Theatre movies on DVD?

[jaw2957]

I'm ssure we've all sen the new movies on vcd, that have been filmed with a video camera. They aren't bad quality(not taking the sound into consideration), but I have been seeing these releases on dvd. I just bought the new Planet of the Apes on dvd. The guy claimed dvd quality like you buy in the store, and it has no region encoding, it has dolby 5.1 surround, and it was $25. I figure if its dvd quality, I can watch it on the big screen with surround, and own it for cheaper than taking the family to the theatre. I guess what I'm trying to ask, is where do these guys get these films in the quality they claim. Also, I was wondering if anyone knows of any dealers to buy from for cheap because the planet of the apes I mentioned is fetching over $80 on ebay. Really, I just want to discuss how these guys get it. Obviously its not with a camera(if it is point me to the site that sells this camera).

[gambit32]

I saw a news special on how some people do it. One of the most popular ripping guys/crews just sets up in an empty theater with his camera either hooked up to the projector or just focused on the screen. The audio is ran into the chair where you would normally stick some listening device for the hearing impaired. This was somewhere in Asia. Thus the reason why you get so many of the in-theater movies on the net w/subs. He said the laws as far as copyrighting were a little more lax in his country. The news special never got into how he had access to an empty theater though.
I've actually tried to play a few of the "DVD" movies that come from overseas. The ones that are still in the theaters. Only one played the other two were so badly authored that my player skipped about half an hour of the movie. It went from one point to another point half hour longer into the movie. We tried it in a different player and had the same skipping result. My friend brought the movie back from the Phillipines. He bought the movies 3 for $5 American.
The funny thing about it was that the movies he bought were the same copies found on the net. Same exact copies. The only difference was that the "DVD" movies he bought had pressed covers on them and looked like real, legit DVDs.
I know this topic has been covered a few times by various news companies. Fox and MSNBC among others did shows on them and included a few segments on the IRC.

[AntnyMD]

I wonder whats to stop the Asian pirates (or whomever) to merely burn cammed VCD quality movies on a DVD and call it whatever they want?

I'd heard stories of bootleg VCDs going for about US$1 in Asia on the streets, but for US$5 for a questionably authored DVD, I'd probably just cross the road and pay $5 at the theater.

[AntnyMD]

And another thing:

Where are they getting blank DVD media cheap enough to sell pirated copies of movies for US$5. You cant even get a nutritious lunch in America for $5 anymore.

[jaw2957]

Quote:

"He said the laws as far as copyrighting were a little more lax in his country."


Now thats one hell of an understatement!

[BadAsh]

Alot of these so called DVDs are merely camcorder rips burned to DVD, however, a new batch has begun to popup that are acutal DVDs. Many studios produce "bare-bones" DVDs that aren't truly DVD quality but they are much better than VHS or VCD and they send these "screener" DVDs to reviewers before the movie is even released.

Many of you may have noticed that "Jurassic Park 3" was available on DVD at least 5 days before it opened in the theater and the quality was very good. This was just a rip of a DVD screener.

One thing you should know though is that the majority of these new DVD screener rips are in PAL format. If you have a multi-region DVD Player then you are okay, otherwise you will have to watch the DVD on your PC.

[hitechjunkie]

good discussion, everyone!!

[gambit32]

I noticed that when I went to play the "DVD" from the Phillipines my player actually registered it as a DVD and not a VCD. I was surprised that it did that. I was thinking that it was a VCD disguised as a DVD.
And then we were trying to figure out how the hell are they making a profit from selling them 3 for $5? Because I always thought the media was more expensive than that. I'm wondering what AntnyMD was asking.."Where are they getting blank DVD media cheap enough to sell pirated copies of movies for US$5."
Very good comments....

[jaw2957]

I didn't even think that studio's were releasing dvd's as screener's. Thats good stuff. The dvd I mentioned earlier has dolby digital, and removable subtitles, so I knew that it wasn't just recorded by camera. I am guessing that the guys selling them aren't just people like you and me, and thats how they get em cheap. How does a studio make a profit off of the 6.99 dvd's at Circuit City, or some other store. If you think that they are taking a loss, then I have a good used car I'd like to sell you! These dvd's aren't on dvd-r's, they are on commercial dvd's. What the hell is the difference between dvd-r and commercial dvd's. Thats got to be the reason they can sell cheap.

[richy]

From my experience in Hong Kong etc. piracy is big big business. All the pirates have done is move on to DVD from VCD. They own DVD plants or can get stuff duplicated at certain less reputable plants. There's a lot of organised crime involved and any pirate operation on a large scale isn't going to mess around with CD-R or DVD-R; mass duplication is the only way to make money, especially with the prices in the markets being only a few dollars for pretty much all titles. I personally haven't seen any "new" stuff on pirate DVD but know that a lot of stuff is literally just the VCD version bunged onto 1 DVD instead - it is literally just more convenient, the picture is not necessarily any better. There are even different "editions" of movies as better pirate copies become available and supercede more ropey early copies done on camcorder etc. I would never pay more than a few dollars for a pirate movie because the quality could be appalling. People selling this stuff will tell you any crap to get you to buy it. You could get a good copy, or you could just get junk. Also, as people above have said, some of mastering and authoring isn't very good as they rush stuff out to try and make the most money possible - unlike "professionals" like George Lucas for instance

[likkletree]

About the DVD version just being the vcd version.. Has anyone seen the Swordfish vcd that was about I had it and some jerk had cut all the swearing out ! So my mate being the clever one he thinks he is got hold of the DVD version and (You know whats coming next don't you) lo and behold the exact same version and we still didn't get to see Halles Comets !!!! Likkletree.

[stu252]

i have seen 2 dvd silver films eg still at the cinema and the quality was very good indeed. i think they are ripped straight from the telecine machine which is why some copies are so good and others that are cams or telesyncs are ok but not that brilliant.
stu252

[gambit32]

@likkletree...I saw that version and was VERY unhappy that they cut out some choice scenes starring Halle Berry...LOL

[bigmicka]

DVD Silvers are pressed properly and not made using dvd-r media.
the way most of the non current release (as in officially released DVD's) are repoduced is by extended production runs of the movies at the factories. i have heard of this a few times and have seen releases of these.

or they will put on a production run of the same movie without the region coding and just have the movies without any extras.

the current release movies produced in a similar fashion, the only difference is they will give the DVD manufaturers a version of the movie, be it Telesync, Telecine.

its very dodgy indeed but they are getting away with it.

mic

[henryfarbles]

How does one go about getting these dvd screeners?

[AntnyMD]

I've heard of screener DVDs, but mostly those of movie and TV studios in the US that send DVD discs of stuff they want academy members to nominate for awards ... and those very academy members then turn around and sell on EBAY.

The studios are doing themselves in by releasing screener DVDs of anything. Their own association (the MPAA) has stated that studios consider DVD movies "a perfect copy" of their film prints, so by producing even a limited distribution of perfect digital copies enables piracy.

I say, the very studios who cry foul are themselves enabling piracy.

[bladefist]

this is how people do it....The people download the screeners VCDs from ftps. And everyone knows new releases are always on ftps before they are even in the theater. Weather they steal the actual film and convert it using the machine, or what not. They take the vcd and release it to the world. Now some people convert the VCD to divx. Which divx is just like vcd, in which is has its standards. So basically all your watching is a vcd that has been converted to the wide screen Divx. thats what it sounds like to me. No idiot would sell movies for 5 bux when there 20 bux a dvd-r. i could be totally wrong about this, just thought i throw in my share of knowledge, or lack there of.

[MadBomber]

I didn't bother reading *every* message in this thread, but i read the first few, so if what I say has already been said, I apologize.

It is quite easy to get a DVD quality film. If someone gets a hold of the reel and uses a telecine machine to do a 3:2 pulldown, they have a copy of it instantly. The only copies of the film that the owners actually have are films anyway. How do you think they make the DVD? It is just a straight dub from film, to a computer, to mass production. But with DVD, they can put the film in a digital format letting your DVD player decide whether to use PAL/NTSC or any other picture type that may come about.

The reason a telecine machine is used is because it is a LOT easier to dub film than the longer process than what it would take the rightful company and on top of that, they already have it in NTSC format for your viewing pleasure.

MadBomber

[Mr_T]

I Had a ripped Jurassic Park3 from a DVD Screener but put it on a VCD.