I’ve noticed this on DVDs and BluRays but also with games on any console. I’ve rented a movie and the disk is riddled with scratches and I’m sure it’s not going to read, but it somehow does. However, sometimes it hitches. But playing it back on a different DVD player presents no issues at all. What’s happening here?
In: 6
Not all of the data on a disc – audio or video – is pure content. There’s a decent amount of overhead devoted to providing error-correcting data for the player to read and fill in gaps as needed. Players can also do small amounts of interpolating (creating data to replace missing info).
[This video from the amazing Technology Connections channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAbhPeTp51s&ab_channel=TechnologyConnections) gives a ton of info on the design of the Compact Disc in general, and discusses its error-correction design elements around the seven-minute mark. It’s worth watching the whole thing, though. For video the exact numbers will be different but the error-correcting principles are the same.
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