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Hong Kong pirates selling bootleg Blu-rays on DVDs
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The following comments relate to this news article:
article published on 18 November, 2008
According to a new Wall Street Journal article, Hong Kong based movie pirates have begun selling bootleg Blu-ray films on standard DVDs, using the AVCHD format to fit a 720p film onto a cheap DVD-5.
Although the AVCHD discs only offers 720p and not the full HD 1080p, most consumers cannot tell the difference, and just see it as an upgrade from standard DVD anyways when playing back on ... [ read the full article ]
Please read the original article before posting your comments.
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error5
Senior Member
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20. November 2008 @ 00:33 |
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Originally posted by SProdigy:
Yes! "Blu-Ray" could've easily been a certified codec/add-on for HDMI DVD players much like Divx is. Think about it, HDMI DVD players can already output 1080p/1080i/720p so why not have the AVCHD codec built in... HD for the price of DVD!
AVCHD is an offshoot of, and is based on, the BluRay/BDMV file structure. It was meant as a recording format for digital tapeless high def camcorders and was developed by Panasonic and Sony.
It wasn't meant to be a format for movie distribution since the quality (based on average bitrate) is comparable only to broadcast HD.
Since DVHS/D-Theater movies were already maxing out at 28Mbps, they had no choice but to try to match or exceed this with HD DVD and BluRay. Thus the need for higher capacity media.
At least that's my take on the matter.
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Staff Member
4 product reviews
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20. November 2008 @ 01:43 |
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Quote:
Originally posted by fgamer:
Well not the actuall DVD, I mean the player that's being used to display the movie. For instance if you use a DVD player it won't display it in HD, right?
Read the article again.
These discs can't be played on a regular DVD player.
You need a PS3 or a BluRay standalone with AVCHD capability to play these discs.
Toshibot is correct, sorry if that was not clear before :)
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Senior Member
11 product reviews
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20. November 2008 @ 11:58 |
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Great news! Anything that is a thorn in SONY's side....I am all for it!
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juankerr
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20. November 2008 @ 12:09 |
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Originally posted by ugc:
Great news! Anything that is a thorn in SONY's side....I am all for it!
Actually, it's a thorn in the side of the MPAA.
This can actually increase the sales of BluRay players and increase BluRay revenue for Sony, Panasonic, Samsung etc. You do need a PS3 or a BluRay standalone to play these discs.
Cheap movies = Increased sales of players = Increased revenue for hardware makers
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. November 2008 @ 12:29
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xaxxon
Suspended permanently
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20. November 2008 @ 13:00 |
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irrelevant spam removed
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. November 2008 @ 17:04
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Senior Member
11 product reviews
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20. November 2008 @ 13:21 |
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Originally posted by juankerr:
Originally posted by ugc:
Great news! Anything that is a thorn in SONY's side....I am all for it!
Actually, it's a thorn in the side of the MPAA.
This can actually increase the sales of BluRay players and increase BluRay revenue for Sony, Panasonic, Samsung etc. You do need a PS3 or a BluRay standalone to play these discs.
Cheap movies = Increased sales of players = Increased revenue for hardware makers
I believe the money is in the media, not the player. Like xbox360, they make their money on the games, not the console.
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juankerr
Member
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20. November 2008 @ 13:47 |
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Originally posted by ugc:
I believe the money is in the media, not the player. Like xbox360, they make their money on the games, not the console.
But it's also the media that can push hardware sales.
When Halo 3 came out didn't we see a spike in 360 sales? MGS4 pushed PS3 sales.
When people see cheap HD movies, we should also see an increase in player sales at least in the Asian market where these discs are available.
Increased revenue for the hardware makers at the cost of decreased revenue for the MPAA - I can live with that. Besides, most titles have already made money from the theatrical release. Check the MPAA's stats reports - they're not exactly hemorrhaging money at this point, despite their posturing.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. November 2008 @ 14:02
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georgeluv
Member
1 product review
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20. November 2008 @ 14:56 |
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i hope everyone here realizes that you could do this like 3 years ago when hd-dvd and blu-ray dvds first came out. there was a dvdrebuilder method for both.
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domie
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20. November 2008 @ 19:19 |
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hd-dvd and blu ray discs were out 3 years ago ? i thought it was just under 2 years but maybe I am wrong
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Senior Member
5 product reviews
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20. November 2008 @ 19:21 |
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I believe the biggest jump in Hardware sales will be when BD-R's come down in price to a point where they are a viable option for the average consumer.
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Junior Member
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21. November 2008 @ 09:52 |
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BD-R's will still need to come down a lot though. Because dual layer DVD's (DVD 9's) are still in the $3 range per disk. When DVD 5's are in the $.50 range per disk. I believe when they are in the $5 range per disk. Then they will have more mass market appeal.
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Member
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21. November 2008 @ 14:49 |
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DVD 5 will still be the majority choice for a standard medium. I think that in 1.5 years blu-ray will turn the tables.
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Senior Member
5 product reviews
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22. November 2008 @ 02:50 |
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Originally posted by defgod:
BD-R's will still need to come down a lot though. Because dual layer DVD's (DVD 9's) are still in the $3 range per disk. When DVD 5's are in the $.50 range per disk. I believe when they are in the $5 range per disk. Then they will have more mass market appeal.
I get Ritek DVD-9's for 80c each and DVD-5's for 24c each (That is Australian Dollars, so that would be DVD-9 = 50c, DVD-5 = 15c USD). :-)
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 22. November 2008 @ 02:53
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Member
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22. November 2008 @ 15:20 |
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Wow! Burn Blu Ray to DVD 5. I learn something new every day. Had no idea you could do that. Off to Google searches!
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Staff Member
4 product reviews
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22. November 2008 @ 15:32 |
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Originally posted by ChiefBrdy:
Wow! Burn Blu Ray to DVD 5. I learn something new every day. Had no idea you could do that. Off to Google searches!
Dont go to Google, check Ryu's signature :P
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drybrdl
Junior Member
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22. November 2008 @ 17:26 |
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Senior Member
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22. November 2008 @ 21:08 |
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Originally posted by drybrdl:
Will these discs play on an xbox 360?
No they won't play this format you need Blu-Ray player capabilities for the fourth time.If its not using blue laser then it won't work. I agree with everybody else so far on the subject although what does the output actually look like.I think I would like to see a comparison,because I'm pretty picky about quality of films.I like High Definition video but for the price Blu-Ray is selling at its not affordable to the public.Once the prices lower it should become pretty popular,and we will see Dvd-9 media selling as cheap as Dvd-5 media.I bet it will be a couple years from now,but at the moment I'm cool with dvd until Blu-Ray prices drop.
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Disked
Junior Member
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22. November 2008 @ 21:15 |
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The Blue-ray bootlegs are not new, they have been selling in Bangkok as early as December last year!
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Member
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22. November 2008 @ 21:37 |
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I read a blurb last week that Microsoft is looking at a blu ray player for the Xbox
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Senior Member
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22. November 2008 @ 23:10 |
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I finally saw an add for blank bluray disc's, when I looked at the price I laughed so hard my head hurt.
So if these whatever AVCHD disc's are if the price was right would'nt that be nice, and am I correct in what I read that these things are only mini-BD disc's, if thats the case thats not good.
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Senior Member
5 product reviews
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23. November 2008 @ 02:39 |
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Originally posted by FredBun:
I finally saw an add for blank bluray disc's, when I looked at the price I laughed so hard my head hurt.
So if these whatever AVCHD disc's are if the price was right would'nt that be nice, and am I correct in what I read that these things are only mini-BD disc's, if thats the case thats not good.
Mini BD discs refer to an extended version of AVCHD. In the "ripping" World these are referred to as either BD-5 (BDMV on a single layer DVD) or BD-9 (BDMV on a dual layer DVD). AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) as a standard was originally designed by Sony & Panasonic to transfer HD video footage from a Camcorder to DVD optical media. This is still 1080p but using DVD as the media format. The folder and directory layout between AVCHD and Blu-ray is almost identical.
It is possible now to cheat the Blu-ray player into playing the extended features that Blu-ray offers over AVCHD but still using DVD as the optical disc media used. AVCHD was limited to only using AVC/H264 video and Dolby Digital audio. Whereas Blu-ray included 3 main video codecs within its standardisation (MPEG2, VC-1 & AVC/H264) along with support for DTS audio and switchable subtitles etc.
So in short, Blu-ray stand alone players (or a PS3/HTPC) can play 1080p video along with multi channel DTS or Dolby audio from a DVD. When re-authored to only include the main movie and a single primary audio track, it is possible to re-encode the video with H264 in the bitrate range of 8Mbs - 15Mbs. As the efficiency of H264 is markedly improved compared to MPEG2 (as used for regular DVD Video) it is still possible to achieve very high quality 1080p video and still fit on a regular DVD.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 23. November 2008 @ 04:54
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xtwister
Newbie
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23. November 2008 @ 10:17 |
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you can play these rips through your pc to your big screen hdtv. So you dont need a ps3 or BluRay. As long as you have the codecs on your pc it will work great.
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Senior Member
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23. November 2008 @ 16:40 |
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Ryu77, thanks for your explanation, but wow that was way over my head, but than again thats the way we PC dummies learn, I actually copied and pasted what you said and saved it, one of these days when I get a geek friend so to speack pay a visit I'll ask for a complete low down cause all that was very intersting.
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Gnawnivek
Member
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24. November 2008 @ 12:50 |
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Yeah, this is not new... That was one of the reasons i went BD to start with (well, got the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 too). If you have a HD camcorder, you can burn those AVCHD files on blank DVD discs and voila, instant HD clips using the PS3 :)
Well, if you have external HDD, you can just copy the AVCHD files and play it via the PS3. No need for the tedious process... I think that's the method most people use right now.
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Moderator
16 product reviews
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24. November 2008 @ 22:49 |
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I am trying to confirm if this copy of The Dark Knight my cousin picked up today is a HK "BD" fake (it's got incorrect box art but it could be a different region?)
I should be able to find out by tomorrow, he's out and about right now. Will post more info as I get it...
Edit #1: He just got back home and I am trying to figure this out right now, just waiting on a phone call.
Edit #2: Looks to be real. 3 Discs, Multiple correct surrounds as well as BD-Live (that confirmed it to me) plus it was 1080p (not 720p). I guess the only thing is it has different box art. Lucky bastard got it 2 weeks early!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 24. November 2008 @ 23:20
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