Burma Bazaar and Da Vinci Code
The Tamil Nadu government has decided to ban the Da Vinci Code, amongst the stupidest decisions the government has made. For film buffs like me, to watch the movie there are only two options, either we make a trip to Pondicherry or to Bangalore, otherwise make a small trip till Burma Bazar and buy the pirated Dvd.
The first print had arrived by the 21st of May, this print I was told wasn’t clear and I should steer clear of it. The second print, the video quality is clear, but sadly comes only with 2.1 channel sound quality, as opposed to the 5.1channel sound that comes in the third print.
Usually any pirated movie has upto 5 prints. The first one is made during the first week, which doesn’t have good sound quality and the picture quality is just passable. The second print is released a week or two later, usually this is after the international release. This print the sound is 2.1 channel but the picture quality is clear and good. The third print is released around a month later, usually a month after the movies international release and has 5.1 channel sound quality. This print is usually what is distributed for awards consideration; I have seen one such print of Munich. And the fourth print is called the combination, which is relased around 45 days from the international release of the movie. It’s the same print as the third, but earlier all the movies are released as one movie alone per DVD, and in this print, this movie is bundled along with two or 3 other movies. The fifth and final print is released when the original DVD of the movie is launched outside India, then a copy of that is made and sold in madras.
The usual route these DVDs take is to arrive from Malaysia and land on the Pondy coastline, which is why DVDs in Pondy are sold at anywhere between Rs 35-50, wheras in Chennai it ranges between Rs 65-90. Of late, the Pondy coastline has become unsafe and the goods have to land along the ECR, or else the traders are exploring the possibility of landing goods along the kerala coastline. Most of the pirated DVDs sold in India arrive along the Pondy or ECR and then are distributed all over India.
PS: All prices are for the gold layered DVDs and not blue layering, which is cheaper but bad quality
Hey Vatsan,
this gonna be hot news in TN! you have an absolute sting operation on pirated DVD operators and exposed their trade secrets.
Hope people take it in positive sense and correct the system!
i hope you get pinned….i didnt know that you knew this much about pirated dvd trading!! good luck now that you have announced it.. :D
And all this happens without the knowledge / complicity of the authorities?
@satu
illappa, it wont be, all tihs is common knowledge, its as much as exclusive as IBNs report on DVC being available for download online
@Archana
Sure :)
@Vijay
thts better left unsaid
Wish I could get a copy…!
Chennai Rate !! – Rs. 30 :)
The gold layered DVD comes with a stamp DVD9. I once bought a CD of ” A Beautiful Mind” at Burma Bazaar , which continously showed a strip stating that the film (or the original DVD) is meant for viewing by the Oscar Awards jury.
With regard to quality improvement with time, same is the case with Tamil movie DVDs also. In the first week of release, the cover will say its a DVD from Ayngaran a London based DVD company. You will be amazed to see the introduction on Ayngaran, the colour and the sound quality. Thereafter, it will be a camera print. The quality of the Tamil DVD bought from Burma Bazaar improves as weeks roll by from the date of release.
true man … what do you do when ppl make such non-sensical decisions … therz plenty of buks in circulation … guess some ppl just wan’d to get some attention
but the movie was indeed gud :) … just that it would have been nice to watch on the silver screen