I recently picked up the R2 DVD of the Johnnie To film "Running Out of Time".
The existing profile for this dvd appears to have the wrong UPC / EAN.

The UPC was noted as 0060098350227. As can be seen from back cover image on the profile, it should be 5060098350227.
The Disc ID on the profile matches the Disc ID of my own copy of the DVD, so it seems highly unlikely that there are two different UK versions, both with the same Disc ID, but one with a UPC beginning with a 0 and the other beginning with a 5.

I am able to amend the UPC locally, but when I try to contribute I get "unable to validate UPC" message. Do I have to create a new profile with correct UPC (and copy all details from the existing profile)? And if so, does the incorrect UPC remain in the database?

Cheers.

5060098350227 UPC is wrong. It should be 5060098350222. The last digit is the check digit.

Ok, first let me rephrase the question(s) without any specifics, so I understand that part:

A profile exists in the database. The EAN on the back cover image doesn't match the EAN on the profile. I own the DVD too, and the EAN on my copy is the same as the one on the back cover image that already in place. Also, my Disc ID matches the Disc ID already in the profile. I presume the EAN on the profile must be wrong, but when I change it and try to contribute the updated profile I get an error. Is this simply because I'm not contributing a new profile, I'm trying to amend the EAN of an existing one?
To get past this problem, do I have to create a new profile? And will this be problematic, because 2 different profiles with different EANs will then have the same Disc ID? Can an incorrect profile be deleted?


Ok, then onto specifics:

I get the point that the EAN doesn't match the normal patterns.
There's nothing to suggest that it's an unofficial release - the case, disc and inner card look every bit as official as others from the same distributor (Tai Seng UK), and the barcode follows the same pattern. For example, I have the DVD of "Colour of the Truth", which has an EAN of 5-060098-350079; and "Cop on a Mission", which has an EAN of 5-060098-350000. Both of these are in the database with the "correct" EANs applied (i.e. they match the cover images, and match my DVDs), which leads me to believe that if I contributed a new profile for "Running Out of Time" with the EAN 5-060098-350227, it would be accepted (unless the rules governing EANs have changed).

Also, a quick search reveals that various reputable shops sold these products in the past with these EANs.
The EAN 5-060098-350227 for "Running Out of Time" is noted on both of the following, for example:
http://www.borders.co.uk/dvd/running-out-of-time/2342800/
http://www.powerplaydirect.com/asp/itemdetails.asp?prodID=1404142&itemsec=DV&refID=webgains&siteid=1063

So, much as these barcodes might seem "wrong" in some way, that is the format in which they appear on the DVD covers, they're standardised across multiple different releases, online stores accept and display them, and DVD Profiler seemingly accepts (or accepted) them.

<whispers> So am I.

Skip

Googled "Tai Seng" a bit.
Seems to be a company located in HongKong, and is looking quite official.

In several threads it has already been stated that the asian release companies don't always use valid UPC/EAN, but more a random combination.
So all you can do now is either correct the images of the existing profile to match the UPC/EAN, or contribute a new profile via DiscID.

AFAIK, changing the EAN to a Disc ID does create a new profile. What did the screen for your contribution notes show? If there was just a text box and no comparison of changed data fields with boxes to tick, you did indeed create a new profile. In that case your contribution notes MIGHT not be sufficient to get it approved (of course: depending on what you wrote).

If it gets through, I would still recommend submitting the EAN-based profile for deletion, as it's an invalid entry in the Invelos database.

You're welcome! The delete request will take some days to get through, as it is an existing profile that users are allowed to vote on.