Strange Information

**Movie Junkie** · May 18, 2006

I've just received a 2 disc set (Marlene Dietrich: The Glamour Collection). The set is supposed to consist of a double-sided disc 1 and a single-sided disc 2 (see here).

It appeared to me that disc 2 was a double-sided disc so I flipped it over and attempted to play it. It wouldn't play so I put it into my computer to see what it was. Here is what I found:

1. The disc has no label and is 4.01GB in size.

2. It contains 5 files all of them are the same size (842,461KB) the only difference being the creation and modified time.

3. The files all have the same name except for the file extension. The name is RANDUM.000 through RANDUM.004.

I realize that the extension could be one of a number of things, a DoubleSpace Compressed File, for example, but I am wondering why the heck they are on the disc when there shouldn't be anything there.

Does anyone have any thoughts about this?

If LUK says it is OK I will gladly upload one of the files but I am hesitant to do this because I'm not sure of what it is, plus the size of it. In addition to those concerns there is also the concern that it is coming from a commerical disc.

**LIGHTNING UK!** · May 18, 2006

Well they don't look like anything special so just open them in a hex editor and see what they contain. It could just be 4GB worth of 0's!

Pain_Man · May 18, 2006

Personally, I'd return it for a replacement. If you get the same goofiness, then you might contact who ever made the set.

Seems that DVD goofiness it going around.

That's just plain... :blink:

I've just received a 2 disc set (Marlene Dietrich: The Glamour Collection). The set is supposed to consist of a double-sided disc 1 and a single-sided disc 2 (see here).

It appeared to me that disc 2 was a double-sided disc so I flipped it over and attempted to play it. It wouldn't play so I put it into my computer to see what it was. Here is what I found:

1. The disc has no label and is 4.01GB in size.

2. It contains 5 files all of them are the same size (842,461KB) the only difference being the creation and modified time.

3. The files all have the same name except for the file extension. The name is RANDUM.000 through RANDUM.004.

I realize that the extension could be one of a number of things, a DoubleSpace Compressed File, for example, but I am wondering why the heck they are on the disc when there shouldn't be anything there.

Does anyone have any thoughts about this?

If LUK says it is OK I will gladly upload one of the files but I am hesitant to do this because I'm not sure of what it is, plus the size of it. In addition to those concerns there is also the concern that it is coming from a commerical disc.

**Movie Junkie** · May 18, 2006

Well they don't look like anything special so just open them in a hex editor and see what they contain. It could just be 4GB worth of 0's!

Good idea LUK. I didn't think about that. I do that later today and let you know what, if anything, I found. :thumbup:

**Movie Junkie** · May 18, 2006

Personally, I'd return it for a replacement. If you get the same goofiness, then you might contact who ever made the set.

Seems that DVD goofiness it going around.

That's just plain...

I can't take the set back because it was a gift (no receipt plus I don't know where it was bought). Actually, maybe I have something special here. Hell, maybe it's Bush's plan on how he was going to steal the elections.

Pain_Man · May 18, 2006

I can't take the set back because it was a gift (no receipt plus I don't know where it was bought). Actually, maybe I have something special here. Hell, maybe it's Bush's plan on how he was going to steal the elections.

that would make a difference. (I try to get gift receipts when I give one.)

And, no need to steal what you've won fair and square. It's even sweeter when your opponent's voters are too damn stupid to know how to vote. =)) =)) =)) =)) =)) =))

**dbminter** · May 18, 2006

It appears to be an incredible fucker design.

Check out the reviews on Amazon.com for some possible insight:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6ESX...?v=glance&n=130

What APPEARS to have happened was Universal used a DVD-18 in the production process for both discs, even though one was supposed to be only a DVD-5. So, Universal decided to just blank out one side of one flipper. So, it appears there are 2 flippers, but, 1 flipper has data only on one side, and that it was made this way at the factory. Notice the file names. My guess is the book standard required some data to exist on that flipper side? I don't know. Maybe the other data side wouldn't work with a blank side on the other flipper? Anyway, it's a dumb production "error" apparently. That 2nd flipper was never supposed to be one?

**polopony** · May 19, 2006

collectors item?

**Movie Junkie** · May 19, 2006

It appears to be an incredible fucker design.

Check out the reviews on Amazon.com for some possible insight:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6ESX...?v=glance&n=130

What APPEARS to have happened was Universal used a DVD-18 in the production process for both discs, even though one was supposed to be only a DVD-5. So, Universal decided to just blank out one side of one flipper. So, it appears there are 2 flippers, but, 1 flipper has data only on one side, and that it was made this way at the factory. Notice the file names. My guess is the book standard required some data to exist on that flipper side? I don't know. Maybe the other data side wouldn't work with a blank side on the other flipper? Anyway, it's a dumb production "error" apparently. That 2nd flipper was never supposed to be one?

Unless I missed it I couldn't find anything on Amazon about the screw-up.

Your explaination makes sense. Thanks db. :thumbup:

**dbminter** · May 19, 2006

I guess I have to do everything myself. :lol:

It should have been in one of the reviews listed up front on the main page.

Actually, two points:

"5 stars for films, 1 for packaging, April 26, 2006

Five films on two discs, divided this way: four films on one disc, with one film on the other."

"No worries; the prints are very good!, April 14, 2006

.

The movies are crammed on two-sided DVDs. It's mystifying why Universal saw fit to cram four titles on one double-sided DVD and one title (Golden Earrings) on one side of the other double-sided DVD (leaving a complete side with nothing on it). It seems a waste of DVD space to me;"

**Movie Junkie** · May 19, 2006

I guess I have to do everything myself.

It should have been in one of the reviews listed up front on the main page.

I guess I need to have my eyes checked. I completely missed that. Maybe it's "old-timers" disease. :blink:

Pain_Man · May 20, 2006

Minty comes up with some pretty amazing shit. :blink:

What pissed me off was when I bought the Battlestar Galactica mini-series DVD set. It was a goddamned flipper! Arrgh. In 2004 a friggin' flipper. Cheap bastards.

That's Universal for you.

When I bought the "British"* version of S1 of Battlestar Galactica the disc trays were held together by scotch tape! :angry: Needless to say, I'm not falling for that shit again.

*Which was a silly thing to call it, because a real British version would have been PAL not NTSC. What iit really was, was a no-frills episodes only set. No extras. Which I don't mind. 99.99% of extras are worthless filler anyway.

It appears to be an incredible fucker design.

Check out the reviews on Amazon.com for some possible insight:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6ESX...?v=glance&n=130

What APPEARS to have happened was Universal used a DVD-18 in the production process for both discs, even though one was supposed to be only a DVD-5. So, Universal decided to just blank out one side of one flipper. So, it appears there are 2 flippers, but, 1 flipper has data only on one side, and that it was made this way at the factory. Notice the file names. My guess is the book standard required some data to exist on that flipper side? I don't know. Maybe the other data side wouldn't work with a blank side on the other flipper? Anyway, it's a dumb production "error" apparently. That 2nd flipper was never supposed to be one?

Edited May 20, 2006 by Pain_Man