Okay this is my view, only an opinion!

[buzzrock]

Okay been messing around with downloading divx files, converting them to vcd or svcd, trying to get the best quality.. Seeking near dvd quality, etc, etc..

Then it dawned on me, HEY BUZZ!, DVD's are so cheap now, why in the hell are you putting yourself threw all this agony!!

So here's where I stand..

If its a new movie (dvd release) just buy the damn dvd, your gonna get so much more (extra's-commentary) it's worth it..

The only thing I see myself using (s)vcd for is this....

One: Converting home movies (camcorders) into a digital format..

Two: Grabbing a screener to see if the movie deserves my money..

THree: Adult content-- lets be honest here, it real easy to go rent or buy a new mainstream movie release, but XXX content is different-- and alot of us view this stuff!

So to everyone agozonizing over the bad audio sync problems in the latest Divx they downloaded from Kazaa or some newsgroup, and making coasters upon coasters trying to make it right, JUST buy the DVD..

I'll admit the process is 1/2 the fun, (trying to get it right), but alot of ya out there (including me), like the idea of stuff for free, and in the end it aint worth the hassle..

And to the poeple who post-- (this forum isnt for copying DVD's or Downloading full movies you dont already own!), lets be honest !!!
Thats almost what everyone here is doing-- (minus the mod's) just look at the posts! Or better yet the opening paragraph on this page, "This site will help you to make your own VideoCDs, SVCDs or DVDs that can be played on your standalone DVD Player from video sources like DVD, Video, TV, Cam or downloaded movie clips like DivX, MOV, RM, WMV and ASF.

Just my thoughts, but bottom line, anyone trying to download a movie for free and wanna make it look like a dvd, the shit aint worth it!

[Orange Peanut]

I uses DVDs for Animes and for Band of Brothers Episodes. Im not even sure if Band of Brothers are on DVD, but I havnt seen it anywhere so I havnt bought it. Id MUCH rather have BoB on DVD that VCD, but once again I cant find it.

Animes are a different story. I live in hicktown kentucky and the closest place to get any animes are over 30 miles away. Screw that.

[tenders]

well my svcd's look pretty darn good :P . dvd's in this country are between $20 and $30!! how is that cheap? the cost of purchasing 100 dvd's would be prohibitive. the cost of converting and burning,a hell of alot cheaper 8)


btw this should probably be in "off Topic", as i see no question?

[Treebeard]

Right on tenders!

The cost is worth it lets compare:

For me to make an svcd.

- 3.00 rental fee ( or download a divx for free)
- .15 per disc
- .10 per label
- .15 per case
total cost of SVCD - $3.80

Now if i bought that DVD - Mostlikely run $25.00

Savings of $21.20 per movie

I've only been doing this for a few months but i estimate my savings so far at about $150.00 a month. or $1,800 per year. And my movie collection will get huuuuuuge. Who couldnt agree with that.

[medievil]

I uses DVDs for Animes and for Band of Brothers Episodes. Im not even sure if Band of Brothers are on DVD, but I havnt seen it anywhere so I havnt bought it. Id MUCH rather have BoB on DVD that VCD, but once again I cant find it.

Animes are a different story. I live in hicktown kentucky and the closest place to get any animes are over 30 miles away. Screw that.

Not 100% sure, but I think Columbiahouse has an advance order for BoB on dvd, so you should be able to find it in the next 2 months

EDIT: and UPDATE, Just checked.. here is the info:

Band of brothers (Advanced order)
Starring: Donnie Wahlberg , Ron Livingston

Reg. $119.95
Sale $89.95
add to cart

Release Date is 11/05/02. Reserve your copy now and we'll ship it to you as soon as it is available.

[snowmoon]

I have recently upgraded to a DVR-104 2x DVD burner. I can see both sides of the fence. For the most part I can crank out 1hr of materal in about 6 hrs of processing. I also have a good tv/stereo ( 42" tv + 5.1 system ) so Divx is just not worth the hassle. I would be tempted to backup DVD's since it does save me $$$. For those movies what I'm not interested in all of the special features and stuff it's a no brainer. Some movies I just have to buy like the superbit titles ( yes, it does make a difference on my setup ). Movies off digital cable are showing great promise ( without any work the bitrates are very low because of reduce noise ). I can ge 1-3 movies/disc off of digital cable. I put them on RW and see I I like any of them and then burn them on -r.

I also do kick @ss SVCD's of TV shows ( most people really can't tell the difference ). I will probably continue to do SVCD or CVD for TV shows and save the DVD's for movies or longer items.

In the US even for my non-agressive price hunting shows that on average DVD's are like $17 at retail and $14 discounted/internet. This is over a wide range of discs. Decent reliable DVD media runs $2/disc, so I think some people are manipulating the numbers to prove their point.

[Treebeard]

In the US even for my non-agressive price hunting shows that on average DVD's are like $17 at retail and $14 discounted/internet. This is over a wide range of discs. Decent reliable DVD media runs $2/disc, so I think some people are manipulating the numbers to prove their point.

Okay even at $15 per dvd i would save $75 or more a month. I dont have a dvd burner so my scenario is much different, and saving that $75 a month will enable me to get a dvd burner and Im still waiting for the DVD media to get cheaper b/4 i start moving that direction. BTW nice tv and sterio setup. I dont have the bigscreen or HDTV i have 20" w/ a dolby digital stereo. So this also affects the choices i make since i dont notice any difference in my dvd vs. svcd's . Oh and i got a couple of rugrats running around the house so funds are limited I suppose it all depends on the situation you are in. Another benefit of making svcd's is that i can watch them at work hehe

to each his own.

[tenders]

with 4 "rugrats" in my house,the $$ is even less.

snowmoon: i am not in the "us". most dvd's are about $25 bucks with "disney" dvd's running $30. my "system" is somewhere in between both of yours,and as such i can go either way. i would get a dvd and rip if i could,but my computer is self contained and is very limited

[snowmoon]

Soulds like we need a netflix US/foreign partner program. 8)

[SatStorm]

Typical american prospective of the subject....

- DVDs are not cheap -

In my country for example, the basic montly salary is about 500 euros, while a DVD cost about 30 Euros. And, I belong in the so called Euro Zone. Imagine the situation for eastern europeans...

DVDs may be cheap for US. Not for the rest of the world.

[pacmania_2001]

If I really like a movie and what to see like the extra's and stuff then I will buy the DVD like I am planning to do with Band of Brothers. However if the movie is only good/ok and I'm not interested in the extra's than a SVCD suits me just fine.

SVCD: CD-R (30 cents) + Free Download + Free Printing of Labels = 30 cents

DVD: 25-30 dollars (Australian)

[Speed Racer]

SatStorm
Posted: Nov 04 02:48

Typical american prospective of the subject....

Hey SatStorm, where in buzzrocks post does he say he is from U.S.??? I suppose the typical euro-zone prospective is to naturally ASSume everyone in the U.S is rich?

[SatStorm]

When we talking $ we talk US.
When we talking Euro we talk EU

Anyway, the US salaries are more than European ones. So the life cost. It ends up somehow equal but:
The price of DVDs are the same on both zones.
So, for most Europeans, DVDs are expensive.

I meant typical economy prospective of the subject.

[buzzrock]

I am speaking here in the US, and most dvd's are between 9.99-19.99..
Also you can get previously viewed DVD's for even cheaper and Rental Stores Like Blockbuster..

I just think in my case that most of the time it would be more practical for me to spend 10 bucks for a movie and get the extra's and Dolby Digital or DTS audio..

On that same note, I'm gonna continue to mess around with making VCD's trying to get it just right to suit me..

But in the end, I'll probably end up buying the movie )

[Speed Racer]

SatStorm
Posted: Nov 04 12:08

When we talking $ we talk US.
When we talking Euro we talk EU

Hey SatStorm, where does buzzrock say in his first post anything about $ or EU??? He mentions no nationality or denomination in that post. He admits to being an American only AFTER your latest post. I will quick picking on you now.
Don't Tread On Me
Ok?
Peace

[rhegedus]

Well, here in the UK we pay in £ what you pay in $ in the US. Oh, and for the privilege of paying more, we also get to see the films about 2 months later.

So, whilst good quality DVD rips are available on the net, I’ll continue to download, burn and watch well before I can buy the film on DVD.

Don’t get me wrong on this – I know it’s theft of a form. But whilst we on this side of the pond have to pay extra to see things later, I’ll tread the big movie companies with the contempt they deserve. If they play fair and get rid of DVD regions and bring the prices in line, then I’ll be running out with my cash to buy the latest releases.

Happy burning

Rob

p.s. Hey, Speed Racer - if you check buzzrock’s profile, you’ll see that his e-mail address belongs to a US ISP. Speed is nothing without precision...

[MOVIEGEEK]

I had a thought I should start a company to export pressed and blank DVD's to our fellow film buffs in Europe.New thoughthipping costs are astronomical.
Maybe socialist citizens should complain to their respective government
to lower the import tariffs and luxury taxes.

[vitualis]

Import quotas and tarrifs aren't the sole domain of "socialist" countries... The free trade promoting, all capitalist US has one of the most protected domestic markets in the Western world...

@ rhegedus: if you think R2 is bad, try living in a PAL R4 country!

@ all: This forum does not support or promote the breach of copyright in any way. I don't really care what you do in your private lives as long as you don't involve VCDHelp. I would consider ripping a DVD rental to be definitely a breach of copyright and against the spirit of this forum.

DVD ripping / back up to VCD/SVCD/DVD-R is in itself considered OKAY as long as you have the right to "fair usage" of that content (e.g., you own the DVD). We are not the police and it will be assumed that unless specifically indicated, you DO have the right to "fair usage".

However, be warned that if you specifically say that you are ripping DVD rentals or requesting the trade in MOVIEZ, you will be banned. This is the same policy VCDHelp has to WAREZ.

Regards.

[SatStorm]

@Speed Racer
It is very easy to read infos for any user: There are the profiles and the search fuction which helps a lot.

Why you bugging me?

[MOVIEGEEK]

Import quotas and tarrifs aren't the sole domain of "socialist" countries... The free trade promoting, all capitalist US has one of the most protected domestic markets in the Western world...

If you're referring to food products,yes my government is overly protective.But the US imports far more than it exports,and our enormous trade defecit proves it,along with giant retail stores price competing
and their buying power are able to pass the savings to the consumer.
American consumers always look for the lowest prices and unfortunatly
it hurts our workforce because no A/V electronics are made here anymore...but that's another story.

[rhegedus]

Import quotas and tarrifs aren't the sole domain of "socialist" countries... The free trade promoting, all capitalist US has one of the most protected domestic markets in the Western world...

Have you tried to buy British beef, lamb, apples, butter etc in France lately? Our (UK) malodourous neighbours have the whole market cornered!

Best wishes,

Rob

[buzzrock]

I dont about conversion rates and such, but couldn't someone over-sea's buy a dvd from an American Online store, or even ebay, to save money?

[buzzrock]

BTW, I meant an american business that is operating online, Not AOL--

LOL

[Treebeard]

BTW, I meant an american business that is operating online, Not AOL--

LOL

AOL SUXXXXXXXXX

[rhegedus]

Hey buzzrock,

Maybe we could buy online from the US, but then I think that even those with a region hack would be wary with their first purchase - how do you get a refund if the hack doesn't work? By the time you throw in postage and packing, the difference isn't that much.

Nice idea though.....one I often thought of when I got lost in the Mall of America a few months back!

Best wishes,

Rob

[SatStorm]

It is not easy like this....
Even if you crack/hack your DVD standalone and you make it capable to play R1 DVDs there always the NTSC/PAL difference. Also, in europe we don't all speak english. Most needs at least subtitles in the local language to watch a movie. On some countries, even dubbing (yes, that evil thing) is more than important! Germany and Italy are two huge european markets need that! France follows.

Then, it is the international shipping. It costs.

Finally, a movie from amazon.com needs about a month to rich most european countries with standard post. If you are lucky and the movie doesn't lost it way... (my R1 copy of "Babylon 5: The Gathering/In the beggining" lost twice in the way here... )

[Xolo]

Hey!!

All of you guys!!! I've just rented the newly released "Bad Company" put out by Touchstone Video.

Now I have been ripping my own DVD's for back-up for quite some time, however.....Touchstone has finally hit on something that I really am impressed with. Within the DVD, you can register it online. Once you do this, you are able to get FREE replacements if you get your DVD if it becomes scratched or unplayable.

This is the wave of the future. I have been waiting for something like this. I haven't purchased ANY new CD's or DVD's for a while due to the fact that you have NO protection if you buy the rights for a certain product; to own and to enjoy it. Let me tell you a story; I had several CD's that I use in my automobile and they at one point got scratched to the level of unrepairable. I was never able to get a replacement for them even though I had already owned the rights of a private citizen to own and enjoy those CD's forever!!!

As a consumer, I had decided that owning the rights to certain items without ANY form of guarantee that was reasonable; I would not purchase any pre-recorded media ever again. I would only rip it for free as owning the rights meant NOTHING AT ALL!!!!! With this new guarantee you actually have some tangible rights to owning something in this format. If it ever gets damaged so that it's unusable, Touchstone Video is willing to replace the DVD for FREE!!!! This makes back-up reasons not formidable if they will give you a replacement.

However, this will allow companies to disallow the copy of anything that isn't OWNED. And violators will be punished with greater ease.

The only problem that I see with this, is that all of the recording companies (video, DVD, and CD) will not comply with this type of standard, therefore making it obsolete. ALL companies MUST adhere to this type of replacement, making it VERY EASY for consumers to get replacements for damaged products.

If this were to happen, I would start buying CD's, DVD's and VCR videos again (by the way, it shouldn't matter if your equipment is faulty and damages the products.....you MUST BE FULLY satisfied with your replacement policy.....for ANY reasons) with a vengance! I have many selections that I am ready to purchase in the near future. I only have to be satisfied that what I am about to buy has a reasonable warranty with it. According to the copyright ********, you have excusive rights to owning something that they sell. Take a close look at the copyright laws.

Up until now, they have had no significant proof that you actually had any reason to purchase what they were selling (kind of like Jack in the Beanstalk). They promised that you were entitled to something, without ANY proof that you were. You purchased one of their products in an AS IS basis. Like buying a vehicle. If you were to crash that vehicle, even if it were due to the seller's neglect of it, that was your problem. Not theirs. But it is their problem. Because when you buy a Video/Music you are entitled to own that Video/Music as long as you own it. Even if you were to change the ownership to someone else, then they own the title of it. Not until you break it......it's not made of glass.

Another thing about the DVD "Bad Company", and this is of HUGE consequence. There is nothing that automatically plays before the DVD starts. Typically you will get coming attractions or some other CRAP before the movie will even be able to start. This is SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You pay to watch a movie!!!!!!!!!! Not to watch SHIT you didn't pay to see. This is a HUGE reason why I alway burn new movies. I DON'T get crap that I don't like. If you buy a movie, and watch it 5-10 years later; how likely are you going to watch a movie that's in the coming attractions??? I tend to NEVER watch or purchase ANY COMING ATTRACTIONS (however, I also never purchase anything that is advertised on TV either.....I pay for my TV connection to watch entertainment.....not to be bombarded about something that someone is trying to sell......also notice how many times a commercial is run in an hour, and compare that to the statistics to the use of hypnotic suggestion....pretty freaky about how close they coincide).

Am I pshyco? Yeah, maybe.....but look at the facts. You purchase something.......there's NO guarantee on it. You back it up because there's no guarantee on it. You get branded as a copyright fraud. Did you do anything wrong? NO! Yet the recording comanies keep changing the laws in their favour.

You be the judge.......is this a good thing? Actually having actual rights that should have been available a LONG time ago? Really, what do you think it costs them to mass produce a DVD???!!!! 25 cents each maybe?? And you pay $20-30 dollars each? What's the profit margin?? DUHHHH!! What do you think about how much it costs to mass produce a CD?? 5-10 cents??? How much do you pay for those brand new???

There is a serious problem with the entertainment industry. They are out there to MILK you out of your money. That's the botttom line to them. They don't care about bringing you education of any sort. They don't care about bringing you new and interesting stories at all. They just care about getting your money into their pockets. Look at all of the crappy movies that are out. Why the hell do you think that they should mean ANYTHING to you???

And they think that consumers must be responsible for what they purchase.

That's a load!!

Manufacturers are responsible for what they manufacture. Plain and simple. Black and white!

What do you think??

[willy_annand]

I uses DVDs for Animes and for Band of Brothers Episodes. Im not even sure if Band of Brothers are on DVD, but I havnt seen it anywhere so I havnt bought it. Id MUCH rather have BoB on DVD that VCD, but once again I cant find it.

Animes are a different story. I live in hicktown kentucky and the closest place to get any animes are over 30 miles away. Screw that.

No matter where you live, the closest place to get Anime is your computer keyboard. Buy online and they deliver it right to you. Easier than going to Blockbuster.

[Greg12]

I make my own movies and burn them with dvd really.

Downloading movies hardly ever works for me.