Disc rot is a phrase describing the tendency of CD or DVD or other optical discs to become unreadable due to physical or chemical deterioration. The causes of this effect vary from oxidation of the reflective layer, to physical scuffing and abrasion of disc surfaces or edges, including visible scratches, to other kinds of reactions with contaminants, to ultra-violet light damage and de-bonding of the adhesive used to adhere the layers of the disc together.

In CDs, the reflective layer is immediately beneath a thin protective layer of lacquer, and is also exposed at the edge of the disc. The lacquer protecting the edge of an optical disc can usually be seen without magnification. It is rarely uniformly thick; thickness variations are usually visible. The reflective layer is typically aluminum, which reacts easily with several commonly encountered chemicals such as oxygen, sulphur, and certain ions carried by condensed water. In ordinary use a surface layer of aluminum oxide is formed very quickly when an aluminum surface is exposed to the atmosphere; it serves as passivation for the bulk aluminum with regard to many but not all contaminants. CD reflective layers are so thin that this passivation is less effective. In the case of CD-R and CD-RW media, the materials used in the reflecting layer are more complex than a simple aluminum layer, but also can present problems if contaminated. The thin 10-20 thousandths of an inch layer of protective lacquer is equivalent.

DVDs have a different structure from CDs, using a plastic disc over the reflecting layer. This means that a scratch on either surface of a DVD is not as likely to reach the reflective layer and expose it to environmental contamination and perhaps to cause corrosion, perhaps progressive corrosion. Each type of optical disc thus has different susceptibility to contamination and corrosion of its reflecting layer; furthermore, the writeable and re-writable versions of each optical disc type are somewhat different as well. Finally, discs made with gold as the reflecting layer are considerably less vulnerable to corrosion problems, though no less susceptible to physical damage to that layer. Because they are less expensive, the industry has adopted aluminum reflecting layers as the standard for factory pressed optical discs.

On CDs, the rot becomes visually noticeable in two ways:
1.When the CD is held up to a strong light, light shines through several pin-prick-sized holes.
2.Discoloration of the disc, which looks like a coffee stain on the disc. See also CD bronzing.

In audio CDs, the rot leads to scrambled or skipped audio or even the inability to play a track.

Please post your discs suffering from rot here.  Please enter the title, the studio, release date, the UPC and disc ID.

Thank you Widescreenforever for this great idea.

After some digging I found this address for Warner Brothers that handles HD Disc Rot.  I was also unaware that  Blu was getting it already.        [email protected]

This is the 20th Century Fox page for damaged disc and exchanges.  Not sure it is the answer but it is a start.                                                          http://beta.foxconnect.com/contacts/

This is the contact info for Anchor Bay.  They break their contacts up by department.
      http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com/About.aspx?page=contact&area=contactus

Sony Pictures which includes Columbia/Tristar 
      [email protected]            or 1-800-860-2878

Universal Studios Contact page          http://www.universalstudios.com/contact_form.php?email_id=10

Metro Goldwyn Myer offers a phone number for questions and complaints about DVD's.  I am guessing this extends to Bluray was well.                888-223-2369

Wicked Pictures offers the following email address for technical support. 
                                                      [email protected]

VCX appears to own Caballero.  This is there customer service info.
                                                      Customer Service at 1-800-350-1931or email [email protected]

Paramount pictures has the email address fir problems with DVD's. 
                                                      [email protected].

A&E Home Entertainment                  [email protected]

Questar Entertainment                      http://questarentertainment.com/contact

Sin City                                          [email protected]                    800-944-3933

Shout Factory Customer Service        http://www.shoutfactory.com/?q=node/987

The only "rotted" disc that I've ever experienced was the Puppet Master Blu-ray from Full Moon.

Ironically, this was their "replacement" for the first defective run of discs which had an audio problem. It turns out the Blu-ray was actually a BD-R with a pressed label. After about 8 months it would not even load in any of my three Blu-ray players. Apparently all of these rotted judging from what I've read on other forums.

Here is my one so far: Lady In White Directors Ed. upc # 790594524029 

edit- purchased  march 1998

So far, none of my DVDs have ever rotted.

At worst, a guy borrowed a CD from me once, kept it out of the case leaving it upside down (to "protect it" from getting scratched) and something like hairspray got on top of it making the CD unreadable.

I haven't encountered any DVD rot, yet.

May I suggest that those who have such discs also post the release date of the DVD in question? I'd like to know how old is a DVD, when it dies of old age.

Quoting ritchf:

Quote:
I have had some success with returning the DVD with rot to the supplier, they have always sent me an FOC replacement.

What have others found?

Ritch

the idea of this post ( thanks Lord of the Sith ) is to report the title ,,  you gave us no idea what it was you where successful in replacing ..... 

again titles Please ....

Quoting Wigram:

Quote:
I haven't encountered any DVD rot, yet.

May I suggest that those who have such discs also post the release date of the DVD in question? I'd like to know how old is a DVD, when it dies of old age.

I like this idea.  Let me add this to the original post.