Possible Packaging Defect: 4K Disc Scratched by Shared Hub – Avatar: Fire and Ash (Standard 3-Disc Collector's Edition)
I want to flag a pattern I've found across four separate copies of the standard (non-Steelbook) 3-Disc Collector's Edition of Avatar: Fire and Ash, in case it helps other collectors avoid wasted returns/exchanges.
**The issue:**
In this edition's packaging, the 4K UHD disc and the standard Blu-ray disc are stacked on a single shared hub in the case (one disc sits directly on top of the other on the same spindle, rather than each disc having its own hub).
**What happened:**
- Copies 1–3: The 4K UHD disc was on top of the stack (Blu-ray underneath). All three discs failed to fully back up in MakeMKV, each failing to backup 2 or 3 different files due to read errors. On close inspection under bright light, all three 4K discs had faint arc-shaped (circular, concentric with the disc center) scratches — not radial scratches. Arc/concentric scratches are the signature you'd expect from two discs making rotational contact against each other, as opposed to scratches from sliding across a flat surface.
- Copy 4: This time the standard Blu-ray was on top and the 4K disc was on the bottom — the reverse orientation from the first three. This disc backed up completely in MakeMKV with zero read errors.
This is obviously a small sample size, but the consistency of the failure mode (always the 4K disc, never the Blu-ray, always when the 4K disc was on top) combined with the visible scratch pattern matching the expected geometry of hub contact makes a packaging/orientation defect a strong candidate — more likely than four random instances of "bad pressing."
**My theory:** if the case hub doesn't hold the top disc firmly enough, shipping vibration/handling lets the top disc rotate slightly against the disc directly beneath it, scratching the data-facing surface. The 4K disc seems to be the one taking the damage in this particular packaging, likely because of which position it ships in.
**If you're having backup/playback issues with this release:**
1. Check which disc is on top in your case before assuming a bad pressing.
2. Hold the 4K disc up to a bright light at an angle and look for faint circular/arc scratches near the data area.
3. If you see this pattern, it may be worth contacting the retailer specifically about the packaging rather than just swapping for another copy that could have the same orientation defect.
I don't have the three bad copies anymore (returned each one in succession before realizing the pattern), so I can't post photos, but wanted to get this documented in case others are running into the same thing. If anyone else has had repeated issues with this specific edition, curious whether your disc orientation matches what I'm describing.