Originally Posted By alexbook u k fan wrote this in the "Cars: $62m opening weekend?" thread: >>I understand why they are releasing Cars late over here to miss the World Cup, but I'm not sure it will help the BO with all the pirate copies that are floating around here. I overheard someone the other night saying that they already had it on DVD. I doubt they'll bother paying to see it in the cinema now!!!<< This got me wondering about something, and I didn't want to take that thead completely OT, so I started this one. I know we hear a lot from the MPAA and the studios about the danger of DVD piracy, but is it really that common? Sure, a few hard-core fans are going to get hold of movies early, but as a casual fan I don't think I'd know where to go to buy a "pirate" DVD even if I wanted to. It's not like they're showing up at Target or Blockbuster or on Netflix. I'd be curious to know if anybody has any hard numbers on this.
Originally Posted By cstephens I don't have hard numbers on it, but it's apparently not uncommon to see little stands in places like Times Square in New York with lots of pirated DVDs. There are also newsgroups where people post pirated movies, and I know I've accidentally run across sites selling DVDs for movies that I know are still in theatres, and they're not taking pre-sales - they're actually selling DVD copies. It's also generally a much bigger problem overseas, especially in places like China, I think, than in the States. /cs
Originally Posted By u k fan Here in the UK you can buy them at markets or Car Boot Sales (kinda like giant garage sales where everybody gets together and sells their junk out of their car). It's happened to me in London that someone has come to me in a bar and offered me some. That was years ago though (they offered me the Lion King!) I went on holiday to Cyprus a few yaers back and they were all over the place there, just in regular shops on the High Street. And of course there's always ebay!!!
Originally Posted By u k fan A magazine here had a poll about pirating recently. I'll dig out the figures, but I seem to remember that most people weren't that bothered about it and certainly didn't think it "jeopardises future film production" like all the warnings say here!!!
Originally Posted By alexbook Thanks for the responses. I guess I don't hang out enough in Times Square or at "car boot" sales (love the anglicism!).
Originally Posted By ecdc Alex, I think it all depends on how you define "common". I think many people would be surprised at the thousands of people downloading movies still in theatres online or buying pirated copies. But they're still a tiny percentage compared to those who go to the theatre or just wait and purchase it on DVD. And often, those downloading also buy the legitimate DVD when it comes out. I certainly don't approve of piracy but I've read a lot about the issue of file sharing and downloading and I think the MPAA is flat out dishonest in their portrayal of the situation. For example, they assess how many downloads or pirated sells have taken place and then they times that by the average cost of a movie ticket and then claim that's how much money studios lost in piracy. It's of course a ridiculously inflated number because it doesn't account for the fact that the vast, vast majority of people downloading weren't going to pay to see the movie in the theatre anyway. I just find the issue to be fascinating...
Originally Posted By cstephens I also don't agree with how the MPAA has positioned the impact of pirated movies. But I also don't understand the people who keep claiming that their having a pirated movie isn't stealing. /cs
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger I agree that many, if not most, pirated downloads do not directly equate to lost ticket sales. But I don't understand how someone who might actually *want* to see a movie would be satisfied with a crappy copy, video taped off a movie screen, and digitzed. My son used to do that. It bothered me to no end for my wife and I to be going out to see something on the scale of, say, Star Wars, and he'd say "I've already seen it on the internet." Sorry, I've seen the quality of most of the stuff out there, and if you've seen it on the internet, odds are that you really haven't seen it.
Originally Posted By irishfan Pirated copies are easily bought in many asian countries. I was in China last year, and they were everywhere. Same goes for Thailand.
Originally Posted By basil fan I know somebody who recently bought pirated DVDs, so I asked about the quality. She said you could hear people crunching & whispering around you & see people stand up in front of the screen. Can't see how that's worth even 2 or 3 bucks. Mouse Tales <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/disney/mice.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/ disney/mice.html</a>
Originally Posted By kennect These guys are typically all over street corners here in Atlanta...Suprisingly I haven't seen Pirates up for sale yet..Going rate here for a bootleg is around five dollars....Typically quality is very very bad but they are getting more slick with their packaging...But you know it even gets stranger...Not only are bootleg movies a big item it seems socks are also...Go figure....
Originally Posted By ecdc The quality of what's typically referred to as CAM versions is terrible. This is the guy with the small camcorder hidden in his jacket pointing it at the screen as best he can. These are the DVDs you buy on the sidewalk in Manhattan or all over Asia. Better quality products are telesync copies - a camera on a tripod facing the screen with a direct hookup to the sound, or telecine copies - a copy directly from the film source. Both of these usually still have washed out colors and aren't great quality, but are usually better than the camcorder versions. Again, I just don't see how anyone can justify downloading or buying a copy of Cars from one of these sources. But I do think digital media and filesharing has its place in the world. The music industry took a while and learned the hard way to embrace it and sell it through i-tunes and other formats. The MPAA better realize the same thing or it will be in the same spot as the RIAA. Time shows that technology can rarely be eliminated, but it can be embraced and used for profit. The reality is there are legitimate uses for filesharing, and the fact that the MPAA has a powerful lobby and marketing force and consumers have none doesn't make them right and consumers wrong.
Originally Posted By Fe Maiden <<Not only are bootleg movies a big item it seems socks are also...Go figure....>> Don't forget handbags.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs I've actually watched a bootleg copy of the first Harry Potter film. Highlights included people getting up during the film and the credits cut off. It was like watching a grainy version of it. I'd like to see a pirated copy of the Big Meet though...
