DVD Talk Forum - Heads up, region-free New Yorkers (Kim's Video report)

DVD Talk Forum (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/)

- International DVD Talk (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/international-dvd-talk-12/)

- - Heads up, region-free New Yorkers (Kim's Video report) (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/international-dvd-talk/361352-heads-up-region-free-new-yorkers-kims-video-report.html)

Quote:

Originally posted by Bill Geiger
Well, I have the R3 Taiwan release of Sleepers. The quality, although I watched on a 27inch Sony TV, appeared very good... except for a couple instances of lip synching which happens in many a dvd anyway.

Which DVD's do you have with a time delay?? Out of the 300 I own, I had one and got rid of it.

Quote:

Originally posted by harosa
Regardless of picture quality almost always being identical, I know because I have a bunch of boots of some stuff, the issue is whether you're being told its a boot and being charged legit copy prices. For me, if I had the option of getting something of identical quality for a little cheaper and it was unavailable otherwise Id snap it up, just dont pretend like youre selling me a legit product (or doing me favor, as anyone who goes to Kims and other specialty stores know the clerks there act like) and then charge me as if it was a legit copy.

Ditto everything he just said. Regardless of the fact that they can be copied onto DVD9's or whatever, I want to know I'm getting a bootleg. Don't try and pass it off as something legit when it's not.

A buddy of mine picked up 2 copies of the Starmax Battle Royale at Kim's late last year and they were boots (no cream slipcover). I understand that Kim's may have gotten into selling bootlegs back when this stuff was very difficult to find, but selling a bootleg of a Starmax release nowadays is unconscionable. I've also found boots of Miike films and JSA at Newbury Comics (a New England chain, similar to Kim's). The thing is, they're selling them for $15 - $25. If you're paying as much for a bootleg as you would for a legit release, the studio and the filmmaker aren't the only ones being ripped off.

The reason why a lot of these boots are identical in quality is that the Chinese have DVD pressing plants pumping the bootlegs out - it's not some guy in a backroom with a DVD burner on a PC. Even though the DVDs are identical to the original, the packaging is usually the giveaway, especially when it comes to custom sleeves.

Of course, manufacturers love the cheap Chinese labor rates, then complain when Chinese bootleggers start knocking off identical copies of their products. This isn't only in the DVD world - New Balance sneakers outsourced their sneaker production to China, then when they got in a dispute with the factory owner he started pumping out counterfeit copies (after all, he was producing them legitimately shortly before) and flooded the market. This was a real blow to New Balance, who were trying to build their brand prestige to go against Nike and Reebok, and all of a sudden you could buy a pair of New Balance in Europe for $5. Interesting article on the subject:

http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/...1404961,00.asp

"In 2000, one of New Balance's manufacturers, a Chinese plant owned by Taiwanese businessman Horace Chang, made more shoes than authorized and sold them abroad. When New Balance broke off its relationship with Chang, he continued to make the shoes and Chinese authorities refused to shut him down. "

One other thing of note is that these pressed bootlegs often have crap subtitles.