I was hoping we could use Zulm experience to try and make a list of DEi discs that will eventually rot, for a couple of reasons - firstly, torrent sites are doing releases of untouched DVD9s of DEi DVDs, and secondly, we can at least try to back up those discs. I'm starting this thread because my Aandhi DVD is playing up on one of my DVD players - and I also can't back it up (I haven't tried watching the whole DVD again yet though). So, the only disc I own at the moment that definitely won't play is:

Abhay

Let me know which others to add to the list!

With the help from my zulm friends, specially zoron009, I have almost all DEI/ BEI DVDs backed up except for Abhay and Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge that are, I would say, 95% OK.

Abhay: Out of 7.73 GB orig DVD, 4.08 GB still plays OK and I backed it up (main feature; no menus) recently (it took 3 days to go thru the rotten layer # 2 to get the DVD identifying files for disc # 1). Before that I had a back up copy on 2 discs (partition was not the same) and both had problems. So, using my new disc # 1 and old disc # 2 (some overlap) disc # 1 (99 min) plays OK and the last 3.29 GB on disc # 2 (78 min plus 16 min overlap), one has to go back and forth at 3-4 places to catch all feature (may be 1-2 min unwatchable). I'll be copying this combo and sending to my zulm friends, who asked for it and are patiently waiting for it, in May.

Tumko Na Bhool Paayengay: One of the discs that did work for me was almost OK but did not have anamorphic flags. Farookhbhai repaired it and re-introduced anam flags. Most likely the source copy was a false replication but total bit size was the same as original. Audio Video after the fix up, it's almost the same as original.

Another one, Himmatwala, I found to my surprise has rotten too but have backup somewhere. Have to look for it. It's not a big deal as DEI Himmatwala was not Progressive and Gulzz has posted a better version screen shots.

Bees Saal Baad.
Hum Saath Saath Hai-double disc
Umrao Jaan
Kohinoor

I had more but threw them out.

Are we getting our money back??? ;(

I would rather have the movies on better disc. I am confident that they can

I don't think even if those masters exist?
If they do, Chandna shall have good copies

schandna already checked and replied me that even his Abhay copy does not work in the 2nd layer.

As far as, currently available and also that have been avail long after DEI & BEI demise, are not official DEI, BEI DVDs. They are just replicated by DEI/ BEI past agents or public domain reproductions. They may or may not be working copies, they may or may not be original encodings. Many DEI/ BEI discs are turning up compressed copies.

I just checked my copy of Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai DEI/Tiptop turns out its very bad quality; I bought it brand new recently as well and that was the first time I played it, was surprised it wasn't the same as the screenshots posted on this forum

Also I happened to find a site that still sells DEI DVDs some quite expensive don't think they'd be worth much if their print has degraded?

http://kohinoor.ecrater.co.uk/c/135026904/dei-release

I bought a few including Kudrat which played all the way to the end; this was long after the demise of DEI/BEI so I am thinking the ones I bought are PIRATED copies

I shall a lot of original gold media DEI that I shall be looking to part with!

This post should have been in DEI-Abhay thread. Copying it there for further replies/ discussion:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6327&hilit=abhay&start=30



ABHAY is a 178 min film. DEI DVD was the same run time, (no 4% speed up).

Finally, sorted out the best combo from my backed-up/ recovered versions. The best I could do was:

Disc 1:
No Menus, Main Feature only, 99:15 min. Plays all OK except for a minor glitch at near 89:29 min mark (Ch 16). This spot is OK in disc 2 where Ch 16 is repeated.

Disc 2:

It's 94 min of which 16 min is repeated Ch 16. (78 min)

First Problem Spot:
During Ch 19, at 50:53, play freezes real bad. (Ch 19 ends at 53:38). This is very important segment in the plot and hence must put an effort to catch this portion till the end of this Ch 19. Going to Ch 20 or Ch 21 and scanning back at high speed to 51:00 mark did not work in my player. What did work was going to Ch 19 start and scan forward at high speed to 51:00 mark. There are hiccups (pixelating, sound cutting etc) in this 2-3 min segment, but this is an important segment, so try catching this.

Second Problem Spot:
Freezes at 63:10 (Ch 20) and is problematic even at Ch 21 start (64:20). OK from 65:00 onwards.
(You may skip 63:10 till 65:00 or if you want to catch this portion, you have to go back and forth 2 times.
Go back to Ch 20 start and then scan forward at high speed to 63:35. It'll get stuck again near 64:30 mark)
To resume from 65:00 mark, go to Ch 22 and scan back at high speed to 65:00 mark.

Third Problem Spot:
Ch 24 starts at 82 min mark, freezes at 86:00. To resume, Go back to start of Ch 24 (82 min mark) and scan forward at high speed to 86:30 mark. Or go to next Ch and scan back to 86:30.

(All in all, I was able to watch all the DEI Orig Code except for a total of 20 - 30 sec.
133-34 min problem free and the remaining 44 min problematic but playable)

-------------------------------------------------
In order to find an optimal orig code DEI encoding, I got to see this film multiple times, at regular speed. The film is masterpiece and DEI encoding is equally good. Film sure is Hollywood standard Pscho-Thriller, great special effects, killer aggressive directional audio. Kill Bill Director has all praise for this film and he copied idea from this film (using animation cartoons to show extreme violence).

I had bought some DEI disc from Indiaplaza.com and they were not the silver ones. Pukar and Namak Halaal and were a little more expensive than elsewhere. Fortunately they still are not freezing. So my theory is that somehere along the line compromise was made to manufacture very good recordings on CHEAP DISCS
Also got Nastik and Mere Huzoor.
I watched Mere Huzoor last night and enjoyed it very much.
It is very unfortunate that companies only get the rights on the dvd for a few years..