Donna

Hi everyone, am wondering whether Thailand is simialr to Malaysia, in that you can get cheap copies of DVD'd VCD's and music CD's. Where is the best place to purchase these kinds of things. I will be visiting Bangkok and Phuket. Look forward to you reply<BR>Donna Australia

Pirate

Hmm..... Will reply by email!<BR><BR>Shush.........

alisa

Yes, you can get cheap copies of DVD's, VCD's and music CD's. You should generally pay around $3 a CD. I think DVD's were more around $5 a piece. Things were more expensive in Phuket too. However, I was able to get $3 CD's there. Just be sure to bargain.

Donna

Dear Alisa,<BR>do you mean $3.00 Australian?<BR>What was the quality of the discs like?<BR>Where is the best place to get VCD's and DVD's?<BR>Do the department stores also sell them?<BR>Any other tips would be appreciated.<BR>Thanks.

alisa

Sorry, $3.00 U.S. The quality of the CD's were fine and only one DVD I bought didn't play on our DVD player, but did play on a lower quality DVD player. Ma Boon Crawl in Bangkok, I'm not sure how to spell it, has cheap stuff. Its a huge mall with mutiple stories. In Phuket, there are always vendors as in Bangkok, but I found one store that was in Patong near the main strip that sold the CD's to me for $3. Of course, I bought more and bargained with the guy. Have fun.

bronwyn

Be careful as there is a $1000 fine in Australia if you are caught with pirated DVD or CDs etc.<BR>

Laura

There are copies of everything- Polo shirts, all kinds of handbags, scarves, etc. etc. Beware of the quality- Cd's are probably better than DVD's. Bangkok is your place to buy- but beware of the pickpockets- dont carry a hangbag or have a wallet- everything needs to be in you (i.e. in your bra, pants, etc.) or you are at risk. there are so many people someone could pick pocket you and you would never know it. And the poverty is pretty bad so they are desperate. Personally, I didnt like Bangkok , but regardless, you will LOVE Phuket. Where are you staying? We stayed at the Boathouse and it was fabulous. We savored every second! If you enjoy fishing, charter a boat (we did it for $100 a day or something like that really cheap)- it camer with a 2 man crew and included lunch. The fishing was wonderful and they took us to some of the other islands where we swam. ENJOY! <BR>

Donna

Hi Laura,<BR>as I am going with my grandmother and stepmother we thought we would stay at Karon Beach, away from the hustle and bustle. We are staying at Thavorn Palm Beach Resort. We are going to bankok for shopping and sight seeing. Did you do the River Kwai trip? We have been to Bali and Malaysia before.<BR>What are your must sees? Best places to shop? Recommendations for restaurants?<BR>Thanks in advance<BR>Donna

Gabriel

Your best bet in Bangkok would be Ma Boon Krong or MBK, a huge shopping mall at the end of Sukhumvit Rd. The 4th floor has both bootleg VCDs and original DVDs (released on the same day in the States)

Alison

What is the difference b/w a DVD and a VCD? I'm going to HK, Sing. and Bangkok in a week and may want to purchase some movies. A co-worker brought some back from the Philippines and said not all would play on his DVD player. Can someone help me out? Thank you!

dale

DVD is better quality and should only have one CD. VCD means video CD and is generally of lower quality. These will often have 2 CDs. Half the movie on one-half on the other. Get them to show you the quality if they have a player with them. Also check if they are dubbed, have subtitles etc. I have a good quality DVD from Vietnam except it has been dubbed in Mandarin. (very funny though) Ask them several times about this. Also some DVD players don't play copies and generally you need a VCD player or DVD that says it plays VCDs to play VCDs. Also check what zone your DVD player is. U.S is zone 1, Aus is zone 4 (I think),if in doubt ask before you go. You need to make sure that the CDs you buy will play on that zone. The best players are freezone. I bought a good DVD, VCD, Cd, CDR, CDRW freezone player in Singapore for about $100 US. If you can get one they are excellent. Bankok has many electronic stores. <BR> When in Bankok visit the markets around the Amari Watergate hotel. Hope this helps, Its all I know on the subject from going overthere myself but don't be dissapointed if you get a few duds, just think of the fun you had buying them!

Alison

Thank you so much for your posting. You mentioned that you bought a freezone player in Singapore. I'm heading there on my trip as well. We are hitting HK, Singapore and Bangkok. I was looking to buy a DVD player here in the US anyway, but maybe I should wait and buy it over there. Do you remember the store where you bought it and how did you get it home?

kelly

About the freezone players... Do they also account for the PAL and NTSC differences between European DVDs and American ones? If so, can you buy these in China (not HK) as well? I am currently living in Europe, bought my mom in the US a "no-zone" DVD here in Europe, and it won't play in the US because the US is NTSC and European DVDs are PAL format... (even though the store assured me it would work and it also works on my computer).

Gabriel

Kelly<BR><BR>You need to check whether your TV is multi system (both Pal and NTSC compatible). In general, if a DVD player is multi system (PAL and NTSC) with 'freezone' or have been modified to play DVDs from around the world, it will work with a TV that is multisystem.<BR><BR>Alison<BR><BR>Prices in Singapore are comparable to Hong Kong and cheaper than the US. You can go to any mall in Singapore or Hong Kong where they have huge electronics stores (Best Denki, Courts, Harvey Norman) and the prices are fixed and the goods have warranties, or you can take the option of buying from small electronics shops (Sim Lim Square in Singapore or Nathan Rd in Hong Kong), where the prices are cheaper by about 20% (or less depending on how you haggle) but caveat emptor.<BR><BR>

dale

Alison,<BR>I bought mine in Sim Lim square in October. Can't remember the name of the store, If I find the receipt I will post the name. They change so fast that it's probably outdated over there already. It has on it SHINCO DVD/ Super VCD/VCD/MP3/CD/CD-R/CD-RW Player DVD 180. We looked around for a couple of days before buying it as we found that although several shops around Singapore had them the prices varied, always ask for a better price. The shop we bought it from however had them marked at the best price we had seen. Can't remember exactly what it was sorry but will let you know if I find the receipt. Singapore was our last stop before heading home, so we just carried it on the plane as hand luggage, there was no problem with this. Bankok has good electronics stores too but as I haven't really looked at them or bought anything in them I can't comment.<BR>Haven't been to HK yet. I find when I'm travelling though that when you find what you want, buy it. Maybe you'll find it at a better price in the next city you go to but maybe you won't find it at all. Also watch out for for tricky salesmen. We went to one place in Orchard road inquiring about DVD players and the salesman hooked one up to an old Tv he had in the store to show us the picture quality of the player. However he had a dial behind the counter (on the floor, he was using his toe) to make the picture go fuzzy, fade etc on the TV. Apparently this is to get you to buy a more expensive player. We asked him what was wrong with the TV and he showed us the switch and told us some shops do this to sell you a different more expensive player and that it was very dishonest, we were walking out by now obviously! Ours plays DVDs from Asia, america, Europe, Australia etc. Hope this helps.

Alison

Thanks, Dale! Your information was perfect. We leave tomorrow and I'll be on the lookout for the freezone DVD player. Do you live in the US? If so, have you had any trouble using the DVD player here? I called around to all the high-end electronic stores in my area and they told me they don't sell them in the US yet. I just want to make sure it will work before I lug it all the way home! <BR><BR>One last question. From what I've gathered on this site, I need to look for "DVDs" not the "VCDs" and I should expect to pay around $5 US for these. Is that correct? Also, what places have you found the best DVDs? I have MBK on my list and around the hotel you mentioned. Is there anywhere else you've had good luck? Maybe Patpong or somewhere in Singapore?<BR><BR>Thank you again for everything. We are really looking forward to our trip!