Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Playing Movies on a Scratched DVD

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Beans
    183

    Playing Movies on a Scratched DVD

    Hey, all.

    I was just watching a DVD, and suddenly toward the end, it just bailed. VLC would just close itself when it got to a certain chapter, and I tried a few times. Totem said "cannot read from source" at the same spot. (Really irritating just as the movie gets to its climax, and I don't want to skip ahead around the scratch.)

    What I'm wondering if there's any software solutions for this. I borrow a lot of movies from the library (as I did with this one), so (1) it's not unheard of to encounter scratched discs, (2) I don't want to do any sketchy toothpaste/peanut butter polishing on a disc I don't own, and (3) these discs usually work fine in a regularly standalone DVD player.

    Is there any DVD playing software that's more forgiving or corrective of imperfections? In the past, I've ripped the DVD and played the rip, but when I'm short on time and diskspace, I'd prefer just to watch it!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    India
    Beans
    1,023
    Distro
    Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

    Arrow Re: Playing Movies on a Scratched DVD

    Try xine or mplayer....but i am not sure coz.. vlc already refuse it.........
    --- I am what I am because of what we all are ----

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    India
    Beans
    1,023
    Distro
    Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

    Arrow Re: Playing Movies on a Scratched DVD

    --- I am what I am because of what we all are ----

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Paraparaumu, New Zealand
    Beans
    Hidden!

    Re: Playing Movies on a Scratched DVD

    I suspect that playing "dud" disks can depend to a degree on the hardware as well as the software.

    One occasion I encountered an unreadable disk from the library (a Red Hat distro) I tried cleaning it (a small amount of dishwash detergent, warm water from the tap, and a soft cloth that wasn't likely to scratch it) I was eventually able to "make a backup" on one of my machines that was usable in the intended PC. On returning to the library I alerted the library staff who were then aware of the situation.
    Last edited by lisati; October 25th, 2009 at 06:33 AM. Reason: fix typo
    Forum DOs and DON'Ts
    Please use CODE tags
    Including your email address in a post is not recommended
    My Blog

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Beans
    183

    Re: Playing Movies on a Scratched DVD

    Thanks for the link, @vinutux. I actually saw that thread before posting. I'm wondering if there's an on-the-fly no-copy-to-disk solution.

    @lisati. I've had this experience with discs from the library a lot in the past, and at some point, I figured out that they played fine in conventional DVD players without cleaning, so I'm not sure the librarians would care that only me on my weird non-Windows computer can play their DVDs. (I wonder if the Windows DVD software can play these.)

    It would be nice if VLC et al. would just forgive the error and continue. What I had to do was seek to the scene of the scratch and fast forward just past it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Beans
    2

    Post I'm glad someone else has mentioned this!!

    I've had to resort to booting into Windows in the middle of a film many times, really annoying!!

    Is it not possible to just include a process for the software to keep moving on, or jump ahead and work backwards, to find the end of the scratch?


    2 tips...

    1, Blockbuster stores offer a disc repair service (I work there). It costs £2, but the disc will be almost like new (unless it was really, really bad before).

    2, rubbing a tiny amount of oil or transparent grease into the offending scratch and gently buffing with a clean soft cloth afterwards can fix shallow scratches temporarily.

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •