# I got Rocky II from the library but the disc doesn't work **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564 "2010-09-04T02:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/1 "2010-09-04T02:13:13Z")
DVDs are too unreliable. They get handled by people and get scratched and fingerprints. This doesn’t happen with VHS. I wish they had had it on VHS. Also I checked out Rocky II, III, and IV but since I can’t watch II I can’t watch III or IV and now my entire weekend is shot. fml ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/2 "2010-09-04T02:45:48Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > DVDs are too unreliable. They get handled by people and get scratched and fingerprints. This doesn’t happen with VHS. Of course not, tapes never have problems. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/3 "2010-09-04T02:47:00Z")
tapes have their problems, but I find that on the whole library VHS tapes are more reliable than library DVDs edit: just wiped down the disc with a damp cloth and it works now ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/4 "2010-09-04T02:51:59Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > tapes have their problems, but I find that on the whole library VHS tapes are more reliable than library DVDs > edit: just wiped down the disc with a damp cloth and it works now FYI, you can actually just wash it with soap and water (or at least rinse it under the faucet), they’re waterproof. Just make sure to dry it with a soft lint free towel and a radial direction (inside to outside) as opposed to around in circles. With Netflix, I find that about 70% of problem DVDs work fine after that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/5 "2010-09-04T04:28:01Z")
> [@](#): > > tapes have their problems, but I find that on the whole library VHS tapes are more reliable than library DVDs Probably because nobody uses them any more. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/6 "2010-09-04T04:40:52Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > tapes have their problems, but I find that on the whole library VHS tapes are more reliable than library DVDs > edit: just wiped down the disc with a damp cloth and it works now Well, good, because to understand III-V, you really need to know that Apollo Creed is Keyser Soze! ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/7 "2010-09-04T04:49:38Z")
I am disappoint with Rocky II. It’s not too bad, but part I was a lot better, so what’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/8 "2010-09-04T05:11:17Z")
That’s probably the one thing VHS has over DVDs. With tapes, if there was a bad spot, it would still play through. Granted it would be a little snowy, but you could still see and hear what was going on. With DVDs if there’s a scratch, the entire thing will freeze up. And seeing some of the DVDs I get from library, which look as if they had been mauled with a belt sander, it’s a wonder they play at all. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/9 "2010-09-04T05:17:41Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > With Netflix, I find that about 70% of problem DVDs work fine after that. I had a weird one from Netflix this week. I rented the Mr. Bean TV series, and the second disc, although it had no damage or surface irregularities that I could see, would not play at all. It wouldn’t even boot up the DVD player in either of the computers I tried it in. I reported it to Netflix and they immediately sent a replacement, which worked fine. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/10 "2010-09-04T12:45:24Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > I am disappoint with Rocky II. It’s not too bad, but part I was a lot better, so what’s the point? Wow, a sequel that wasn’t as good as the original? FYL indeed! ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/11 "2010-09-04T22:09:30Z")
I like III but it is still not as good as I how did 5 sequels ever get made ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/12 "2010-09-04T22:53:24Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Also I checked out Rocky II, III, and IV but since I can’t watch II I can’t watch III or IV and now my entire weekend is shot. fml You checked out Rocky II, II, III, and IV? Just use your other II. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/13 "2010-09-04T23:10:42Z")
three movie maximum so I only got II III and IV but I already have I. And the library is closed until tuesday eheu ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/14 "2010-09-04T23:11:51Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@PSXer](#): > > > > tapes have their problems, but I find that on the whole library VHS tapes are more reliable than library DVDs > > edit: just wiped down the disc with a damp cloth and it works now > > FYI, you can actually just wash it with soap and water (or at least rinse it under the faucet), they’re waterproof. Just make sure to dry it with a soft lint free towel and a radial direction (inside to outside) as opposed to around in circles. With Netflix, I find that about 70% of problem DVDs work fine after that. Another thing that works well is those little alcohol prep swabs–the square gauze ones that come in individual packets. I seem to be getting a lot of troublesome DVDs from Netflix lately (or maybe it’s the DVD player getting old); wiping the playing side of the disc in the way you describe, then wiping the DVD “cupholder” tray usually does the trick. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/15 "2010-09-04T23:13:09Z")
I’d like to know WTF assholes do with their borrowed DVDs, be they from the library or Netflix. Most of them look like somebody took a belt-sander to them. Pricks. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/16 "2010-09-05T00:03:32Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’d like to know WTF assholes do with their borrowed DVDs, be they from the library or Netflix. Most of them look like somebody took a belt-sander to them. Pricks. I used to work at a library. People don’t care about stuff that does not belong to them. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/17 "2010-09-05T01:12:55Z")
I always feel guilty when I damage a library item. I think DVD’s suffer from lots of little injuries. And I once checked out a VHS of Kurosawa’s _Ran_ that not only would not play, but contaminated my VCR–requiring head cleaning to play again. And there are all the DVD’s that cut out sometime after the halfway point of the movie. Garrr. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/18 "2010-09-05T01:36:43Z")
Considering the abuse DVDs get in public use, they are surprisingly durable. You may be blissfully unaware of all the corrections done by the reading software to compensate for thousands of minor scratches. Most of the compensation can restore the data to 100% of the original even with multiple flaws in the same data block, and if they can’t reach 100%, other levels of correction can give you an acceptable picture or sound that you hardly notice flaws in. It’s even more amazing if you know that a single mild scratch can render a significant portion of data totally unreadable (the tracks/pits are thin and many scratches are thick) and it must be reconstructed from redundant data (about 1/3 of the data is redundant or intended just for error detection and data correction). But error correction can’t fix a broken disc, and I have gotten those from Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/19 "2010-09-05T02:12:08Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’d like to know WTF assholes do with their borrowed DVDs, be they from the library or Netflix. Most of them look like somebody took a belt-sander to them. Pricks. That’s exactly what I want to know. Damn things look _mauled_. I guess you had to be alive when CDs first started getting popular to know how to treat them right. It’s always the ones that are popular with the younger crowd that look the worst. My library’s copy of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ looks like someone spent a day making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the shiny side of it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564/20 "2010-09-05T03:04:29Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > how did 5 sequels ever get made They made money. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-rocky-ii-from-the-library-but-the-disc-doesnt-work/552564.md?page=2)