Combat! - Complete Series DVD Question (Possible bootleg?) (1 Viewer)

[mattfire64]

So I just bought the complete series set of Combat! from a third party seller on Amazon, and I have a rather urgent question. I noticed that all the discs in the set that I got in the mail are single layer discs, whereas my old copy of season 1 campaign II has dual-layer discs. I know that single layer discs are a common trademark of a bootlegged set, so if someone who already has a copy could check then I'd much appreciate it. I'd like to return the set if it's bootlegged, so I'd REALLY appreciate a response. Thanks in advance.

 

[jcroy]

Do these discs have any encryption?

With the exception of maybe Anchor Bay, almost every respectable medium and large size movie company will have encryption on their dvd discs.

 

[Brent Reid]

Google is your friend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat!#VHS_and_DVD_releases

 

[Bob_S.]

I'm assuming the 2013 release of the complete series is also time compressed? I thought about buying it but not if it's time compressed.

 

[mattfire64]

I guess I should have mentioned that it is "supposed" to be the 2013 release by RLJ Entertainment (The company that bought out Image Entertainment). Episodes are still time compressed from what I can see.

I checked the disc's in the set for encryption, and they don't have any...

I also checked my earlier set of Season 1 Campaign II as well, and it DOES have encryption, plus it is on dual layer discs to boot. I'm really starting to think that I got screwed over here...

UPDATE: I looked at the discs a little bit more, and if this set is indeed a bootleg, the bootleggers did one hell of a job in covering their tracks. The menu's between my copy of Season 1 Campaign II and the equivalent discs in this set are exactly identical. All the same opening disclaimer screens are there as well. The discs also have ifpi codes and such on the back spindle of every disc as well, which means that these discs are actually pressed discs and not DVD-R's. Is it possible that RLJ might have just gotten cheap before they phased out production of the set?

 

[jcroy]

UPDATE: I looked at the discs a little bit more, and if this set is indeed a bootleg, the bootleggers did one hell of a job in covering their tracks. The menu's between my copy of Season 1 Campaign II and the equivalent discs in this set are exactly identical. All the same opening disclaimer screens are there as well. The discs also have ifpi codes and such on the back spindle of every disc as well, which means that these discs are actually pressed discs and not DVD-R's. Is it possible that RLJ might have just gotten cheap before they phased out production of the set?

Is the IFPI facility code QW** ?

(IFPI facility code QW** is the Sony DADC in Terre Haute, Indiana).


Recenlty I purchased the "Crime Story" complete series set which was released by RLJ. (It has a 2016 date on the back cover). The shiny sides of the "Crime Story" discs look similar to other discs manufactured by Sony DADC (ie. Sony Pictures Home Video, Eone, etc ...) with IFPI facility code QW**

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I guess I should have mentioned that it is "supposed" to be the 2013 release by RLJ Entertainment (The company that bought out Image Entertainment). Episodes are still time compressed from what I can see.

I checked the disc's in the set for encryption, and they don't have any...

I also checked my earlier set of Season 1 Campaign II as well, and it DOES have encryption, plus it is on dual layer discs to boot. I'm really starting to think that I got screwed over here...

UPDATE: I looked at the discs a little bit more, and if this set is indeed a bootleg, the bootleggers did one hell of a job in covering their tracks. The menu's between my copy of Season 1 Campaign II and the equivalent discs in this set are exactly identical. All the same opening disclaimer screens are there as well. The discs also have ifpi codes and such on the back spindle of every disc as well, which means that these discs are actually pressed discs and not DVD-R's. Is it possible that RLJ might have just gotten cheap before they phased out production of the set?

There are indeed pressed knockoffs. More than you'd imagine, for titles you'd never suspect.

So far, I've bought CSI S1, Miss Fisher S2, and Doctor Who seasons 2-4 that were all pressed knockoffs.

I didn't buy knockoffs on purpose, mind you, I was just looking for a good deal.

We had a thread here a while back about spotting bootlegs you might want to search for.

EDIT:

Here you go

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/co...le-on-how-to-detect-a-bootleg-release.346640/

Pressed bootlegs/counterfeits are enough of a going concern that Shout Factory posted an article about them since their sets are apparently a prime target for fakes.

 

[mattfire64]

Hmm, The ifpi code on the back of the Combat set reads IFPI L331 in bigger font. For comparison, I checked my set of Naked City and it has a code of IFPI L332, but in smaller and more difficult to see font. Keep in mind that both the Naked City and Combat! sets were released by the same company, RLJ Entertainment at around the same time period (2013).

Also, the bottom surface is a clear color, not blue like almost every DVD-R is.

Another thing however that makes be suspect this set of being a bootleg is how all the artwork is a tad bit blurry. It's not as "crystal clear" as the Naked City set. On top of that, there is a strange "musty" smell inside of all 5 cases (could be a side-effect of being used though). The discs also have a "rougher" feeling to them. The plastic around the inside of each disc spindle is rather rough feeling, instead of feeling smooth like every other DVD set I own.

One final thing to note, the dates on each of the files for each season have 2014 dates for seasons 1 and 3, and 2013 dates for the remaining seasons.

Considering the money I spent on this set, I would like to know that I own a legit copy. I checked the seller's return policy, and it stated that seller first has to approve of the return, and they only credit your account once the product has been shipped back to them. I'm a bit weary of this however since it could be very easy for the seller to claim that the set was "lost" in the mail. Would it perhaps be possible to contact Amazon directly and get my money back because the seller is dealing in bootlegged merchandise?

Here's the link to the seller's store that I bought from, tell me what you think:

https://www.amazon.com/sp?_encoding...derID=&seller=A325K0JCG77FPT&tab=&vasStoreID=

 

[smithbrad]

I would say they are bootlegs just due to the fact they are single layer disks.

Whether pressed or not is now meaningless since bootlegs can be pressed. The menus and extras may appear to be identical to the real thing for no other reason then they just copy and shrink the original to fit a single layer disks that is cheaper to manufacturer. Blurriness in the packaging graphics and cheaper cardboard can be another give away. Remember, there are bootlegs of the Dark Shadows complete series in a coffin box out there so don't think they don't attempt to make it appear to be legit. Now you most likely got all the content of the originals since they probably originate from them, the only difference is the additional compression and the fact the quality of the disk manufacturing might be subpar (some may fail quicker, some may not all work all).

Personally, i don't buy any big sets off eBay and I'm careful when it comes to marketplace vendors when the price appears to good to be true.

Interesting thing that happened to me a few years back before I heard about Shout! complaining about the bootlegs of theirs products. I was having issues with my Leave it to Beaver set that i bought directly from them. After a couple of years the disks started to discolor. While they still played fine, it was a concern to me. The cases were clear and had a slimy like substance that i cleaned off. I sent pictures and they sent back replacements of those specific disks. All the disks received were dual layer except one that was a single layer disk. The single layer disk looked identical to the others. I decided not to make a big deal of it since my original still worked. I often wondered how they had a single layer disk identical to their dual layer disk.

 

[jcroy]

Hmm, The ifpi code on the back of the Combat set reads IFPI L331 in bigger font. For comparison, I checked my set of Naked City and it has a code of IFPI L332, but in smaller and more difficult to see font. Keep in mind that both the Naked City and Combat! sets were released by the same company, RLJ Entertainment at around the same time period (2013).

These ^ are actually IFPI mould codes. Not facility codes.

The IFPI facility codes are usually on the first circumference ring from the center of the disc. They are very easy to miss if you're not looking for them specifically.

 

[smithbrad]

And as was stated earlier, lack of encryption in this case is a dead give away.

 

[mattfire64]

Thanks for your guidance everyone. I'm looking into getting a refund for this bootleg set, and I bought another set off of eBay from a more reputable seller. I'm hoping I can get my money back, and I definitely learned a valuable lesson in the process. One word of advice, don't be tempted by cheaper prices!

Here's the link to the set I just bought off of eBay for anyone that's interested:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/282342710860?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

UPDATE: It appears that Amazon must have caught wind of the seller, as they are no longer selling any more items at all. I contacted Amazon directly and I am getting a full refund for the set. Thankfully this story has a happy ending.

 

[smithbrad]

The only negative of the picture displayed for that set is that it looks like the older Image set, Not the 2013 later release by RLJ, or the complete series Image set, but the individual split season sets distributed by Image. In the end, it may make no difference in that the content is probably identical across all the sets.

 

[mattfire64]

Yeah, I've been reading some old threads about the series on here and it seems that all DVD releases utilize the same timesped prints for the 4 B&W seasons. As long as the set is legit, I don't mind which version I get.

I was introduced to 12 O'Clock High and Combat! through Me-TV several years back in 2014. Sadly both shows were removed from the Me-TV lineup that Fall and have yet to return. Considering the fact that both shows have been a staple of the Me-TV sister station H&I since it's launch, I highly doubt that either show will return to Me-TV's lineup sadly.

 

[Jasper70]

I bought The Facts of Life complete set on eBay for $36. I wondered why so cheap when Shout wanted well over $100 for it. So I did some research and emailed Shout. My set was fake. Single layer discs, no encryption, etc. I got refunded. But fakes are all over eBay. I reported a few sellers with obvious fakes and they didn't do anything about it.
I sell DVDs online. I do my best to check them because I don't want to sell fakes. Don't want to buy them either.

 

[mattfire64]

I often try to stay away from eBay when it comes to DVD sets, especially if the seller only uses a stock image to sell their items. It's not always an easy judgement to make, but if it seems like it might be a bootleg set then chances are it probably is. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Jasper70]

From articles I have read the better fakes actually even print the stickers you see on the shrink wrap. You cannot tell my Facts of Life is fake from the artwork. The thing that made me question it was the price. Then after reading Shout's page about bootlegs I started checking into it.

 

[morasp]

I'm kind of new to this hobby. How do you tell if the disc has encryption and if it's single or dual layer?

 

[morasp]

Thanks for your guidance everyone. I'm looking into getting a refund for this bootleg set, and I bought another set off of eBay from a more reputable seller. I'm hoping I can get my money back, and I definitely learned a valuable lesson in the process. One word of advice, don't be tempted by cheaper prices!

Here's the link to the set I just bought off of eBay for anyone that's interested:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/282342710860?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

UPDATE: It appears that Amazon must have caught wind of the seller, as they are no longer selling any more items at all. I contacted Amazon directly and I am getting a full refund for the set. Thankfully this story has a happy ending.

Did you ever get a legitimate copy of combat? If so was the disc dual or single layer? I just purchased it and they are single layer so your thread got me concerned.

 

[mattfire64]

Did you ever get a legitimate copy of combat? If so was the disc dual or single layer? I just purchased it and they are single layer so your thread got me concerned.

I ended up with the original split season sets that Image released in the mid-2000s. Those discs ARE double-layered, and had a lot less pixelation issues than the single-layered bootlegs. What site did you order your set from?