HD DVD thread - Toshiba: HD DVD DISCONTINUED, REPAIR/SUPPORT CONTINUES, NO BLU PLANS

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300 Specs/Extras and Box Art revealed for HD/DVd and Blu Ray

HD-DVD Extras


The HD DVD COMBO features the following special features:

BLUESCREEN PICTURE-IN-PICTURE VERSION: Director Zack Snyder Compares the Pre-CGI-Enhanced Version to the Finished Film
ADDITIONAL SCENES of the Traitorous Hunchback and Never-Before-Seen Giant Warriors [in High Definition]
FRANK MILLER's Vision Realized on Film [in High Definition]
300 SPARTANS - FACT OR FICTION?: The Shocking Life of a Spartan Revealed [in High Definition]
WHO WERE THE SPARTANS?: How the Actors Built Their Characters Based on Spartan Customs [in High Definition]
WEBISODES: Go on Set with the Cast and Crew
Exclusive to HD DVD Game Vengeance and Valor: Lead More Spartan Warriors into Battle Against Xerxes' Forces and Test Your Combat-Hardened Knowledge of Tactics and Strategy
PICK YOUR FAVORITE SCENES: Assemble Your Favorite Clips and Create Your Own Montage
WEB-ENABLED FEATURES: Cool Mobile Downloads


Blu Ray version:
The Blu-ray disc features the following special features:

ADDITIONAL SCENES of the Traitorous Hunchback and Never-Before-Seen Giant Warriors [in High Definition]
FRANK MILLER's Vision Realized on Film [in High Definition]
300 SPARTANS - FACT OR FICTION?: The Shocking Life of a Spartan Revealed [in High Definition]
WHO WERE THE SPARTANS?: How the Actors Built Their Characters Based on Spartan Customs [in High Definition]
WEBISODES: Go on Set with the Cast and Crew
COMMENTARY by Director Zack Snyder - and MORE!


article and box art found here http://dvd.ign.com/articles/793/793048p1.html
 
Maybe someone can help me in this thread. Currently my TV has 2 Component ins and 2 HDMI. I have a Satellite receiver, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and an HD DVD player. My receiver is an older Yamaha and right now I can not afford to upgrade so it only excepts 3 optical ins. I have an older switch right now that does component. Basically what I want to do is hook everything I can up by HDMI which is the PS3, HD DVD player, and Satellite so I need an HDMI switch. The HDMi switches I see don't have optical for sound. So here is my question. I want to hook up those 3 to HDMI and the 360 and Wii can go to my TVs components but I will need 4 places for optical and only have 3 ins. What can i do? Any info would help. Thanks in advance.
 
[quote name='Deadpool']God i hope not...[/QUOTE]

Why not?

Do you need HD visuals to hear the director talk?

---------------

Anyways, I ordered Terminator II and Mulholland Dr tonight from Xploited Cinema.

I paid extra for Priority shipping so hopefully Tony will put some funk on it and they will show up on Saturday.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']Why not?

Do you need HD visuals to hear the director talk?

---------------

Anyways, I ordered Terminator II and Mulholland Dr tonight from Xploited Cinema.

I paid extra for Priority shipping so hopefully Tony will put some funk on it and they will show up on Saturday.[/quote]

hell yea i do!!

fuck which brings up back to this shitty combo disk concept...... i dont think ive used the standard dvd side once of any of my combo disk...

do these publishers expect us to switch over for these shitty extras..

fuck combos!!!

i may get 300 combo just to support hd but this may be the last one i get
 
its a given that most new movies are combo disc only, and the only time they aren't is when the movie is just being re-released for HD-DVD (ex. Blood Diamond, 40 Yr Old Virgin, etc) or simply just a re-releaed of HD-DVD (ex. Army of darkness, unleashed)
 
[quote name='DomLando']Maybe someone can help me in this thread. Currently my TV has 2 Component ins and 2 HDMI. I have a Satellite receiver, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and an HD DVD player. My receiver is an older Yamaha and right now I can not afford to upgrade so it only excepts 3 optical ins. I have an older switch right now that does component. Basically what I want to do is hook everything I can up by HDMI which is the PS3, HD DVD player, and Satellite so I need an HDMI switch. The HDMi switches I see don't have optical for sound. So here is my question. I want to hook up those 3 to HDMI and the 360 and Wii can go to my TVs components but I will need 4 places for optical and only have 3 ins. What can i do? Any info would help. Thanks in advance.[/quote]

this should do the trick $19.99
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Optic...0?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1180596253&sr=8-1

only does 3, but you said you already have 3 on your receiver meaning once you hook this up to your receiver you will still have two extra optical ports, and 3 on this splitter. So that is a total of 5 optical ports. Then you can use get that HDMI switch separate, and us this splitter to get optical.
 
[quote name='guyver2077']hell yea i do!!

fuck which brings up back to this shitty combo disk concept...... i dont think ive used the standard dvd side once of any of my combo disk...

do these publishers expect us to switch over for these shitty extras..

fuck combos!!!

i may get 300 combo just to support hd but this may be the last one i get[/QUOTE]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s.../300_to_Conquer_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_This_July/631

First of all, here is the official 300 feature list

HD-DVD (Combo) Features:
• 1080p Widescreen
• Dolby TrueHD 5.1
• Dolby Digital Plus 5.1
• Audio Commentary with director Zack Snyder, writer Kurt Johnstad and director of photography Larry Fong
• Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Zack Snyder
• 300 Spartans - Fact or Fiction?
• Who Were The Spartans: The Warriors of 300
• Frank Miller Tapes
• Webisodes
• Photo gallery
• EXCLUSIVE: IME: Watch the entire film with Blue Screen Picture-in-Picture (PIP) functionality and special commentary by Zack Snyder.
• EXCLUSIVE: HD strategy game Vengeance & Valor

Blu-ray Features:
• 1080p Widescreen
• Dolby TrueHD 5.1
• Dolby Digital 5.1
• Audio Commentary with director Zack Snyder, writer Kurt Johnstad and director of photography Larry Fong
• Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Zack Snyder
• 300 Spartans - Fact or Fiction?
• Who Were The Spartans: The Warriors of 300
• Frank Miller Tapes
• Webisodes
• Photo gallery

Second...

Dude, you need to fucking chill with your blind hatred of combo discs!

The HD DVD of 300 has not only an audio commentary, but also a PiP video commentary exclusive to the HD DVD version.

A HD30/DVD9 combo is identical on the HD side to a single sided HD30 release. There is no more or less space or functionality, its exactly the same. The only difference is instead of getting a label on one side you get the same film in DVD format.

I think you have some misconceptions about price. Combo or no combo, studios will gouge for new releases. Universal charged 39.99 for a single disc HD30 of King Kong (no combo). Paramount charged 39.99 for a single disc HD30 of Babel. Warner charges $34.99 for single disc Blu-Ray releases. You are not going to get $20 new releases, and it has nothing to do with the combo disc, it has to do with the studios wanting to charge significantly more money for new releases vs. catalog titles - because they know that people will pay more for them. Even if studios drop combos you will still be paying 34.99 - 39.99 for new releases, you will simply be getting less for your money.

I find the combo very useful. It allows the disc to play anywhere and the DVD side allows for easy transcoding to portable formats or backup to media server. Further, when HD DVD goes mainstream the combo disc will allow studios to sell new releases with a single combo SKU (no DVD version at all) causing HD DVD penetration to skyrocket.

I see some complain about scratching... Who cares? Treat the DVD side as you would a label. If you scratch the DVD side, it doesn't matter because a single sided disc wouldn't even have a DVD side! Hell, write 300 HD DVD on the DVD side with a sharpie when you get it if you want to get over scratch anxiety and find no use for the DVD side. You paid for the DVD side? well, you would have paid a $5-$10 premium for a single sided new release anyway -you just would have gotten a label instead. And lets face it, with Amazon prices you are really paying no more than $2 extra for combo releases.

As or glitching, it has been fixed on the standalone side with the 2.2 and 1.6 firmwares for gen1 and gen2 respectively for weeks. I'm aware that the 360 HD DVD player still has issues on combos at times since it uses the same drive as gen2 and hence has the same "thickness" read issues with select discs that gen2 had prior to 1.6 firmware. Microsoft needs to issue a fix for the thickness issue and do it fast instead of taking 6 months like they did to fix the sound issues; Microsoft has plenty of resources and can apply the same fix Toshiba did in gen2 1.6 firmware since its the same HD DVDROM drive. Until then, Universal has an exchange program where you can exchange the problematic discs for replacements.

Anyway, combos are great and I hope they continue with new releases. I feel I'm getting a lot more for my money with a $35-$40 new combo release than if I paid the same for a single sided, single disc new release. While a $20 new release would probably be best of all, I don't see that happening anytime soon with the current price "tiers" of the studios with HD content at this time.
 
[quote name='tenzor']this should do the trick $19.99
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Optic...0?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1180596253&sr=8-1

only does 3, but you said you already have 3 on your receiver meaning once you hook this up to your receiver you will still have two extra optical ports, and 3 on this splitter. So that is a total of 5 optical ports. Then you can use get that HDMI switch separate, and us this splitter to get optical.[/QUOTE]

save some cash buying it here
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...cs_id=1042302&p_id=2946&seq=1&format=2&style=
 
The problem I have with combo disks is that at most online retailers for multi format releases the blu ray is $24.99 and the combo disk hd dvd is $29.99

Whereas non combo disk HD and blu ray are usually the same price.

Since I have both players I tend to buy the blu ray version. I wanna support HD DVD, but it doesn't make sense to spend $5 extra for every movie and for a regular DVD side I'll never use.

And plus how many people are actually buying combo disks now in anticipation of buying a HD Player soon? Maybe that was true when the players were > $500, but now with the A2 being so cheap I don't think anyone's doing that. I'm sure some people have valid reasons for having combo disks, but I think more people would prefer the lower price than those reasons.

All it does is drive up the price and cost them sales (I'm sure I'm not the only person who chose a blu ray equivilent over price)
 
Well besides my blind hatred for combo discs.....

I just dont see these discs making it or even standing out to consumers. I definitely want all my features on one disk.

Secondly, the prices in store are just ridiculous. These stupid discs are making the prices in stores very unreasonable and out of the pulse-buy range. For instance at best buy yesterday they have these movies in 34.99-39.99 range. That is fucking ridiculous.

If i was an idiot and knew nothing about the format wars, i would instantly probably favor br because of the cheaper prices and better catalog.

I also fall into that "pulling for hd category" where i want to buy the hd version but the combo disks totally fuck that up for me.

Plus you know in the future they will prob release non combo versions of the movie....

Keep in mind that originally dvd pulled the same thing with double sided discs and i thought those sucked as well.
 
[quote name='Ruined']

I think you have some misconceptions about price. Combo or no combo, studios will gouge for new releases. Universal charged 39.99 for a single disc HD30 of King Kong (no combo). Paramount charged 39.99 for a single disc HD30 of Babel. Warner charges $34.99 for single disc Blu-Ray releases. You are not going to get $20 new releases, and it has nothing to do with the combo disc, it has to do with the studios wanting to charge significantly more money for new releases vs. catalog titles - because they know that people will pay more for them. Even if studios drop combos you will still be paying 34.99 - 39.99 for new releases, you will simply be getting less for your money.

I find the combo very useful. It allows the disc to play anywhere and the DVD side allows for easy transcoding to portable formats or backup to media server. Further, when HD DVD goes mainstream the combo disc will allow studios to sell new releases with a single combo SKU (no DVD version at all) causing HD DVD penetration to skyrocket.

I see some complain about scratching... Who cares? Treat the DVD side as you would a label. If you scratch the DVD side, it doesn't matter because a single sided disc wouldn't even have a DVD side! Hell, write 300 HD DVD on the DVD side with a sharpie when you get it if you want to get over scratch anxiety and find no use for the DVD side. You paid for the DVD side? well, you would have paid a $5-$10 premium for a single sided new release anyway -you just would have gotten a label instead. And lets face it, with Amazon prices you are really paying no more than $2 extra for combo releases.

As or glitching, it has been fixed on the standalone side with the 2.2 and 1.6 firmwares for gen1 and gen2 respectively for weeks. I'm aware that the 360 HD DVD player still has issues on combos at times since it uses the same drive as gen2 and hence has the same "thickness" read issues with select discs that gen2 had prior to 1.6 firmware. Microsoft needs to issue a fix for the thickness issue and do it fast instead of taking 6 months like they did to fix the sound issues; Microsoft has plenty of resources and can apply the same fix Toshiba did in gen2 1.6 firmware since its the same HD DVDROM drive. Until then, Universal has an exchange program where you can exchange the problematic discs for replacements.

Anyway, combos are great and I hope they continue with new releases. I feel I'm getting a lot more for my money with a $35-$40 new combo release than if I paid the same for a single sided, single disc new release. While a $20 new release would probably be best of all, I don't see that happening anytime soon with the current price "tiers" of the studios with HD content at this time.[/QUOTE]

Good news about 300, but this is a terrible argument for combo disks. For starters you're the one with a price misconception. MSRPs of DVDs are never what they are sold for, the only place I know of that does sell them for that is FYE/Sam Goody/ Suncoast/ et. al and even they have sales, so that's a very useless statistic. Anywhere else and you're looking at $30-35 tops, not $40. List prices from highdefdigest are not a statistic you can use for this arguement. Even Warner's own video store doesn't sell movies for the price you quoted. What is a relevant statistic is that anywhere you go a HD DVD combo release is more (usually $4-10 more) than their BD or even HD only counterparts. I have not encountered any retailer ahywhere, online or off, where that's not true or they daily prices on next gen releases. Noe more than $2 more on Amazon? Now that's just plain bullshit. Look at the releases this month, with the exception of Flags of Our Fathers (cuz yes I argee Paramount sucks at pricing, but it was a two disc release) everything that was released as a combo is at least $28, releases not combos are $20. What's that price difference at most again? Compare that to their Blu-ray counterparts too. In over 90% of the cases the release on BD (granted some do have fewer features) is $4 less, still not "no more than $2".

Also the arguments you make for the usefulness of combo releases are weak at best. I'll give you it will work virtually anywhere you like, but think about how often do the vast majority of people take their movies anywhere. Most don't drop hundreds on a decent home theater setup to be watching said movies at other people's houses. I know if someone wanted to see a movie I had on HD I'd be inviting them over anyhow as I'd have the desire to watch it with a much better quality picutre. The small part where this has merit is with those who use portable DVD players or DVD players in vehicles (which you really didn't even mention). As for transcoding, again the vast majority of those using a PSP or the like will likely just convert things like downloaded Divx or other format files. There's a small nihce there again I'll grant you that but I still see it as reaching, it's not something the majority of mvoie buyers do. AS for scratching I think all flipdiscs suck ass because of this. You act like I shouldn't care but I do get somewhat pissed when my $20+ movie looks like garbage. Have you keyed every flipdisc in your collection if it's not such a big deal?

The issue of them playing correctly should have never ever been an issue in the first place. It only took them a half a year to solve it too (I'm still waiting on the update from Toshiba actually), and a couple months before they even acknowldged it. Warner never seemed to have issues, but the only (major) HD exclusive studio makes me exchange Children of Men 3 times before getting a working copy. And like you said, they still don't work in the addon which is one if not the top selling HD DVD device. And lastly, if you actually are paying $35-40 for new releases I feel kinda bad for you.
 
I guess it just comes down to preference. I PREFER to have combo art on my disks. Sure it doesnt really matter when you are watching the movie but it is something to look at. The combo disks are just turnoffs.

The only prob ive had with my addon and ocmbo disks is that it would not play a really scratched miami vice hd from netflix. I havent tried children of men yet.

It seems the current trend is combo disks for new releases and single sided for older movies being released on hd dvd.

I also PREFER to have all my features on one side. I forgot which movie it was (ATL) had all the extras on the standard dvd side.

I also understand that movies even dvd's are still expensive at bb if you dont buy them on release week. Hence why they overcharge $5-$10 bucks on hd dvd's. I wish they would have new release deals on new hd releases. Atleast their getting better. Last week they had the discounts on the pirates movies and this week they have the $10 of 2 hd movies.

i think i might go back and pickup 40 yr old virgin (was it worth it?) and skeleton key
 
Combos are an albatross around the format's neck.

They need to shit get off the pot. Either exclusively release new films in combo form ONLY (meaning no DVD release, so people are forced to buy it...not as ridiculous as it may sound, as not doing the standard DVD release could help with reducing the cost to make the combo price not so ridiculous), OR dump them completely.

This has been discussed before, but "combo only" releases could be a trojan horse that puts the PS3 to shame. Guy buys a DVD, already has the HD DVD version built in. A year down the road when HD DVD players are sub-$199...hey, look, I already have a bunch of HD DVDs. May as well pick one up.

That said - a wishy-washy initiative for an unproven format does absolutely nothing to benefit them. Time to make up their mind, this arbitrary stuff isn't gonna cut it.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']This has been discussed before, but "combo only" releases could be a trojan horse that puts the PS3 to shame. Guy buys a DVD, already has the HD DVD version built in. A year down the road when HD DVD players are sub-$199...hey, look, I already have a bunch of HD DVDs. May as well pick one up.[/quote]

The come back for that is that if I don't have an HD-DVD player, and I see a combo format sitting next to the plain old DVD format, the price will force my hand. Even on release day, you are comparing $30 to $15 or $17....MAYBE $20.

I'm all about some future proofing, but not when I have no idea of when I'll move into the future (assuming I am an average Joe Consumer). I'll save myself the $10 and pick up the regular DVD non-combo format.
 
What a day, what a day...

Just got my Terminator 2 HD and Matrix Trilogy Set ($19.99 from the CC price mistake) in the mail today. $50 for 4 great movies in HD, I have a long night ahead of me.
 
Its not blind hatred towards the combo disks, these are simply not helping the format move along in the right direction. An average consumer with a regular DVD player will not buy and HD DVD/DVD combo thinking that eventually he/she will upgrade to an HD DVD player and make use of the HD side. It just doesnt make sense to do this to their loyal consumers who want to purchase these movies, who want to see the disc art, who want cheaper discs, who don't give a fuck anymore about DVD's.
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']Its not blind hatred towards the combo disks, these are simply not helping the format move along in the right direction. An average consumer with a regular DVD player will not buy and HD DVD/DVD combo thinking that eventually he/she will upgrade to an HD DVD player and make use of the HD side. It just doesnt make sense to do this to their loyal consumers who want to purchase these movies, who want to see the disc art, who want cheaper discs, who don't give a fuck anymore about DVD's.[/QUOTE]

That's not true.

I know of a few people who are "future-proofing" just for the hell of it and people who are happy for the DVD side so they can loan the disc out or use it on a trip.

I don't know, I look at them the same as the widescreen/fullscreen flip dvds. Yeah, they will be obsolete in a few years but if they get people on board now, fuck it.
 
I'd have to put myself in the anti-combo HD DVD camp. When a DVD format supporter is presented with a choice of a $15 or less DVD or a $30-40 HD DVD combo disc, 9.9 times out of 10 they're going for that cheap DVD.

All it does for HD DVD supporters is drive up the cost. I would have several more HD DVD's in my collection if it weren't for the high price of combo discs. I just can't justify spending that much on one movie. Years of cheap DVD's have spoiled me.

It also hurts HD DVD in the format war with Blu Ray. Many of the Dual Format supporters buy the Blu Ray edition of a movie simply because it is cheaper than the HD DVD combo disc equivalent.

On a different note, I'm very tempted to import Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The delay and lack of information on the Potter releases is getting rediculous. I'm also debating importing The Prestige. I really, really liked that movie and think it would make a great HD DVD. If only had a bit more money...
 
Here's some of the best deals I found on DD:

Prices listed are after 20%

Ultimate Matrix Trilogy $61.77
Complete Matrix Trilogy $52.32
Planet Earth $55.19

$15.45
Batman Begins
Beerfest
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
Constantine
Corpse's Bride
Dukes of Hazzard
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon II
Scanner Darkly
Superman
Superman II
Swordfish
Terminator 3
V For Vendetta
+ others...
 
[quote name='Psykoboy2']The come back for that is that if I don't have an HD-DVD player, and I see a combo format sitting next to the plain old DVD format, the price will force my hand. Even on release day, you are comparing $30 to $15 or $17....MAYBE $20.

I'm all about some future proofing, but not when I have no idea of when I'll move into the future (assuming I am an average Joe Consumer). I'll save myself the $10 and pick up the regular DVD non-combo format.[/QUOTE]

See I disagree. If Universal does combo only with no DVD it will drive the production costs of HD DVD down greatly as well as the price of combo discs since this will be HD DVD's produced in the millions of copies. I would see $23-25 being the new price for combo's with $20 being the price for this on sale. Warner would not do this as they're not exclusively HD DVD.
 
sad that matrix didnt perform better.... taken from hidefdigest..

maybe they should have sold them individually as well..


'Pirates' Outsells 'Matrix' in Blu-ray, HD DVD Showdown

Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 01:23 PM ET
original.pjpeg


Last week's sales estimates are in, and in terms of sheer unit sales, Disney's Blu-ray-only release of the first two "Pirates of the Caribbean" flicks handily beat Warner's HD DVD-only release of the two 'Matrix' box sets.
According to market research estimates from Home Media Magazine, the two 'Pirates' films sold a combined total of a little less than 47,000 units, while the higher-priced 'Matrix' sets sold about 13,900 units.

Since the Matrix sets sold at an cost of nearly three times that of the 'Pirates' flicks, there's slighly more parity in terms of gross sales, but even there (as Blu-ray backers have been quick to point out), Pirates gets the edge.
In comments first published in The Hollywood Reporter, Bob Chapek, worldwide president of Buena Vista Home Entertainment, called the week's win by 'Pirates' a "strong and significant trend toward consumer preference for the Blu-ray Disc format."
"We are thrilled by the critical and industry response to 'Pirates' on Blu-ray disc," Chapek said. "But more importantly, the consumer has spoken loud and clear. This is only the beginning, but it was certainly a significant and explosive indicator of things to come."
 
[quote name='guyver2077']...
In comments first published in The Hollywood Reporter, Bob Chapek, worldwide president of Buena Vista Home Entertainment, called the week's win by 'Pirates' a "strong and significant trend toward consumer preference for the Blu-ray Disc format."
"We are thrilled by the critical and industry response to 'Pirates' on Blu-ray disc," Chapek said. "But more importantly, the consumer has spoken loud and clear. This is only the beginning, but it was certainly a significant and explosive indicator of things to come."[/quote]
WTF! "The consumer has spoken loud and clear"....really? So they are comparing The Matrix Trilogy vs. 2 separate Pirate movies. Also the Pirate's Movies weren't available on HD DVD, so how is it that the consumer has chosen!? God, I hate these half assed statements.
 
Wow. A $25 movie outsells a $70 boxset where many people only want the first movie. Surprise! Funny thing is, Planet Earth is probably outselling BOTH of them according to Amazon.
 
DVDTalk: Terminator 2 HD DVD pwns T2 Blu-Ray

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10681854&&#post10681854

[quote name='DVDTalk Staff Reviewer']I watched the full Extended Cut last night and did a quick comparison to the Blu-ray. The HD DVD is decidedly sharper and has more saturated colors. It's not perfect, unfortunately. It has some of the same problems as the BD, including a touch of edge ringing, some white clipping, and minor compression problems here and there. It looks good overall. I'll try to crank out a full review soon.[/quote]
The French 2-disc HD DVD set (Theatrical + Extended Edition) is currently available from amazon.fr and xploitedcinema.com if you want it NOW. :)

A slightly more English-friendly UK single disc Extended Edition-only HD DVD will be available for preorder within a month or so from http://amazon.co.uk

Note that only the Extended Edition disc from the French version is English-friendly, as the theatrical version has forced French subtitles when selecting the English soundtrack (you can resize them and move them into the LBX bar however). The Extended edition does not have forced subtitles and in fact the entire menu is in English, it was clearly the same disc that will be in the UK version released later.

The UK version will be identical to disc 2 of the French version - Extended cut, English audio, no forced subs, region free, 1080p24 w/ lossless DTS-HD Master Audio. English Audio tracks have been compared to the R1 DVD release and the audio is perfect, no speedup.

I am waiting for the region-free UK version since I want the English cover art and the Extended Cut is better anyway IMO. Plus, the theatrical disc of the French version is pretty worthless to me with the forced subs (even if tiny). I'll of course post when the AMAZON.CO.UK preorder for T2: Extended Edition is available :)
 
I already ordered the French version and Mulholland Dr from Xploited Cinema

Why would the forced subs on disc 1 be the deal breaker? It's PQ is supposedly better then the Extended Cut and you can make them small enough where they only sit in the black bar.
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']WTF! "The consumer has spoken loud and clear"....really? So they are comparing The Matrix Trilogy vs. 2 separate Pirate movies. Also the Pirate's Movies weren't available on HD DVD, so how is it that the consumer has chosen!? God, I hate these half assed statements.[/quote]And the mass consumers out there are gonna hear this, be completely clueless and agree. fuck.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']I already ordered the French version and Mulholland Dr from Xploited Cinema

Why would the forced subs on disc 1 be the deal breaker? It's PQ is supposedly better then the Extended Cut and you can make them small enough where they only sit in the black bar.[/quote]

That's why I'm getting the French version instead of the UK version.
 
[quote name='guyver2077']any info on the prestige hd dvd?[/QUOTE]

Just got an email from Tony.

DVD FEATURES
- Anamorphic (16:9 1080P Hi-Def) Widescreen (2.35:1) Version
- English 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus & German 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus Audio Options
- Optional French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish & Finnish subtitles
- The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight of Hand of Christopher Nolan" 5-part featurettes
- The Art of The Prestige - Photo Galleries
- Trailer

http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/prestige-release-p-11919.html

$37.95

----------

Heads up, The World's Fastest Indian is only $7.99 after GCO at buy.com

http://www.buy.com/prod/worlds-fastest-indian/q/loc/322/204064135.html

Good movie, everybody should grab it at that price.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']Just got an email from Tony.

DVD FEATURES
- Anamorphic (16:9 1080P Hi-Def) Widescreen (2.35:1) Version
- English 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus & German 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus Audio Options
- Optional French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish & Finnish subtitles
- The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight of Hand of Christopher Nolan" 5-part featurettes
- The Art of The Prestige - Photo Galleries
- Trailer

http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/prestige-release-p-11919.html

$37.95

----------

Heads up, The World's Fastest Indian is only $7.99 after GCO at buy.com

http://www.buy.com/prod/worlds-fastest-indian/q/loc/322/204064135.html

Good movie, everybody should grab it at that price.[/QUOTE]

Ummm wtf isn't it just OAR? Are we going to see another FS epidemic, this time with 16:9? FS needs to NOT be an option on any HD discs unless this is the movies OAR.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']Ummm wtf isn't it just OAR? Are we going to see another FS epidemic, this time with 16:9? FS needs to NOT be an option on any HD discs unless this is the movies OAR.[/QUOTE]

Don't worry, The Prestige is being put out by Warner in the UK, they have consistently put out awesome hidef material. It will be OAR.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']IWhy would the forced subs on disc 1 be the deal breaker? It's PQ is supposedly better then the Extended Cut and you can make them small enough where they only sit in the black bar.[/QUOTE]

Acutallly reviewers are stating that the Director's Cut (UK HD DVD release and disc2 of the French HD DVD release) has better picture quality - more natural colors, cleaner master, less artifically "pumped up":

[quote name='Robert George/Obi @ Hometheaterforum.com']
Okay, here's my comments on the new Studio Canal HD DVD edition of Terminator 2...

The background is this. Lionsgate has US distribution for this film. T2 was a fairly early Blu-ray release for them. Lionsgate's BD is a BD25 with MPEG-2 encoding. For whatever reason, Lionsgate has elected to release only the 137 min. theatrical version of the film in the US. Studio Canal, a French company, was one of the co-production companies of the film, and holds international distribution rights.

Studio Canal also supports the HD DVD format. For the French HD DVD release, Studio Canal has released T2 as a 2-disc set using the VC-1 codec. Disc 1 is the theatrical version of the film intended solely for the French market which means the disc has been authored with French subtitles that cannot be turned off if English language audio is selected. That's Studio Canal's policy for France-only releases. The second disc is the 152 min. "Director's Cut" version of the film that was previously released on the "Ultimate Edition" DVD in the US. Note this is not the 156 min. "extended" version also available on the "Ultimate Edition" DVD which has the tacked on Coda ending with an aged Sarah Connor in a park with a voiceover. This is what I consider the best version of the film as it includes several scenes and extensions of scenes that I find enhances the story yet it leaves off the "Coda" ending which becomes illogical with the release of Terminator 3.

It is this Director's Cut disc that is of interest so me, and I expect, quite a few other fans of the film. While the theatrical version has the "forced" subtitles, the Director's Cut disc will be released by Studio Canal in the UK. Because of this, there are no forced subtitles, and indeed, the default playback of the disc is English audio (the only track available) with no subtitles. This disc also contains what is to my eye, the finest video presentation of this film to date.

Having been a fan of this film since its original theatrical run in 1991, I have seen what I believe to be every video release except VHS. This of course includes the several laserdisc and DVD incarnations. I even had the D-Theater hi-def digital VHS edition of this film. It is this background that I base my observations of this new HD DVD edition on. Compared to all that came before, this new HD DVD edition is clearly the finest presentation of Terminator 2 to date (no pun intended).

The most immediate comparison is to Lionsgate's Blu-ray edition, as well as the theatrical version included in the HD DVD set. beginning with the theatrical edition, it appears that the HD DVD and Blu-ray came from the same master, a master that looks to have ben "pushed" to increase the visible contrast. This leads to blown out whites and some crushing of detail in blacks, as well as what some would describe as "edge enhancement". Colors are a bit overstaurated compared to the Director's Cut disc.

Although both these discs appear to be sourced from the same master, the MPEG-2 and VC-1 encodes show some fairly noticeable differences. The MPEG encode on Blu-ray is visibly softer with a bit less fine detail. There is also visible blocking where film grain is present. The VC-1 encode is both smoother and sharper with greater detail and less artifacting associated with the film grain. Even so, the master that was struck for the Director's Cut is quite obviously superior to the master used for the theatrical version.

The transfer for the Director's Cut has a more natural appearance with greater detail in both very dark and very bright areas and a more even color balance. The image is also a bit sharper than even the VC-1 encode of the theatrical version. This encoding also preserves the grain structure of the film element without overt compression artifacts.

With the somewhat limited time I have had to compare these discs I cannot comment on a comparison of audio tracks except to say I found the DTS-HD audio track on the Director's Cut version to convey all the impact and subtlety that I remember from any other version with, perhaps, a bit more authority in the lower octave and a bit more smoothness in the upper frequencies. Certainly nothing lacking in the sound department.

Rarely do the planets line up perfectly in the universe, but for fans of the Director's Cut version of Terminator 2, it seems we have a gift in the form of this French HD DVD release. Combine what I consider the best version of the film with a HD DVD authored without hindrances of any sort, and mastered and encoded as the finest visual quality this film has seen since release day 16 years ago, and you get a true treat for the film enthusiast. Although it feels more like an accident that everything worked out as it has for this disc, it is a very happy accident indeed.[/quote]

Although, they will probably be the same price in the end given the exchange rate of the British pound vs. the euro. Its a matter of whether you'd rather have the UK/English cover art or the French Cover Art + theatrical version with forced subs.
 
[quote name='Ruined']Acutallly reviewers are stating that the Director's Cut (UK HD DVD release and disc2 of the French HD DVD release) has better picture quality - more natural colors, cleaner master, less artifically "pumped up":[/QUOTE]

Well, the standing opinion over at AVS and most forums I go to that the Theatrical is a step up from the Director's Cut. With the Theatrical at Tier 0 and the Director's Cut at high Tier 1.

I'll find out in a moment because my HD-DVDs showed up today!

hddvdsvo9.jpg
 
[quote name='Sporadic']Just got an email from Tony.

DVD FEATURES
- Anamorphic (16:9 1080P Hi-Def) Widescreen (2.35:1) Version
- English 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus & German 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus Audio Options
- Optional French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish & Finnish subtitles
- The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight of Hand of Christopher Nolan" 5-part featurettes
- The Art of The Prestige - Photo Galleries
- Trailer

http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/prestige-release-p-11919.html

$37.95

----------

Heads up, The World's Fastest Indian is only $7.99 after GCO at buy.com

http://www.buy.com/prod/worlds-fastest-indian/q/loc/322/204064135.html

Good movie, everybody should grab it at that price.[/quote]

so its already out then.. are there any reviews..im interested in knowing how it compares with the br
 
[quote name='Ruined']Don't worry, The Prestige is being put out by Warner in the UK, they have consistently put out awesome hidef material. It will be OAR.[/QUOTE]

That is the UK version I linked to.

[quote name='guyver2077']so its already out then.. are there any reviews..im interested in knowing how it compares with the br[/QUOTE]

It just went up yesterday, so I doubt we will see any reviews until Monday at the earliest.

It's from Warner and encoded with VC-1 so it should at minimum be on par with the Blu-Ray release if not better.

[quote name='Deadpool']Damn i want both those...[/QUOTE]

:D

They are great. I watched part of disc 1 of Terminator 2, it's amazing quality. I watched the opening part of Muloholland Dr. it has some grain but it was still worth every penny.
 
nice pickups Sporadic. I really want that Muholland Dr. HD-DVD, but I want to make sure I pick up Le Pacte De Loups first.

did anyone pickup...

Lost In Translation
The Frighteners
Dragonheart

I really want to pick those up, but I'd be douple-dipping on two of them. I just want to make sure the PQ quality is well worth buying titles over again.

I also should be getting my Complete Matrix HD-DVD collection next week, so I'm super excited about that. :)
 
[quote name='asianxcore']nice pickups Sporadic. I really want that Muholland Dr. HD-DVD, but I want to make sure I pick up Le Pacte De Loups first.

did anyone pickup...

Lost In Translation
The Frighteners
Dragonheart

I really want to pick those up, but I'd be douple-dipping on two of them. I just want to make sure the PQ quality is well worth buying titles over again.

I also should be getting my Complete Matrix HD-DVD collection next week, so I'm super excited about that. :)[/QUOTE]

I got Lost In Translation from Blockbuster Online.

Going by the tier system at HighDefDigest, I ranked it a low Tier 2.

Hated the actual movie but the Tokyo scenes are really good looking.
 
ill wait for that review of prestige..if its good i may just make it my first import..

any word how long amazon uk takes to get a movie over here? i have a gift certificate so hopefully i can use it in the uk store
 
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