BOOTLEG COPIES OF DVD AND VHS MOVIES : eBay Guides

This guide will tell you how to identify a bootleg DVD and/or VHS copy.   

BOOTLEG DVD COPIES 

I unknowingly purchased a bootleg DVD of a TV program that arrived in a blank unmarked case. The DVD itself was blank and unmarked. It was obviously a DVD-R that someone had burnt at home from their computer or DVD recorder.  What a disappointment! I thought the TV show on DVD I purchased was an original.  It was an expensive lesson to learn.

Some bootleggers make DVD copies that look professional, almost real. They come in a case with a professional looking cover that is reproduced from a computer printer. The DVD's have professional label on them, which has been produced with the help of a computer printer. The printer produces a sticker or label that affixes to the DVD.  Other bootleg DVDs are blank, but are marked in black ink with a title imprinted on them. 

You can always identify a bootleg DVD (even if professional in appearance) if you turn the DVD over and the underside of the DVD is purple or blue in color. This tells you that the DVD is a homemade copy in DVD-R or DVD-RW format.

AVOID IMPORT VHS OR DVDS OF MOVIES 

There are many foreign imported DVDs of movies out there. Many come from the United Kingdom, Europe, the Philippines, China or Japan. Beware of them. They are bootlegs.  Although the cover and label on the DVD look professional they are not, they are bootlegs. The cover usually has a couple of badly misspelled words on the description on the back cover, the result of poor transcription in English. The underside of these DVD's are usually purple or blue in color, indicating they are copied or burnt from a computer or DVD recorder onto a DVD-R or DVD-RW format. 

Beware of these items. They are bootlegs. Even though the Seller will claim that they are region free and will play in all DVD players, regardless of region codes, you will usually find this is not the case and you have spent a lot of money on a movie you cannot watch. Don't waste your time on these items. They are a rip off.

BOOTLEG VHS COPIES

Many years ago, before DVDs were around, I purchased what I thought was an original VHS of a movie. I was told by the Seller that they had acquired or purchased it at a flea market and it came in a plain unmarked case or cover. I soon discovered that the reason it was in an unmarked or plain cover is because it was a bootleg copy.  The video was obviously a homemade copy and the so-called label on the VHS was just a cut out piece of paper with only the name of the movie title in black and white.  It was apparent that the bootlegger printed it on his computer printer.

Needless to say, the quality of the VHS movie itself was the real shocker. The picture was grainy in appearance and the sound was so bad you could hardly hear it.  To my further surprise, I noticed that this movie had been copied from a TV station, as the station logo was on the lower right side of the screen.

Needless to say, the quality of the VHS movie was horrid. The picture was grainy in appearance and the sound was  so bad you could hardly hear it.  To my further surprise, I noticed that this movie had been copied from a TV station, as the station logo was on the lower right side of the screen.

CHECK OUT MY OTHER GUIDES TO HELP YOU AVOID GETTING RIPPED OFF BY THE ILLEGAL BOOTLEGGER.

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