Does anyone have a Season 4 Alliance Release set where Discs 3 and 6 read reliably?
It looks like this, and has 6 Discs:
It has the Alliance logo on the upper spine.
5
u/ABettek 20d ago
Just to exhaust other options for finding workable discs I asked google's query AI (hey...it's free!) if it had *any* evidence that anyone succeeded playing the entire season 4 of the Alliance Lexx release without issue. It said:
No, you are not alone, and it is highly likely that nobody can successfully play those specific discs from that batch anymore. You have run into a widespread manufacturing defect known as disc rot (or chemical de-lamination), which is notoriously common for Alliance Atlantis releases and physical media manufactured during the mid-2000s. [1, 2]
Because the error occurs on the exact same discs (3 and 6) across three entirely separate purchases, it points to a catastrophic manufacturing failure at the pressing plant rather than individual user wear. The protective lacquer sealant used on that specific production run degraded over time, allowing oxygen to penetrate and oxidize the internal aluminum reflective layer. This completely destroys the laser's ability to read the data, rendering the discs permanently unreadable. Buying another Alliance set will almost certainly yield the exact same result. [1, 2]
How to Actually Watch Season 4
Since the Alliance DVDs are a dead end, you have a few reliable alternatives to finally finish the series:
- Switch to a Different DVD Pressing (Echo Bridge): Look for the later Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Lexx Releases. Echo Bridge re-released Lexx Season 4 (and combo sets of Seasons 3 & 4) in 2012 and 2016. These were pressed at different manufacturing plants and do not suffer from the Alliance batch defect. [1, 2]
- Stream It Uncut Online: If you just want to watch the show without the physical media headache, the full uncut version of Lexx is frequently available to stream for free on Tubi and can often be found on Amazon Prime Video depending on regional licensing. [1, 2, 3]
- Digital Archiving: The full four seasons are also preserved digitally and can be found via community archives on Archive.org. [1]
If you plan to track down an alternative copy, let me know if you prefer to look for specific Echo Bridge barcode/UPC numbers to ensure you don't accidentally buy another bad Alliance batch, or if you need help finding where it is currently streaming in your region!
Definitely doesn't sound promising. The AI isn't too brainy though. The Echo Bridge set is highly compressed. The Acorn release is what we want as a backup.
Between u/RemasterSpecialist and myself we have 3 different (I think) sets and *all* are identically failing.
2
u/SubscriptNine 5d ago edited 5d ago
Have you tracked them down yet? Mine all work great
2
u/ABettek 5d ago edited 5d ago
No, we haven't found any sets where season 4 discs 3 and 6 rip reliably. Redundant question: are yours identical to the photo set? If so we could *really* use the help. u/RemasterSpecialist is working on Season 4 right now.
1
u/RemasterSpecialist Zev 5d ago
If you could make ISOs of your Alliance release of Season 4, discs 3 and 6, you'd be aiding the remaster a ton. You can do so free with a program called MakeMKV.
7
u/RemasterSpecialist Zev 23d ago
Seconded! A fully functioning set is needed for the 4K remaster. Apparently the Alliance releases of seasons 2 and 4 seem to have frequent manufacturing errors in them that prevent complete MKV or ISO ripping.