Oh my double sided discs were a nightmare. Brand new from the pack they would pause and sputter in the middle of a scene as if they were years old and used as coasters.
You're not the only one who's had problems to that end-- a long time ago, I got the original double-sided all-in-one of
Wonder Woman (70s ABC/CBS adventure series that was Lynda Carter's signature role), and it was one of three possibilities: I couldn't get the menu up, I couldn't get an episode to go, or if I did get one to go, it would sputter and stop.
Fortunately, much later, I got the single-sided version of
Wonder Woman, and (albeit singles can stop just as much as doubles) I have had no such problems (I finished the third and final go [second and final CBS season], and still have the ABC WWII season [first] and first CBS season [second] to go).