# Fastest. Bootlegging. Attempt. Ever. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994 "2004-07-01T03:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/1 "2004-07-01T03:27:00Z")
[CNN story](http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/30/spiderman.arrest.ap/index.html) Should be interesting to see how that new anti-piracy law is gonna work. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/2 "2004-07-01T04:22:04Z")
Man, as cameras get smaller and smaller, it’s gonna be harder and harder as hell to stop these guys. In two years, the cameras that they put in cell phones will be capable of recording at 720x480 at 30 fps. What’re they gonna do, insist that everyone turn in their cell phones before going in? Actually, that’s not such a bad idea… The inevitability, however, is that cameras will eventually - and a lot sooner than you think - be able to be squozen into something the size of a pen cap, with similar quality of camcorders today. I guess they’ll either have to, A: require that everyone be stripped naked and strapped down for the duration of the movie, or B:… y’know, I can’t even think of a B:. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/3 "2004-07-01T04:52:15Z")
I would think that they can play with the frame rate of the movie enough to mess up any recording taking place at 30 frames/second…you know, like if you see a computer monitor on TV. But still, it’s only a matter of time. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/4 "2004-07-01T05:59:40Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > I guess they’ll either have to, A: require that everyone be stripped naked and strapped down for the duration of the movie, or B:… y’know, I can’t even think of a B:. Pass everyone through an EMP field before entering the theater? We can save the stripped naked option for people with pacemakers. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/5 "2004-07-01T06:29:37Z")
Seriously, if I were a bootlegger, the first thing I’d do is acquire some inside help in the theaters, making the projectionist a key accomplice. These people CAN’T be making that much money. What’s a cut of $500 for whistleblowing some pimply faced kid with a camcorder compared to the extra thousands you could get making streetcorner bootlegs of first run movies? What’s to stop an enterprising thief from waiting until after-hours, running up to the projection booth and recording a pristine copy of the film in the dead of night, then sneaking out with the copy when the theater opens up the following day? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/6 "2004-07-01T06:40:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Seriously, if I were a bootlegger, the first thing I’d do is acquire some inside help in the theaters, making the projectionist a key accomplice. That’s typically the easiest way to get caught. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/7 "2004-07-01T07:17:48Z")
This isn’t really the fastest bootlegging attempt ever. Some movies have been available online _before they even reach the theatre_. Aside from movies, TV programs are also sometimes pirated before they reach the (small) screen. The first four episodes of the fourth season of “The Sopranos” were available online about a week before they aired. Don’t ask me how this happens; I don’t know. Apparantly there are people on the inside of things that don’t mind breaking the law for fun or profit. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/8 "2004-07-01T07:28:23Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > A: require that everyone be stripped naked and strapped down for the duration of the movie. :eek: Well they’ve been looking for ways to justifiy those high admission prices 😃 . ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/9 "2004-07-01T07:28:47Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > [CNN story](http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/30/spiderman.arrest.ap/index.html) > Should be interesting to see how that new anti-piracy law is gonna work. Bearing in mind that Spider-Man 2 bootlegs were up for download before noon GMT yesterday, my answer has to be “Not very well, if at all”. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/10 "2004-07-01T10:04:05Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > That’s typically the easiest way to get caught. Bah! I reject your assertion as being too obvious to be reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/11 "2004-07-01T11:28:16Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > I guess they’ll either have to, A: require that everyone be stripped naked and strapped down for the duration of the movie, or B:… y’know, I can’t even think of a B:. I like option A, but only for female moviegoers, because … because … I can’t come up with a LOGICAL reason, but do we really need one? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/12 "2004-07-01T12:13:45Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > We can save the stripped naked option for people with pacemakers. Why would you do that to an innocent Theater Security Kid? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/13 "2004-07-01T13:27:09Z")
OK, maybe a dumb questions, but it seems like a film that is filmed by a camcorder in a crowded theater would be crap quality. Anyone ever seen a bootlegged movie (that you of course had nothing to do with and were shocked that your acquaintances were watching :dubious: )? I can see a big market for copied DVDs, but how many people are willing to pay big bucks for lousy copies of films, first-run or not? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/14 "2004-07-01T13:42:56Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > Anyone ever seen a bootlegged movie (that you of course had nothing to do with and were shocked that your acquaintances were watching :dubious: )? [Recent thread on the subject](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=262925). And it’s not big bucks. $5 or $10 on the streets of NY, and traded for free online. So even if it’s crap quality, what are you out? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/15 "2004-07-01T14:45:44Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > Man, as cameras get smaller and smaller, it’s gonna be harder and harder as hell to stop these guys. > > In two years, the cameras that they put in cell phones will be capable of recording at 720x480 at 30 fps. What’re they gonna do, insist that everyone turn in their cell phones before going in? Actually, that’s not such a bad idea… Yep. At the sneak peek of Dodgeball I attended a couple of weeks ago, they were doing security checks with a handheld metal detector, looking for video cameras, and preventing people from bringing cell phones with cameras into the theater. You know, I’d be willing to pay an extra 50 cents a show if they had a cell phone/non-cell phone theater. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/16 "2004-07-01T15:01:58Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > The first four episodes of the fourth season of “The Sopranos” were available online about a week before they aired. > > Don’t ask me how this happens; I don’t know. Typically, the first four episodes of any HBO series are given to reviewers before the season airs. No doubt some newspaper TV critic gave his away. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/17 "2004-07-01T15:26:20Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > [Recent thread on the subject](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=262925). > > And it’s not big bucks. $5 or $10 on the streets of NY, and traded for free online. So even if it’s crap quality, what are you out? Two hours of watching a crap quality movie. ---
**Author:** ![Severian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@Severian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Severian)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/18 "2004-07-01T16:45:04Z")
> [@LordVor](#): > > I would think that they can play with the frame rate of the movie enough to mess up any recording taking place at 30 frames/second…you know, like if you see a computer monitor on TV. But still, it’s only a matter of time. Already in the [works](http://www.cinea.com/optical.html). ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/19 "2004-07-01T18:28:37Z")
I can’t imagine that the video quality’s very good as movies run at 24 frames/second, and video is 30 frames/second. I’d expect a lot of flicker. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994/20 "2004-07-01T19:16:44Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > Anyone ever seen a bootlegged movie (that you of course had nothing to do with and were shocked that your acquaintances were watching :dubious: )? I saw _Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones_ on bootleg VCD only a day or two after it came out in theaters. The quality was crap, especially the sound which kept dropping out. There was no audience noise, so I suspect the projectionist filmed it himself during a test screening (which is how most of these bootlegs get made, btw.) > [@](#): > > I can see a big market for copied DVDs, but how many people are willing to pay big bucks for lousy copies of films, first-run or not? Well, the advantage would be being able to watch the film again and again without paying $10 a shot. People who buy them off a street corner are idiots, though, when you can download them off the 'Net for free. Remember, real bootleggers always trade. Only pirates sell. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bootlegging-attempt-ever/252994.md?page=2)