Toronto Escorts

Mailing Copied DVDs to Europe

Previous Thread Next Thread
GameBoy27

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
12,539
2,409
113
I want to mail a couple shirts and a hat to a friend in Europe. I also want to include some DVDs I burned. Since they're bootlegs (copies of videos I purchased) should I even mention them on the Customs form? Since I want to add insurance and a tracking number, I'll need to include my name and address on the form.

Does Customs check stuff like that? Do I have anything to worry about?
 
B

Butler1000

Well-known member
Oct 31, 2011
28,806
3,460
113
Mark them as Home Videos or some such. Throw a hand printed thing in the cd cover to denote that.

I doubt they will care to examine the contents beyond ensuring no drugs and the like.
 
GameBoy27

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
12,539
2,409
113
Butler1000 said:
Mark them as Home Videos or some such. Throw a hand printed thing in the cd cover to denote that.

I doubt they will care to examine the contents beyond ensuring no drugs and the like.
Click to expand...
I've already labeled them with a Sharpie. Or, since they cost next to nothing per per disc, I could always mail them separately and put a false return name and address on the label.
 
W

wilbur

Active member
Jan 19, 2004
2,079
0
36
They probably won't work in Europe in an ordinary player, as movies are restricted to geographical areas.

If you order a movie from Amazon, make sure it originates from North America, and not shipped from Europe or Asia.
 
GameBoy27

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
12,539
2,409
113
wilbur said:
They probably won't work in Europe in an ordinary player, as movies are restricted to geographical areas.

If you order a movie from Amazon, make sure it originates from North America, and not shipped from Europe or Asia.
Click to expand...
Oh shit, I didn't think about that. Thanks for mentioning it. My buddy is a tech guy, I'll ask if he has the ability to play NA DVDs.
 
Keebler Elf

Keebler Elf

The Original Elf
Aug 31, 2001
14,575
205
63
The Keebler Factory
As an aside, you shouldn't use Sharpies on DVDs. Eventually they leech into the plastic and ruin them. Doesn't matter for quick and dirty disposable stuff but if you're archiving data then FYI.
 
T

TeeJay

Well-known member
Jun 20, 2011
8,052
731
113
west gta
GameBoy27 said:
I want to mail a couple shirts and a hat to a friend in Europe. I also want to include some DVDs I burned. Since they're bootlegs (copies of videos I purchased) should I even mention them on the Customs form? Since I want to add insurance and a tracking number, I'll need to include my name and address on the form.

Does Customs check stuff like that? Do I have anything to worry about?
Click to expand...
Europe is not a country and as such does not have general customs rules

Either way I would suspect it will slip through. Worst case scenario is they get confiscated and you send a second package
 
T

TeeJay

Well-known member
Jun 20, 2011
8,052
731
113
west gta
wilbur said:
They probably won't work in Europe in an ordinary player, as movies are restricted to geographical areas.

If you order a movie from Amazon, make sure it originates from North America, and not shipped from Europe or Asia.
Click to expand...
????
OP is discussing COPIED movies
So unless he is a sadist there is no regional copy protection on the discs

OP would be better off figuring out whether NTSC or PAL format
 
GameBoy27

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
12,539
2,409
113
I used DVD Shrink copy and compressing software for Windows and Nero to burn the copies. Apparently DVD Shrink has a region free option but I have no idea if it was on or off when I first used it to copy the DVDs.
 
GameBoy27

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
12,539
2,409
113
TeeJay said:
Europe is not a country and as such does not have general customs rules
Click to expand...
I'm shipping the items to France. Items shipped outside of Canada must have proper customs documentation.

As per Canada Post:

Complete address including but not limited to the origin and destination’s street address, city, state/province and valid postal code, and the sender and receiver’s name and/or company name and telephone number must be printed clearly, accurately and legibly on the item or on the label affixed to the item. All addresses must include city and/or region (province, state, locality) and postal code if that destination has a postal code system.

Customs information including the reason for export and instructions in the event of non-delivery.
An accurate description of the contents and quantity of items - Customs in the international destination need to know exactly what the contents are. Customs Declarations must be completed clearly, accurately, and legibly. (e.g. if the item contains a cotton t-shirt, specify 100% cotton, new or used). Do not use general terms such as “GIFT” or “CLOTHES”. Distinct items should be listed separately. A proper description means customs is less likely to open the package.
The country of origin/manufacture and Harmonized System (HS) code (if applicable). Please note, Province of origin is required when the country of origin/manufacture is Canada for items destined to the U.S.A.
The value of contents and currency, stated in Canadian dollars ($CAD).
The insured value (when coverage is purchased) or declared value for carriage.
The net weight.
The signature of the sender.
An acceptable proof of payment.

Keebler Elf said:
As an aside, you shouldn't use Sharpies on DVDs. Eventually they leech into the plastic and ruin them. Doesn't matter for quick and dirty disposable stuff but if you're archiving data then FYI.
Click to expand...
That's not true. The side you write on is designed to be printed with ink, silk screen etc. A Sharpie won't damage DVDs. That aside, you shouldn't archive important information on DVDs. Use an external hard drive.

This guy explains it.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/myths/3175-sharpie-markers-safe.html
 
W

wilbur

Active member
Jan 19, 2004
2,079
0
36
TeeJay said:
????
OP is discussing COPIED movies
So unless he is a sadist there is no regional copy protection on the discs

OP would be better off figuring out whether NTSC or PAL format
Click to expand...
So if you get a DVD and it doesn't work because it comes from Europe, you simply make a copy and the copy will play? Sounds too easy to defeat.
 
GameBoy27

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
12,539
2,409
113
bolt.upright said:
I'm no expert, but I thought that NTSC/PAL was an old analogue thing that was obsolete with today's digital TV's.
Click to expand...
This explains it.

In the United States the system is NTSC
For VHS you must have a VCR that can read NTSC. Most European decks are "multi-scan" and can read NTSC. For DVD, 95% of the world's DVD players can read NTSC.

In Europe the system is PAL
For playing NTSC DVDs in Europe - all PAL DVD players output NTSC, and MOST PAL TVs will display NTSC with no problems.

DVDs
The encoded video (MPEG2) on a DVD is stored in digital format, but it's formatted NTSC or PAL. Some players play only NTSC discs, others play PAL and NTSC discs. All DVD players sold in PAL countries play both kinds of discs. Most NTSC players can't play PAL discs.

The three differences between NTSC discs and PAL discs are:
1) Picture size and pixel aspect ratio (720x480 vs 720x576),
2) Display frame rate (30 vs 25),
3) Video from film is usually encoded at 24 frames/sec. but is preformatted for one of the two display rates. Movies formatted for PAL display are usually sped up by 4% at playback, so the audio must be adjusted accordingly before being encoded.

What does "DVD Region" mean?
Discs are also coded for different regions of the world. The Movie Industry has divided the global DVD marketplace into six regional zones. This regional coding system was introduced to combat piracy. It also allows film distributors to stagger theatrical and DVD movie releases across the world's various markets. Thus a film can be released for sale on DVD in one territory only, with access to the disc restricted via regional coding so that this DVD cannot be viewed on a DVD player from another differently coded territory where the film may not have even been released in cinemas yet.

Under regional coding, all DVD movies are marked with a regional code that prevents one region's (DVD's) disks being played on another region's DVD player.

The world's six DVD regions are:
Region 1: United States and it's Territories
Region 2: Japan, Europe, South Africa and the Middle East
Region 3: Southeast Asia and East Asia
Region 4: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central and South America
Region 5: Indian Subcontinent, Former Soviet Union and Africa
Region 6: China
Region 0: Can be played on all DVD players regardless of their specific regional coding.
 
oldjones

oldjones

CanBarelyRe Member
Aug 18, 2001
24,495
11
38
TeeJay said:
????
OP is discussing COPIED movies
So unless he is a sadist there is no regional copy protection on the discs

OP would be better off figuring out whether NTSC or PAL format
Click to expand...
DVDs and players are region-specific. And Europe is one of the regions, DVD players there will balk at codes that say 'this disk was recorded in North America'. Check the Wikipedia article.
 
V

VERYBADBOY

Active member
Dec 22, 2003
5,369
30
38
Back in the 6ix
So you are going to send a copy/bootleg of a copyrighted movie overseas and tell them exactly who you are and hope that Customs and Interpol don't find out and your worried about the format and region settings?

X-ray will reveal a disc, they will check it and ignore your labels... once they find the contents there is a good chance that you and the person your sending it to could be in trouble. I've had movies that I've taken on flights checked so I carry the receipt with me. I've also had legal documents on disc and the same thing. I know that border patrol checks for pirated movies coming from Asia in the past.

Be safe and compress the file and send it over the internet anonymously.

VBB
 
R

rhuarc29

Well-known member
Apr 15, 2009
9,600
1,197
113
This is a bad idea GameBoy27. All it takes is one vigilant customs agent and you're seriously fucked!
 
W

wilbur

Active member
Jan 19, 2004
2,079
0
36
VERYBADBOY said:
So you are going to send a copy/bootleg of a copyrighted movie overseas and tell them exactly who you are and hope that Customs and Interpol don't find out and your worried about the format and region settings?

X-ray will reveal a disc, they will check it and ignore your labels... once they find the contents there is a good chance that you and the person your sending it to could be in trouble. I've had movies that I've taken on flights checked so I carry the receipt with me. I've also had legal documents on disc and the same thing. I know that border patrol checks for pirated movies coming from Asia in the past.

Be safe and compress the file and send it over the internet anonymously.

VBB
Click to expand...
If you're talking about "border patrol", you're referring to the US. Yes, US Customs will seize your bootleg DVD's, even if it's only one. As far as Canadian CBSA, they don't care unless they think you're going to do some trafficking. That is, you admit you're going to re-sell them, our you have a sufficient quantity to suggest you're going to do so.

As far as Europe, I think they have bigger fish to fry that to chase copied DVD's that may or may not work over there. In any case, it's a bit of a stretch to think that they'll ask for your extradition so that you may face trial over there for violating copyright laws. AT worse, they may seize and destroy them.

But why don't you transfer them through the internet by uploading a clone file copy of the disk?
I
 
V

VERYBADBOY

Active member
Dec 22, 2003
5,369
30
38
Back in the 6ix
wilbur said:
If you're talking about "border patrol", you're referring to the US. Yes, US Customs will seize your bootleg DVD's, even if it's only one. As far as Canadian CBSA, they don't care unless they think you're going to do some trafficking. That is, you admit you're going to re-sell them, our you have a sufficient quantity to suggest you're going to do so.

As far as Europe, I think they have bigger fish to fry that to chase copied DVD's that may or may not work over there. In any case, it's a bit of a stretch to think that they'll ask for your extradition so that you may face trial over there for violating copyright laws. AT worse, they may seize and destroy them.

But why don't you transfer them through the internet by uploading a clone file copy of the disk?
I
Click to expand...
Referring to European Union border security/patrol and customs... probably just a slap on the wrist.. plus your name is put in a database and future parcels get flagged and are openned to make sure this is not a regular occurrence, you also will be pulled over by customs when you fly. When your in the database it's hard to get out.

VBB
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Previous Thread Next Thread
Toronto Escorts
Top Bottom