The Game R2 Special Edition warning. (1 Viewer)

[Sean Aaron]

For those, like me, who are annoyed by the British copyright authority/lobby group's little ad on just about every DVD released here which equates buying a pirate DVD with stealing a car or a handbag, be warned that this is the first DVD release I've seen where you cannot skip, fast-forward or get past it in any way. My entire remote control was locked out, including the STOP button, so I had to just mute it and lose 30 seconds of my life to idiocy. I could see this putting some people off buying the title so thought it fair to post about it. What was Universal thinking?

 

[Douglas R]

I think both Fox and Universal do this for their R2 releases, unlike their R1 counterparts where you can skip the piracy warning. It really is annoying, especially the implication that every viewer is a potential pirate. Just as annoying are those discs which include a large number of copyright notices in different languages at the end of the film which you cannot skip or fast forward!

 

[Malcolm Cleugh]

This is on all DVD releases from virtually all the Hollywood studios now in the UK, Warner being another studio who do it. You can only get around it if it the user prohibitions on your DVD have been disabled, that is what I can do on my old multiregion player as that is how they allowed you to play all regions.

There used to be a workaround for Warner DVDs as they come up with a country selection menu screen on first boot up. If you select UK or Australia (the English language ones) you got the piracy promo. However on some disks if you select one of the other countries (for which there are no subtitles so menus etc remain in English) it would take you into the film skipping it. Now whichever country you select you always get the piracy promo, and the country chosen just impacts the menus (if available for that country's language otherwise English) and copyright screen displayed at the end of the film.

 

[Sean Aaron]

You know the message just doesn't go far enough to be effective. Not only is buying a pirate DVD just like stealing a car or a handbag, it's like bludgeoning a pensioner for a fish supper, or indeed, even robbing a bank or picking up a fiver you found on street. You wouldn't return a library book past it's due date or drink milk past it's display date, now would you? So why would you buy a pirate DVD?

Come on people, pirate DVDs=MURDER!

 

[Douglas R]

I'm totally in favour of stopping and punishing pirates but putting heavy anti-pirate messages on a legitimate DVD is not getting the message to the right people. All it does is annoy those of us who would not dream of buying a bootleg. People who habitually buy bootleg copies don't see any anti-pirate message!

 

[Yumbo]

Yes they do.
The genral public allowed piracy to grow, by ignoring it.
This is a consequence.
There are victims.

 

[AndrewWickliffe]

the general public did not allow piracy to grow by ignoring it. the general public isn't responsible for policing....

 

[Yumbo]

Indifference.
Imagine not protesting against fullscreen only.
Piracy is WORSE than fullscreen only.

 

[Manus]

" Indifference "

I sympathise. I really do . But I also really take exception to this. The cure for piracy and lost revenue is not to pi$$ off those of us who regularly stump up our 20$ for every disc we buy. I've never bought a single one.

Most industries faced with 'perceived losses' would take some action like lowering prices (ie.narrowing the price differential between authentic and pirate) or increasing value ( more extras ?) but not Hollywood , no way. From the land that invented Region Coding comes the sequel , 'Format Wars '. Go figure...

~M~

 

[Yumbo]

Well, we have had to lower prices, and increase value, cut wages, lay off staff, reduce stock...INCREASE losses, just to stay OPEN.

If most people can tell me that they HAVE spoken against piracy with any ONE friend or relative, then sure, take exception.

What has been allowed to happen has given rise to DRM etc. I welcome it.

Spend a day in the shoes of those who are affected EVERYDAY, and continue to be dismissive?

No, I do not like annoying forced menus etc, but a necessary inconvenience as deemed by the authors and distributors, at least for now.

We all can make a difference in whatever small way. It has to start somewhere. That's how piracy started its wave. Thanks to all who have stayed true.

 

[Will_B]

More players need to be empowered to skip these commercials. The skip ahead button should always be available to the user.

 

[Manus]

" More players need to be empowered to skip these commercials "

Or even how about a compromise ? Why not a forced play when the disc is first loaded and then only playable from the menu ? I mean pirates are the last ones who'll ever watch these. Ever see a pirate disc which included an anti-piracy warning ?

Certainly, when SD-Dvd came out , I was a free agent encouraging everyone I knew to take it up but I feel no desire to push the new HD-formats at people or to encourage them to replace their current collections.

Im sick of hearing how the poor babies in Hollywood dont think that they are making enough profits so DRM is neccessary ( despite it being a potential nuisance to those who give them their current income *^*>?)

And how long do we expect it to be before DRM is cracked ? Has there ever been any copyright protection that couldn't be cracked ?
Even the Da Vinci Code bought it

~M~

 

[Yumbo]

YES.
We're not in Hollywood, and we are making LOSSES, unfairly.
Studios aren't the only companies involved in the movie industry.
How would you like it if I took your pay packet without a second thought?
Attitudes need to change, one by one.
When DRM is compromised, WE all will face an even bigger nuisance.
Just because you have a gun, does one have to use it?
Think, choose.

Curious, has the iTunes video DRM been cracked?

 

[Manus]

" and we are making LOSSES, unfairly "

To whom ? I dont believe for a minute that the same people who buy 'Pirated' copies are on here with a couple of hundred Sd-Dvds in their collections reading reviews and saving up to go HD despite possibly having to sacrifice some of their Civil Rights to do so.

" Just because you have a gun, does one have to use it? "

So why carry one ? As for iTunes I dont use so couldnt answer.There are so many formats and encodings available I cant keep track.
Obviously, I would be very unhappy if you took my pay packet , does that imply that Im taking yours , cos Im not.

~M~

 

[Yumbo]

Complicity. By and large, society's apathy has allowed this to happen.
I don't like forced menus any more than you do.
When the pirates go away, so do the forced menus.

 

[Magnus T]

Thanks for the laugh, you movie company shill.

If the movie studios were losing all this money, would they approve a 300 million dollar budget for Spider - Man 3? Or a 260 million dollar budget for Superman?

Michael Eisner made 60 000 dollars an hour back in his day. How much money did you make?

 

[Yumbo]

an honest day's no pay. the workers come before me.
just an HTFer just like you.

 

[Magnus T]

Wake up!

Movie companies aren't paying movie crews because they choose not to. They could easily afford to pay these people. So, instead of being portrait as the bad guys, movie studios turns the table and blames it on something as trivial as piracy.

 

[Yumbo]

I guess you don't work in the movie industry, and won't understand until you get affected one day.
read the signs.
END.

 

[Douglas R]

I'm sure that's right. I have ocassionally come across people who say they have bought bootleg copies but they are invariably the sort of people who would never dream of paying the full price for the genuine article. If a bootleg copy was not available these people would still not buy the legitimate DVD. It's a complete fallacy for Hollywood studios to claim that they are losing as much as they say, on the basis of lost sales due to bootleg copies.