Forum - View topicBuyer Beware! [Bootlegs]
|
Goto page 1, 2 Next |
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Dr Gero49
 Posts: 17 Location: The Red Ribbon Army Will Rule All!!! |
|
||
|
Hello! I loved Star Ocean 2 for the Playstation so when I heard that an Anime version came out I went hunting for it. I found a great price on ebay for the entire series and every thing looked on the up and up but when it came in they were on CDs not DVDs! The guy sold me a bootleg!
 Not only were they using an avi format that hasn’t been used for years the guy that sold it to me never responded and apparently disappeared! I writing this to warn everyone to remind them not to let their excitement cloud their judgement. 
[EDIT - Topic adjusted to reflect content. -C] |
|||
|
|||
Cassandra
 Posts: 1356 Location: Birdsboro, PA |
|
||
|
If you did some research (anime#796 ), you would have found that Star Ocean isn't licensed, therefore the only way you could get it would be to import it. (And R2 DVDs are expensive...like $45 for 2 episodes with no subtitles.)
|
|||
|
|||
|
Tiresias
Posts: 353 Location: Illinois, USA |
|
||
|
[Begin sarcasm] Oh my god!! You mean people on eBay are selling illegal bootlegs? No way, this can't be. [End sarcasm]
Really though, if you find a 'great price' anywhere chances are it's a bootleg, and when I say a great price I mean $45 for the entire Trigun series or $90 for the entire InuYasha series and both movies currently out. Things like $18 for a Kenshin DVD or $19 for the next Saiyuki DVD are what I consider true great prices. Plus the fact that they fit all 26 eps on 3 discs or have the entire InuYasha set on 8 discs should clue you in right away. Basically, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Do some research before you buy it to check if it's even licensed here, and if it is, check reputible sites like Amazon to find out how many discs the set is on and if they have it pictures to compare with. 'Let the buyer beware' should really be changed these days, I kinda like 'Let the buyer be smart and do a little research before making an idiot of themselves'. Yeah, I like that, especially since it's happened to me, not with bootlegs but something else, darn jeweler and their rhodium plating. |
|||
|
|||
radicaledward
 Posts: 776 |
|
||
|
However, I is some times posible to pick up full sets used for about half of what you would pay new. But that is to be expected. New sets on the other hand...
|
|||
|
|||
Emerje
 Posts: 7548 Location: Maine |
|
||
|
The format these are in is called VCD (Video Compact Disk) and are still a quite common form of bootlegs. To complain about bootleg VCDs is like complaining about bootleg VHS tapes, they're all standards, but they're still bootlegs.
Emerje |
|||
|
|||
caulfield
 Posts: 80 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
|
||
|
Hey, I bought my Otaku no Video DVD at my local Suncoast and it is horrible. The menu is not responsive and flipping between chapters/scenes my player sometimes freezes up on an image of a girl sticking her tongue out at the screen. And the subtitles take long to pop up sometimes. Is it possible it was a bootleg too, or is the Otaku no Video DVD just a horrible release?
,Caul |
|||
|
|||
|
Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
|
||
|
Should we open up a "bootlegs" discussion forum? How many more threads about someone being uneducated and buying bootlegs are we going to have? Am I the only person who thinks it's TOTALLY OBVIOUS when something is a bootleg?!
-Z |
|||
|
|||
Delthayre
 Posts: 414 Location: One of the good United States |
|
||
|
No, I usually find bootlegs fairly obvious. Even the more clever ones usually have telltale signs of their illegal and ersatz nature.
|
|||
|
|||
Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10538 Location: Do not message me for support. |
|
||
|
Whether or not something is a bootleg will be fairly obvious to most the regular patrons of this forum, and to a lesser degree, most the readers of this website.
But that is, by far, not the majority of people that are out there buying home video releases. It's no surprise to any one here that bootlegs are on sale on Ebay, but I challenge most of you to dig up a bootleg on e-bay, show the sale to one of your less videophile/technophile parents or relatives, and ask them what they think. To them, it won't be obvious. -t |
|||
|
|||
|
radicaledward
Posts: 776 |
|
||
|
Also, when it comes to bootlegs, with DVD's and VCD's it can be quite obvious if you know the common warning signs. But on the other hand, shows are not the only thing that is bootlegged. How meny of us here has bought at least one bootleg CD, wallscroll, figurine, ect. I dare say that there are none of us here that got jipped at least once, especialy if we buy online sight-unseen. A picture does not always say a thousand words. So as such we should be less judgemental when someone does fall for a bootleg and we should strive to educate people on what a bootleg is/looks like and what to look for if you suspect something might be bootlegged. Perhaps a FAQ or artical here on ANN?
|
|||
|
|||
|
Sojiro the tenken
Posts: 56 Location: North Hills Pittsburgh, PA |
|
||
|
what I don't get is why they can put 26 Simpsons episodes on 3 dvds and cost $40 and not be a bootleg. But with anime its spread over alot of dvds and cost alot. I mean Cowboy bebop is like 26 ep. they could fit in on a 3 disc set for a reasonable price couldn't they? I wish anime wasn't so expensive.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Delthayre
Posts: 414 Location: One of the good United States |
|
||
|
Anime is a niche market with a number of additional costs associated with it. In order to turn a respectable profit, companies have to charge more. As anime's profitability grows, it's price should decline. Paitence, prudence, and frugality my friend, shall have to keep you for now.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Booyah9
Posts: 30 |
|
||
|
Well dub jobs jack up the price considerably as well as the fact that not nearly as many people will be buying any given anime release as they will the Simpsons. Buying individual anime Dvds is expensive yes, but if you shop around you can found good deals, especially on box sets and such. I got the first 13 episodes of Big-O from Amazon for around $34.
|
|||
|
|||
SuperSkylineGTR
 Posts: 471 Location: Chicago, IL |
|
||
|
I happen to own the bootlegs (HK) of the Intial D series on DVD, and I have to say they are not too shabby.
But does that mean, I'm gonna start buying HK bootlegs from here on out? Hell no. I'm quite aware on the risks of bootlegs, but with only 3 episodes per disc and goofy release schedule for the TP R1 DVD's, I felt that the HK Intial D sets where the way to go. Same with the Macross 7 HK set I recently ordered, since I might not see M7 with US release for quite some time. Basically what I'm trying to say is the only reason I bought these HK DVD's was out of necessity. Generally, I'm a good otaku and I wait for the R1 releases, especially titles brought over by ADV, who got a great release schedule, and good episode count per disc. |
|||
|
|||
|
caulfield
Posts: 80 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
|
||
|
Okay, yeah, I know there is a bootleg FAQ that someone posted and I am all in favor of not perpetuating a tired topic. But I've never known the local Suncoast in the mall for selling bootlegs (the only actual store I know of that does that here is Cine-East), and the box looks legit. I guess the sentiment holds, and I can just look through a few online reviews of the DVD for Otaku no Video and scan them for any complaints to decide for myself weather or not it is just a bad release.
In which case I appologize. ,Humble Caul |
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group