Error 'Scsi error - MEDIUM ERROR:UNRECOVERED READ ERROR' occurred while reading '/VIDEO_TS/VTS_05_1.VOB' at offset '428

[beatlesfan5858]

Hi all - back again. Still ripping DVDs and I've had a couple of issues like this one.

I examine the DVD before putting it in the drive, and it usually looks ok. There are light scratches and all, but nothing terrible. I always try ripping with handbrake first, because it's the fastest, and I don't have to encode *back* into an mp4 file after I've done the initial rip. However, handbrake finished this disc with errors, so I tried manually copying the video ts folder on the dvd to the computer. It had a hangup at the end and said "unable to read from source disc" so I tried make mkv, it got all the way to the end and hung up with the error listed in the title of this post.

What could the issue be? These discs don't appear damaged enough for their to be trouble reading the files from them. Is there something else I'm missing?

[Grauhaar]

Don't know what you now expect. But an "Read Error" is bad and cannot (in most cases) be solved. The software (Handbreak, MakeMKV, Copy etc.) makes all the same, it requests that the drive should read a specific sector. This works or works not.

I got a new Blu-ray, Read Error, always same place, cleaning, Read Error, try an other drive, Read Error. All on the same address. Send it back, got a new one, problem was solved. This can happend on any device/medium, Harddrive, CD, DVD, Blu-ray or whatever.

[Woodstock]

Have you tried the recommendations found here: https://makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15055

Dirty/scratched disks are problematic. "Just dirty" is usually easy to fix. "Scratched slightly" can sometimes be fixed by waxing the surface, and there is always the "grind off the scratched layer with polishing compound" method used by video rental outfits.

[beatlesfan5858]

Thanks Woodstock. Yeah, the issue must be the damage to the actual disc itself. What's your recommended "all out" way to clean it. the "last resort" clean if you will. What are some things I can do beyond wiping the disc off with warm water and a light cloth? Toothpaste?

[Woodstock]

Personally, I've used Pledge furniture polish, sprayed on, rubbed in with a CLEAN finger in circular motion until it starts to thicken, then wiped off with a clean, soft cloth. I use cotton shop rags that have never touched grease or machinery, but microfiber cloths work, too. Always work across the disc, not around it. There is a link to an article on this sort of thing towards the end of the "errors" topic mentioned earlier.

I tried using toothpaste to manually fix scratches. Chances of that working are low.

Last-ditch effort is to use a surfacing tool. They're sold for a variety of prices, from $20 to $3000 and up; search "cd resurfacing" on Amazon or Google for choices. But, if you have a neighborhood video store nearby still, they usually have a couple and someone who knows how to use it, so that may be an option for you.

[beatlesfan5858]

Alright, thanks. I'm going to pick some Pledge up tomorrow and see how it works. Do you recommend using a microfiber cloth or a finger to apply it?

[Woodstock]

I've just used my finger, but wipe it off with the cotton cloth. The main thing is to avoid adding scratches, so don't dig your fingernail in.

It's actually a variation on cleaning plexiglass aircraft windshields. You do NOT want to replace one of those because you scratched it cleaning it; the last one I bought was "only" US $500, plus installation by a certified aircraft mechanic. So soft, clean cloths with water-based cleaners.

There are "better" cleaners than Pledge out there, but none as inexpensive and available.