Playing DVDs on Windows and *nix

[Meng Cheah]

Evan Leibovitch wrote:
> There's nothing I've ever seen in Canada that comes close to Sungei Wang
> Plaza in Kuala Lumpur. Multiple open storefronts reveal rows upon rows
> of three-ring binders, each page in which is a movie or PC software
> package that someone can order -- the DVD or VCD is burned
> while-you-wait. Cost, I recall, is about $2 each.

For blatancy, take a walk along a main street(which shall remain 
unnamed) near where we hold our meetings. Right on the side walk, you 
don't even have to step inside a store.
I didn't see any sidewalk sales in Vancouver but there are stores.

The stores in shopping complexes in Malaysia have been hit hard by 
enforcement officers. The action has moved to the pasar malams (night 
flea markets) which are held usually weekly. The officers may check the 
same flea market 3 times in a night. Some vendors have opened stores 
with legitimate  products on display as a front and have the 3-ring binders.

True but sad/funny:
4 enforcement officers were charged with corruption. Their bail money 
was put up by the pirates. This was reported in the local media.

In Toronto, until recently, when there was mention of pirated DVDs in 
the media, Malaysia or Asia were usually mentioned. Only this year was 
there admission that there was a local industry which I think is 
ingenuous at best. What did the media and authorities think was 
happening? Smuggling thousands of DVDs into Canada or sending 1 file and 
producing thousands of DVDs locally?
Perhaps that was what was meant by "Thats a good example of where the 
police will go. The question is where they will not go."

> The vendors did not pass judgement on anything, good or bad they sold it
> all. Hollywood, Bollywood, European, Japanese anime, Hong Kong fight
> films. If you looked hard enough there might even be a few Malaysian
> titles. The only think missing was a porn selection.

Evan, all you had to do was ask :-)
Porn is hidden and command a higher price. The penalties for porn are 
much higher. There are no pirated Malaysian movies to speak of. The 
reason is the government is trying to encourage the local film industry.
The pirates do not want/need to further aggravate the situation. 
Malaysian movies is a minor niche market, not withstanding the Toronto 
REEL Asian International Film Festival highlighting Malaysia this year.
One negative effect of protecting the local industry is that they suck 
big time. I purchased legitimate copies of 2 movies to find that I could 
not even watch it all the way. Sections just were not there/messed up.

>>My brother was in Asia and he asked a street vendor of pirated movies
>>how was the latest movie starring a local actress (who has achieved
>>international fame) selling. The film was released internationally.
>>The vendor replied that the movie was so bad that he was not stocking
>>it :-)
> 
> 
> Street vendors have limited inventory that they can lug around. ;-)

The guy was probably pissed off with Michelle Yeoh, a hometown girl :-)
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