How to Tell if Your Dvd is Fake/Bootleg or Is This Dvd Real?

[Key]

I saw the scans of the DVD before you/someone took it down and yes, those are real.

[ThiagoPE]

For the region issue, you just need to read my siggy.

[saving107]

I saw the scans of the DVD before you/someone took it down and yes, those are real.

i took the pictures down myself. i needed the webspace to upload family pictures that i have taken.

once again, glad to know i have an authentic Toy Story DVD, non of my DVD i own are Bootleg, and i didn't want to start now.

[yanya]

I just bought Lady and the Tramp on eBay, and was wondering what I should look for when it arrives. Mentioned in the listing was that it is Region 1, factory sealed w/ Buena Vista stamp and Security Seals. It looks authentic to me, but is there anything I should watch out for?

I made sure to stay away from the $5 copies coming from Singapore and Malaysia to start with. Seller has no bad feedback, and in some of his other listings goes so far as to show differences between Bootlegs and Official DVDs.

I heard something about Bootleggers not being able to make Region 1 DVDs, so how would I check that out when it gets here? I have a US PS2 and a JPS2, so would it be safe to assume that if it doesn't play in my JPS2 that it's official?

[deathie mouse]

I'm no bootleg expert so i can't tell you but by the descriptions sounds ok...

about the Japanese PS2, have you tried other Disney R1 disc there (or any other R1) and it doesn't play? Then when you got your Lady and the Tramp if it didnt play at least you'd know it's not R2 or R0

the DVD card software i used to play DVDs with on my computer before, told me what region the disc was coded into, i'm sure there's other software that may have a similar feature too.

There's been a couple threads describing how to recognize legitimate issues, you could search for "bootleg" or "authenticity" as topic title keywords..

[saving107]

i just also bought the LADY AND THE TRAMP on dvd from ebay, it arrived last week.

i felt i would have more of a chance of the DVD being real if i bought a used dvd, a person that says they have an authentic Disney DVD is obiously selling the movie for money, and more buyers will pay anywhere from $30 and +. i only paid $15 for my used copy, and it plays just fine.


O.K., answer to your querstion.

yes it is true that bootlegers can not make Region 1 movies, so if your computer has a DVD player, put in the movie, play it using the DVD Player on your computer, during the movie either right click on the movie and look for an option Properties, under properties look for something that says something like Information, under information is should say somewhere Region 1 and 4 (1 & 4 are suppose to be there)

i am on my way out, be back later to explain better if you could find out to do it.

[deathie mouse]

I'm sure bootleggers can make DVDs region coded if they really wanted to, but i think it serves their interests to make them usually R0 so they play anywhere.

[Disney Guru]

I don't know, it sounds kinda like a bootleg but maby it isn't. Sorry I couldn't help you more

[yanya]

There's been a couple threads describing how to recognize legitimate issues, you could search for "bootleg" or "authenticity" as topic title keywords..

I do so love to beat them dead horses. =P

Moving on, I checked with Dumbo on my JPS2...no go due to regional restrictions. I then went on to check Dumbo using the PC's DVD Player. Region 1...or so it says at least. So when Lady and the Tramp arrives I should be able to more or less determine its' authenticity. (I hope!)

I just couldn't wait til March for the Platinum Edition, though I'm sure I'll pick it up as well...I'm weak...

[Isidour]

Hi:

a very easy one: If you haven´t notice, most of the bootlegs have the "chinesse subs" stuff, ask the seller for the languages including the English and a photo of the DVD menu.

It´s not a very easy one, but it might save your money

[deathie mouse]

more reloaded posts:
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yanya
Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 20
Location: Texas
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 8:47 pm

Update:

My copy of Lady and the Tramp arrived today. I immediately opened the package and turned on my Japanese Playstation 2. No go due to Regional Restrictions!

This makes me feel so happy inside.

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Isidour
Joined: 16 Aug 2004
Posts: 328
Location: Guadalajara Jalisco México
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:03 pm

hi:

that's nice,and luckly your DVD isn't a bootleg

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Key
Joined: 22 Nov 2004
Posts: 473
Location: at the Glendale Galleria, being a mallrat
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:10 pm

Update:

My copy of Lady and the Tramp arrived today. I immediately opened the package and turned on my Japanese Playstation 2. No go due to Regional Restrictions!

This makes me feel so happy inside.

Yay, good for you. Nice to know that not everyone gets ripped off when buying Limited Issues/OOP CEs on eBay.

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yanya
Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 20
Location: Texas
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:12 pm


Good thing to! I would have been very disappointed had I paid $50 for a bootleg. This should hold me over until next year's Platinum Edition.

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MadonnasManOne
Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Posts: 24
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:16 pm


I can tell you that I bought The Little Mermaid off of E-bay. It was stated as a used copy. Well, guess what? It was a bootleg. Although the disc plays in my DVD player, and it works just fine, the packaging had spelling errors, and did
not look exactly like the packaging of the DVD I found at a local video rental store.

I ended up finding a lady on E-bay (seller name: k_melody), who explained to me the differences in bootleg DVD's, and the real thing. Needless to say, she confirmed that my The Little Mermaid was a fake (an almost perfect one, but a
fake nonetheless). Anyway, she sold me The Little Mermaid, Lady and The Tramp, 101 Dalmations, and The Jungle Book for a good price, and they were all factory sealed, Region 1, and had the Buena Vista logo stamped on the shrink wrap. I won't go into details, but this woman and her husband are truck drivers, and she has found alot of great stuff. So, if you ever want to buy from a reliable, reasonably priced seller, check her out.

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yanya
Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 20
Location: Texas
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:23 pm

Thanks for the tip. Sorry to hear that you ended up with a bootleg Mermaid.
But in the end you found somebody you can trust! That's the important thing.
_________________
Currently awaiting my tax refund, rather impatiently might I add.

[gulforange]

I just received the Sleeping Beauty dvd. It says 2003 release,for sale in U.S.A.only,Disney DVD,Special Edition but not on the top of the front art cover,what it says there is(dts DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND),other than that the cover looks like it should. It only has one disc and no insert or slip cover.It has one viewing options: fullscreen and widescreen. Under technical specifications:all-new state-of-the-art digital picture and sound,interactive menus,scene selection DTS,5.1 dolby digital surround sound,ac3 2.0 dolby digital,thx-certified,english,chinese,malayand thai subtitles. What is this dvd? Is it a bootleg or what? please help Should I send it back? (bought on ebay)

[Barty]

yes it's a bootleg.

[Jayden]

It doesn't sound good, the Sleeping Beauty 2003 release was a 2-disc special edition with only a DD-5.1 track, no DTS. If this is indeed a USA release, it's definetely a bootleg. On top of this it came with inserts and no Asian subtitles (only French and Spanish). It's almost certainly a bootleg, do what you will with it. Chances are, if the seller knows it's a bootleg, more than likely he won't take it back and you'll be stuck with it. If you attempt to go to court over it, you'll probably be hit with a Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) (Unless it explicity stated it was official, in which case you would have a good case for Misrepresentation) because of the nature of Ebay, and wouldn't be able to recover anything. In any case, hold ALL corespondance with the seller, and save the ebay page for evidence if you wish to

[Sailor Eric]

Maybe it's a bootleg. Mine comes with the common cardboard box that opens and has info on the features, the top of the cover says 2-disc set, it says Special Edition under the title, it has a booklet inside, and has 2 dvds. There are no Thai, Chinese, Malay subtitles. Maybe it's a Taiwanese/Chinese/Asian DVD release. I know that for anime titles there are many dvd's like that, and are from Taiwan or China; nobody really knows if they are bootlegs or official over there, but they do look official, and some of them have 'stolen' artwork and exact video+audio+subtitles from other dvd releases of other countries.

[Jayden]

Maybe it's a Taiwanese/Chinese/Asian DVD release.

It's stated on the back (apparently) as "For sale in U.S.A. only" which means that it has to be a U.S.A. release. U.S.A. releases don't come with Asian subtitles (for the most part) because there is only a small market and the addition of these subtitles would not increase sales substantially in the Canadian/USA/Mexico market. The inclusion of these subtitles on a Disney movie (Which no other Disney has at all) just goes to prove that it is indeed a bootleg

[Ciaobelli]

Sorry dude, its a boot.
Do what Jayden says and hopefully you will get your money back. Let us know how it goes.

[Key]

Good luck with the refund!

I've seen several bootleg Disney DVDs on eBay that have that "DTS Surround Sound" tag on it. Be very careful of those.

[akhenaten]

its a bootleg on circulation in Malaysia and most south east asian countries. Sometimes they'd go to the extent of making the slipcovers as well..but u can always tell by the print quality that's bad.they usually copy from the region 1 dvds but adds the chinese and malay subtitles...which are hardly even correct subtitles.

for the record. sleeping beauty was released in malaysia on a single disc and FOOLSCREEN.

[Siren]

Did you read the guy's feedback and look at his other auctions? And I don't mean the first page of feedback, but a few pages in. Any negative and neutral?

And by checking his other auctions, you might have spotted a bootleg and been tipped off that chances are, your's is too.

I worked at a online auction service and we had to educate ourselves on being safe with ebay.

When you are buying something that can easily be forged (CD, DVD, etc), check the feedback. Look for people who gave neutral and negative. If they have any neutral and negative and don't have a 100% positive, look back till you find those bad feedback and read why they got bad feedback. Thing is, there are three types of buyers out there.
1.) Those who don't care if it is a fake, so long as it works.
2.) Those who know it's a fake and gladly take it, usually because it is cheaper
3.) Those who are picky and want the real thing

If your number 3, you have to look at their bad feedback and see why. You may find out someone who sent neutral said something like, "was bootleg, but oh well" and those who left negative "said was real, was fake, won't give refund". If you see that, run away, far away.

The other thing to do is, check out their other auctions. I've found some of those DVD looks like the real thing. Then I look at their other auctions and find obvious fakes. If a person is willing to sell a fake, then it's likely so is the one you are looking at.

And next time, be more picky. Ask him to send you photos of the inside of the case, the disc, the insert, etc. If he sends them and the backgrounds of the other auction pictures don't match, likely he just swipped them off another auction. For instance, the photos in the auction you looked at are taken on a blue carpet, but the photos he sends you are on a floral background. Get the drift?

Be picky. Be persistant. Ask for more proof. If it is real and they want you money, they'll give you the proof.

Good luck!