Blu Ray and Label Scratches

[Elvis Starburst]

So, the internet is always full of confusing stories, posts, and the like. Lots of mis-information tossed around. Some say label based "pinholes" can mess up the laser's ability to reflect and read the data. Others say if they're not deep, it's fine. Others say it destroys data, and might not be noticeable until a very specific spot in the game. Others say it's fine. Opinions are highly mixed.

Today I came home pissed off cause my Wind Waker HD disc magically had 2 pinholes in it and the game store I wanted to trade it in to wouldn't take it. I dunno how they appeared, the disc never sat outside of the case or my Wii U. Tried my old save and a new one, game ran fine.

So, for anyone else confused on this topic, I trust you guys might have some insight! This right here is what it looks like currently. [http://imgur.com/2f3ePcJ] Those holes seem big, but it's cause my camera wouldn't focus well enough. They're no larger than the tip of an actual pin like this one [http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/files/2012/04/pin1.jpg]. Are these anywhere near sensitive spots where data is read?

Note: If this is in the wrong forum, I apologize! Slap it where it's supposed to go if such is the case.

Thoughts on the topic, anyone? Your insight might help put this sort of thing to rest.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

Well first I don't think those small pinholes would cause any damage that the ECC on-board the Wii U can't cope with. ECC basically compensates for data damage, any computing device does a metric butt ton of it, because data on any media starts to degrade. Also Wii U optical discs are a proprietary format that was developed by Panasonic for Nintendo. Blu-Ray on the other hand is a proprietary format developed by Sony. Wii U Discs have soft edges and are different in data storage from Blu-Ray.

Anyways, scratches and holes on the label side can be extremely bad, because they make sectors unreadable, but they generally have to be of a significant size. That's because the ECC that the console uses can deal with damaged data sectors pretty easy, so long as they're small. Though it does depend on where the damage is, if the damage is on the copy protection bands, then the disc will not work. On the actual game damage though, it's not as much of a problem, unless the damage is fairly significant, and goes straight through the reflective layer on the bottom of the label. Most places are just pissy about label damage of any kind, no matter how inconsequential, because they can be.

Edit: A small pin prick on a high data density disc can be a huge problem, because the data on the disc is so tiny. It was less of an issue on CDs and DVDs because of lower data density, but on Blu-Ray and Wii U discs with their really high data density, it's an issue, because sectors are so, so small.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Snip

Interesting, I had no idea Wii U discs were proprietary! I thought they moved past that sort of thing. With that in mind, based on the locations of the holes, do you think I'm in good shape?

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

Snip

Interesting, I had no idea Wii U discs were proprietary! I thought they moved past that sort of thing. With that in mind, based on the locations of the holes, do you think I'm in good shape?

Well one isn't even on a data bearing section of the disc, the other... Well if the game still seems to work it shouldn't be a problem, although it's impossible to know until/unless the game has a loading error somewhere. But said loading error could be the fault of a scratch or dusty disc, or dusty drive on the Wii U. Which means you'll have to be able to replicate the same error over and over to confirm it's because of the label damage. Said damage may have been caused by the Wii U itself, so you may wanna check other games for similar damage.

Also, Nintendo has always used strict proprietary media to ensure copy protection and that only games they approve can get onto their consoles. That will probably never change.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Snippity dippity

Thanks for the help!