WARNING: Bootleg DVDs of HOUSE & NIGHT OF DS being sold on ebay!

[Darren Gross]

Here's an alert and warning to you collectors out there. A dealer is selling bootleg of the DS movies on eBay. These are ILLEGAL copies. The DS movies have NOT been released in ANY REGION or territory.

These are DVD-Rs (or home burned recordable DVDs taken from the Laserdiscs). They are full frame, are IDENTICAL to the VHS editions and will not play on most players. Most new players can play DVD-Rs and other recordable DVD formats but almost all of the earlier generation ones can't especially Toshiba.

The discs also suffer from terrible Mpeg incoding with indistinct picture and terrible pixellation and digital blocking. (I bought one for $10 from the same dealer a year or so back just to find out what he was selling and to find out his identity, should we need to report it in future.)

Don't waste your $$ The last one went for $71!

These are not legitimate copies and are of lower quality than the VHS.

[Brian]

Thanks, Darren, for the notice.  I saw that DVD on eBay, too, and was pretty sure it was not legal.

Brian

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Along with being illegal, it's despicable for this person to be implying they're offering the quality of DVD when they're actually selling something of such poor quality. (But the weird thing is they don't have any negative feedback. What are we to assume from that? :- )

[Darren Gross]

He changes user IDs or fans feel guilty buying an obvious bootleg and don't post a negative feedback.

[Brian]

(But the weird thing is they don't have any negative feedback. What are we to assume from that?

Maybe some of the buyers simply don't know any better.  If one has no frame of reference for quality, then maybe they don't know to post negatives.  (I've seen this with other buyers--they don't know they're being sold "damaged goods" so they think they've got a great buy.)

Brian

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I've seen this with other buyers--they don't know they're being sold "damaged goods" so they think they've got a great buy.

It's just sad to think that the person who spent $71 might think they've gotten a great buy.

I'm just thankful that I don't have to see their face when they see what they've actually bought because that's surely going to be a gutwrenching sight. And it's aggravating as hell to know that the seller is getting away with what they're doing...

[Gothick]

How ghastly.  But honestly, looking at some of these eBay sales in years past, with folks buying stuff at exorbitant prices on eBay that's still currently available because a sly vendor has listed it as "rare" or "out of print," I'm hardly surprised.

I bought the hoDS/NoDS laser disc years ago because I wanted to see the movies in full screen ratio.  I was sooo disappointed when the discs turned out to have the standard crap pan and scan prints as on the tapes.

In my understanding, a customer would have every right to report this vendor to the eBay management.

G.

[Brian]

I'm not a customer of this seller, but I did report him.  Too late for this listing, but maybe when he offers it again they'll catch up with him.

[Darren Gross]

Hi Gothick,

I should probably mention for those out there as well that there has never been a widescreen/letterboxed VHS or Laserdisc release of these films.

The lasers are nice, though, especially for the NODS trailer and TV spot which feature some great cut shots and the onyl extant fragment of the poolhouse dream scene...

[Patti Feinberg]

Darren...first, thank you.

I wouldn't have know the difference.

I've never been on ebay, but...aren't there copyright infringement issues here? Or, is it that the 'seller' moves on before TPTB (DC?) have an opportunity to 'get him'.

KUDOS TO BRIAN

Patti

[Mark Rainey]

If Ebay is made aware of the item quickly, they'll usually take action on illegal copies, but as you can imagine, the volume they deal with is immense, and so lot of it will certainly get through. If a studio itself has an agreement with Ebay, such as Toho -- and the studio lodges a complaint -- the auctions will get whacked with express speed.

--Mark

[Darren Gross]

TPTB would be Turner ent and amidst the thousands of other shady items added, this is probably small fries...

Not like the dimwit who was selling a 35mm print of HULK on ebay a month ago. Probably got nailed down badly.