23 August 2012

Some "Hunger Games" DVDs are defective

On the day it was first made available for public viewing, my wife and I received from our library a new copy of the DVD of Hunger Games.  We enjoyed the movie up to the 1:12:56 mark in Chapter 14 - the moment when Katniss uses the ripcord to secure herself in a tree.  At that point the DVD froze.  No clicking of the DVD player could overcome the blockage.  Examination of the disk showed no visible faults (scratches, contaminants).

We took the DVD out of the player and inserted it in the iMac.  It froze at exactly the same point (indicating that the problem was not with the DVD player); the computer was able to work around the defect and resume the movie at the 1:16:14 point (after the fire in the woods).

The next day we got a different copy from a different library branch, only to see this one freeze at exactly the same frame of the movie.  This time we used the menu to navigate to Chapter 15 and watched the rest of the movie without glitches.

The fact that two different copies froze at exactly the same frame suggests this was not an acquired defect, but rather something in the production process.  I searched the 'net this morning to see if anyone else has experienced this and found one message at a Complaints Board about a new DVD of Hunger Games pausing inappropriately.

I'm posting this to see if others experience the same phenomenon at the same point in the movie.

45 comments:

  1. On a hunch: Digital Restriction Management systems.

    That, or they change to the second layer at that point in the movie and your player can't deal with that for some reason.

    If you need/want me to elaborate, please tell me.

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    1. Thanks. I just tried Googling it and think I know what it means, but don't understand why it would freeze the disk during standard playback of an original copy.

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    2. The short version is that a lot of current DVDs are deliberately disregarding the standard in subtle or not so subtle ways to make copying harder. There are dozens or more ways in which you can violate the standard which most players can cope with. Sometimes, they are too aggressive in their trickery and the disc will not work properly in too many players, forcing the publishers to backpedal.

      This cycle has been played out a few times; ironically without stopping copying in any meaningful way.

      Of course, all they achieve is hassling paying customers while anyone who watches an unauthorized copy gets to enjoy his or her movie without glitches or warnings you can't skip.

      How this makes any business sense is anyone's guess; at some point they will need to cater to the paying customers, not chase antiquated business models.

      All this does not really help you, of course.

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    3. It helps me understand the problem. Tx, Richard.

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    4. YES! I'm experiencing exactly the same thing. I've sent an eMail to Lionsgate, and hopefully they will replace the disc. I had a similar experience with a DVD from Anchor Bay a few years ago. They replaced the disc, no questions asked. Hopefully Lionsgate will step up and do the same thing. ~ Heather in Seattle

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  2. I just bought the blu ray but haven't watched it yet. I'll report back if I get a similar problem.

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    1. My librarian said she had no problems with her personal BluRay version.

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  3. Thanks for the heads-up. We're having a Hunger Games-themed end-of-summer program for the teens at our library this weekend...I'll check out our copy before showing it to make sure that we don't have the weird skip.

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  4. Having the same problems. Bought it the first day it froze in the same spot as yours and skipped ahead 10 minutes. Tried 3 different DVD players and it did the same thing. I exchanged it watched it again only for it to freeze and skip worse than the first one.

    I looked online and heard from friends who are having the same issue. I emailed lions gate about it and they are mailing me a replacement copy. So let's hope this one works.

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    1. Thank you anon. It's useful to know this was more than a local problem in one library system.

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    2. Hi having the same problem.. Bought BluRay at Walmart, stopped at 1hr something. Exchanged for new same thing. Samsung player firmware is up-to-date, very frustrating and time-wasting.

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  5. Happened to me in NYC! Bought a copy from J&R, froze in the same spot. Returned it and the new copy is defective in the same place. So frustrating!

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    1. Thanks for the note, Lauren. Hopefully by documenting this, it will make it easier for people to get refunds or exchanges (not that the latter did you much good...)

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    2. I just bought a brand new copy yesterday at Walmart. The DVD froze at the eact same point. I exchanged the DVD and played that one on my TV and the same thing happened. I tried it on our DVD player upstairs with the same problem. I had to watch the movie on my laptop to watch chapter 14. I am glad to see that others are having the same issue. I thought I was going to lose my mind!!

      Andy in Indy

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  6. And I've just found a report of the same thing happening in Florida -

    http://www.aclib.us/blog/defective-hunger-games

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  7. I contacted lions gate about my DVD issues with the movie they are sending me another copy of it. May be should start emailing the company about the issues with the DVD. Maybe if they get enough complaints they will do something about it. This is going to be my 3rd DVD of the movie. Hopefully third times a charm

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  8. Some problem with our copy... Boo

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  9. The same thing happened to me too! I bought the DVD the day of the release, didnt work and then exchanged it and it still froze during the same scene! grrr..
    I dont know if i should return exchange it again or email lionsgate.

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  10. Exchanged my first copy, tried the second copy and received the same result. Emailed Lionsgate, haven't heard back yet.

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  11. this is the email address I used when I emailed lions gate: lionsgateshop@orderassistance.com. I originally sent it to a different email address, but it seems they had forwarded it to this email address. I emailed them during the week, so I heard back from them fairly quickly. After providing them with the information they needed they responded fairly quickly. I would say within an hour or two I received an email from them stating I would get another copy. The only reason I had emailed them was the fact I threw out all of the information I needed to exchange it at the store again.

    They should do something about it if quite a few people are having the same issues with the DVD.

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  12. I've had three of them. same exact spot. they won't let us skip ahead though. tried two dvd players and a computer. Target will continue to let me exchange them as they know of the problem. sucks though.

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    1. My advice wait about a month. You will get the same results due to high Qty of bad Hunger Gamess DVD. How do I know this? Well let's just say I been there 6 years I know what goes on & even I got a bad DVD Hunger Games. LionsGates was not happy either when that happened.

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  13. Hi! I will say this. The Hunger Games Glitch is a fact & true. The matter came up I am not sure about the rumor how this happened but as a "RUMOR" Between Molding & Master Stamping. This should have been caught in the first place because there is QA Testers. The rumor count is 2.8 million bad Hunger Games DVD. My advice wait awhile about a month.

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    1. On much the same point,I just purchased the Blu-ray Unseen version and my player can't open it,I tried it on my playstation but same prob,I tried it on my Bly-ray computer and again it wont open,I tried all different kind of software codecs but none could recognised it. Shop replaced it...same prob. Money back...went to another completely different outlet miles away bought it again ...same problem. Is it just my luck? Glasgow area.

      Looks as if its a clitch with the codec on the disc

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  14. just purchased a copy from amazon and had the same problem

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    1. I purchased 2 copies from Amazon and had the same problem on both

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  15. Do the blu rays have glitches as well.

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  16. I had the same problem. I got mine at cvs. I took it book back and got other one and the samething at the point happen.

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  17. Same in Alabama I've gone through five movies that stop in the same place. And my friend finally got a working one after 5 times himself.

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  18. If this is happening then why is it not on the news to be recalled. I posted on face book

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  19. Bought one on the day it came out. Glitch occured at the same point as mentioned above. Got another one today from the same Wal Mart and SAME PROBLEM! Two weeks later!!!

    I've seen some of you have been promised a new copy from Lionsgate.. How do I go about contacting them?

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  20. lionsgateshop@orderassistance.com is the email address that was mentioned above to contact them at. I've had the same issue with 3 BluRays that I bought from Meijer's and I'm tired of it. I told Lionsgate I want them to resolve the issue and also included that I've spent $25+ in gas with these exchanges because the closest place to me that carries the movie is 25 minutes away. I am hoping to get a response on Tuesday. Mine is freezing up in the 5th or 6th chapter, once tney get to the Capitol. I'm surprised there hasn't been a recall yet!

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  21. We are seeing the SAME PROBLEM. Ours freezes when the they are getting ready to go into the arena, and then jumps to a scene in the woods. I have returned the DVD to Target (Bloomington, MN) for a new one . . . the new one did the same thing at the same spot!

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  22. I bought this DVD from a local Meijer on impulse the day it was released. Wife and I were excited to watch it that night. We read the books and loved them. Didn't see it in the movies, so this was a long time coming! Imagine the annoyance when we got to 1:13 and it just froze on my XBOX 360. I tried the PC and it froze. I pulled out some old standalone DVD players and only one of them actually worked. I was annoyed.

    I rip my movies to hard drive and play my collection from a media center system (SageTV in case anyone heard of it) so kids don't ruin my DVDs. This DVD refused to rip. I was REALLY annoyed.

    I looked online and found just the one website, the same one you posted a link to, and that was it! I couldn't imagine this was so little that nobody said anything. Now I'm FURIOUS.

    If the movie was any better, I probably would have RAGED over the phone to Lionsgate. But as it were, I was severely disappointed in the movie and so several weeks later I finally exchanged it for a working copy from Meijer.

    Moral of the story: Don't buy DVDs!

    ok j/k. But seriously, makes me want to never do that again!

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  23. Same exact thing for me at 1:13. Two differend Disks. The second I ran on three PC's (Two HP's and a Toshiba) and two DVD players (Samsung and LG). all had the problem.

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  24. Same thing plus both DVDs we tried skipped the fire ball scene (making the movie quite disjointed)--we bought and returned the first one at Target--will return the second attempt and buy somewhere else.

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    1. We were finally able to see the fireballs in the woods on the third DVD.

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  25. My sister purchased the first DVD for my birthday. It stopped exactly at the same scene, however every player in my house could not work around the defect rendering me unable to get past the 1:13:00 mark.

    We exchanged it today at the same place and same outcome. It is entirely frustrating (not only for us but the employees at Lionsgate who have to read all of those complaints, I'm sure, to see the same problem for around a month now). My guess is, this isn't just a few people having this problem and it's still going on. Why the DVDs haven't been recalled is anyone's guess.

    I contacted Lionsgate and let them know of the situtation not too long ago, so hopefully I will hear back from them soon.

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  26. I exchanged my copy twice so far. The first disk froze and when I finally got it to play again, it skipped a lot of the movie. I reversed it and got to see most of what was skipped by not going back all the way to the freeze point. I returned the disk to Fred Meyer and the electronics manager switched the disk for a new one. When I tried to play the new one, all that I could get to play (sometimes) was the warning and the Lionsgate part. I returned it to the store today and it played fine on their player. My DVD player works fine for rented movies and other DVD's. I don't think I should have to buy a brand new DVD player to play the newer movies. The store clerk said I should get a cleaner DVD to clean my player, and I may try that, but they apparently cost 10 bucks.

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  27. Mine froze in the exact same spot.
    The bastards are selling product with known defects.
    Karma is a bitch.
    No sympathy for Lionsgate. They are making a killing on this movie.
    There are no excuses for quality this bad and hoping people will settle for most of the movie, if they can get past the defect(s).
    They should issue an immediate recall and apologize profusely, with more than a token as a promise of future quality.

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  28. I am having the same problem with "Cold Light of Day." I bought two differnet copies and they both were defective in exactly the same way! The DVD went to the studio logo, then a bunch of pictures kept looping over and over, and no command would stop or advance the disc. All my other DVDs play fine. Anyone else experience this?

    I'd really like to see the movie, but not willing to try again...

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  29. I am going to have to try a third copy. All have stopped at the exact same spot on multiple devices. Perfect packaging no scratches bought at different stores. This is obviously a disc flaw on a fairly large batch. Im finding a lot of reviews that are mistaking this for shipping damage. More than a year later and Lionsgate hasn't fixed this problem. How disappointing. A multi-billion dollar company not calling responsibility for their own production mistake and making others financially responsible.

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  30. same problem with our new dvd

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  31. update to january 3 post. After a delay of about a week, someone from Lions Gate responded to my email. They are requiring me to return the DVD before they will ship a new one. They didn't offer to pay for my shipping. No apology. Pretty bad customer service in my view.

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  32. I purchased my first one back in January did gey to try to watch it until last saturday.....it wouldnt play in my player but 2 others movies played in it. Returned it and got another copy....tried it again......different copy still wont play.....i put another dvd in just to make sure it wasnt my player and wala........that movie played........so im going to take it back......and get another (different) movie......not trying again.......just not worth the bother.....

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