Many of us have a notion that only street vendors sell fake DVDs. But some local stores and online sellers also deal with counterfeit movie and music DVDs. We get tricked into believing that if the packaging is appealing enough, the product inside is authentic. But there are more giveaways to a fake DVD. Here are some tips that can help you to identify one.
Instructions
1. Decide on the movies you want to buy and research the distributor's official website to learn about copyrights and release versions. Check the DVD for special features, captions and subtitles used, number of versions officially released so far and bonus clips.
2. Start by inspecting the front and back of the DVD case. Fake DVDs usually have spelling mistakes, dull and poor contrast in images due to photocopying, low-quality color ink, single-sided printing on the inlay card or tampered plastic wrap.
3. Note the region code used on the DVD case, which refers to the country or region an authentic DVD originates from. Region 1 is USA and Canada, region 2 is Europe, UK, South Africa and Middle East, region 3 is South East Asia and region 0 is worldwide. The word "region" is abbreviated to "R" with the number on the side. See if the region code posted on the case matches with the one on the actual DVD itself.
4. Watch out for extra selling points on the DVD case. Some fake DVD sellers use the words "best quality" or "original copy" printed on the case. If the DVD is an original release, there's no requirement for its authenticity to be publicized.
5. Play the DVD to check the audio and visual quality. Check if the sound effect claimed as DTS or Dolby on the case is justified by the actual sound. Browse around the menus to see if the subtitles are in the languages appropriate for the region code used.
Tags: region code, code used, region code used