Legit Buffy huush DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Dan Rudolph]

Is [LIVE EBAY LINK REMOVED BY ADMININSTRATOR] legit? It seems like an odd thing to make a bootleg of. Could it be an awards screener or a promo to send to stations they are trying to courrt into picking up syndicated episodes?

Please, do not post live links to eBay auctions.

 

[David Lambert]

The auction says it's a Check Disc.

Check Discs are usually kept internal to a testing facility. Think of it like a Beta Test copy of a videogame for a console. They are created for quality testing purposes.

Check Discs are *sometimes* sent to off-site people for various reasons. For example, Gord (owner of TVShowsOnDVD.com) was once sent a check disc to do a review of a upcoming release. It was with the express agreement that he return it just as soon as he was done with it, which he did.

Just about any check disc sent off the site of the owner of the test facility would be bound by a similar agreement. So either the person who "secured" the disc (whether or not its the same person as the eBay seller) may have either smuggled it off-site, or may have dishonored an agreement to return a loaned copy.

For that reason, it is possible that the disc in question can be considered "stolen property". I say POSSIBLE. I do not know the history of this particular check disc, and the ownership by the seller may in fact be 100% legit. I just don't know; you asked for opinions so I'm offering what I know based on my experience. I don't mean to impugn the seller's honor. Just be careful.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Check discs are always understood to remain property of the studio, returnable at any time.

This guy is selling technically legit copies, but copies that he's not allowed to sell because unless the seller is "20th Century Fox" he's not authorized, so you'd be buying stolen property

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I'd report him, but Ebay doesn't do jack anyway. So this is a test. presumably to make sure a PAL transfer came out okay or some such?

 

[Jeff Kleist]

All DVDs when they go to press, they stamp out a few discs and send them back to the producing company who "check" them to make sure that there are no errors on the final product

 

[David Lambert]

You know how for a while there was a sticky thread at the top of the HTF software section, where a Calf. company was looking to hire folks to test DVDs to make sure they work before the title got released for retail? That place uses check discs.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

SO this was to make sure there were no authoring/printing problems with the European Buffy season 4 set most likely?

 

[Jeff Kleist]

yes. It's identical to the final product, just probably has a handwritten label or "Check disc" stamped on it

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Wow, eBay is littered with bootlegs (not check discs) containing the musical episode and Hush. 2 episodes fit easily on a DVD-R.