In the store, is there a way to know if a DVD is an orginal release or reprint?
 

I am planning on going Black Friday shopping for some DVD deals... Never been before so it should be an experience!

I know that for new release DVDs it easy to trust that what you are buying is actually a new release...
But for some of the older titles which are going to be on sale at discount prices... is there a way that you would recommend to know that it is an original release with the insert and not a re-releases or reprint without the original materials?

I have gotten used to feeling cases to check and make sure it is not an "eco case" (which is usually a bad sign)

Any other recommendations or tell tale signs to know what you are buying is an original release and not a reprint? thanks!

Re: In the store, is there a way to know if a DVD is an orginal release or reprint?
 

I'm a day late, but my original incentive to register here was buying a copy of "X-Files: Fight The Future" at K-Mart for $5, reading on the back that it should contain a "Special 8-Page Booklet" and not understanding why neither my copy nor two more that we checked at the store had the booklet. Here are some tips I've gathered since then:

1) Shake the case. At least some of the time, if there's an insert, you'll either hear it or feel it shift.

2) Shaking may also tell you something about the case, for example a 2-DVD set in an Amaray case. If there's a swing arm for the 2nd disk, you'll hear/feel the plastic arm shift. If the disks are mounted directly to the inside of the case, it will be silent. The older variety (plastic arm) is the better bet, but that's still no guarantee of an insert.

3) More elaborate cases (i.e. a case with two side clasps) will also be older, but with the same caveat.

4) Note the weight. Once I was buying DVD's at Big Lots and noticed a dramatic difference in weight between two copies of the same film. I bought the heavier one and found it was an Alpha case with a chapter insert.

5) Snapper cases (the cardboard/plastic variety) are always original, of course.

6) The more security seals on a DVD, the more likely it's an original. So a DVD with a top, bottom, and side seal is almost certainly a first printing. Orange security seals on the side are even better, which I've seen on some Paramounts. But DVD's originally released after 2010 (???) don't generally contain even one seal.

7) Bargain bin DVD's at big box stores (Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc.) are much more likely to be later pressings.

8) Promotional stickers (Movie Money, Breast Cancer Awareness, etc.) on the outside or printed cellophane (Halloween or Valentine's Day) also strong hint of a later pressing.

9) Excluding Criterion offerings or certain special releases, most inserts disappeared around 2006 (???). For certain studios, the date was more like 2002/2003.

Hope that helps!

Re: In the store, is there a way to know if a DVD is an orginal release or reprint?
 

Thanks for all the info! I think I was able to find a few deals...