Hello, dear all,

I am a Ph.D. student from Sociology department who is currently doing research on VCDs. I often visit and read the messages from Video CD Q&A Forum and find out some important information about the global circulation of VCDs. I was used to live in Hong Kong so that I understand how either the original or pirated VCD markets look like. Please note that I am not intended to ask where I can the pirated VCDs, nor I am encouraging to buy the pirated VCDs. My research focus would like to extend beyond Hong Kong to the transnational movements of (both legal and illegal) VCDs in a global context. The Internet certainly is a good site for me to collect the global information about VCDs.

I am asking for help from people who know something about the online original or pirated VCDs & stores provide your knowledge. The following questions are only for the academic research purposes only. Welcome any friendly long or brief answers. Your reply will be very helpful to my research. You can either post your messages on the Video CD Q&A Forum or reply to my e-mail address.

1. I remembered that there was used to be some topics discussing the pirated VCD online stations. It was told that most of online pirated VCD stores are mainly operated from Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Are there any other pirated VCD stores locating in other countries besides these 3 places? Based on what can we tell the locations of the online pirated VCD stores? So all of the pirated VCDs are from Asian countries?

2. Can the pirated VCD stations just own their own web sites and then begin selling? Any Internet laws or actions tracking down the online pirated VCD stations? (It seems that some VCD stores mix the original VCDs and fake ones. I also wonder it would be hard and confused to distinguish what are the original or pirated VCDs for people who live outside Asia.)

3. How can we tell the differences between a Malaysian (either original or pirated) VCD from an Indonesian one?

4. Does anyone know if there is any legal Indonesian online VCD shop? If there is, do the Indonesian online VCD stores also sell the Hollywood movies in English without Asian subtitles?

5. What are other legal Malaysian VCD stores in addition to www.video-cds.com?

6. Anybody have any experiences buying pirated VCDs from the online VCD stores? How cheap they are compared with the original ones? Is the quality good? If the products are not good, is it possible to refund or ask for change new VCD movies? Please share the good or bad experiences in buying the online pirated VCDs.

Thanks for your patience and attention.

Hsing-chi Hu

-- Hsing-chi Hu (hsingchi@hotmail.com), August 31, 1999

Answers

hsingchi, You can also get original Video CD from www.videocds.com beside www.video-cds.com.

To know if they are original. 1. Check for Authorised distributors 2. Check the official released date 3. Most of Pirated covers having wrong info like AC3 or THX printed 4. Company name and address printed.

-- Vm (v_i_d_e_o@hotmail.com), September 02, 1999.

Is this a survey? Because if it is your own research assignment, you can get in trouble. I do not do the work for other people.

-- The Lone Ranger (rutger_s@hotmail.com), September 02, 1999.

To: Vm,

Thanks for your information. They are helpful. As you suggest, it's better to check the distribution date. However, there is one point that I still feel confused--- the release dates of Hollywood movies will not be the same time in every country. For example, movie releases in UK will not be as quick as in the States. Nottinghill is still screened in Paris during the Mid-August. However, Nottinghill VCD is available in a web site that I do research from the Yahoo. Don't you think that it should be an original VCD movie if it is from the Yahoo research?

Does the www.videocds.com also a VCD shop selling VCDs from Malaysia?

To: The Lone Ranger,

Thanks for reminding me the troubles. I will be careful. If I want to argue in my project that both original and pirated VCDs are mostly Asian importers in western countries, I must show more resources that most of VCDs are from Asia. It is not difficult for me to prove that many VCDs are produced in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China because they are where I am from. But I have very little knowledge about VCDs from Malaysia, Indonesia, and some other Asian countries. That is why I am asking for help to welcome any information that people can offer.

Do you have any ideas about Indonesian VCDs? Do they have legal VCDs online sales?

-- hsingchi (hsingchi@hotmail.com), September 04, 1999.

Check out www.d8a.co.uk/video-cds-vcd-shop-uk.htm this site lists the many legal vcd shops and also lists a couple of shops which sell UK rated movies. Hope this helps a little.

-- Waynne Smith (hemail@ukfun.com), January 22, 2001.