BaronTT Posted June 19, 2002 Report Share Posted June 19, 2002 Even bootleg DVDs are vastly superior to VCDs. If you had seen one, you'd know. I've seen many, many bootleg DVDs. I used to get some VCDs but after watching DVDs, VCDs are difficult to watch. If you get a bad DVD copy, the picture will be excellent until it hits a bad spot. At that point, the picture breaks up. (This doesn't apply to bootlegs that were made by filming a screen in a theatre. Those are bad quality.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarisin Posted June 20, 2002 Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 OK, this is a great topic for me, too. I have had a VCD player for some time and built up quite a collection. Time for another format change? Arghhhhh! I still have a shitload of VHS tapes, but no BetaMax. Does anyone know if there is a machine that plays both VCDs and DVDs? Also, I buy VCDs for 100 B usually. What is the going price for DVDs? I guess I am talking Panthip prices here. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaronTT Posted June 20, 2002 Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 The DVD players also play VCDs. So you can keep your collection! I still have quite a few VCDs but never watch them because of the quality. Bootleg DVDs around 250-300 for the real good quality ones. (Malaysia, "9".) Real ones are expensive. About 1200 baht, I think. I haven't been to Panthip for about a month. I think I paid 300 baht for the DVDs I bought there. Don't buy Thailand-made bootlegs. Poor quality. Chinese seem to be OK, but I think Malaysia 9s are the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palatkik Posted June 20, 2002 Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 >Even bootleg DVDs are vastly superior to VCDs You are of course correct. Sorry for any confusion, I was thinking more of the very latest movie releases that often get filmed illegally in a cinema, before they are released legally on DVD/VCD on the legitimate market. The quality of those movies would be hard to improve on whatever the new technology. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJsushi Posted June 20, 2002 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 Which models of DVD players and price ranges would you guys recommend in Thailand? Which ones are the multi formats that can play everything? I would bring one from the US but I don't want to deal with a power converter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene1944 Posted June 20, 2002 Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 The one I bought plays vcd, dvd and karaoke. I paid about 6000 baht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJsushi Posted June 20, 2002 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 Would you care to inform us as to the brand and model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaronTT Posted June 20, 2002 Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 I would buy one out here rather than in the States because the ones here are multi-voltage and multi-format, i.e, NTSC and PAL. (Not that I've ever bought a PAL DVD.) BUT... since the DVDs are Zoned, you generally can't play US DVDs (Zone 1) in a Thai DVD Player (Zone 3). Except: Some DVD disks are 'unzoned' and can play in all machines. Most Bootlegs are 'All Zones' so they can be played in every machine. A DVD Player can be modified (usually via a chip) to play all Zones. Most of the DVD players you buy here are already 'modded', I think. So, I would make sure that whatever brand you buy, it is either already modded, or you can find a mod and install it yourself. You can find the mods on the Internet. I have a couple of players. A US Toshiba model. 5 discs, all of the special decoders built in. It also does double duty as my Audio CD player. Great machine, but it's only Zoned for Zone 1. Panasonic, first generation DVD player. PAL/NTSC Zone 3, with a mod I did myself. Works well. I always buy Zone 1 (which are released first, anyway) or all-zone (or no zone). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 20, 2002 Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 "Most of the movie selections and titles on the mass market at the moment are bootleg and predominantly on VCD at cheaper prices. " Bootlegs yes, but in the tourist areas the VCDs have all but vanished. DVDs are the norm now. Remember, these guys are selling to farang tourists who have DVD players back home. Farang tourists have no interest in VCDs. "I myself have never bought a DVD disc in Thailand and I would guess the vast majority of Thais haven't either." I'd agree that most Thais have not seen a DVD, but give it time. Maybe a lot of time. "Bootleg DVD's are not much better than VCD's in qulaity..." Simply not true. Recently I have purchased bootlegs for 200B (less, if you buy a few) that were clearly duplicated from digital masters. All the supplemental materials were included. The days of guys using a camcorder in a movie theater to make a bootleg are coming to an end. Now, high-quality DVDs made from digital masters are hitting the streets within days of the movie being released to theaters in the States (in some cases, *before* they are released to theaters!). The bootleg DVDs on the streets now are virtually indistinguishable from a legit DVD. Razor-sharp picture, terrific audio. And the zone protection is cracked, so they'll play anywhere. But see the last paragraph, below. "...VCD's will be around for some time." I agree that video rental shops catering primarily to Thais have a huge inventory of VCDs, and they will not be in a position to switch to DVDs for quite some time. But as far as the farang tourist market goes, there is no looking back to VCDs. The key to buying a good DVD (quality *does* vary) is to go to a seller who actually has a DVD player and TV right there. Ask them to pop the disk in, and make sure it has all the features the packaging says it has (languages, subtitles, audio, extras) and that the picture is sharp. If it is subpar, tell them and they can probably get another version of the disk that is perfect. I had one seller bring out four versions of the same title; one sucked (it would "hang"), one didn't have the Thai subtitles as stated on the packaging (although it did have Malay, Korean and Mandarin) and two were perfect. Also, just because the packaging says "DVD", don't believe it: it may actually be a VCD, and since a VCD will play fine in a DVD player, the buyer will think it is a poor-quality DVD (hence the reason you said "Bootleg DVD's are not much better than VCD's in qulaity", perhaps). Don't trust what the packaging says. Get the seller to pop the disk in a player and check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 20, 2002 Report Share Posted June 20, 2002 As an aside... Last night I was watching the "Easy Rider" DVD I had bought in the States. On it there is a one-hour documentary on the making of the film ("Shaking The Cage"). Dennis Hopper mentions something I never knew before: "Easy Rider" refers to a man who lives off his girlfriend, i.e. she loves him and he lives off her earnings as a prostitute. Interestingly, this DVD (again, which I had purchased in the States) had Thai subtitles, which is quite unusual for a DVD sold in the States. Hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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