Don't recognize that deal, so I can't really comment. I've had good experience with the vendors I mentioned and really don't stray to lesser ones. Empire is huge and not all that inexpensive, but they have more accurate specs and sell just about everything available in Region 1. Columbia House now has fairly decent deals/prices. It's at least competitive, but you always have to jump through hoops to get the best prices. It's always been that way from cassettes through CDs and into DVDs.

For brick and mortar stores: I buy discs occasionally at Walmart or Target, but Best Buy usually has better selection and better prices. They also have some "club" deal I need to look into.

Often times big releases are cheaper the first week. Ex: I've purchased all 3 LOTR theatrical versions for $15 each the first week at Walmart or BB. If you go to buy them at those places now they are $23. I use dvdtalk.com forums for info on upcoming releases to make sure I don't miss intro pricing on something I know I want. Sept 7 is, I believe, the largest release day in the history of DVD. Too late to start saving, but check it out.

Regions are different parts of the world, there are 9 possibilities (0-8). Region 0 will play on any player in the world, most setup discs or demos are R0, plus a few others, esp from HK. North America is R1 and mostly R1 is the best choice for most movies. I only stray into R2 (Europe), R4 (Aus), or R3 (Jap) for the few where that version has better specs or extras than the R1. Or if there is NO R1 release of that movie. For instance, I've had Shaolin Soccer for 2 years from China (it's an R0 disc, actually), it finally got released this year in R1 although I think it still isn't out yet, next month or something.

Check out the bible if you want general info on DVD like history or regions: www.dvddemystified.com