DVD bootlegs, how does one know?
 

I recently had one of my few posts censored because the DVD I linked to was considered by a moderator to be a bootleg. But, how does one know what titles are bootlegs and what are legit releases? Have you been burned buying bootlegs from online retailers?

AIFOL always,
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...oad/iioh18.jpg

http://reviews.ebay.com/How-To-BECOM...00000000954388

-popcorn-

Also, TV series box sets with huge amount of episodes for a ridicilously low price are most likely bootlegs too.

I love some of the discs I have seen where its from one studio but the copywrite or other writings are from a completely different studio. Plus the disc is mighty cheap looking. Another good thing to keep an eye out for is wrong descriptions or pictures from other films. Some boots have pictures from a different sequel on the back.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...rsbootdisc.jpg
Fox disc w/ Universal Studio copywrite.

On eBay, if the seller is from China, they're usually bootlegs. Also look out for grammatical and spelling errors.

I once won on a copy of Au Hasard Balthazar on eBay that turned out to be a DVD-R. My first clue was the slightly fuzzy cover art.

Huge DTS and/or DVD-9 banners plastered all over the cover.

If you bought your DVD from Ebay - there is always a chance that it'll be a bootleg. Simple enough.

Ironically, it's "copyright" and not "copywrite". ;)

I would recommend being wary of these companies:
Archives of Studio Ghibli
Blax
Red Sun
Spazmondo
Unit World Movie

Ridiculously high priced sets also, and if the description includes the phrase "no commercials". :)

Other things: If region 0. Look to see if movie has actually ever been released. There are a lot of R2 PAL dvds that have never been released in R1 bootlegged as region 0.

If it's Out Of Print and being sold on e-Bay you can be 95%+ positive it's a bootleg.

Exactly! :)

because the variations in boots are always going to be far greater, the best way to know if it is one or not is to be aware (or find out about) official releases relating to that film (series) etc, because there will always be fewer variations there.

I recently bought A Bronx Tale cause mine was ruined due to scratches. So when i got home i opened it up and the disc itself looked a little weird to me (keep in mind the packaging was exactly the same and even had the security seals on it). So i thought that was a little weird and didn't pay attention to it since the dvd looked identical to the other one that i have. So a few days later i threw on the dvd to watch it and i noticed the quality of the movie looked weird so i threw in my other dvd in my computer dvd drive and it was like 6 gigs and then i threw in the new dvd i had just bought and there u go under 4.30 gigs! A BOOTLEG! It's really messed up how good these fake dvd's are getting!

The bootleggers seems to favour DTS.All bootleg copies feature the DTS format as mentioned by matome on their covers

I bought The lord of the rings Trilogy(longer version) from Ebay. Thought I hit the jackpot, cost me 20 dollars. When i got the pack The cover was diffrent and upc code match with 80's Pretty in pink. But the trilogy was real with dts and pic quality was amazing.

Region 0 doesn't automatically mean bootleg. There are quite a few legit DVDs that are region 0 NTSC that are imported into the States. You just have to research and use sites such as dvdcompare.net to see if it is indeed a legit R0 release.

The only way there is that chance is if you don't know how to spot them. I have bought hundreds of DVDs off of Ebay, including many out-of-print and otherwise impossible to find discs, and I haven't bought a bootleg yet.

Or, let me put it this way: if there were any bootlegs in the bunch, they were such good bootlegs that they were indetectable. And, at that point, who cares?

Simply post a link to it here at DVDTalk and when a Mod shuts you down, you'll know it's a bootleg.

:clap:
When I buy on ebay I always read the description carefully. Usually when buyer says on his page he doesn't sell bootlegs you can be 90% sure he really doesn't. Anyway the more info he has on a DVD he's selling the better. When I see some page that says: "title", R2, widescreen, director, actors - and that's all... I never try to deal with this. Look for detailed descriptions and clear pictures of the item. Better when it's a picture of the DVD itself on someone's sofa than a cover downloaded from the net. This way you can receive something else than the one you were buying.

Re: Bootlegs
 

Well, let me try once more. Has anyone ever bought a DVD from RareLicensedDVDs.com? I have seen a few DVDs from there that are quite appealing. A mod deleted a link to a DVD there on suspicion of it being a bootleg. I am not linking DVDs there now, and I am a little hazy on the rules as to this. I am only seeking information about DVDs. How else can I know without asking?

*censorship is the assassination of an idea*
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...oad/iioh18.jpg

Re: Bootlegs
 

Well, let me try once more. Has anyone ever bought a DVD from RareLicensedDVDs.com? I have seen a few DVDs from there that are quite appealing. A mod deleted a link to a DVD there on suspicion of it being a bootleg. I am not linking DVDs there now, and I am a little hazy on the rules as to this. I am only seeking information about DVDs. How else can I know without asking?

*censorship is the assassination of an idea*
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...oad/iioh18.jpg

they could still sell a mix of official and boot discs - there's a picture on the front page at that site for severins R1 (issued about now) of 'laure' for example - but it doesnt mean problem solved as far as how legit the entire contents of a site is, as is often the case... ebay, amazon etc.

Read descriptions carefully on ebay and anytime you decide to buy a DVD online, even send a question to get a straight answer if the DVD is authentic and from the USA or it's native country of origin. Watch out for DTS logos on the front that really stand out, DVD-9 logos, old out of date DVD logos, chinese or Asian wording, misspelled words, wrong leading actor on the DVD cover, and what format the DVD is in, if it's in Full Screen it could even be a cable broadcast or sourced from VHS or an LD. I always do my homework online before buying a DVD to make sure I am buying something legit. Same applys in real life when you buy them used, just use caution and always ask questions. If something stands out as being odd about it, chances are it is.