I've found a great resource for detecting bootlegs. What I do is take the DVD in question, or a print out of a picture of the DVD, and I test it at this website. Just hold the disc or the print out in the test area and then hit calibrate. The site is designed for mammograms, but it works with DVDs. The best part is that it is never wrong.

I got another one today off of Half.com this time. It had been ordered about two weeks before I started getting the bootlegs. This time it did not have the same cover art that you see in any of the stores or on the Half.com site. In addition it had the dreaded DTS-9 on the artwork and on the DVD itself. I put it in the computer this time after it failed to play in my DVD. The menu on the side shows the titles of the DVD you play. In this case, it comes up with "unrecognized" or something like that. I am done with DVDs on Ebay and Half.com. The funny thing is that up to this last month I have never had a problem with either site. Oh well.

I much prefer Amazon as a (very small-time) seller - I can't compete with all the import and bootleg sellers who list at half, and people are willing to pay more at Amazon where they are protected from fraud by Amazon's A-Z guarantee and the ability to use credit cards, which allow them to charge back if all else fails.

Do you think this copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is bootleg?

It is in a Keepcase, and has DTS...


...Oh, did I mention it was rated 'R' for violence, sensuality, and some drug use???

That's Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stoned.