Counterfeit DVDs - Region 1 Boxset

[Jei]

Hi people,

Just looking for confirmation that I'm right but I've recently bought a region 1 dvd boxset from Ebay and its arrived damage. On closer inspection theres a few other things that are standing out that this is a good quality counterfeit boxset.

1) The print internal is slightly blurry
2) The "proof of purchase" tab that comes on region 1 dvds is actually printed onto the box and isn't a tab
3) None of the disc actually have barcodes and just the name of the boxset (ie no identifier codes/numbers etc)
4) The UPC barcode appears to have slightly different tones of black
5) The entire outer cardbord is shiny
6) The actual box is 2x pieces of cardboard stuck together, not printed on both sides.

For reference its a fairly recent ABC release

The seller has turned into an arse and is saying that he's sold hundreds and noones ever complained, refusing a refund/return etc so it looks like paypal dispute is the way forward, and mainly because one of the discs is cracked anyway! The seller then didn't address any of my above points and just stated that the UPC barcode is the same as anywhere else therefore it's genuine blah blah.

So am I right that this appears to be a good quality counterfeit?? The seller has A LOT of positive feedback for region 1 boxsets but I'm positive i'm right.....reassure me people!

[cutmymilk]

It's always fairly obvious. Pix please!

[Jei]

Il get a picture up sometime tomorrow, to be honest though Id disagree that its always obvious......if it hadnt have been that one of the discs was damaged I probably wouldnt have noticed all the above.

My gut feeling is that its definately fake, Ive got the series before it on region 1 too and that one is how I expect, removable tab, printed both sides on 1 piece etc.....it certainly is very good!

[abigsmurf]

If the seller is from HK or china, it's fake. If it's from a major studio and it looks like it was printed on an inkjet it's probably fake (but not always, some small studios just have really shocking quality). The US does tend to favour cheap card cases a lot more than in the UK.

[SuperDanX]

Try playing the discs in a us ps2/3 or 360, if they are dvd-r they wont play.

[Jei]

Theyre not dvdr's, they're very similar to HK Silvers.

[EvilBoris]

Pop one of the discs into a PC and see howmuch space is on it, I think the majority of DVD releases are on dual layer discs which are about 9Gig but many fakies will be on single layer discs so will be 4.7 gig or under.

Another good way to check would be to pop it in a non multiregion DVD player, chances are if it is a fake they will of pressed the disc multi region too, if it's a proper region 1 DVD I imagine it isn't region free.

OR

download this
ftp://ftp6.nero.com/tools/InfoTool.zip

and it'll tell you everything you need to know about the disc

it'll even tell you what software was used to burn this disc.

[Jei]

Update - I've ran InfoTool on a Series 3 Region 1 dvd that I know is genuine of the same series which states this.....

Disc Information (E:\)
------------------
Type : DVD Video
Capacity : 5.61 GB
Layers : 2
Version : 1
Disc size : 12 cm
Video format : NTSC 16:9 (Mpeg 2, 720x480)
Region(s) : 1, 4
Play Time : 42 minutes (00:42:49)

File System : ISO9660, UDF
Title : GA30NNT2
Date : May 7, 2007
Publisher : n/a
Application : n/a


And the Series 4 one I believe to be counterfeit says this.....

Disc Information (E:\)
------------------
Type : DVD Video
Capacity : 6.23 GB
Layers : 2
Version : 1
Disc size : 12 cm
Video format : NTSC 4:3 (Mpeg 2, 720x480). 4:3????
Region(s) : All Multiregion????
Play Time : 43 minutes (00:43:00)

File System : ISO9660, UDF
Title : GA4-0H-LT2_DES Very Different Identifiers
Date : April 19, 2008
Publisher : n/a
Application : n/a

Anyone else agreeing with me that its a very good bootlet?

[anephric]

Any proper release, even if it's "region-free", would still be region-coded, i.e. region 0 (worldwide), although that Nero tool doesn't distinguish. That 4:3 thing is just incorrect anamorphic flagging.

Tbh, if it is a bootleg, they've spent some proper money on manufacturing it (DL media), which would seem self-defeating. It might help if you said what it was or put some pics up.

It might well be Series 4 was pressed and manufactured at a cheapo Mexican plant, for example, to save money.

[EvilBoris]

Grey's Anatomy I'm guessing

[Jei]

Hi people, sorry its been a while i've been mad busy at work.

Yep its Grays Anatomy Series 4 I'm talking about so if anyone else has it on region 1 and have bought it from somewhere reputable can they check a few of the above things on theirs?

I'l get pictures up tomorrow morning if I get chance, the worrying thing is that the seller on ebay sells an awful bloody lot of dvd boxsets and there's only a couple of negatives where people have said they're fake......a LOT of positive.

In all fairness I did a test today, showed it to 3 of my collegues at work and a few of the family. All of them said they thought it was original and genuine until I showed them the difference between all other region 1 dvds etc and explained things such as the barcodes on the discs, the case imperfections etc etc.....time will tell.

[Jei]

Sorry for the lack of pictures at moment, i just dont have the time....did notice something that I shouldve noticed earlier......... The inside of the disc says gerys anatomy and not grays lol

[buster_broon]

The inside of the disc says gerys anatomy and not grays lol

you mean grey's

[Lyris]

ProTips:

Do you have a copy of DVD Decrypter (ironic given the subject matter, I know). Put the disc into that and hold your mouse pointer over the "Label: GA30NNT2" part. A little yellow popup will appear with the Volume ID name and also "Implementation Identifier". The last part is key: programs used to dupe DVDs usually rip this out and replace it with their own name.

If the Implementation Identifier reads something like DVD Shrink or E-zee-Cheapskate-Copy-Plus, you have your answer.

If it reads something like "Daikin US Comtec Lab" (most likely for a professional retail DVD) or "MEI" then it's either genuine or a very good bootleg. Disney/Buena Vista titles (which this seems to be) should usually say the former.

Another way to tell if it's been replicated at a real facility or not is to flip the disc over and look at the text on the inner ring. Genuine discs will have a code saying "IFPI xxxx" where xxxx is a combination of letters and numbers which identify the facility it was both glass mastered and then pressed at. Having no IFPI code at all is a good sign of dodgy business.

Anyway, it sounds like a bootleg based on some of your other observations.

[JazzFunk]

Aaaah, fuck it, if you got it cheap, it plays OK, and you want it for keepsies, everybody wins.