When you’re nonetheless hanging on to your bodily DVD assortment, you might be in for a nasty shock.

Many DVDs manufactured by Warner Bros. between 2006 and 2008 have been hit by a difficulty often called “laser rot,” the place DVDs merely cease working as a result of a rotting of the layers, an investigation by movie review site JoBlo reveals. Thus far, it does not seem to be Blu-ray discs or HD-DVD are affected.

JoBlo highlights a few of Warner Bros.’ portfolio, together with its Looney Tunes Collections or its portfolio of 30s, 40s, and 50s Hollywood classics, which have been by no means transferred to newer codecs like Blu-ray, that means they might run the danger of disappearing with no hint.

Although collectors have noted the problem in recent times, Warner Bros. lately acknowledged the difficulty following JoBlo’s report and has supplied to interchange the impacted DVDs—however solely beneath sure circumstances.

“The place doable, the faulty discs have been changed with the identical title,” learn the official assertion. “Nevertheless, as among the affected titles are now not in print or the rights have expired, shoppers have been supplied an trade for a title of like-value.”

Warner Bros. inspired shoppers hit by the defect to contact its buyer help at: [email protected]. When you’d choose to keep away from the potential trauma of malfunctioning DVDs altogether, take a look at PCMag’s information to changing your old discs to digital formats.

The period of malfunctioning discs could be nearing an finish anyway. Most of the largest dwelling leisure chains within the US have already determined to chop or severely restrict the variety of DVDs they inventory. Finest Purchase made the leap to cease stocking DVDs altogether in 2024, whereas Netflix shuttered its DVD business in 2023 after nearly 30 years.

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About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter masking weekend information. Earlier than becoming a member of PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC Information, The Guardian, The Instances of London, The Each day Beast, Vice, Slate, Quick Firm, The Night Normal, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer because you needed to set up video games from a number of CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate concerning the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve coated every little thing from crypto scandals to the artwork world, in addition to conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and international affairs.

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