WHY DO THEY CALL SOME VCD'S SCREENERS and are they good?

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I saw on a web sight that some vcd's are screeners and some are theatre. How can you tell if it is a bootleg copy or the real thing put out by the movie companies.

-- JOSE A. ROLDAN (qball72@earthlink.net), May 02, 1999

Answers

A screener is a copy of the film given to video stores. Essentially a free copy of the film on tape(DVD screeners do not exist yet nor do VCD screeners). Every fifteen minutes or so(maybe ten) a message will either: scroll along the bottom(Twentieth Century Fox and Touchstone), remain on screen for a few minutes(Warner Bros.) or scroll over the scene(Columbia Tri-Star). The best pirates use this method over the theater copy. A theater copy is made when someone sneaks a camcorder into the theater or the projectionist films the movie. Many theater rip-offs have laughter, crying, and excess noise or motion. A real good theater rip-off is done when the viewing room (audience) is empty. Basically the next best thing to an original copy is the screener rip-off. A person gets the screener and captures the video to his computer then encodes it to Video CD. The only way to get an actual screener video cassette is to be a Video Store. this cassettes are not suppossed to be sold or rented, as the screener allows a Video Store owner or purchaser to screen the movie before buying a "Rental-Only Lot" of movies which is usually about ten to twenty. The message on a screener basically says For demonstration purposes not For Sale Or Rent, If you rented or bought this casseete please call 1-800-NO-CPYS. the movie studios themselves use their own wording but that is the summary of the message. A theater rip-off is hard to tell but if the viewing area becomes larger, is misshapened, or moves from top to bottom, it is a copy. Also theater copied VCDs are usually very bright thanks to the dark room and bright screen. Another way is if the film recently came out(five weeks or less) and the VCD/DVD already exists. Many screeners are compiled the sixth week after release. It does not matter how your movie was made, it matters on your principles. Do you really want this movie on disc months before everyone? Or can I stand a message appearing every so often. Me personally, I get my movies from Thailand. many are screener rip-offs and some are theater rip-offs. I enjoy the movies anyway. I got Bug's Life well before the screener and public video release. Do I feel bad not really. My Lethal Weapon 4 is made from a screener but at least I now own it. (My dad and aunt buy me the VCDs from Thailand so I have no idea what I am getting.) Hope this informed you well.

-- Will Shakes (soldier0081@hotmail.com), May 02, 1999.

I forgot to answer your last question. Movies in Malaysia, released by Touchstone and Speedy video have holograms of authenticity. These holograms are specially printed to be unique. Warner Bros. movies in Malaysia have the a unique sticker on the back. the sticker and hologram can not be photocopied or removed. The Warner sticker is also very thick(I won't say how much to protect the company). For Chinese-Subtitled Warner Bros. Movies and US Released Warner Bros. DVDs(this includes MGM) the disc has to be a pure gold CD/DVD. Warner Bros is the only one who can get the gold discs(cost for gold CD is about five dollars more, too much for pirates to use). Touchstone, and Universe Laser use holograms similar to the malaysian ones,except for one discripancy(again I won't say what). If you buy from Thailand, the movie has to be widescreen, 2.35:1. No holograms or gold discs(Thailand, Cambodia, and other southern Asian countries are too good at piracy for these to be effective). Usually the pirates do not get a widescreen film(Widescreen goes for about 10-0 dollars more than over here). Happy hunting

-- Will Shakes (soldier0081@hotmail.com), May 07, 1999.

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