PinoyDVD.biz started less than 2 years ago - and all they did was license the PinoyDVD brand. Except for the ads, there's no overlap between the 2 entities. They can change their name and it still wouldn't have any effect on their contracts with the distributors and their OMB license. What kind of specific support are you referring to? PinoyDVD.biz doesn't really get special treatment from Magna, Warner, and Viva since it's strictly a distributor-retailer relationship. In fact, Astro and Odyssey likely get better terms (plus posters, standees, and store displays) simply because of the sheer number of branches that they have in their store networks.
The cordial relationship I referred to is essential because that's how you get the distributors to listen to you regarding:
- Pricing issues
- Quality issues
- Distribution issues
Talking about the advantages of pirated releases doesn't work with the distributors. Seriously. It's an apples to oranges comparison. They can't compete with the smuggling because the parent studios demand they play it straight. They can't compete with the Quiapo catalog because each title has an order minimum, commands royalties from the studio, plus has official fees that have to be paid to the OMB and unofficial fees that have to be paid to Customs. They also have to work in decent margins for their retailers who need to keep their businesses afloat.
It's a credit to PinoyDVD and its members that constant lobbying over the years has resulted in the prices you're seeing today. Even the decision to manufacture DVD9 locally was a response to the quality issues raised here on the site after the distributors realized that their DVD5 budget releases were getting extremely negative reviews.
Personally, I think there has been significant progress over the last several years, especially after Magna started pressing budget DVD9s locally. Warner continues to import their releases and drop their prices so quality is really a non-issue with them.
If I'm not mistaken, the titles you referred to are all Viva's - the remaining major local distributor that still masters from Betacam for independent studio releases (Lion's Gate comes to mind hence the shoddy versions of Ultimate Avengers, Iron Man, and Dr. Strange). Viva's Disney and Fox releases are closely monitored by the studios so those titles tend to be more consistent. C-Interactive still does DVD5 as well, but last I checked, we don't really endorse their releases here.