StarDestroyer.Net BBS

I just bought a copy of "In the Mouth of Madness", and the back of the DVD is a bit irregular. Basically, a part of the back appears somewhat discolored or cloudy compared to the rest, with a curved, seemingly randomly placed yet very clear definition between the two parts. I have actually seen this a few times before in other DVDs I've purchased; all of those times I tested the DVD and could find nothing wrong with it. I'm testing this one right now too, and so far, it also is working perfectly.

I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this before, knows what causes it, and whether or not it is something to be worried about.

Probably the outer protective layer not bonding properly to the data layer. You can get the same effect by taking a CD and twisting it from the edges towards the center with the data side on the side getting elongated. So its probably a defect, but as long as it works...

Well, it works now, but what I'm worried about is it failing after half-a-dozen plays or something.

I'm trying to do a little google "research", but opinion seem to be mixed. Some places I've looked claim it's a cosmetic problem due to irregular cooling during the molding process, and it rarely affects playback. Others seems to link it to "DVD rot".

Anyway, thanks for the reply. If there's anybody else with information, particularly that of a more up-to-date nature (most of the information I've found online seems to be several years old), I'd appreciate hearing it.

Can get a similar effect by leaving a cd/dvd out in the sun for while.

I've heard somewhere that leaving them "too long" in the sun or generally heating them up beyond some indeterminate point will cause data corruption but I don't know how valid this is. I have a number of cd's that have become cloudy (probably due to heat) and all of them play fine.