Covers.to down.. alternates

[pred02]

Hi,

Covers.to was always up and down, up and down. Now it seems to be down for good. Does anyone have any information regarding its status?

If not, are there any alternatives with high quality covers for DVDs and such?

It's too much of a hassle scanning and printing everything...

CDCOvers.cc quality is generally crap.

Thx

[ultraman36]

The best site ive used is this site
http://www.generetic.org/

The only thing is its not free i believe i paid $12.00 for a year membership. Now generally i dont believe in paying for certain thing but its the best $12.00 i spent. Lots of people doing custom dvd cases and covers. I use to use the stuff on cdcovers.cc but not any more
Check your pm

[Denvers Dawgs]

I have gone to R1DB, awesome custom covers there. Some of the cover artists there also create on generetic's site. At R1DB you pay $8 for 50 credits to download covers, $15 for 100 credits, etc. The site itself is free, you just need to pay for credits to download covers (1 credit = 1 downloaded cover). Also, if you can create covers (I'm starting to) everytime someone downloads one of your covers, you get 1 credit added to your total credits.

[dmagic1]

So do they also have retail scans Ultraman?

[ultraman36]

Yes the have retail scans as well some just scan them other scan and adjust them. They usually put in the title whether it is custom or scan and what region its from.

[Supreme2k]

I'm generally againt these types of sites demanding money. Most of the usage (99.999999999%) of scanned covers is for warez. If it was legit, you'd scan your own covers.

Now, custom covers...just a bit different, but still evil to charge for them if they (the site) didn't make them.

[ultraman36]

When i get home from work ill pm some people from the site and ask if i can post some of the work they do. A lot is custom work they take from hi res posters. This site is different. Before i would use cdcovers.cc until i found that site. i to didnt want to pay for cover but at $12.00 for a year with unlimited downloads its worth it.

[ultraman36]

Someone gave me this info these are some sample of the quality thats on there but there are much better covers that people have made

http://www.generetic.org/preview/

[terryj]

I have to admidt those are pretty nice, esp. Forgotten and Charmed.

I put my art degree to use and make my own the majority of the time, but sometimes you get stumped and I like checking
out others works.

CDCovers is still good for retail covers; I only create customs for series dvds I make myself, or for obscure, cult movies
that I transferred from VHS to DVD-R.

[SCDVD]

CDCovers does have a large collection of covers but almost all are too low in resolution - usually around 100 dpi or so. Ok in a pinch, but only as a second choice.

[dvdguy4]

This site is also low in resolution but you can find some decent covers.
http://freecovers.net/

[overloaded_ide]

I'm generally againt these types of sites demanding money. Most of the usage (99.999999999%) of scanned covers is for warez. If it was legit, you'd scan your own covers.

Now, custom covers...just a bit different, but still evil to charge for them if they (the site) didn't make them.

I agree they I don't like them charging either, it's not their artwork to begin with.
With that one place though Denvers Dawgs said if you upload a custom cover you get 1 credit each time it is downloaded, so since it cost 1 credit to download a cover the site isn't really getting anything, unless the people with the credits never use them.

Not true about scan your own cover if legit. First that implies you think everyone with a computer automatically owns a scanner, I know lots of people who do not have one, I have 3 though myself.
That's the same thinking of software companies that require a internet connection to use their software. Idiot thinking that every computer in the world is online! Thats why I never bought any new versions of Pegasys DVD Author, once they started that connection requirement I never upgraded again. 4 systems, 3 are never online ever, and the online system is only used online. So Idiot thinking by Pegasys has lost them my business untill they do away with such crap. Maybe they have? I never checked recently.
Also I was all set to buy hardware for capturing awhile back, then in fine print I read internet conection required to activate required software to use it. Put it ack on the shelf, Idiot thinking agian on thier part. I wanted it for a system I was going to be 3 months in the woods with not even a telephone let alone internet.

I have lots of YARD SALE dvd's, retail disks, trashed cases! For $1-$3 I do not care about the artwork as long as the disk works well enough to back it up. So I have disks kids have wrote on with markers, maybe even crayons, the disk plays and it's a comercail retail disk, but yet I still have no artwork to scan. Forget about even trying to scan that peanut butter and jelly soaked case insert
Oh, the clear plastic cover on the case is about half ripped off also on some. Many I have to work on a few minutes before they will play or be able to copy them.

Well, who cares, I got the DVD for $3 tops and it's a $20 movie.
I been to that families yard sale 6 times at least and got about 30 movies or more in various conditons like that.

$20 X 30= $600 new, or $3x 30= $90 used, which is the better deal? Same disks, ya I'll print the artwork if I can find it online for savings like that

NO, not EVERYONE takes as good care of their DVDs as most of us either.

I buy from other places used also, often with marked up disks or ripped covers, but far less than half price or I don't buy them.

Plenty of legit reasons to not have the artwork scanable! Some disks don't even come with art work to begin with. I have several flippers. I hate those! Movie on each side of the disk. When I burn a nice 2 disk backup I want art work on mine
A Tim Conway disk is like that, different movie on each side, 2 movies on 1 disk. I made my own art work for it, but would have rather just downloaded something nice.

Some flippers are wide screen one side, full screen on the other side, same movie both sides. I burn to printable disks, no flippers.

When I convert my VHS tapes to DVD, where would I just scan the art work from for a disk?
I have the first 4 Love Bug movies on VHS, I'm not going to buy them again on DVD just to get art work or maybe some little extra I may only watch once. Finding the art work for those would be nice, I know at least one was released on DVD.

I think Tremors is on DVD but I have the tape I think So I would want artwork for my conversion DVD backup. Tremors 4 I have on DVD. Been awhile since I watched them. Waiting to see if they do a tremors 5 and 6 sometime

Once we get past the VHS, then what about my Beta Tapes? Most are in plastic hard cases from rental stores. Bought them used with no art work when rental stores quit renting beta tapes. BIG BOX of tapes, $10 a box. Legit comercail movies I legally own a copy of and have the right to watch. I want them on DVD so I don't have to wear out the only Beta recorder I have which I just got recently used. So I will want art work for all of those when I convert them to DVD. Some are released on DVD, many are not.

It would take me at least a year to make decent artwork for disks and jackets for all my tapes, we are talking tons of tapes and lots of time for art work. Most of those movies I may never watch again, but others will when they visit, and I want the package to look nice sitting in the shelf with all my other movies. And I like printed disks myself.

I got that many legit reasons to download artwork for stuff I own and I am just one person, I bet many others have the same legit reasons or others just as good.

Converting my 8Track tapes and cassette tapes to CD is another reason I would want to download art work. Many of my tapes are on CD also, maybe a little better quality on the CD but I don't care, to me it's not worth paying $15-$20 for OLD music on a new CD except certain ones.
Bouncing down the road in my noisey truck I can't tell the difference between a CD I made from tapes or a real CD anyway. I don't sit in a silent room to listen to music so I seldom notice the quality difference myself. And I do have several of the same albums on tapes and CD both. A good clean copy of the tape to CD conversion I can't tell from the real CD in real life noise inviroments like driving a convertable with the top down.

[ultraman36]

With generetic.org after the $12.00 you can download as much as you want so i dont have to worry about credits there is a proving ground thread where if you make a cover and if its really good i think they will waive the fee but im not 100 percent sure on this. Here is a sample of someones Vendetta cover which i did pm him and got his permission to post it






this is one of hundreds of really good artwork

[Supreme2k]

Not true about scan your own cover if legit. First that implies you think everyone with a computer automatically owns a scanner, I know lots of people who do not have one, I have 3 though myself.

If you can afford a PC and/or DVD burner, you can affor a $30 scanner.

That's the same thinking of software companies that require a internet connection to use their software. Idiot thinking that every computer in the world is online!

Not exactly the same, but it is understandable that the software companies would think that way. Most people buy computers specifically to get online. It's no less understandable for game companies to have minimum specs for their games (fast PC, graphics, memory).

I have lots of YARD SALE dvd's, retail disks, trashed cases...I still have no artwork to scan.

But then you could easily contact the maker for a replacement. Yes, it's easier and free from the cover sites, but then so is downloading MP3 or shoplifting.

Plenty of legit reasons to not have the artwork scanable!

But not enough, IMO.

Some disks don't even come with art work to begin with. I have several flippers. I hate those!

But then you're talking about custom covers, with which I don't have a problem.

When I convert my VHS tapes to DVD, where would I just scan the art work from for a disk?

As you said earlier, just make your own.

I think Tremors is on DVD but I have the tape I think So I would want artwork for my conversion DVD backup. Tremors 4 I have on DVD. Been awhile since I watched them. Waiting to see if they do a tremors 5 and 6 sometime

There was the series on Sci-Fi

I got that many legit reasons to download artwork for stuff I own and I am just one person, I bet many others have the same legit reasons or others just as good.

But they're not so much as reasons, but rather rationalization.

Converting my 8Track tapes and cassette tapes to CD is another reason I would want to download art work. Many of my tapes are on CD also, maybe a little better quality on the CD but I don't care, to me it's not worth paying $15-$20 for OLD music on a new CD except certain ones.

But just like the VHS and Beta copies, why do you really need the artwork? It's that same type of rationale that makes people think that copying DVD rental is legal/okay. "I already bought it on tape! They owe me this DVD copy."
I know that this is a big leap, but if I bought a Ford truck in 1970, should I be able to do an even trade on a 2006 model?

ultraman36, thanks for proving my point exactly.

[ultraman36]

Another custom i got permission to post



scarymve4.jpg

[jimmalenko]

Not true about scan your own cover if legit. First that implies you think everyone with a computer automatically owns a scanner, I know lots of people who do not have one, I have 3 though myself.

If you can afford a PC and/or DVD burner, you can affor a $30 scanner.

Maybe .... but a vast number of those buying DVD burners packaged with their computers don't even know how to use them, let alone learning the fundamentals and concepts behind scanning.

That's the same thinking of software companies that require a internet connection to use their software. Idiot thinking that every computer in the world is online!

Not exactly the same, but it is understandable that the software companies would think that way. Most people buy computers specifically to get online.

Maybe in your part of the world where internet is readily accessible and cheap.... but over here at least, a decent 1.5Mbps / 256kbps connection still costs around $100 a month. And with all the ghoulies out there, many people are not net-savvy and choose to stay away from it altogether. If I weren't "in the know" I'd much rather my IT Dept at work worrying about these concerns than having to invest in AV and firewalls simply for home use.

I know that I had computers for 10 years (1992-2002) mainly just for schoolwork, that never saw the light of an internet connection. Ever. And I know a heap of people still using 3rd and 4th gen PCs with Windows 95 on them purely for academic work - no internet connection required so hence none used.

[mats.hogberg]

over here at least, a decent 1.5Mbps / 256kbps connection still costs around $100 a month.

Wow! I pay $50 for 24/1 Mbps. Didin't know the market was that local!

/Mats

[jimmalenko]

over here at least, a decent 1.5Mbps / 256kbps connection still costs around $100 a month.

Wow! I pay $50 for 24/1 Mbps. Didin't know the market was that local!

/Mats

ADSL 2+ (24/1) is here, but only capital cities so far (Sydney + Melbourne AFAIK). Quite cost effective from the prices I've seen.

Give it another 2 years and regional areas will have this (my town has 100K people - 3rd largest in state).

[mats.hogberg]

Yeah, it wasn't until recently I was able to be hooked up to this service. And that's in Swedens 2nd biggest city (which doesn't say much, compared to Sydney/Melbourne!). Quite a leap ahead from my old 0.5 Mbps ADSL connection, that's for sure!

/Mats

[zanos]

Generitic.org is silly. They charge you 12 dollars to host the images on their server but image hosting is free. Just upload it to imageshack or wherever and then post your image in a new thread. There are even some good free message boards out there so they don't even have to pay for bandwidth.

[jimmalenko]

Generitic.org is silly. They charge you 12 dollars to host the images on their server but image hosting is free. Just upload it to imageshack or wherever and then post your image in a new thread. There are even some good free message boards out there so they don't even have to pay for bandwidth.

I bet they don't remove the image due to excessive bandwidth usage though

imageshack is horrible

[Supreme2k]

Maybe in your part of the world where internet is readily accessible and cheap.... but over here at least, a decent 1.5Mbps / 256kbps connection...

The argument still holds true. There have always been system requirements. Hell, back in the DOS days, certain software required specific printers. Bottom line is that it is reasonable to expect certain things to use software, given the variety of systems out there.

Plus, dial-up will work just fine for software registration, and there's a few providers that offer (very) minimal service for free.

[lordsmurf]

Generitic.org is silly. They charge you 12 dollars to host the images on their server but image hosting is free. Just upload it to imageshack or wherever and then post your image in a new thread. There are even some good free message boards out there so they don't even have to pay for bandwidth.

This is silly.

SOMEBODY HAS TO PAY for bandwidth at some point in time.

And nothing is reliable on a free site, as it would be when you control your own hosting packages. YOU DECIDE when something needs to go, not somebody else.

[jtoolman2000]

he only thing is its not free i believe i paid $12.00 for a year membership. Now generally i dont believe in paying for certain thing but its the best $12.00 i spent

It's now $20

[jimmalenko]

Bottom line is that it is reasonable to expect certain things to use software, given the variety of systems out there.

Reasonable ? Yes, I tend to agree there as far as hardware requirements go. Obviously a P2 200 w/ 16MB EDO RAM & onboard 8MB video ain't gonna handle the latest DOOM. However the price to pay is ruling out a relatively large portion of the target audience (surely we don't believe that the US is the universe ) and driving them to other softwares in opposition that don't have this limitation. Good business practice ? Not really IMHO.

Plus, dial-up will work just fine for software registration, and there's a few providers that offer (very) minimal service for free.

Again, this must be a US thing, as there are no free dialup providers in Oz that I'm aware of. I think the cheapest is around $10 a month (excluding "buying hours" plans). All this may change of course once ADSL 2+ is rolled out. I for one would not pay $120 a year just to support my $70 software purchase and it's "phone home" schemes though.

[Supreme2k]

Again, this must be a US thing, as there are no free dialup providers in Oz that I'm aware of.

Now you're aware.

I for one would not pay $120 a year just to support my $70 software purchase and it's "phone home" schemes though.

But you're not doing that. You should already have an internet connection beforehand for *whatever*, and the software will use that connection. Just like most new games are for diehard gamers with monster systems. They can't honestly be said to be "ruling out" the 486 users (or Mac, Linux, Gameboy, etc.). It's just technological progress.


But none of this sways my opinion (probably closer to fact than most will admit) that these sites are simply warez assistance. ultraman36 has shown 2 fine examples of it.

[kitty]

What about cdcovers.cc - not top quality but good enough much of the time.

Burning a standard def movie on a DVD recorder or downloading a personally owned Tivo or ReplayTV recorded program and burning is common. Some people put these in cases, don't even cut the commercials. Are these pristine - no way, but they are legit recordings they may wish to have in their archive.

I have some logos on the site below for making custom covers - I had more but people like Dolby asked me to remove them and I did - the intent is not to infringe but to allow those with an image editor to make their own covers (although I have a couple drawn in crayon or pencil by the kids).

If you see the number of standalone DVD Recorders now on the market (and more of them upconverting), you can stretch to think that some people may wish to use DVD cases instead of binders.

[ultraman36]

Im not going to get into a long debate about it. Im just giving an alternative to the cdcovers.cc site an make people aware. For me it was worth it for you it may not be. They dont delete any of the covers. Here is a custom cover by thedoctor(thanks for giving me permission to post) Im not good at photoshop and not really artistic But just admire the skills they have



My opinion he did a hell of a good job on this cover

sprmanrt.jpg

[lordsmurf]

But none of this sways my opinion (probably closer to fact than most will admit) that these sites are simply warez assistance. ultraman36 has shown 2 fine examples of it.

Yeah, I'm no fan of artwork that comes out before the DVD release (very dubious, indeed), but artwork released after a DVD is released is quite reasonable.

Take a look at how many poorly packaged DVD box sets are out there. The Simpsons season 6 was awful (including the mail-in box). Many of those clamshell cardboard cases from WB are trash. Quite a few more cases even warp the disc or put pressure against the hub! The slim cases are near impossible to pry a disc out.

For most people, it actually comes down to creating (and sharing) custom DVD cases, work that surpasses the work of the studio, and can be put into plastic cases that afford your $10+ per disc investment more protection than the studio did.

Buying a disc and then not storing it properly is stupid. It reminds me of people who buy a $2000 computer and then put it on a $5 strip (so-called "surge protector"). Protect the investment.

[Supreme2k]

For most people, it actually comes down to creating (and sharing) custom DVD cases, work that surpasses the work of the studio, and can be put into plastic cases that afford your $10+ per disc investment more protection than the studio did.

And that's the exception to my rule. A custom case insert can be a showcase for artistry. Scanned "replacement" covers are just there for the Netflix/Blockbuster rippers.
I've actually redone my South Park season sets so that they're in single cases and I can see the track list at a glance (same with my Ren & Stimpy).