K-dramas On Dvds - Oh For The Love Of Boxsets!

[blitzy]

Here are photos I took of the KBS America "Wedding" boxset. I will call Simon and return it if no one wants to buy it via PayPal. I found the Korean version at dvdheaven.com in Region All, but it's gonna cost ~$90 with shipping. Oh well.....

[Sam18q]

I spoke to Simon to return my Resurrection DVD and he is a bit surprised that we are so keen on getting the Director's Cut as he said that there won't be any subtitles for the extra materials like interviews, NG or commentary.

I mentioned that with similar pricing, we are keen on getting the Director's Cut.

[tiramisu]

wow... who would've thought~ these boxsets are already expensive enough as it is, and i wouldn't mind paying a bit more just to have an extra disc for the extras (even if those aren't subbed). the extra features is what i look forward to watching, and getting to see the stars out of character. i don't like the idea that kbs is manufacturing different sets for the U.S. kinda like how i really don't like YA entertainment products, either.

thanks for all the pics/info, everyone~ i will NOT be purchasing the newer releases from the kbs e-store. might be goin' to dvdfromkorea.com after all... all my friends that ordered from them only have positive things to say about their products and services.

[Guest twitchx]

LOL, they produce barebones discs with no extras for those prices, and they wonder why people go for the uber-filled Korean versions? That's just hypocrisy. I don't need subs, but come on. Even a child knows if you're choosing between english subtitled Drama + unsubtitled extras against just the subtitled Drama, you'll take the former without even thinking about it.

Maybe they should worry about producing rare Dramas we can't get on DVD. I'll take 용의 눈물 (Tears of the Dragon) barebones even if it costs 300 bucks!

I am looking forward to getting it.

BTW, do you think eventually KBS America can block dvdfromkorean to ship to North America? I hope not...

I really don't understand since the set is all region, how come KBS America e-store won't sell this set instead producing their version instead? I thought this should save them $$.

nope, they can't. Dvdfromkorea is in Korea, they have no legal jurisdiction over what they sell.

Guess KBS America learned to do business in the US the Miramax way. Push out competitors with lame scare tactics, to sell your 'inferior' product. Couldn't they just set a branch for KBS Media product? They're so good at producing boxsets...

[creidesca]

LOL, they produce barebones discs with no extras for those prices, and they wonder why people go for the uber-filled Korean versions? That's just hypocrisy. I don't need subs, but come on. Even a child knows if you're choosing between english subtitled Drama + unsubtitled extras against just the subtitled Drama, you'll take the former without even thinking about it.

Maybe they should worry about producing rare Dramas we can't get on DVD. I'll take 용의 눈물 (Tears of the Dragon) barebones even if it costs 300 bucks!

nope, they can't. Dvdfromkorea is in Korea, they have no legal jurisdiction over what they sell.

Guess KBS America learned to do business in the US the Miramax way. Push out competitors with lame scare tactics, to sell your 'inferior' product. Couldn't they just set a branch for KBS Media product? They're so good at producing boxsets...

maybe someone should suggest to them?

[Sam18q]

They may actually consider it if someone suggest to them.

I guess based on the comments they have been receiving, they probably have a feeling that we don't want just bare bones products.

[Guest luv dramas]

My friend emailed Simon at KBS America and asked when the old dramas that are out of stock (Winter Sonata, Sweet 18, Autumn Story etc) would be available and whether they would be the same as the one sold previously which was produced by bitwin and questions about new releases such as Wedding and Revenge. Here is his response.

In regards to your inquiries, (1) the old titles will be available in a (2) couple of weeks, and they are made in Korea by Bitwin, and (3) identical to the ones you that purchased from us, and lastly (4) the new releases are produced here in the United States for example, “Wedding” and “Revenge”. I received some complaints from customers indicating that the one they received were not “Director’s Cut”. I had such assumptions from customers indicating that yesasia will be releasing Revenge and Wedding with a Director’s Cut, which is not possible. There is no way they would have it before we do. Our site does not falsely advertise nor misrepresent any of our products and we try our best to deliver goods on time as promised. That is why we would rather have customers call and check when such DVD’s (SOLD OUT) will be available rather than having them pay and wait. This is another reason why we have decided to start our in-house manufacturing in the United States to better accommodate our customer needs in a timely manner. From now on, all new releases will be made in the USA, unless noted differently. Please keep in mind we are a subsidiary of KBS Global, head quarter of KBS and we have acquired exclusive distribution rights in the U.S. and Canada. Yesasia, and other DVD sites selling or distributing KBS Dramas without the consent of KBS-America is in violation of the law and KBS-America will not entertain such misconduct.

Sincerely,

Simon Kim

KBS-America

simonk@kbs-america.com

866-KBS-9901

So, in a nutshell--

It seems that the older dramas will be the same as the one sold previously. They are from Korea and produced by bitwin.

New releases such as Wedding and Revenge were manufactured in the US. Releases from this point on will be made in US unless otherwise indicated.

I looked at Yesasia website since Simon mentioned that people said they were going to release the director's cut but I couldn't find Revenge or Wedding but I did find it at DVDAsian.

[clauric]

^u wouldn't see wedding n revenge on the US YESASIA site..but if u go to the GLOBAL YESASIA site, ull see them..

like the representative from KBS america-they r the ones who have the rights to sell kbs america in the us and canada..

and i believe dvdasian is not based in america--so i guess it's k for them to sell..

[Guest luv dramas]

According to their home page DVDAsian is located in Santa Fe Springs, California so does that mean they shouldn't be selling it?

Also the Wedding box set they are selling looks like the same one that KBS America is selling. When I enlarged the back cover on the DVDAsian site, it said KBS America on it.

[Sam18q]

Actually for DVDAsian, they are selling the KBS America version (only 8 disc)

http://www.dvdasian.com/cgi-bin/dvdasian/20482.html

and it didn't have Director's Cut wording.

[clauric]

According to their home page DVDAsian is located in Santa Fe Springs, California so does that mean they shouldn't be selling it?

Also the Wedding box set they are selling looks like the same one that KBS America is selling. When I enlarged the back cover on the DVDAsian site, it said KBS America on it.

if that's the case ur right accdg to the email-Yesasia, and other DVD sites selling or distributing KBS Dramas without the consent of KBS-America is in violation of the law and KBS-America will not entertain such misconduct.

so i guess let's hush hush abt dvdasian--

[Guest koguma]

Regarding KBS-America's reply to that e-mail.

Our site does not falsely advertise nor misrepresent any of our products and we try our best to deliver goods on time as promised.

Sure they don't falsely advertise or misrepresent their products...it's because they don't post information about the products/dvds they are selling on the site!

That is why we would rather have customers call and check when such DVD’s (SOLD OUT) will be available rather than having them pay and wait.

Wouldn't it be sooo much easier and convenient for the customer if all relevant and necessary information about the DVD boxset is clearly stated on the web site!

STORY LINE:

The main character of the series is portrayed by Um Tae-ung, who acts in double role. He plays twins -- Seo Ha-eun, a detective, and Yoo Shin-hyuk, the scion of a family-owned conglomerate -- who were separated due to a childhood mishap. Ha-eun first learns that he has a twin brother while investigating his father’s mysterious death. The two finally chance across each other, but their father’s murderers mistake Shin-hyuk for Ha-eun and kill him. Afterwards, Ha-eun disguises himself as Shin-hyuk to avenge his brother.

STARRING: Um Tae-ung, So Yi-hyun, Ko Ju-won, Han Ji-min

DIRECTOR: Park Chan-hong, Chun Chang-keun

WRITER: Kim Ji-woo

EPISODES: 24

SUBTITLE: English

DIRECTOR'S CUT: No

I guess KBS-America wanted to clear up the director's cut issue by adding this spiffy line to the description.

You've got to be kidding...

How about stating the production company of the DVDs: KBS-AMERICA

Region Code

Number of Discs

Release Date

Language

Subtitles

Screen Format

Sound

DVD Features

Maybe then there would be less confusion.

Has anyone tried e-mailing them about improving their way of business/site/system? I would love to give them feedback on their site...LOL

[clauric]

even though YESASIA prodcued their eng version-at least their site is very informative...

kbs america why do u have to be so difficult..just leave it to bitwin n yesasia...

[Guest luv dramas]

I wrote to Simon for more info/clarification after receiving his email. Just passing the information to you. My questions are in red.

Will the subtitles on the older dramas be the same as the subtitles on the drama sets that were sold previously? Will the newly released dramas (Wedding, Revenge) subtitles be the same as it appeared when it was shown on TV?

The subtitles will be similar (referring to old dramas) but I’ll have to wait and see until I receive the master copies from KBS Media. But as far as Wedding and Revenge, they are identical/

Are there director's cut versions of the newly released dramas?

From my investigation “Director’s Cut” is referring to the bonus feature that is included at the very end of the drama series. As you already know this section does not come with English subtitles, and so far, KBS-America’s DVD boxsets do not include the bonus feature. If you look at yesasia’s listing of Wedding (KBS TV Series w/ English subtitles), it consists of 18 episodes just like the one we are selling except it comes with a bonus feature. Now, knowing that this bonus feature was of such high importance, KBS-America is trying other methods to incorporate this feature into our box sets as well.

Why doesn't KBS America sell the the same box set that is sold by KBS Media by Bitwin (and just subtitle it and make it all region)? Why can't the packaging be the same (fold out type rather than individual cases as shown in newly released dramas?

Tis a very complicated issue and I will try to explain it to the best of my knowledge. There are lots of copyright issues when using images from the drama (captured image), some require written consent and license fees and others have there own restrictions which would require a license contract for each of the images that you are using. Thus, it is very time consuming and expensive for us to have the exact copy as the one made from KBS Media (Bitwin). Same goes for the packaging, it is very difficult to duplicate the packaging as well. We tried using digi-pack (unfolding package) but there were issues with durability. The papers used in the U.S. are much thinner, and consequently lower in strength. That is why we used slim packs (1) was more durable and (2) it took up less space than the digipacks. In the future we will consider all factors to accommodate the needs of our customers.

What is your shipping charge? Do you have a similar offer like Yesasia--free shipping for items that cost more than $39.99?

The shipping policy is on our website under store policy (all customers are required to check the box, which indicates that they have read and understood our policy), all shipping and handling is included in our price. However, this is subject to change as soon as we integrate UPS worldwide shipping into our database (we will notify you of the changes).

Will KBS dramas be ever be sold at retailers as it was sold previously?

There is a program where we allow retail stores to sell our products upon verification by our department, you can request an application for wholesale by submitting your request under wholesale.

I hope this has helped in answering your questions, please keep I mind our website is a work-in-progress and we appreciate all your comments and concerns, even complaints. It helps us to better design our operation. Our goal is to provide the highest quality products at the lowest possible price with exceptional customer service (Price, Quality and Service).

Sincerely,

Simon Kim

Corporate Strategy

e-commerce Manager

KBS-America

625 S. Kingsley Drive 4th Floor

Los Angeles, Ca 90005

Toll. (866) KBS-9901

Tel. (213) 739-1111 x 109

Fax. (213) 739-2729

simonk@kbs-america.com

[Sam18q]

Why doesn't KBS America sell the the same box set that is sold by KBS Media by Bitwin (and just subtitle it and make it all region)? Why can't the packaging be the same (fold out type rather than individual cases as shown in newly released dramas?

Tis a very complicated issue and I will try to explain it to the best of my knowledge. There are lots of copyright issues when using images from the drama (captured image), some require written consent and license fees and others have there own restrictions which would require a license contract for each of the images that you are using. Thus, it is very time consuming and expensive for us to have the exact copy as the one made from KBS Media (Bitwin). Same goes for the packaging, it is very difficult to duplicate the packaging as well. We tried using digi-pack (unfolding package) but there were issues with durability. The papers used in the U.S. are much thinner, and consequently lower in strength. That is why we used slim packs (1) was more durable and (2) it took up less space than the digipacks. In the future we will consider all factors to accommodate the needs of our customers.

I am a bit confused here. KBS America is a subsidary of KBS Global and here Simon put down KBS Media (Bitwin). So they are 2 entirely different companies with no relations but happens to bear "KBS" in the name?

I always thought KBS media is also part of KBS Global so I am confused when he said copyright issues in using images from the drama etc. Why would KBS America have copyright issues since this is a KBS drama?

Thanks.

[Guest twitchx]

seems like mr. Simon doesn't even watch the Dramas he's selling. Director's Cut means the extras after the show? LOL. Director's Cut is Director's Cut, it just means, since it's the PD's own version, that each episode will be longer.

KBS Global is the subsidiary of KBS that takes care of KBS World and similar things, I suppose. But is he telling you they need to go through KBS to get copyrights for their OWN Dramas? That's funny.

KBS Media negotiates distribution rights overseas, works with Bitwin and ENE for Korean boxsets, and use good authoring companies to make their DVDs. Why wouldn't KBS use them for distribution, and just add Region 1 to the Region 3 (like older Myung Films DVD), or make it region all?

What they're saying, simply, is: 'We've come to the US to offer you a more expensive, inferior product, because we can. There are no alternatives to us, and we don't even consider them. Hell, why would American viewers need to buy DVDs from Korea, right? Buy ours.'

Corporate BS of the worst kind. I'd pretty much take everything they say with a grain of salt, it's clear they're just there to handle business matters and know very little about the Dramas they're selling. I mean, no Credit Card protection? LOL.

Our goal is to provide the highest quality products at the lowest possible price with exceptional customer service (Price, Quality and Service). 무슨 개뿔...

Actually for DVDAsian, they are selling the KBS America version (only 8 disc)

http://www.dvdasian.com/cgi-bin/dvdasian/20482.html

and it didn't have Director's Cut wording.

a Drama shot in HD, and they release it cropped to 4:3, with DD2.0 sound? Is there anybody at KBS America who knows even a thing about DVDs? Seems like extra features is something incredible for them, and they don't even respect the original aspect ratio. Meh...

[angelxsmile]

i agree w/ twitchx, somewhat...but, i'm not gonna get all into it. and, i don't really want to put Simon down...cause KBS-America is just starting out...so, they are going to encounter many issues like these. but...till KBS-America is able to be more secure and definate regarding their releases, i'll just import KBS dramas directly from distributors in Korea. i must agree w/ your comment about how Simon probably does not watch the dramas, himself...compared to Tom @ YesAsia.

[blitzy]

seems like mr. Simon doesn't even watch the Dramas he's selling. Director's Cut means the extras after the show? LOL. Director's Cut is Director's Cut, it just means, since it's the PD's own version, that each episode will be longer.

Completely agree. I can't believe that he thought that director's cut meant the extras at the end. I guess he thinks the customers are stupid. Remember the director's cut version of "Full House"? The big deal about that was because each episode was LONGER than the televised version. Give me a break, KBS America!

KBS Global is the subsidiary of KBS that takes care of KBS World and similar things, I suppose. But is he telling you they need to go through KBS to get copyrights for their OWN Dramas? That's funny.

I, too, found this quite funny that they would have to go through so many channels just to publish images from series that THEIR parent company produced!

when I called Simon to return my "Wedding" boxset, I also told him about my frustration with the website and disappointment over the dvd. He told me (and I quote), "I myself am Korean yet I've never watched the bonus features of a drama." I was so ticked off by that comment and how he generalized his customers by comparing to his own experience that I replied, "Well, you're also not female nor obviously a big fan of Korean dramas." I also asked him about future releases by KBS America...if they would contain no extras and he said that judging by the number of unhappy customers they'll think about it. I am definitely not purchasing any dvds from them in the future. Even if I have to pay extra at another site, it's much better than KBS America!

[Sam18q]

Just noticed KBS America is introducing Episodes on Demand

http://www.kbs-america.com/ondemand.asp

The first 30 participants will get a free gift. But it actually doesn't look like a survey form. More like an order form.

I am not sure if the episode is viewable online like VOD or they will put all your episodes in a single DVD.

[InSong]

should also add - dvdheaven.com