How particular are you? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Agent 13 · 06-25-2005, 01:06 PM

How particular are you when you receive bad DVDs? I'm usually more laid back about this than some, and I know that I'm not alone. For example, I shared a 17 DVD set of Hogan's Heroes that I'd only briefly checked initially. (I know that I should have checked the discs thoroughly, but in this case, I did not.)

Shortly thereafter, another trader contacted me, wondering if I had the "good" or "bad" 17 DVD set that was going around, so I checked mine. Lo and behold my set was worse than awful.

I promptly emailed the trader I'd bestowed my crud on, and I was puzzled when he admitted that he was aware of the situation yet hadn't contacted me. I then made plans for restituation, which is only right.

Usually when I don't communicate the problem DVDs the reason is because I don't want to offend the trader, for one reason or another.

lazygrae · 06-25-2005, 01:47 PM

This sort of ties in with the question I asked about corrupt dvds. Just like when I'm making discs to send, when I receive, I run them through my player at fast forward to speed to make sure it can read all discs in their entirety. If they won't play, I will try to rip them. If it rips fine, I'm happy as I can always just re-burn it and that's not a big deal to me. But a disc that won't play or rip is just plain "bad" and I always notify the sender and ask for a replacement.

So far as being disappointed about quality, this doesn't usually happen to me as I tend to ask for specific details beforehand. If it does happen, I don't usually complain but make do make a mental note and will probably just not deal with that person again. If they email me to ask if I got them and what I thought, I will tell them, but I do not instigate a complaint. I figure if I jump into something without asking for details first, or doing a small sample trade first, then I passed on my responsibility to ensure I am getting what I think I'm getting.

Agent 13 · 06-25-2005, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygrae

...If it does happen, I don't usually complain ...

So then you don't "always" express the problem to the trader, correct?

I know that corrupt DVD were addressed recently, but I was still curious to find out how particular most traders are in general. Since I am not knowledgeable about the technical jargon that many of you folks are, I am more comfortable responding to a poll rather than actually posting my thoughts.

I have often gotten the short end of the stick in trades, both VHS and DVD, but I just look at it as "at least I'm able to trade" kind of attitude. Some traders consistently give me the short end of the stick, which I allow because, to tell you the truth, I feel spoiled acquiring series that would otherwise cost me an arm and a leg.

lazygrae · 06-25-2005, 02:19 PM

I guess I just don't really consider it a "problem". As has been recently discussed here, most people prefer to use an objective, or opinion-orientated, grading system. If someone's opinion is different than mine, that's not a problem, it's just the way life is. If I didn't clarify it beforehand by asking, getting a screen capture or just doing a sample trade, then I take the responsibility and consider the mistake mine. Therefore, any perceived problem is with me, not the sender, leaving nothing worth expressing to the sender.

I do consider bad, ie. uplayable and unrippable, discs a problem, and the sender's responsibility, so I do always relate that to the sender.

I suppose if I ever got something of terrible quality that was advertised as great, in other words, if I was blatantly lied to, I would complain. But it's never happened to me that I can recall.

Agent 13 · 06-25-2005, 02:37 PM

Maybe I should have clarified my poll. I don't mean bad QUALITY discs. Just bad discs (pixalizations making them unwatchable).

I can see that you wouldn't have some of the problems that I have had because you're a pristine quality trader ONLY for the most part, whereas I am not.

mele503 · 06-25-2005, 02:47 PM

I agree with lazygrea. If the discs are corrupt or I have been bold faced lied to about the quality then it is the sender's responsibiity to make good.

Myself as a trader think that if you shipped corrupt discs then you should replace those discs ASAP and move them ahead of any other trades going on. If I shipped everything on my part I do not want to wait another 2 weeks for what I should have gotten in the 1st place even though the person shipping them is not aware that they were defective. Considering how many discs were corrupt of course.

I have had to replace corrupt discs on a few occasions and I always move them to 1st priority.

I recently had this happen that I got an entire complete series and everyone of the discs were corrupt. I then let the sender know ASAP and even shipped them back to them so they could check themselves. They then replied to a posting on Yahoo that they were aware of the situation. Because of them not responding to emails I posted a message. They never did tell me that they would replace them so I listed them as a bad trader. Now she says her computer got fried. It is absolutely possible that may have happened. So waiting to see if they get replaced or not even though I am already getting the series from someone else in a trade so I am either way going to be ripped 9 discs.

If the discs play or cannot be played but I can burn a copy to fix them then I do not say anything if it can be fixed by myself!

Mel

lazygrae · 06-25-2005, 03:37 PM

Quote:

I don't mean bad QUALITY discs. Just bad discs (pixalizations making them unwatchable).

If you mean when the picture actually breaks up/disintegrates into pixels, then I've found that a re-rip and re-burn of that disc onto media that I know my player likes does the trick. I would just do that myself and not think about it any further or mention it to the sender.

The touchiness of dvd media is the only drawback to doing dvds I find. For the most part, that's not anyone's fault but the manufacturer so I always do everything I can on my end to salvage a faulty disc before mentioning it.

Agent 13 · 06-25-2005, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygrae

If you mean when the picture actually breaks up/disintegrates into pixels, then I've found that a re-rip and re-burn of that disc onto media that I know my player likes does the trick. I would just do that myself and not think about it any further or mention it to the sender.

Please excuse my ignorance, but I'm missing something here. Do you mean to tell me that you can take a disc that shows heavy pixalization (on all 5 of my DVD players) and re-rip and re-burn it onto media that your player likes will do the trick?

I assumed a disc that has heavy HEAVY pixalization problems would be termed "corrupt" (irretrievable), or maybe my ignorance is showing through.

lazygrae · 06-25-2005, 04:35 PM

I guess I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about when you say "bad pixelation". To me, there's 2 kinds of bad pixelation:
1. the kind you get when you use low quality recording modes and the picture is "blocky", especially during fast-moving scenes.
2. the kind you get when the disc itself (or rather, the dye on the disc) is weak and picture "breaks up", so to speak.

If you mean the former, that's just quality and nothing you can do about that. If you mean the latter, then I can only speak for myself, but I have had 100% success in alleviating that problem by simply ripping the disc and re-burning to a brand I know my player likes.

Hope that clarifies/helps.

nannyfan · 06-26-2005, 12:43 AM

I'm not real picky about quality - especially for shows that are hard to find. I'm have a 17-dvd hogan's heroes set and there is some pixelation - but, after reading through this post - I'm wondering if there is another set floating around that is better quality than mine??

I do expect traders to replace corrupt discs - unfortunately, not all will do that these days. Some are under the impression that if the discs play - then the disc is "good" even if the disc will not copy. I received a bad disc in a trade, and the trader sent a replacement - and while it appears to play - I can't copy it - at least not without errors and passing on the bad disc to others - which, I refuse to do. If anybody has the 10-dvd set of McHale's Navy - I need #5

Agent 13 · 06-26-2005, 12:49 AM

Nannyfan,

I replaced the 17 DVD Hogan's Heroes set with a much better quality 10 DVD set of Hogan's Heroes, with no pixelization. I know some would roll their eyeballs on that one, but it's true.

I hope he doesn't mind my telling you, but I got my set from cptndunsal.

nannyfan · 06-26-2005, 01:05 AM

Thanks! I'll check into that!

falc04 · 06-26-2005, 07:21 AM

I recently received the entire set of Adam-12 DVDs. While the 1st season shows are outstanding, the quality of the shows drops off considerably after that. The picture is softer, and the volume drops off to the point where I almost have to turn up my stereo to the max. Now the shows are still in a watchable condition, but the trader had these listed as a 9/10 quality. It's possible that they only watched some episodes from the 1st season, and posted their rating, based on that (which is understandable). It almost appears the 1st season was recorded from a digital feed, while the following shows were copied from a VHS source.

As for the poll, I voted "sometimes". In this case, I don't think it's warranted to contact the trader, as the shows are watchable, but not really in that great a condition. I did have a previous trade, and the first set of DVDs I received did not play at all. I contacted the trader, and he made good on replacing all the bad DVDs.

View Poll Results: When you receive bad DVDs, how often do you contact the sender?
Always	7	41.18%
Usually	5	29.41%
Sometimes	5	29.41%
Rarely	0	0%
Never	0	0%
Voters: 17. You may not vote on this poll

06-25-2005, 01:06 PM	#1
Agent 13 Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 02, 2003 Location: Good ol' USA Posts: 1,510	How particular are you? How particular are you when you receive bad DVDs? I'm usually more laid back about this than some, and I know that I'm not alone. For example, I shared a 17 DVD set of Hogan's Heroes that I'd only briefly checked initially. (I know that I should have checked the discs thoroughly, but in this case, I did not.) Shortly thereafter, another trader contacted me, wondering if I had the "good" or "bad" 17 DVD set that was going around, so I checked mine. Lo and behold my set was worse than awful. I promptly emailed the trader I'd bestowed my crud on, and I was puzzled when he admitted that he was aware of the situation yet hadn't contacted me. I then made plans for restituation, which is only right. Usually when I don't communicate the problem DVDs the reason is because I don't want to offend the trader, for one reason or another.
	__________________ It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong. Abraham Lincoln Last edited by Agent 13; 06-25-2005 at 01:44 PM.

06-25-2005, 02:47 PM	#6
mele503 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 08, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 153	I agree with lazygrea. If the discs are corrupt or I have been bold faced lied to about the quality then it is the sender's responsibiity to make good. Myself as a trader think that if you shipped corrupt discs then you should replace those discs ASAP and move them ahead of any other trades going on. If I shipped everything on my part I do not want to wait another 2 weeks for what I should have gotten in the 1st place even though the person shipping them is not aware that they were defective. Considering how many discs were corrupt of course. I have had to replace corrupt discs on a few occasions and I always move them to 1st priority. I recently had this happen that I got an entire complete series and everyone of the discs were corrupt. I then let the sender know ASAP and even shipped them back to them so they could check themselves. They then replied to a posting on Yahoo that they were aware of the situation. Because of them not responding to emails I posted a message. They never did tell me that they would replace them so I listed them as a bad trader. Now she says her computer got fried. It is absolutely possible that may have happened. So waiting to see if they get replaced or not even though I am already getting the series from someone else in a trade so I am either way going to be ripped 9 discs. If the discs play or cannot be played but I can burn a copy to fix them then I do not say anything if it can be fixed by myself! Mel
	Last edited by mele503; 06-25-2005 at 03:05 PM.

06-25-2005, 01:47 PM	#2
lazygrae Archivist Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2003 Location: Canada, watching the grooviest gang of fuzz who ever wore a badge. Posts: 460	This sort of ties in with the question I asked about corrupt dvds. Just like when I'm making discs to send, when I receive, I run them through my player at fast forward to speed to make sure it can read all discs in their entirety. If they won't play, I will try to rip them. If it rips fine, I'm happy as I can always just re-burn it and that's not a big deal to me. But a disc that won't play or rip is just plain "bad" and I always notify the sender and ask for a replacement. So far as being disappointed about quality, this doesn't usually happen to me as I tend to ask for specific details beforehand. If it does happen, I don't usually complain but make do make a mental note and will probably just not deal with that person again. If they email me to ask if I got them and what I thought, I will tell them, but I do not instigate a complaint. I figure if I jump into something without asking for details first, or doing a small sample trade first, then I passed on my responsibility to ensure I am getting what I think I'm getting.

06-25-2005, 02:19 PM	#4
lazygrae Archivist Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2003 Location: Canada, watching the grooviest gang of fuzz who ever wore a badge. Posts: 460	I guess I just don't really consider it a "problem". As has been recently discussed here, most people prefer to use an objective, or opinion-orientated, grading system. If someone's opinion is different than mine, that's not a problem, it's just the way life is. If I didn't clarify it beforehand by asking, getting a screen capture or just doing a sample trade, then I take the responsibility and consider the mistake mine. Therefore, any perceived problem is with me, not the sender, leaving nothing worth expressing to the sender. I do consider bad, ie. uplayable and unrippable, discs a problem, and the sender's responsibility, so I do always relate that to the sender. I suppose if I ever got something of terrible quality that was advertised as great, in other words, if I was blatantly lied to, I would complain. But it's never happened to me that I can recall.

06-25-2005, 02:37 PM	#5
Agent 13 Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 02, 2003 Location: Good ol' USA Posts: 1,510	Maybe I should have clarified my poll. I don't mean bad QUALITY discs. Just bad discs (pixalizations making them unwatchable). I can see that you wouldn't have some of the problems that I have had because you're a pristine quality trader ONLY for the most part, whereas I am not.

06-25-2005, 04:35 PM	#9
lazygrae Archivist Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2003 Location: Canada, watching the grooviest gang of fuzz who ever wore a badge. Posts: 460	I guess I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about when you say "bad pixelation". To me, there's 2 kinds of bad pixelation: 1. the kind you get when you use low quality recording modes and the picture is "blocky", especially during fast-moving scenes. 2. the kind you get when the disc itself (or rather, the dye on the disc) is weak and picture "breaks up", so to speak. If you mean the former, that's just quality and nothing you can do about that. If you mean the latter, then I can only speak for myself, but I have had 100% success in alleviating that problem by simply ripping the disc and re-burning to a brand I know my player likes. Hope that clarifies/helps.

06-26-2005, 12:43 AM	#10
nannyfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 11, 2003 Location: USA Posts: 342	I'm not real picky about quality - especially for shows that are hard to find. I'm have a 17-dvd hogan's heroes set and there is some pixelation - but, after reading through this post - I'm wondering if there is another set floating around that is better quality than mine?? I do expect traders to replace corrupt discs - unfortunately, not all will do that these days. Some are under the impression that if the discs play - then the disc is "good" even if the disc will not copy. I received a bad disc in a trade, and the trader sent a replacement - and while it appears to play - I can't copy it - at least not without errors and passing on the bad disc to others - which, I refuse to do. If anybody has the 10-dvd set of McHale's Navy - I need #5

06-26-2005, 12:49 AM	#11
Agent 13 Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 02, 2003 Location: Good ol' USA Posts: 1,510	Nannyfan, I replaced the 17 DVD Hogan's Heroes set with a much better quality 10 DVD set of Hogan's Heroes, with no pixelization. I know some would roll their eyeballs on that one, but it's true. I hope he doesn't mind my telling you, but I got my set from cptndunsal.

06-26-2005, 01:05 AM	#12
nannyfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 11, 2003 Location: USA Posts: 342	Thanks! I'll check into that!

06-26-2005, 07:21 AM	#13
falc04 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 12, 2004 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 161	I recently received the entire set of Adam-12 DVDs. While the 1st season shows are outstanding, the quality of the shows drops off considerably after that. The picture is softer, and the volume drops off to the point where I almost have to turn up my stereo to the max. Now the shows are still in a watchable condition, but the trader had these listed as a 9/10 quality. It's possible that they only watched some episodes from the 1st season, and posted their rating, based on that (which is understandable). It almost appears the 1st season was recorded from a digital feed, while the following shows were copied from a VHS source. As for the poll, I voted "sometimes". In this case, I don't think it's warranted to contact the trader, as the shows are watchable, but not really in that great a condition. I did have a previous trade, and the first set of DVDs I received did not play at all. I contacted the trader, and he made good on replacing all the bad DVDs.