DVDs from Warner Bros, produced between 2006 and 2008, are suffering from ‘laser rot,’ with millions of discs already affected.
It’s a nightmare scenario for anyone with a physical movie collection: suddenly, more and more discs become unplayable. This is exactly what’s happening to owners of Warner Bros DVDs produced between 2006 and 2008. It’s unusual to see this kind of physical degradation in factory-pressed discs. Back in 2001, the Dutch magazine PC-Active reported on a phenomenon they called CD rot. That article—unfortunately not available online—marked the beginning of the end for CD and DVD recordables as a reliable long-term storage medium. However, this issue affected recordable discs, whose organic data layer naturally begins to break down over time. The severity depends on various factors, but many recordable discs from that era are now either completely unreadable or only partially functional.
Factory-Pressed Discs Now Rotting Too
Unlike recordable discs, factory-pressed DVDs don’t contain an organic layer and should, in theory, last much longer. So what exactly went wrong with Warner’s DVD production between 2006 and 2008 remains unclear. One possibility is that tiny defects in the plastic allowed oxidation to develop on the metal data layer. Whatever the cause, more and more Warner Bros DVDs from that period are becoming unplayable.
It might be a good idea to inspect your collection, as Warner has stated that they will replace affected discs whenever possible—provided the DVD is still in production. Otherwise, they offer a replacement disc of equal value as compensation.
This issue affects a vast number of discs, many from well-known movies and TV series. Titles include Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix SE, Dukes of Hazzard, The Greta Garbo Signature Collection, 2001: A Space Odyssey – Stanley Kubrick Director’s Series, Julius Caesar, Treasure Island, and many others. You can find the full list of affected DVDs here , just scroll down a bit.