ltdiver 3 #1 November 6, 2008 Not a cameraflyer question, but a consumer one. My sister lent me an unopened DVD to watch while i'm recuperating here at home. The DVD has the proper signatures on the face of it, but the player surface of it is silver, not purple. But that's not the telling feature. The sound is horrible! It sounds like an LP record playing on a turn table! Crackles and all. The back of the DVD's case says: 1) "This DVD Disc is Formatted for Worldwide Use". 2) "MMI Gemstone Entertainment" 3) "Guaranteed Superior Quality" 4) "This DVD is a high quality MPEG2 compression. There may be some slight visual variances due to the state of the original master." My question is this. Is this a pirated copy, or just an old DVD from when the technology was new? Or....a very sad attempt at some low budget media house? As I said, the sound really sucks, and the picture quality isn't that sharp either. ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 5 #2 November 6, 2008 Sounds very much like a bootleg/pirate DVD. If it doesn't have the DVD logo on it, if it is a "name" movie and looks bad, it probably is a pirate. Additionally, if it's a name movie, it should be regionalized. What movie is it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #3 November 6, 2008 QuoteSounds very much like a bootleg/pirate DVD. If it doesn't have the DVD logo on it, if it is a "name" movie and looks bad, it probably is a pirate. Additionally, if it's a name movie, it should be regionalized. What movie is it? A very silly movie (one of Demi Moore's first?) called "Choices". Just finished watching it. A pretty corny movie. edit to add attachment pic of the DVD. ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #4 November 6, 2008 A little Googling... Quote Home | Company Profiles | Gemstone Entertainment Inc. Gemstone Entertainment Inc. Private Company, Headquarters Location Fairfield, OH 45014-8536 United States (513)771-5355, Company Description: Services: Videotape rental and sales. And, from an Amazon.com review of another of their offerings: QuoteWow, where to start? Pretty much everything about this DVD is a lie. On the back the DVD says "Guaranteed Superior Quality" - HA! What a laugh! This DVD pretty much has the feel of a bootleg. The picture and sound are terrible. The picture is constantly shaking. There's no address to write to this Gemstone Entertainment. The DVD doesn't even list what the movie is rated or when it came out. On the back of the DVD it says "Bonus Info: Biography / Filmography / Trivia / Scene Access / Interactive Menus" - LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! There isn't even a scene selection! The menu screen is just blank and says "Play Movie". Then, of course there is the extreme false advertising which tries to make it seem as if Robert De Niro is the main character who is plotting revenge for his brother's death when in fact De Niro plays the brother, who dies at the beginning of the movie! The cover photo has a picture of De Niro that looks like it's from the late eighties or nineties when his footage was filmed in 1969! Doesn't this qualify as false advertising? You can't put a picture from a completely different movie on the cover of a DVD!! Do NOT buy this DVD! No matter what you think. Even if you're a De Niro buff, like myself, it will just get you mad. This DVD is a disgrace. Gemstone Entertainment should be ashamed of themselves. In the meantime, I'm going to try and find an address for the company so I can write to them to find out exactly what this "Guaranteed Superior Quality" means. Gemstone Entertainment = Cheap Lying Dirty Thieves HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 5 #5 November 6, 2008 Howard's post pretty much nailed it. I dunno how these guys get away with it. Maybe they're far enough under the radar... or they're far enough back in the que. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #6 November 6, 2008 QuoteThen, of course there is the extreme false advertising which tries to make it seem as if Robert De Niro is the main character who is plotting revenge for his brother's death when in fact De Niro plays the brother, who dies at the beginning of the movie! That's about what they did with -this- DVD as well. Demi's on the cover and her character is portrayed as if she's the main subject...when all she has is a minor (and very badly played) role. I second your reviewer's rant. Don't buy this movie! If indeed it -is- a legitimate copy it's a very poor technology they used to do it. It'd be interesting to hear from those in the business how this all started. ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indyz 1 #7 November 6, 2008 It actually seems like a decent (if slimy) way to make money. Buy the rights to crappy old forgotten movies that have stars before they were stars, transfer them to DVD as cheaply as possible, inflate the "stars" role on the cover, sell at new-movie prices. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velocityphoto 0 #8 November 6, 2008 I have heard stories of towel heads making video's in the movie theaters like this . They usually set up a tripod in the theater or worse yet hand hold a video camera and record the movie as it plays on the big screen and make copy's of it this way to sell. A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rover 11 #9 November 6, 2008 Theres no way I'd fess up to watching a Demi Moore movie...... 2 wrongs don't make a right - but 3 lefts do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 80 #10 November 10, 2008 Quote ...while i'm recuperating here at home.... Going by your reflection on the DVD, I'd recommend that you watch no more DVDs. You need to rest. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #11 November 11, 2008 QuoteThe DVD has the proper signatures on the face of it, but the player surface of it is silver, not purple. A purple surface typically indicates that it was burned on a PC. If it is silver, it was more than likely created by "pressing" the info onto the DVD. This is the typical method for mass distibution, including Blockbuster hits. Many companies buy a license for older footage and re-author it. Completely legal. Many times the original master is just not good quality. If the master is old and of poor quality, it won't matter if they used the highest quality compression. How much did you pay for it?Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #12 November 11, 2008 QuoteHow much did you pay for it? If you read the original post you'd see that I didn't pay anything for it. My sister let me borrow it. ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #13 November 11, 2008 I just wanted to know how much the DVD cost. I guess you don't know... It could very well be old public domain footage downloaded for free... Sorry my reply didn't help.Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 5 #14 November 11, 2008 QuoteI just wanted to know how much the DVD cost. I guess you don't know... It could very well be old public domain footage downloaded for free... Sorry my reply didn't help. Absolutely 100% impossible that the movie is public domain. It stars Demi Moore. Nothing containing Ms. Moore will be in PD for another 40 years at the earliest, depending on her role. More likely not for another 100 years, depending on her death. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #15 November 11, 2008 QuoteAbsolutely 100% impossible that the movie is public domain. It stars Demi Moore. Nothing containing Ms. Moore will be in PD for another 40 years at the earliest, depending on her role. More likely not for another 100 years, depending on her death. Sorry...I've been very careless lately.Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
