List of Viva DVDs to avoid

[-sniper-]

kasama ba ung iskul bukol sa list? 

i saw one yesterday but did not buy it. it's a viva release so i immediately had second thoughts. anyone bought that already?

thanks in advance.

[mattia]

maniladvdman, unless I actually see a copy of Brothers & Sisters Season One R3, I'm really sorry but I have to choose NOT to believe what your friend claims.

I've purchased many other R3 Buena Vista series releases of Viva like Ugly Betty Season One, Samantha Who? Season One, Private Practice Season One, and Lost Season Three. ALL of these are excellent, first-rate DVD9s that mirror their R1/R2 counterparts. It would seem too weird for the Brothers and Sisters release to be different from the rest of these and the only one of substandard quality.

Also, I checked the packaging of Brothers & Sisters Season 1 R3 today. Even the listed special features are identical to the R1. With this, it would seem very weird if the discs weren't virtually identical copies of the R1 version.

Baka naman Viva employee yung nagbigay, pero pirata yung niregalo? 

If I'm proven wrong, I'll apologize to your friend, but it really seems unlikely.

Second the motion.  I have Private Practice S1, Dirty Sexy Money S1 both of which are the same as Brothers and Sisters S1, package wise and everything.  The reason I have not bought Brothers and Sisters is that it is more expensive, even when on sale.  The lowest it got was P750 but I still can't buy it at that price. So yeah, I would have to disagree with your friend and go with MrHankey here.

[maniladvdman]

Hello everyone.

I had my friend bring the Brothers & Sisters Season 1 (Region 3). 

And upon testing the discs on her laptop, they played without any problems.

I think it was her DVD player at home that was malfunctioning.

I apologize for the mix-up.  I should have checked it before I posted anything.  I now do not believe anything that this friend says until I see actual proof.

Thanks.

[techdude]

kasama ba ung iskul bukol sa list? 

i saw one yesterday but did not buy it. it's a viva release so i immediately had second thoughts. anyone bought that already?

thanks in advance.

The list I compiled only includes movies that are of foreign origin.  As I have few Philippine made movies on DVDs, I can't verify the transfer quality of these.  Post in the Pinoy movies forum, and you may get a better response.

-------------------

Maniladvdman, do not believe everything you hear or read.  That is why I didn't include it in the list immediately but asked for confirmation from another forumer.  Oh well, no harms done (I doubt Viva lost any sales from your post. ) Have a wonderful day!

[sharkey360]

DVD enthusiasts who are concerned about the bad quality movies from Viva should send their complaints or comments to:

vivapress@viva.com.ph

sales@viva.com.ph

feedback@viva.com.ph

Visit

http://www.viva.com.ph/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=29

[techdude]

Crank 2: High Voltage  added to the list.

[gunslinger]

Thanks. I almost bought that one.

[thebat]

Is DVD Ratatouille released by Viva ok?
I was about to buy this DVD kaya lang nakita kong Viva I pulled out .

[mattia]

Is DVD Ratatouille released by Viva ok?
I was about to buy this DVD kaya lang nakita kong Viva I pulled out .

It's Viva yes but minting is of superior quality.  It actually mirrors the R1 source.  I own the R3 copy and it boasts one of the most astonishing picture quality in a regular DVD.  The image here is perfectly rendered and looks like real physical objects.  Gets my vote as one of my top ten DVDs in Picture quality.  Plus, the movie itself is a timeless classic.  Go back to that store and get that DVD bro...

[Mr. Hankey]

It's Viva yes but minting is of superior quality.  It actually mirrors the R1 source.

Slight correction. Yes, the minting is superb, but the special features are a bit lacking - it does not contain the deleted scenes featured on the R1 version.

=====

And for the 137th time, in boldface/large font so people don't miss it:

If the title is from Fox/Disney, it really doesn't matter if there's a VIVA logo at the back. It will be of pristine picture quality and will be the same as what's released throughout Region 3, more often than not identical to the R1 release.

Non-Fox/Disney VIVA titles are where you get the poor quality fullscreen transfers. If you're not sure what company released the film... check this thread. 

[mattia]

Slight correction. Yes, the minting is superb, but the special features are a bit lacking - it does not contain the deleted scenes featured on the R1 version.

=====

And for the 137th time, in boldface/large font so people don't miss it:

If the title is from Fox/Disney, it really doesn't matter if there's a VIVA logo at the back. It will be of pristine picture quality and will be the same as what's released throughout Region 3, more often than not identical to the R1 release.

Non-Fox/Disney VIVA titles are where you get the poor quality fullscreen transfers. If you're not sure what company released the film... check this thread. 

Copy Mr Hankey!  Thank you for the correction.

[Mr. Hankey]

Copy Mr Hankey!  Thank you for the correction.

You're welcome. And I agree with you: for me, as far as picture-quality is concerned, Ratatouille R3 is easily one of the best DVDs released. Ever.

[techdude]

Since people still get confused by releases from Viva which are of good quality (Fox, Disney), I decided to update this thread with a sample guide of DVD covers from Viva/Disney, Viva/Fox, and Viva/others and what to look for in them.  The pics are done in haste (I'm busy ) so pardon the low and amateurish quality.

Spotting a Viva Disney/ABC release:



1.  You get the Disney Logo on the spine, that should give you an indication this is probably a DVD9.
2.  Most of the time, Disney titles from Viva has this box, inside the region code, aspect ratio, running time, and DVD type is indicated.  Under it is the Viva Video wordings, ignore this, as long as it's Disney, it's most likely a good DVD.

_______________





Spotting a Viva 20th Century Fox release:



1.  Like Disney releases, the spine will indicate the company logo.  This time it's 20th Century Fox's.
2.  Most Fox releases has a box like the one indicated here in one form or another, again, The aspect ratio, sound options, and subtitles are often indicated.  Most Fox releases don't include information about the DVD type (DVD5 or DVD9), but more than likely it will be a DVD9.  Again, Most Fox releases are A-Okay.

_______________






Spotting a Viva DVD to avoid:

Now this is the way to find DVDs from Viva to avoid.



1.  It's most likely to have three Viva Video logos on the front (Small), on the spine, and on the back. If you see those, it should be warning that the DVD is likely to be of doubtful quality in terms of picture-quality (PQ), audio quality (AQ), and extras.  
2. On the spine is a catalogue number in this format VPI-DVD-09-123.  The '123' is variable, for Ip Man pictured above, the number is 290, whether that means Viva has already released 290 of these DVD5s, I do not know for sure, but it seems likely, since the number seems to be consecutive.

These types of DVDs are most likely DVD5s and as such, compromises in terms of PQ, AQ, and extras have been made to fit the contents on the smaller capacity DVD5.

Disclaimer:  This is a general guide, and not all DVD5/DVDs to avoid are in this format.  Some like The Banquet comes in thinline packaging and doesn't carries the signs indicated above.  Also, there's no guarantee that Viva will not change it's packaging in future releases or re-releases.

To sum this up, for the 138th time, most (if not all) Disney-ABC, Fox releases from Viva are mostly likely DVD9 and mirror closely Region 1 releases.   Viva releases from independent studios like Lionsgate, Miramax, and Asian film outfits are suspect.  Look for the signs indicated above and/or check this thread.  

In closing, I really do hope that Viva would eventually wake up and give us our money's worth and I would be able to close this thread for good....  until then, if you come across any errors in my postings or happen to find one lemon from Viva that's not posted here, please post in this thread.

[frootloops]

Good job techdude! That will indeed be a great help to many.

[allanmandy]

Better append that to the first post of this thread for easier access. 

[techdude]

Better append that to the first post of this thread for easier access. 

I intend to post it in the second post - the post I reserved and currently occupied by new DVD to avoid list.  But posted it here first, so people who have perused this thread before would not miss it.

[JohnE.]

Since people still get confused by releases from Viva which are of good quality (Fox, Disney), I decided to update this thread with a sample guide of DVD covers from Viva/Disney, Viva/Fox, and Viva/others and what to look for in them.  The pics are done in haste (I'm busy ) so pardon the low and amateurish quality.

Spotting a Viva Disney/ABC release:



1.  You get the Disney Logo on the spine, that should give you an indication this is probably a DVD9.
2.  Most of the time, Disney titles from Viva has this box, inside the region code, aspect ratio, running time, and DVD type is indicated.  Under it is the Viva Video wordings, ignore this, as long as it's Disney, it's most likely a good DVD.

_______________





Spotting a Viva 20th Century Fox release:



1.  Like Disney releases, the spine will indicate the company logo.  This time it's 20th Century Fox's.
2.  Most Fox releases has a box like the one indicated here in one form or another, again, The aspect ratio, sound options, and subtitles are often indicated.  Most Fox releases don't include information about the DVD type (DVD5 or DVD9), but more than likely it will be a DVD9.  Again, Most Fox releases are A-Okay.

_______________






Spotting a Viva DVD to avoid:

Now this is the way to find DVDs from Viva to avoid.



1.  It's most likely to have three Viva Video logos on the front (Small), on the spine, and on the back. If you see those, it should be warning that the DVD is likely to be of doubtful quality in terms of picture-quality (PQ), audio quality (AQ), and extras.  
2. On the spine is a catalogue number in this format VPI-DVD-09-123.  The '123' is variable, for Ip Man pictured above, the number is 290, whether that means Viva has already released 290 of these DVD5s, I do not know for sure, but it seems likely, since the number seems to be consecutive.

These types of DVDs are most likely DVD5s and as such, compromises in terms of PQ, AQ, and extras have been made to fit the contents on the smaller capacity DVD5.

Disclaimer:  This is a general guide, and not all DVD5/DVDs to avoid are in this format.  Some like The Banquet comes in thinline packaging and doesn't carries the signs indicated above.  Also, there's no guarantee that Viva will not change it's packaging in future releases or re-releases.

To sum this up, for the 138th time, most (if not all) Disney-ABC, Fox releases from Viva are mostly likely DVD9 and mirror closely Region 1 releases.   Viva releases from independent studios like Lionsgate, Miramax, and Asian film outfits are suspect.  Look for the signs indicated above and/or check this thread.  

In closing, I really do hope that Viva would eventually wake up and give us our money's worth and I would be able to close this thread for good....  until then, if you come across any errors in my postings or happen to find one lemon from Viva that's not posted here, please post in this thread.

that says it all!

[air23swoosh]

Thanks for that detailed info, techdude!
That was very informative...

[ramado72]

guys,

been hesitating on buying viva and c-interactive releases however, i really like to buy pirates trilogy and x-men.  are these any good?  i know its not included in the list but i just want to be sure.  thanks for the comments.

[jas]

guys,

been hesitating on buying viva and c-interactive releases however, i really like to buy pirates trilogy and x-men.  are these any good?  i know its not included in the list but i just want to be sure.  thanks for the comments.

Pirates Trilogy is Disney & X-men Trilogy is Fox.

So, as per Mr. Hankey's post above:

If the title is from Fox/Disney, it really doesn't matter if there's a VIVA logo at the back. It will be of pristine picture quality and will be the same as what's released throughout Region 3, more often than not identical to the R1 release.

[fitz_gerald]

guys,

been hesitating on buying viva and c-interactive releases however, i really like to buy pirates trilogy and x-men.  are these any good?  i know its not included in the list but i just want to be sure.  thanks for the comments.

Hope this one can help you...

During the mallwide sale last May, I kindly asked the saleslady from Astrovision in Megamall to check if the Pirates Trilogy Box Set includes the 2-Disc Special Edition of each installment.  The accommodating saleslady then opened the box for me and checking it's content, only one of the 3 installments contains 2-Disc (can't remember which one).  If you're after with the 2-Disc Special Edition of each installment, this is not a good buy.


It caught my attention because during that sale, it was priced 450 PHP (originally priced at 900 PHP I think) thinking it's a good catch while the 2-Disc Special Edition costs 199 PHP each.  Now they are priced at a regular 299PHP and few days ago, I saw a new packaging of each Pirates that comes with a kinda-thick carton slipcase priced at P350 each along with other previous Viva releases such as Pearl Harbor, Independence Day, Moulin Rouge, High School Musical series, etc.

[eckxs]

add The Killing Fields.

[techdude]

Killing Fields
Shinjuku Incident

added

[keeper]

guys,

been hesitating on buying viva and c-interactive releases however, i really like to buy pirates trilogy and x-men.  are these any good?  i know its not included in the list but i just want to be sure.  thanks for the comments.

bro, i believe this is the pirates trilogy ur referring to.



pirates 1 is 2disc, the rest are single disc. printine PQ! 

[techdude]

Viva is now releasing new entries to this list in glorious slipcases.  The slipcases are very high quality, whether the DVDs have improved is highly doubtful.  I haven't bought any of them, so I am including them on this list provisionally, if anyone have bought these discs and found out that they are no longer DVD5s, then post to this thread that I may remove them from the list.

New entries, drumroll please...

Haunting in Connecticut
Accidental Husband, The
It's Alive
Drag Me to Hell (Unrated)

[Mr. Hankey]

Drag Me to Hell (Unrated)[/b]

I'm not really sure if this is the Unrated version that will be released on R1. Viva seems to have taken a cue from Magnavision's Watchmen release, calling it an "Uncut Version", which could just mean there are scenes that were cut by the MTRCB when the film was released locally, as was the case with Watchmen.

Can anyone even confirm what version of Drag Me To Hell is actually on this local release?

[techdude]

Added the following:

Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
Battle for Terra
Echo

[techdude]

District 9
My Life In Ruins

[techdude]

Added the following:

Horsemen
Management
Bruno  as reported by Mr. Hankey and eckxs, Bruno is Widescreen and seems to include all the special features of the R1 version, but it's in DVD5, so most likely, Picture quality (PQ) would take a hit, probably not noticeable on small screens, but if you have a large screen TV, be wary...

[eckxs]

The Proposal dvd w/ no features, just movie. Like the one in Shopaholic dvd. It costs P450 too.