Sean writes:

Iron Man was released [this week] on DVD and Blu-Ray and there is much ire in the Blu-Ray community regarding the BD-Live aspects of the disc. When the disc is first booted the disc loads some information from the internet and begins an auto download. This load is taking anywhere from 2 minutes to over 45 minutes.

Last night I struggled for over an hour and half trying to get the disc to play, but all I could get was an "Iron Man" heart on my screen that did nothing but flash. I finally consulted the internet and found some advice on a few forums stating that I needed to change the BD-Live function of my player from Auto to Confirm; then to reload the disc and not allow the BD-Live functionality.

There is no warning on the disc that this initial load could take 30+ minutes to load. And what does this time intensive application do? It loads an interactive quiz that viewers may take during the movie. This should be something that is offered after watching the movie for the first time from the menu, not during initial start up.

I wonder how many consumers are taking the discs back to the retailer thinking the disc is broken or defective, only to get home and see the same thing again.

A post on Consumerist could go a long way towards educating the public on another "wonderful" marketing idea.

Done! Change the BD-Live setting on your player from Auto to Confirm so you're not forced to deal with future auto-connect Blu-ray "features."

I just got "The Rules Of Attraction" from Netflix and it's a screener disc. As a matter of fact, 3 or 4 times through the movie, 5-10 minute sections of the movie have "This is the property of Lion's Gate Films, This disc is not to be sold or rented". Interestingly, it was a 2 sided DVD and when I watched the 2nd side, it was a test pattern. No extras, no subtitles, no language options. Just the movie with legal disclaimers overlaid throughout.

While that's certainly not an appropriate disc to be mailing out, we have no way of knowing how it entered the Netflix supply chain—it's possible that a previous customer switched out the discs at some point, or that a supplier accidentally included it. We think you should contact Netflix and report the issue so they can remove the disc from circulation and send you a proper copy of the movie.

You can find Netflix's phone number under the "Help" section—in the lower right corner of the page, under "Contact Customer Service," click on "Website Questions and Inquiries." You'll be given a customer ID number along with the phone number to call.

(Photo: Getty)

Someone in Microsoft's fulfillment department needs to make a note that "Version Français" means, like, "this game is in French" or something:

My boyfriend bought Mass Effect for his Xbox 360, but within a month it was clear there was something wrong with the disc (frequent disc read errors occurred).  Microsoft readily agreed to replace it, but every replacement they have sent has been in French.  I’m writing to you 5 months and 4 French discs later!

At the beginning of January my boyfriend returned his faulty English version.  Over the next month and a half he made 4 calls to Microsoft, where the status of his replacement oscillated between “It’s in the mail” to “have you sent the original yet?”  His replacement finally arrived late February.  He popped it in the Xbox and was all ready to play, but all the text seemed to be in French.  Confused, he grabbed the case and found a green oval on the front that said, “Version Française.”

He phoned Microsoft and explained that he needed an English disc to replace the English disc he returned.  They assured him that wouldn’t be a problem.  The second replacement arrived quickly, but was also in French.

He phoned Miscrosoft again.  They apologized and assured him that a specific note was in his file saying all replacements should be in English and the 3rd replacement would definitely be in English.

In April a 3rd replacement arrives.  The case is damaged… and it’s also in French.

He phoned Microsoft.  Again.  They phoned back 3 or 4 times to say they were so sorry and that his issue would be escalated.  Then someone phoned saying she was the manager and was on top of the situation.  On May 11 they phoned to say the English replacement was on its way and should arrive in 3-5 days.  On May 12 a package from Microsoft arrived.  Inside: Mass Effect, Version Française.

I’ve attached a photo of our 4 French versions of Mass Effect.  Despite escalating the complaint and involving a manager, Microsoft still sent a French disc.   At this point we’re wondering if we’ll see an English version by mid-June, the half year anniversary of when he last got to play Mass Effect.  My boyfriend may be moving soon so it’s important they get an English version in the mail.  Any suggestions?

P.s. Anyone want a French copy of Mass Effect?

Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform. But Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony have all been selling standalone Blu-ray players to customers.

When asked why current players were released to the market when in such a primitive state, manufacturers blamed the release of HD DVD and said it forced them to come to market too soon. "We should have waited another year to introduce Blu-ray to the public, but the format war changed the situation." Okay, well how about we just don't buy any Blu-ray players for a while (not counting the PS3) until you guys decide to get your act together?

"Blu-ray: Early adopters knew what they were getting into" [BetaNews]

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(Photo: Getty)