How can u tell if a dvd is bootlegged?

sme

i recentedly purchased 2 dvds (wolfs rain and witch hunter robin) from an american website. when i got the dvds i noticed that the subtitle options were english and chinese. i thought chinese was a strange language for a sub if it was an american dvd. the distribution company is fantasy productions. anyone know if this is bootleg?

AARRRGH

Could be the Singapore version?

Raziel

I'm not very knowledgeable about such things, but it sounds like they could be Japanese in origin-unless you have a multi-region player, they're not gonna be region 1 discs. Japan is region 2, same as Europe.

I just had a quick Google, and discovered that China is region 6! By the way, some discs play region 2+4-apparently, region 4 is Mexico, South and Central America, Australia, NZ, Pacific Islands and the Caribbean. Other places that use region 2: Middle East, Egypt, South Africa and Greenland.

Laguna

Well, if a DVD's subtitle options are chinese and english only, this indicates strongly it's from Hong Kong, which is a well known hotbed of activity for bootlegged DVD's. For instance, the perfect sessions of Cowboy Bebop was a strictly limited edition DVD boxset which sold out in 2000, but if you go to eBay you can find hundreds of "Factory sealed & new" copies shipping direct from Hong Kong.

I myself bought a copy of the Perfect Sessions from eBay and when it arrived it had no barcode/no mention of Bandai (the Cowboy Bebop publishers) anywhere on the packaging, not to mention the whole series came on three DVD's where the genuine edition comes on seven (as stated on Amazon.com).

More than likely my DVD is bootlegged, I couldn't give a toss though, it's perfect quality, I'd have bought a genuine copy if Bandai took their finger out and re-released the boxset. So, yes, from what you've said, I'd highly suspect your DVD is bootlegged..

Carbon Blob

If it's got chinese subs it's almost certainly a bootleg. Think about it, why would a company releasing a legit american DVD include chinese subs?

Aside from that, Bandai released both series in the states, not Fantasy Productions. You been had.

honru

The main indicators that you have a bootleg are:

1. Place of origin (usually Taiwan or Hong Kong)
2. Chinese subtitles
3. No region
4. Series is spread over three DVDs
5. Poor video quality and badly translated subtitles
6. Company (ala Fantasy Productions, etc.)

TriFrog

Laguna wrote:

Well, if a DVD's subtitle options are chinese and english only, this indicates strongly it's from Hong Kong, which is a well known hotbed of activity for bootlegged DVD's....
More than likely my DVD is bootlegged, I couldn't give a toss though, it's perfect quality, I'd have bought a genuine copy if Bandai took their finger out and re-released the boxset. So, yes, from what you've said, I'd highly suspect your DVD is bootlegged..

I've seen these types of bootlegs even on store selves in Asian markets... I have the Outlaw Star box set like this... The quality is really nice, as well as the pakeaging and overall look of the dvd's themselves. It saved me about $80. too ^_^ Seeing as the original copies sell for like $100 or more.
Another way to somtimes tell is that occasionally these types will have e-mail addresses somewhere on the pakage or ripped into the actually dvd, such as before the main menu pops up.
I hope they didn't overcharge you.. Their low cost is what makes them ideal, lol

sharingan

If you want to know if its a bootleg or not, check http://www.animeondvd.com they list each title by volume count in the series, what boxsets are available, and the running time/language options of the DVDs. If the title you are thinking of buying has different language options, disc counts, regions to the officially released versions its a bootleg.

Thats how you tell: you compare it with the real deal.

Zen 2nd

Just stick to well known companies like;

ADV
Madman
MVM
FUNination

and others I can't think off the top of my head.

Also I always buy from PLAY.com because I'm assured quality and a cheap price, plus free delivery.

Here are the regions for you.

Region 1: The US, US territories, Canada
Region 2: Europe, Japan, Middle East, Egypt, South Africa, Greenland
Region 3: Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong
Region 4: Mexico, South America, Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Caribbean
Region 5: Russia (former USSR), Eastern Europe, India, most of Africa, North Korea, Mongolia
Region 6: China

Reku

sharingan wrote:

If you want to know if its a bootleg or not, check http://www.animeondvd.com they list each title by volume count in the series, what boxsets are available, and the running time/language options of the DVDs. If the title you are thinking of buying has different language options, disc counts, regions to the officially released versions its a bootleg.

Thats how you tell: you compare it with the real deal.

Assuming they list it, e.g. no listing there for a Japanese release of FMA, yet two for Europe (yeah, they'll skip the country of origin and only release it on DVD abroad, right... :rolleyes: ), Yu-Gi-Oh only has one listing in Japan (apparently the show started on episode 25 if these listings are to be trusted). And they don't even cover Region 0 (no region restrictions) DVDs, you do get a few of these since if you've Japanese audio & Chinese Subtitles then that's region 2 & 6 (or some rather pointless subtitling).

In reality there's no substitute for buying from a reputable supplier.