Why Are Some DVDs Purple?

Are purple or blue looking DVDs always bootlegs? Well, if your first inclination is to head to Google, you might be led to believe that they are. The quick answer, however, is no. They're not. 

But why then are these DVDs a different color? On the face, they look pretty normal, but if you flip them over, they look like old-school homemade burned discs. What's up with that? Well, starting several years ago, that's just how a variety of studios started printing DVDs. These aren't small studios either, but larger studios with boutique labels such as Warner Archive, Universal Vault, Fox Cinema Archives, MGM Limited, or Sony Choice. And this also includes runs from the likes of HBO, Hallmark, or National Geographic. What these all have in common though is that they're utilizing what's referred to as "manufacture on demand" or "MOD technology."

In essence, they're printing titles as needed or in short-limited runs. And where you'll see this is with newer titles that aren't given a widespread commercial release or historical back catalog niche titles. Either way, these are made using DVD-R technology, which is where they come back around to the eye-catching blue readable side of the disc.

So are they different? Sort of. Are they bootlegs? No. Or, at least probably not.