Seems an eternity for the search of that OUT-OF-PRINT or very affordable Disney DVD movies. Then, VOILA! You found a bunch that will be shipped from the Philippines.


Because of very sophisticated technology, it is difficult to determine a fake DVD from an authentic DVD. These guidelines are not intended to provide you a complete identification marks on determining a fake Disney DVD. It is also a guide for those who want to purchase DVDs from the Philippines for personal use and NOT for resale in eBay. There is no substitute in doing further research as to the authenticity of the Disney DVDs before investing into buying DVDs hoping to resell them for huge profits. It is written with the hope of giving you a practical guide in buying Disney DVDs coming from the Philippines fro personal use.

I am writing these guidelines for  I have purchased these types of DVDs, I have first-hand knowledge about them from the agency in-charge of combating video piracy, and I have contacted the company duly authorized to manufacture and distribute Disney DVDs in that country. I am also hoping these guidelines will help buyers in their unsaturated quest for affordable Disney DVD movies.

Before rushing into buying DVD movies, consider the following:

1.     DVDs legitimately manufactured in the Philippines are
        Region 3-locked because of Regional merchandising.

2.     DVDs, that are in Filipino language, meaning movies that are produced
        or filmed by the Philippine local movie industry, are formatted for           
        Worlwide Use. Consequently, Disney DVDs & movies produced
        or filmed by the USA movie industry or other foreign movies that
        are in English language circulated in the Philippine market are
        all imports from other South East Asia countries. Some of these         
        countries are Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China.

3.     Disney DVDs that are formatted ALL REGION or REGION-FREE
        & found in the Philippine market are all imports from other Asian
        countries. Some sellers described these type of DVDs,
        ".... play in Region 1".

4.    When the listing says that the DVDs will be shipped from
        the Philippines, ask the seller whether the DVDs are manufactured
        in the Philippines. Remember, Disney DVDs formatted as
        ALL REGION or REGION-FREE are imported from Hong Kong,
        Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, or China. If manufactured in the
        Philippines & not Region 3-locked, then such Disney DVDs are
        bootlegged or pirated.

5.    DVDs coming from the Philippines that are imported from other
       Asian countries are mostly DVD9.

6.    Disney VCDs legally manufactured in the Philippines bear
       the foil sticker & copyright mark.

7.    Newly filmed English DVD movies that are still showing in theaters
       are copied. The picture quality of those type of DVDs
       are not very good because they're taken from the screener
       or filmed/copied directly from the theater screen. In such cases,
       oh, yes, sometimes, you see a moviegoer's head floating
       at the bottom of the screen.

8.   Asian-import DVDs do not have excellent picture quality
      compared to the ones legitimately released in the U.S.
      In some cases, there's the issue of picture pixilate.
      The closed-captioning or subtitle is not grammatically correct.

9.   In the Philippines, the company duly authorized to manufacture
      and distribute Disney DVDs is the Viva Video, Inc. The DVDs
      bear the copyright mark and gold foil sticker of the head with ears
      of Mickey Mouse.

10.  Distinguishing marks of authentic Disney Little Mermaid 1999 Limited
       Issue: Back artwork left side corners and front artwork right side
       corners are rounded not sharp; some have rebate stickers;
       some have white Buena Vista Home Entertainment and white castle
       logo, some blue, and some none at all. No security seal strips.
       The security seal strip did not start till 2000. Check the bubble pattern
       on the back of the artwork. On the left side edge somewhere about
       the middle part on that left edge, there should be 3 bubbles not 2.
       First: a complete bubble on the middle. Second: a partial bubble
       very near and below the middle bubble. Third: another partial bubble
       at top, a little distant from the middle bubble.

11. Slipcovers: Not all Disney DVD Platinum Edition, Special Edition,
      or Limited Edition releases have slipcovers. For examples:
      Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs did not come with slipcovers.
      Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast came with slipcovers but
      only the first pressing (a limited number of DVDs);
      the succeeding releases did not come with slipcovers.

12. Coming from the Philippines, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
      the face of Snow White in the artwork is whiter than the authentic DVD.
      Sleeping Beauty, sometimes the rating is incorrect.
      Beauty and the Beast, the color of the artwork is much darker than
      the authentic DVD.
      

If you have been victimized or paid hundreds of dollars for sets of these types of DVDs & you haven't received your DVDs, contact the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation, Intellectual Property Rights Division. You can file an Online Complaint at its website. Sorry, I can't include the exact website address here because eBay policy does not allow that. You just have to go search for NBI Intellectual Property Philippines and that will show you the link.

If buying preference of these types of DVDs is opted due to its affordability, then be willing to sacrifice quality & at times, take the buying risk associated with the transaction, including but not limited to additional charges for sending/wiring the payment to the seller who is in the Philippines.

The bottom line in buying All Region/Region-Free Disney DVDs that will be shipped from the Philippines is that:  Affordability may bring joy & gladness, besides keeping children occcupied by watching movies at times one has other priorities, when collectibility factor is sacrificed.