amazon, or a shop, and get a new copy. Defective items get returned to Paramount for credit, and Paramount writes it off or sells it to a liquidator for a small recoup of losses. So, yeah, the process is not simple and takes patience to make the owner, in this case Paramount, aware there is a significant defect in their 3rd party manufacturing process. And most just return and forget it.
If you bought counterfeit disks then the copyright is void. Obviously that means that you should destroy the disks. Back up the information, before the substandard disks fuck up. Can you make legal back ups of illegal media? In for a penny, in for a pound. Small companies sometimes buy a license to print DVDs in areas that are viewed as otherwise unprofitable to a yank company. It's legal, but it doesn't mean that they are making quality products. So they could be shitty but legal.
But what if the discs are so substandard that they start malfunctioning already from the start? It have happened twice for me some years ago. Once with the episode Move Along Home where the picture froze when Sisko, Jadzia and Kira is about to fall from the cliff. I bought a new box and the same problem occurred at the exact same point the first time I watched it on the new DVD. The same happened later with the episode Fascination when Quark is about to kiss Keiko. The same problem occurred on the new DVD. That's what I did in the beginning. The retailer I bought the box from was very helpful and I got a new box fr free in return of the old one. But what to do when the problem occurs on the new DVD:s? (See my reply to Guy Gardener above). In later years, I've written to Paramount a few times but so far no reply from them. One could actually expect that at least some messages would have reached someone at Paramount. So the question is: Don't they get the messages or do they simply not care?
If you're legally backing up a disk with errors? Two likely possibilities depending on the nature of the errors. Burn fail. You can't copy the disk. The copy program quits when it hits the error. You copy the error, and then you disk image on your hard drive, or the back up disk has a similar error at the same point because there was unobtainable data at the glitch point. Legally backing up a dvd generally requires a disk to be without errors, since the copy program is fighting the dvd's encryption. You can't rip half a store bought dvd.
Again, it's not black and white. Did they read the messages? Maybe, don't know. Do they care? Yes, but it also might be something they can't do anything about, depending on the errors occurrence. Most people are just returning them and getting a new one from the retailer. It's what I saw again and again when I worked retail. It very rarely gets up to the manufacturer.
They should do something about it if they don't want a bad reputation. Companies must care about their customers because it's their customers who are paying their wages. I used to do that in the beginning when those problems started but I changed tactics when the same problems occurred over and over and over again. Why bother with the middle men? Go for those responsible instead. And I'm a mean and stubborn bastard when I'm annoyed!