I hope I'm not breaking any taboos but I would like to know if the folks, here, have any advice about DVD outlets, but I'm half-afraid to ask!

I have seen thread authors "scolded" for merchandising and self promotion. The word "DUB" seems to be a real no-no with the regulars. And my own thread regarding my DVD recorder/player seemed to have gotten the "cold shoulder." I assure you, I am not a video-pirate. I record TV shows much the same as I always have with my VCR. I admit to recording a movie off cable tv for my own use. Is that against the law? I am serious. I really don't know.

I visited one site that I saw mentioned on the "How many do YOU have" thread, and they seem to be selling late releases for almost $10 cheaper than I see them in stores for. Is this a scam, or do any of the readers, here, buy from these sites?

If many of you have had good experiences with them, I will go and buy 5 and get 2 free (if there are no catches)

OBTW...I saw where several members spoke of "Tuesday is a great day to buy." Can I ask you what that means, or is it an infraction of the rules-of-conduct for you to tell me where you buy your DVDs?

There is no veiled-sarcasm in that question. I'm new here. Please be a friend and tell me where to get good deals on movies.

Tuesday is almost always the day every single new release comes out. Any particular week's releases will be on Tuesday.

deepdiscountdvd and dvdempire and amazon are websites where I am happy to purchase DVDs, depending on price. Deep Discount is a little slow and has a higher chance of having packaging damage, but I've never had a problem with the actual discs. I've also purchased a handful of international DVDs, the web is pretty much the only way to do that for most people.

Thanx, Spikey. That is exactly what I needed. Up till now I have bought DVDs in department stores when they were marked down from about $21 to $17 or $18. These prices of $11.99 and such are a surprise to me. Are they for-real, or are there "strings-attached?"

One other thing: I'm not too hip on trouble-spots to avoid. I see things mentioned like "regional this-or-that encoded." Do I have to watch-out for anything?

And not to give a "plug" but is that "buy 5 @ $11.99 and get 2 free" legit?

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

I should mention that many shady online places, esp those from HK/China, are selling bootlegs of discs. Sometimes you can tell from the site itself, if they sell stuff early or before it's even released you know it's a bootleg. Other times, try the site I mentioned above or other DVD-specific forums to find info. This place is really geared more towards remote controls and hasn't had much discussion of such things. You could simply search at DVDTalk and probably find info on just about every site around without posting a single question.

Thanx, Spikey.
I will look into those leads you mentioned.
As for the bootlegging issue, I watched that story on 60-Minutes a couple weeks ago.

They are bootlegging everything imaginable in China, now.
Companies began manufacturing their wares offshore and now that the Chinese have learned how to make everything from Polo attire to golf clubs they are doing just that and marketing the goods themselves at cut-rate prices. I am tempted to bellow, "It serves you right!"

eBay buyers B-ware!

Well, it seems that the best site, by-far, is the www.dvdpricesearch.com one.
One can get a comparison of all the outlets in an easy to read spreadsheet.

I looked at that itismovie one and they list all the very latest movies for sale at $11.90.
Most of the ones featured on the homepage are not even out on DVD. I wonder if these are "pre-order" prices or if these could be bootleg. That isn't possible...is it?

For those who are still giving my posts "the fish-eye" I'll reiterate. I have no hidden agenda. I am not a shill. I'm just trying to learn the ropes.

Must be bootlegs. Sometimes it's even tough to tell once you purchase them, apparently. Some of the bootleggers are getting that good.

spiky: what makes the difference then?

It's illegal and they usually have more problems with compatibility, maybe longevity.

I shouldn't forget: they're often the same price! Might as well buy the real thing.

This message was edited by Spiky on 09/16/04 16:13 ET.