1248 Winchester '73

[therewillbeblus]

They’re mailing me a new disc and said they have an LG UBK90 and Panasonic UB820 at their office and will test the disc on both players before sending it out

[Finch]

Weird that we're experiencing the skipping in different places.

[DeprongMori]

They’re mailing me a new disc and said they have an LG UBK90 and Panasonic UB820 at their office and will test the disc on both players before sending it out

Funny. Those are my two players. I guess I’m covered.

[omegadirective]

This is a common and well known issue with this Sony blu ray player.
I have one and experienced skipping on many discs.

[Finch]

This is the first 4K my X800M2 is having difficulties with. I aborted my viewing and instead watched the Grifters 4K all the way through with no issues.

[cdnchris]

I recalled i had issues taking screen captures during a 10-minute section of the film after the rifle is first taken, but the film didn't skip when I watched it on my Panasonic and put it down to just a hiccup. I went and played it back now just to check, and sure enough, it started skipping here and there during that same portion. Not terrible, but annoying enough.

[Finch]

What they recommended to me:

"Try the following:

Try cleaning your disc with water and a small amount of dishwashing soap - even if your disc is brand-new out of the case, you'd be surprised how often this step can resolve playback issues.

Apply water and soap to a clean microfiber or cotton-based cloth, hold the disc from its outer edges, and wipe the bottom surface of your disc (i.e. the shiny side) with your cloth by rubbing outward from the disc's center ring to its edges (see image below). Do not wipe the disc in a circular motion.
Be sure to thoroughly dry the disc, as inserting a wet disc may damage your 4K UHD, Blu-ray, or DVD player - you can simply let it air dry, or wipe any moisture from the disc with a clean, dry microfiber or cotton-based cloth or tissue.

Double check to make sure your firmware is up-to-date. Firmware updates are released often, and it is commonly reported that 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD discs experience playback issues with players that haven't been updated, even if other discs are playing without issue. We recommend that you search your 4K UHD/Blu-ray/DVD player manufacturer's website directly for firmware update information. You can learn more about updates for Sony players here: https://www.sony.com/electronics/suppor ... /downloads

Troubleshoot your 4K UHD/Blu-ray/DVD player. We recommend, when possible, that you test any affected disc on a different player to see if the issue persists. Some other common troubleshooting steps for your player hardware and settings include:

Power resetting your player - turn off the player, unplug it from its power source for one minute, plug the player back in and power it on.
Clear your player's cache
Check on and disable any parental controls, and toggle any 30p, 24p or progressive scan mode options.
Factory reset your device. Please note, any previous settings you had saved on your device will need to be restored manually after this reset.

I hope this helps! Please let us know how your testing goes, and if we can help with any questions in the meantime."

[domino harvey]

Wow. A form response like that is where this company is at now huh

[therewillbeblus]

I got that message once, and it's a pain - they've added a lot more to it over time. For future notice, I've had a few occasions since where I proactively write (and genuinely mean) the following in my initial email: "I've attempted taking the disc out, turning off and on devices, the dish soap and water / microfiber cloth cleaning, etc., but there's no change - it skips at exactly the same places and the disc was spotless." In all cases, they respond immediately with an offer for a replacement. This is clearly a 'first-step' blanket-email, but there's no backup one with whittled down things to try. So just tell them you tried a few things already and they'll play ball

[nicolas]

Wow. A form response like that is where this company is at now huh

What do you expect instead? Them sending out a newly sealed copy and two others as an apology? What if they did it like Shout where they only replace discs with scratches that are bigger than a few centimeters or Kino who don’t give a shit at all. Criterion and Vinegar Syndrome are the among the very few US labels that are as accommodating for issues like that and more, even for international customers and those who didn’t buy from them directly.

[domino harvey]

Yes, I expect three new copies.

[Finch]

Thanks TWWB. I also scoffed at their suggestion that the skipping wasn't a known issue.

[therewillbeblus]

They said the same to me, perhaps it will be known if more people email them

[Finch]

My only worry is that a replacement disc is going to be affected, too. I'm almost tempted to wait and see if they recall this first batch. Its clearly not confined to a single player model and it's not skipping in the same places for everyone.

[nicolas]

They said the same to me, perhaps it will be known if more people email them

It doesn’t seem to be a widespread issue. There’s only one report at BR.com where it skipped for someone at minute 58 but then they cleaned the disc and the film played back flawlessly.

[therewillbeblus]

Multiple people on Reddit apparently have the same issue at the same point. Chris’ disc skipped where mine did too

[nicolas]

Multiple people on Reddit apparently have the same issue at the same point. Chris’ disc skipped where mine did too

Strange that there wasn’t more about this when the disc was released. I remember the uproar about The Princess Bride which I believe was a similar case and reports came in quickly.

Here are their statements:

Thanks for writing to us and I'm sorry you've been having playback issues with your PRINCESS BRIDE 4K UHD disc.

I can confirm that we have had a number of customers email us with similar experiences and an investigation is still underway. We hope to have a resolution soon though I don't have a more precise timeline just yet. The most immediate solution is to contact the original vendor regarding refund or credit options. That said, if you don't mind waiting, we're happy to provide a replacement whenever it's available.

If you have access to another player, I would recommend playing the disc on that, as the error does seem to be limited primarily to Panasonic DP-UB820, some PlayStation 5 consoles, and a small number of Oppo UDP-205 and 203 players. I see some reports on file regarding Panasonic DP-UB9000 players as well. Several users have reported that the same disc plays successfully when they switched to another device.

We will keep you posted once we have more news and appreciate your patience in the meantime. Best,"

Hi,

Hope you're doing well!

We have an update for you! We received additional reports of playback issues for select copies of these discs (primarily on select players, including Panasonic DP-UB820, PlayStation 5 consoles, Oppo UDP-205 and 203 players, and some Sony UBP-X700). The issue usually presents itself as skipping, freezing and pixelation. The timeframe for the error varies.

Newly pressed replacement discs are now available and we are starting by contacting folks who were in touch with us previously.

Please write your name and current date on the faulty PRINCESS BRIDE 4K UHD disc using a sharpie or paint marker and send us a photo. Also provide your shipping address within the email. Do not mark up the Blu-ray disc(s) or the packaging, as only the 4K UHD disc will be replaced.

You do not need to return the defective disc to us but please hold on to it until your replacement is received.

[Finch]

I followed up and they said

We'd be happy to send you a tested replacement WINCHESTER '73 4K UHD disc directly from our office in the next 2-3 weeks. In order to proceed, can you please get back to us with the following?

a photo of your name and date written directly on the artwork side of the defective disc using a sharpie or marker. Please do not write on the packaging.

[therewillbeblus]

Yeah that's the process

[Finch]

They didn't specify what date they wanted. Maybe the purchase date or today's date?

[therewillbeblus]

Today's date, it's proof of purchase

[Yakushima]

I played my 4K disc on OPPO UDP-203, and it froze for about 2 seconds at the 29:30 mark.

[Mr Muckle]

I played my 4K disc on OPPO UDP-203, and it froze for about 2 seconds at the 29:30 mark.

My 4K disc pauses at the exact same spot, 29:30, on my OPPO UDP-203, both before and after cleaning the disc. I've replied to Criterion's last email, instructing me to clean the disc and check firmware, will see what their reply is tomorrow, March 31.

[Feego]

My disc also pauses at 29:30 on my Panasonic DP-UB154. It also has a large scratch that was immediately visible when I took the disc out of the case.

[hearthesilence]

Why does this keep happening? (It's not happening to every title, but it shouldn't be recurring with this kind of frequency.) Is it related to a specific pressing plant?