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chingiskhanOffline
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Post  Posted: Feb 21, 2008 - 09:44 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

Can't go wrong with Dagu Lu although I don't think the shop is actually called Even Better Than Movie World, it actually is called Movie Star, but they just added a sign saying even better .... pretty amusing for expats, but not totally convinced it's not a gimmick and one guy owns both stores.

The place Lostinspace talked about on Taikang Lu is also good, just depends what's closer for you.

If you don't mind travelling then DVD heaven can be found in Pudong near Times Square - there's a mall with several shops and what I like there is that they have compressed DVDs so you can get all 10 seasons of Friends on just 10 discs, one season per disc. Quality of the image is lower but it is absolutely fine if you just want to enjoy the repeats and is far cheaper than buying each season separately.
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hautumncloud
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Post  Posted: Feb 21, 2008 - 11:08 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

p1atl10 wrote:
Quote:

Movie Star on Dagu Road charges RMB12 for DVD9 and RMB7 for DVD5, flat price for everyone - not as cheap as the guys by the roadside but so far everything I got from there has been great quality. There is another shop directly across from them but I did not check them out yet.




For the record....I believe the places you are referring to are
"Movie Wordl"

and across the street....

"Better than Movie World"

I am NOT making this up! Very Happy


The shop is called Movie Star - the "Better than Movie World" is their advertisement!! Wink
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gothsusieOffline
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Post  Posted: Feb 24, 2008 - 11:19 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

lostinspace
you can find delicatessen at the dagu lu dvd shop called Movie World. i just passed by today and saw it. good movie!
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Dazza
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Post  Posted: Feb 24, 2008 - 11:28 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

The Taikang Lu store is Hollwood isn't it? the same as the one found by Jing An, Granted the one at Jing An is pretty large in size but at 15 Kwai a disc it is pricier than most.

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monalisaleeOffline
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Post  Posted: Feb 25, 2008 - 12:11 AM  Reply with quote  Back to top

Hey, I buy all my DVD 9's for RMB 4, so why pay more? If they dont work they can be returned. Never happened yet! COOL!

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lostinspaceOffline
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Post  Posted: Feb 26, 2008 - 01:44 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

DVD 9 for 4 kuai? where is that???

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monalisaleeOffline
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Post  Posted: Feb 26, 2008 - 02:21 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

A street vendor in Sichuan Lu, Putuo, short walk from where I live. I am a regular.

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Post  Posted: Feb 26, 2008 - 05:12 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

If true (no offense), that's great. But, there are a lot of dvd5's that have been digitally altered (contrast, color level, etc.) that are being packaged as dvd9's. The sound quality is the easiest way to tell. But, on a typical CRT TV one may not see the difference too much so 4rmb is a great deal!
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partyanimalOffline
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Post  Posted: Mar 01, 2008 - 04:24 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top
Post subject: Re: The Best DVD shop in Shanghai

bergmanaj wrote:
It’s called Vertigo. I found it randomly as I was walking around by my apartment, and now I never go to any place else. Vertigo has every DVD you could possibly think of (or at least that I could think of). A lot of the movies I found there I couldn’t find at other popular places in town.

The best thing is that the owner is familiar with just about every movie in the shop. All you have to do is mention a title to him (he speaks English), and he will get it for you. If you are in the mood for browsing around, all of the DVDs are displayed on wooden shelves so you don’t have to flip through huge stacks. The atmosphere overall is also very comfortable.

Another great thing about this place is the quality of the movies. Before I used to hate buying a stack of movies, get home, and find out 2 or 3 of them won’t play. Last time I went to Vertigo I got about 10 movies; they all worked perfectly and were of high quality.

Anyway, if you’re a movie lover in Shanghai, or if you're going to Shanghai and want to go to an awesome place to get movies, I strongly recommend you check it out. I’ve already recommended it to a lot of friends who now all go there, and I just figured I’d share the news with all of you! Add: No.888, ChangDe Road, by ChangPing Road, JingAn. Tel: 13501927811


Do they have Cabin Fever?????! Looking for that movie in a long time but till now can't find it.As been told, it's an old movie.
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Post  Posted: Mar 01, 2008 - 05:25 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

In Pudong there is a Mall right behind Times Square ( pudong one ). On the 3rd floor there is a lot of DVD boots. They sell DVD 9 for 5 RMB and are up to date on most new releases. Also have most of the current series and lots of older ones too. My fav shop is Annie. Also a great selection of xbox360 games. As they are lots of boots there I usually find what I look for. Sometimes even the odd swiss movie or other foreign language stuff.
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januzaOffline
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Post  Posted: Mar 03, 2008 - 12:48 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

Does anyone know if any of these shops sell the series of TOP GEAR?
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chingiskhanOffline
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Post  Posted: Mar 03, 2008 - 01:06 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

swisscook wrote:
In Pudong there is a Mall right behind Times Square ( pudong one ). On the 3rd floor there is a lot of DVD boots. They sell DVD 9 for 5 RMB and are up to date on most new releases. Also have most of the current series and lots of older ones too. My fav shop is Annie. Also a great selection of xbox360 games. As they are lots of boots there I usually find what I look for. Sometimes even the odd swiss movie or other foreign language stuff.


What I like about this place is they have one season on one disc for some TV series such as Friends and Sex and the City, so you can have the entire Friends on 10 discs instead of paying about 700 rmb for the entire 10 season box set. Quality of course is not as sharp but good enough for stuff like Friends which we've all seen many times already.
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Post  Posted: Apr 05, 2008 - 08:43 AM  Reply with quote  Back to top

I'm sorry I don't visit with expats often so I don't know about Times Square other than the one in New York City. Can someone please mention either the street address or the two cross streets for the Times Square?
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IrinaBillOffline
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Post  Posted: Apr 05, 2008 - 09:22 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top
Post subject: vertigo

The guy who posted about vertigo is probally a real person expressing an opinion.
My expierience is the same, the owner knows a lot about movies and the selection is good. For some, if its in the area and its a kwai or 2 more than others it doesnt matter. I dont mean your rich it just does not matter for a kwai or 2.
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BenaldoOffline
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Post  Posted: Apr 05, 2008 - 09:49 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

Quote:

City. Can someone please mention either the street address or the two cross streets for the Times Square?


Times Square is at Zhangyang Lu / Pudong Lu. It's the intersection that comes right after you come through the Fuxing Tunnel.
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moonbeachOffline
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Post  Posted: Apr 06, 2008 - 02:48 AM  Reply with quote  Back to top

Seriously? DVD9's now at RMB 10 and less? I like Fox Videos on HongMei Lu very much, good selection, some speak English, always good quality... but I usually pay RMB 15 (list is 20, minus 25% "VIP" discount). Am I overpaying??
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sugarxnspiceOffline
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Post  Posted: May 12, 2008 - 04:37 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

Any idea of dvd shops that carry foreign language films like French and Japanese art films? It's very hard to search for them....
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CoffeeHawk_0
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Post  Posted: May 13, 2008 - 07:10 AM  Reply with quote  Back to top

Quote:
Seriously? DVD9's now at RMB 10 and less?

never seen them for over 10rmb in 3 years, 8 and 9 rmb is common.

Quote:
foreign language films like French and Japanese art films?

the place behind Times Square mentioned above, try the shop at the far right end of the hallway that is usually playing country music.

Quote:
They sell DVD 9 for 5 RMB

those are likely dvd5's either camcorder films or compressed mpeg files that have been altered a bit (brightness/contrast/color levels), but can look OK an a small CRT screen. Real dvd9's (copies of real dvd's) have multiple sound options (true DTS and dolby5.1), plus many extras (previews, director commentary, etc.).
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citrusOffline
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Post  Posted: May 17, 2008 - 07:19 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

My impression so far - all f the bigger dvd shops have basically the same stuff..... not worth a special tour....
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micalOffline
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Post  Posted: May 25, 2008 - 11:03 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

just an update,

lostinspace mentioned a dvd shop on taikang - they've been gone for about 2 months

Actually there were two great shops, 2 doors from each other - both gone. one has moved here:
OSCARS - 562 Fenyang Lu at ChengDu Bei LU (north side, about 50 meters west of chengdu lu) 62179229

Not sure where the other one ended up but it did relocate somewhere??

OSCARS is great, its out of my way but i get there once a month - maybe one dud out of every 500 kuai i spend.

They list their titles in a computer so you can just ask them if they have a something and they run around looking for it for you. bit pricey but dependable
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CoffeeHawk_0
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Post  Posted: May 26, 2008 - 11:48 AM  Reply with quote  Back to top

word on the street is that a lot of shops had to dissappear while the torch was in Shanghai, but they'll be back or just relocated
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izzyshanghaiedOffline
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Post  Posted: May 26, 2008 - 12:34 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

same as before when schwarzeneger (!) was in town.....

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CambronneOffline
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Post  Posted: May 26, 2008 - 12:38 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

CoffeeHawk_0 wrote:
the technical difference between 5 and 9 is that 9 means dual layer. This alone does not imply quality, but, if it is a high quality dvd then the extra disk space is needed to hold a larger file size.

If you're new to a shop, pay no more than 10rmb for a dvd9, or 7 for a dvd5. Once you get to the know the owner and show that you're not a dic*, pay 8rmb for the dvd9 and 5 for the dvd5.

Take a closer look at the surface quality of the dvd's you buy. Many, not all, have been rented out multiple times to locals for 1~2rmb and the surface will have scratches or other signs of wear. What ever you, the laowai, pay for the dvd is pure profit for the shop. No offense, but they laugh at you inside when you pay 15 rmb for a dvd9, just like they laugh when you pay 120rmb for a 35 rmb shirt.

Blank dvd disks cost less than 1rmb a piece. Copying a movie is practically free (the suppliers deal in such large volumes the equipment is easily paid for after a very short time), and bulk delivery is also less than 1 rmb a piece. Renting a shop is 300 to 800 rmb a month. The shop also does not pay any taxes, and the part time works there make less than minimum wage, maybe 10~15 rmb a day.

10rmb for a dvd9 is 250% profit for a new dvd, and that's before they've made money on renting it out. Large companies, on the other hand, survive on 5 to 20% profits with few exceptions.


I read this well-informed piece by Coffeehawk and reach the following conclusions:

- I really do not want to support such an industry
- Some overpaid expats have too much time on their hands
- Coffehawk or one of his gf may be running such a shop on the side

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MichaelOffline
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Post  Posted: May 26, 2008 - 12:49 PM  Reply with quote  Back to top

Of course, every place people list here with name and address get tagged for a raid sooner or later.
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FamilyToBeOffline
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Post  Posted: June 20, 2008 - 10:55 AM  Reply with quote  Back to top

mical wrote:
just an update,

lostinspace mentioned a dvd shop on taikang - they've been gone for about 2 months

Actually there were two great shops, 2 doors from each other - both gone. one has moved here:
OSCARS - 562 Fenyang Lu at ChengDu Bei LU (north side, about 50 meters west of chengdu lu) 62179229

Not sure where the other one ended up but it did relocate somewhere??

OSCARS is great, its out of my way but i get there once a month - maybe one dud out of every 500 kuai i spend.

They list their titles in a computer so you can just ask them if they have a something and they run around looking for it for you. bit pricey but dependable


Is this new Oscars between HuaiHai and Fuxing
or Down towards DongPing Lu
Can't find Chengdu Lu on any of my maps

Actually know where Cheng Du Lu is
It's the address that doesn't make any sense

Anyone have the right address??
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