Why your old Warner Bros. DVDs aren't playable anymore – and a potential fix

Physical media will never go away, right? Turns out that’s not entirely true. If you own a Warner Bros. DVD from a certain three-year period, there’s a good chance the disc no longer works — but the company is doing something about it.

Here’s what’s happening. 

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A few months ago, Chris Bumbray from joblo.com discovered that an old DVD was no longer working. He chalked it up to a problem with the player until the same thing happened a few days later. A quick online search led him to discover that almost every Warner Bros. DVD made between 2006 and 2008 is no longer playable because of disc rot.

The problem appears to be limited to DVDs and not Blu-Ray discs.

In response to Bumbray’s article, Warner Bros. issued a statement and a potential resolution. “Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is aware of potential issues affecting select DVD titles manufactured between 2006 – 2008,” the company said, adding that it was “actively working with consumers to replace defective discs.” 

Warner Bros. will replace the movie with the same title when possible. Unfortunately, many older DVDs are no longer in print because the rights have changed hands. In those cases, the company will offer to send a title “of like-value”. 

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If you have a disc that’s no longer playable, contact whv@wbd.com or this WB support page.

This problem isn’t new. People have complained about Warner Bros. DVDs on online movie-collecting forums and YouTube from DVD enthusiasts for several years. One YouTube creator did make a list of affected movies, but Warner Bros. hasn’t confirmed if this list covers every affected title. Most rotted discs are classic movies, but some modern films and television series are included.

To find a potentially affected disc, look at the back of the case. In the bottom-left or bottom-right corner, you’ll see the studio that created the DVD (look for the “WB” logo) and the year it was produced.