How do scratches on a disc affect playback?
An optical disc functions under the principal of a laser light being shined onto the reflective surface on the “read” (bottom) side of the disc and returned to a sensor to interpret the information. A scratch in the protective polycarbonate layer of the disc will alter the path of reflective properties of the laser beam. If the scratch is big enough, the beam is not returned to the player properly, and a skip or blackout occurs and the disc now has playback problems.
An optical disc functions under the principal of a laser light being shined onto the reflective surface on the ‘read’ side of the disc and returned to a sensor to interpret the information. A scratch in the protective polycarbonate layer of the disc will alter the path of reflective properties of the laser beam. If the scratch is big enough, the beam is not returned to the player properly, and a skip or blackout occurs and the disc now has playback problems.
