Think I got some bootlegs.
How do I know if I got bootleg or original?

It's a black art experience is the best guide, but some tell-tale features:

The obvious ones:

1. the plot summary or credits on the back of the case are for a completely different movie! (happens a lot with bootlegs that appear whilst the films are in cinemas, sure to be bad quality)

2. If the printing on the sleeve or disc do not have that "crisp" professional quality, i.e. they look like they've printed on somebody's home printer.

The ones that require some research:

1. Artwork/packaging is different from known legit releases - e.g. does not come with a slipcase when it should (note that having a slipcase or the right artwork doesn't guarantee it's NOT a bootleg)

2. Disc is advertised as "Region 0/Free" when the official release was region coded... but this is difficult because many legit Asian dvds claim to be region coded on the box but don't bother coding the actual disc!

3. Disc contains subtitles/audio tracks that are not on the legit releases - e.g. if you see anime on ebay with Chinese + English subtitles, 90% certain bootleg.

4. Selling new products way under the retail price... if you see somebody selling new/sealed Japanese DVDs for $14.99, they're bootlegs.

With ebay you can often ID sellers who are carrying bootlegs by looking for one or more items that match the above - e.g. at the moment there is no legit Tom Yum Goong DVD, so searching "Tom Yum Goong DVD" on ebay will find you several bootleggers straight off. If they're selling one or two bootleg titles, chances are that everything they sell is bootlegged.

Thanks so much for all your info. Helps knowing what to look for.

I thought if dvd has hologram art/image on disc, it's original. When

I started seeing printed/stamped art on discs, I was suspious, but I was

told that some studios do this.

I've gotten grt! deals on ebay & amazon- all originals &

I've gotten dvds that were transferred from laser disk(?)

The last straw was a copy of "fallen angels" ($$) cover art (looks crisp &

legit) by Media Asia,

but upon playing disc it was an ocean shores presents & the stamped art

looks blurred. Life & learn.....

I thought if dvd has hologram art/image on disc, it's original

Bootleggers have hologram stickers on more product that the legitimate distributors!

For a while, especially when the bootleggers first appeared on the scene in Chinatown here, I was often surprised at the quality that went into the packaging of some of their efforts. I was even fooled on occasion because many of the stores that had until then been known as straight-up dealers were sneaking boots into the mix, and it was the hologram stickers and glossy embossed logos on matte finish slipcases that fooled me, not to mention "professionally pressed" single- and dual-layer discs with disc art and even the appropriate credits on the package. I mean, who could possibly do this at home in their basements, I reckoned! Obviously, I learned swiftly that stuff like this could only have been made in a factory setting. It has become significantly easier to distinguish the fakes from the genuine articles as competition between the bootleg retailers has almost killed the legit market. I say almost because thankfully there are a few stores who have stayed legit over the years, usually because DVDs aren't the only thing they sell. And when their prices for catalogue product is only about $1 to $2 more than the bootleg stuff, there's really little reason to stray. Ebay, however, allows for all manner of suspect material to be advertised as neither legit or phony - a comfortable grey zone for many sellers there.