Definitely a new transfer for the BD: new digital Colombia logo intro, different framing, different aspect ratio, slightly different color scheme/temp, DVD is loaded with dirt/damage throughout while the BD is very clean, the DVD has a harsh digitally sharpened look, BD has a soft natural film look.

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Active image area of DVD is 1920x816 = 2.35:1 AR
Active image area of BD is 1920x800 = 2.40:1 AR

Length: 2:00:14
Total Bitrate: 35.20 Mbps
Video: MPEG-4 AVC / 24495 kbps / 1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: English / Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1423 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Audio: Chinese / Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1434 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Audio: Czech / Dolby Digital 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Audio: Hungarian / Dolby Digital 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Audio: Polish / Dolby Digital 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Audio: Russian / Dolby Digital 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Audio: English / Dolby Digital 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps (Commentary)
Subtitle: English / 23.508 kbps
Subtitle: English / 20.300 kbps
Subtitle: English / 54.736 kbps
Subtitle: Arabic / 12.194 kbps
Subtitle: Bulgarian / 20.109 kbps
Subtitle: Croatian / 22.019 kbps
Subtitle: Czech / 21.159 kbps
Subtitle: Greek / 26.151 kbps
Subtitle: Hebrew / 15.673 kbps
Subtitle: Hindi / 18.629 kbps
Subtitle: Hungarian / 23.690 kbps
Subtitle: Polish / 24.109 kbps
Subtitle: Portuguese / 24.142 kbps
Subtitle: Romanian / 23.033 kbps
Subtitle: Russian / 0.000 kbps
Subtitle: Slovak / 23.065 kbps
Subtitle: Slovenian / 21.787 kbps
Subtitle: Turkish / 24.352 kbps

The super-bit looks like it was sharpened which makes it, at times look sharper, than the BD. Pic 17 on the BD looks like the saturation on green was turned up...

Thanks for posting the screens!

Gamma/contrast looks jacked up. Compare the ground detail in the last set of captures. The BD is all washed out and flat with barely any texture.

The BD is also zoomed in compared to the dvd. Pretty disappointing.

The BD is vastly superior, but at the same time, it looks to have been either filtered, or noise reduced. So yeah, it could look better. What I want to see are comparisons to the HD version shown on cable recently.

Seems like plenty of grain in the BD shots once you zoom them.

The grain is extremely light, but I don't see a single sign indicating it was filtered while watching, so maybe its the filmstock?

The grain is extremely light, but I don't see a single sign indicating it was filtered while watching, so maybe its the filmstock?
Pic 14: Chow's face looks like it has that little "tight skin/waxy look". That's about the only thing to me that looks like DNR.

Detail on the medium distance shots doesn't look that much improved, but the clouds look like they resolve better. It might be the way the camera was focused.

According to IMDB this was filmed with the same cameras as Pan's Labyrinth. And we all know how that turned out on the US BD release.;)

The BD looks miles better than the DVD, if only they could get Ang Lee to give it a stamp of approval.

Looks to be a great and natural improvement.

I'm not seeing signs of filtering at all. There's a thin, but obvious, layer of grain in every shot.

Pic 14 is a DVD-shot btw.

Using just the last pictures: the picture on the left has much better detail - look a the scroll work in the windows, the leaves on the tree to the left, the clay tile on the building to the right, etc. The color balance for the picture on the left is better as well, the picture on the right is too warm (pink).

It looks very good to me, and is thus a definite buy. Thanks for the grabs.

I agree the BD looks much better, but why does every single Blu-ray catalog release these days have different color timing than the DVD? I'm not necessarily saying the DVD was correct to begin with, but how do we know if the BD is correct especially since we rarely hear of approvals?

Pic 14: Chow's face looks like it has that little "tight skin/waxy look". That's about the only thing to me that looks like DNR.

Detail on the medium distance shots doesn't look that much improved, but the clouds look like they resolve better. It might be the way the camera was focused.

According to IMDB this was filmed with the same cameras as Pan's Labyrinth. And we all know how that turned out on the US BD release.;)

The BD looks miles better than the DVD, if only they could get Ang Lee to give it a stamp of approval.
Nope there is definitely a very light layer of grain over his face and neck.

I think this looks beautiful.

A must own for sure.

Thanks for the caps, eric.exe

To me, it looks incredible, one of the best looking catalog titles. Very film like without EE and DNR

Now, It's indeed slightly zoomed in and I'm also intrigued by the color timing

I agree the BD looks much better, but why does every single Blu-ray catalog release these days have different color timing than the DVD? I'm not necessarily saying the DVD was correct to begin with, but how do we know if the BD is correct especially since we rarely hear of approvals?

Exactly what I think.

Sometimes the color timing differences are merely color gamut differences. The primaries are different for HD and SD.

Seeing how this film was bundled with 2 others, has anyone checked to see if the HoFD being released with CTHD is the same transfer as the 1st release?

In regards to HOFD: It is the same craptastic version Sony has pushed out before. That means it is the cut version, with numerous shots of violence removed and even digitally erased. Meanwhile, every other country will get the uncut version.

I have Curse of the Golden Flower. I will wait for a single by itself version of Crouching Tiger and eventually a Region A version of the uncut HOFD will be released. Likely in Japan, Hong Kong or South Korea.

practising?
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4503/prac.th.png (http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4503/prac.png)

Also, upon closer inspection, I noticed 2 instances of frozen grain. During some of the fast moving scenes in the teahouse fight the grain levels were higher. Grain filtering is probably hard to perform those type of scenes so it probably lowered or turned off. Some degraining was done I think now, but its one of the best damn jobs I've ever seen, (wonder if Lowry was involved) zero artifacts during 99% of the movie.

practising?
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4503/prac.th.png (http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4503/prac.png)

http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic78.html

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:

'Practice': verb and noun
'Practise': VERB & NOUN (Chiefly British Variant of 'practice')

I said in the other thread that the BD would have to be pretty terrible for me not to buy it since I like the movie so much. I know this is a PIC comparisons thread per se but how is the audio? Even just a short mention on that would be appreciated because that is important to lots of us. Thanks!

"You're" is not proper. It would be "You are". Stuff like that annoys me with subtitles.

"You're" is not proper. It would be "You are". Stuff like that annoys me with subtitles.
please enlighten me - if two people are talking casually in a foreign language and we had to translate, would it not be proper to also translate in the same casual tone? i mean, in a movie where two english speaking people were saying something like "hey what's up" would you translate some formal equivalent like "what are you doing"?

So, does this BD release of CTHD have the correct theatrical subtitles? It's known that Ang Lee and the English language screenwriter really wanted the subtitles to be as accurate as possible to the spoken word and they worked hard on them.

Some have suggested that the subtitles on the video releases are, in fact, dub titles and not true to the theatrical subs.

Can anyone shed some light? Thanks!

Also, are the subtitles within the frame or do they drop into the lower letterbox bar, which would then make this another no-can-do for scope lens users.

http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic78.html

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:

'Practice': verb and noun
'Practise': VERB & NOUN (Chiefly British Variant of 'practice')

Practice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI)

Also, are the subtitles within the frame or do they drop into the lower letterbox bar, which would then make this another no-can-do for scope lens users.

It's a Sony disc, so you should already know the answer to that. Besides, the screencap in Post 18 clearly shows the answer. :(

please enlighten me - if two people are talking casually in a foreign language and we had to translate, would it not be proper to also translate in the same casual tone? i mean, in a movie where two english speaking people were saying something like "hey what's up" would you translate some formal equivalent like "what are you doing"?
No one said "You're" in English at that time. They would say, "You are." That's my point.

What I am waiting for is for someone to go over the final scene between Yeoh and Yun-Fat to see if the subtitles and dubbing are different. They should be and I posted a transcript in another thread.

Here ya go...

The most dramatic difference of all is Li Mu Bai's final words to Yu Shu Lein.

Starting at 1.50:50 he states: I have already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my last breath... I have always loved you.

In the dubbed version he says, I have wasted my entire life. But I did find enlightenment... when at last I realized... that I love you.

Two completely different confessions.

The improvements in some shots seen in these screenshots seem small to me but maybe thats just how it was with the cameras and stock used. Nothing wrong with the grain structure though.

I'd love to know if the subtitles use the Region 3 DVD translation or not.

I did a Google search for information on the film stock and the Kodak 250D 5246 stock and it's an extremely fine grain stock so the grain would be minimal on this film. That is one of three different film stocks used for this movie and that particular one would have been used for the daylight scenes. I'm sure the stock used for the night shots would have been picked to blend in with the look of the daylight shots and have minimal grain.

Some good forums out there too with information on film stock. In fact some real experts out there in Google land it's just a case of doing the search and putting the right terms in. Pity some of them aren't on these boards.

This disc has the "dumbed down" R1 subs, not as bad as the dub, but not as good as the theatrical ones.


The most dramatic difference of all is Li Mu Bai's final words to Yu Shu Lein.

Starting at 1.50:50 he states: I have already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my last breath... I have always loved you.

In the dubbed version he says, I have wasted my entire life. But I did find enlightenment... when at last I realized... that I love you.

On the BD he says:

"l've already wasted my whole life. l want to tell you with my remaining strength that l love you. l always have."

No one said "You're" in English at that time.

"You're" (and the variant "you'r") is attested as far back as the 16th century -- it appears in The Comedy of Errors, Edward the Second, The Spanish Tragedie, and Jonson's Every Man Out of His Humour, among others. I'm sure somebody with an OED at hand could turn up a citation that predates all of these. In any case the Mandarin dialogue is hardly period-authentic (and was criticized in some quarters for sounding too colloquial and contemporary).

Eh. I don't see why everyone is saying the BD looks so great. Everything looks all blown out.

I'm not necessarily saying the DVD was correct to begin with, but how do we know if the BD is correct especially since we rarely hear of approvals?The color balance in the dark regions is fairly close to correct on both, look at the right window in the small building it is quite dark with no color in both versions. Now look at the stone street, the DVD version has various shades of light pink, look at the clouds and you will see the same thing. These items should be various shades of gray.

OK, so I have the old old DVD with the theatrical subtitles. That means I am going to stick a knife in my eye if I buy this BD. What a travesty. Why the *** does Sony continue to make such stupid mistakes?

The dumbed down subtitles are exactly that. Dumbed down!

Gamma/contrast looks jacked up. Compare the ground detail in the last set of captures. The BD is all washed out and flat with barely any texture.

The BD is also zoomed in compared to the dvd. Pretty disappointing.

Eh. I don't see why everyone is saying the BD looks so great. Everything looks all blown out.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the current modus operandi with BD catalog titles -- crank the contrast/gamma, skew the color timing, and crank the color saturation. Maybe the technicians feel the need to turn some different knobs now that management had them put tape over the DNR knobs.

At least they are making the decision on whether or not to double dip a lot easier for me.

The color balance in the dark regions is fairly close to correct on both, look at the right window in the small building it is quite dark with no color in both versions. Now look at the stone street, the DVD version has various shades of light pink, look at the clouds and you will see the same thing. These items should be various shades of gray.

But, take a look at the grass, water, sky (blue vs turquoise), and some of the indoor structures. Quite a bit different. Even where there are very small differences makes me wonder.

The super-bit looks like it was sharpened which makes it, at times look sharper, than the BD. Pic 17 on the BD looks like the saturation on green was turned up...

Thanks for posting the screens!

didn't it look pretty green in the theaters?

Not an impressive transfer, at all.

But, take a look at the grass, water, sky (blue vs turquoise), and some of the indoor structures. Quite a bit different. Even where there are very small differences makes me wonder.I do not know what folks are using for color correction nowadays, they may be using hardware or software or both (I’m retired). In general you should make sure there is color balance at the low, mid and high levels of your video. Doing scene by scene color correction is very time consuming (read expensive). I think many of us would always try to ensure “skin tone” matched throughout a show. This could lead to some mismatches for other objects. It not a perfect process. Sometimes you have to make the best compromise possible and roll on.

Some info here (http://www.videointerchange.com/color_correction1.htm) and some hardware info here (http://www.broadcast.harris.com/product_portfolio/product_details.asp?sku=SDC_101).

HAL 9000 has a message for those who continue to bash the transfer solely from viewing screencaps:

"Look guys, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill and think things over!"

...And now back to your regularly scheduled thread. :)

No one said "You're" in English at that time. They would say, "You are." That's my point.

What I am waiting for is for someone to go over the final scene between Yeoh and Yun-Fat to see if the subtitles and dubbing are different. They should be and I posted a transcript in another thread.

Jeez, Matt, if you're going to nitpick contractions, I'll nitpick you for saying "Yeoh and Yun-Fat" when you should be saying "Michelle and Yun-Fat" or (preferably) "Yeoh and Chow" -- as I'm *know* you know.

Uh, maybe you need to calm down some?

One problem for me is that I know those original subtitles pretty much line for line in many scenes. It will be terribly distracting for them to now be different.

I thought it looked gorgeous. But I bought the UK version to avoid having to pay for two other movies I don't want, and found some of the different spelling of common words a little distracting.

Wow, in terms of the average Blu Ray vs DVD comparisons (like from xylon) the screen caps in the OP show the least difference I can remember seeing. As in "so, which one is High Def?"

The only thing that seems to give it away is the slightly more digital, harsh look of the DVD. But in terms of image detail I'm amazed how little gains there are on the Blu Ray...at least in these screen shots. Bummer. CTHD is just the type of film that could benefit from the rendering of fine detail.

Wow, in terms of the average Blu Ray vs DVD comparisons (like from xylon) the screen caps in the OP show the least difference I can remember seeing. As in "so, which one is High Def?"

The only thing that seems to give it away is the slightly more digital, harsh look of the DVD. But in terms of image detail I'm amazed how little gains there are on the Blu Ray...at least in these screen shots. Bummer. CTHD is just the type of film that could benefit from the rendering of fine detail.

You should at least rent it. I never trust screen shots, and as I said before, I think it looks terrific. I've never seen it look that good (in motion).

Uh, maybe you need to calm down some?

One problem for me is that I know those original subtitles pretty much line for line in many scenes. It will be terribly distracting for them to now be different.

Matt, you have a legitimate beef. I'm asking people to wait until they've actually watched the film before making assumptions about picture quality.
I ordered my copy before reading about the subtitle issues, so I guess I'll have to live with it. Oh well.

I'm disappointed. If there was one film I wanted to have a perfect copy of, it was this one. There are some details that are hard to make out on the BD compared to the DVD due to the contrast differences. Additionally the dumbed down subs make this a definite no-buy for me. You shouldn't have to measure pros and cons when comparing the DVD to the BD. It should be definitively superior. Unfortunately that's not how it works. I'll stick with my DVD.

The commentary done for the original DVD even includes the director and writer talking about how they agonized over every single word for the subtitles. A huge amount of time was spent perfecting them for the theatrical release, so that is the track we should have on the Blu-Ray.

Why is this only available in a bundle when the other two movies have already been released on Blu-ray? Is it just a massive "**** you" to anyone who's already purchased House of Flying Daggers and/or Curse of the Golden Flower?

Is the UK version region free? What version of the subtitles does it use?

Why is this only available in a bundle when the other two movies have already been released on Blu-ray? Is it just a massive "**** you" to anyone who's already purchased House of Flying Daggers and/or Curse of the Golden Flower?

Well, yes.

You shouldn't have to measure pros and cons when comparing the DVD to the BD. It should be definitively superior.

A truer statement could not be said, and yet everyone seems to forget this. I swear, even on a forum about trying to eek out the most in PQ, AQ, and overall presentation of movies, people seem to be happy with not getting the best that is currently possible.

Again, we need comparisons to the HD version shown on cable. I flipped back and forth between that and the DVD some time back and it blew the DVD away. That was on a 71 inch 1080p Samsung. The DVD was just harsh and digital in comparison.

The commentary done for the original DVD even includes the director and writer talking about how they agonized over every single word for the subtitles. A huge amount of time was spent perfecting them for the theatrical release, so that is the track we should have on the Blu-Ray.
- A solution to the subtitle issue. Not cheap though.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AFEBGI

:eek:


:p

Guess I'll be skipping this set, shame too. If I want to play "halo", I'll buy an Xbox....

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/833/17bd.png

I'm actually pretty happy with this release (except new aqua tint similar to Khan (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=16412315&postcount=571)), and I thought this thread would be an endorsement... oh well.

Those halos/fringes are part of the photography.

I have the UK version and it's region free. As I said before, some of the spelling is different from what I'm used to on the US releases. I haven't seen this film in years so I didn't notice what version the subs are from, though. In any case, I would suggest at least renting it. It's quite a nice transfer, IMO.

Looks great from the screenshots, can't wait for my UK Blu of this wonderful film!

I'm actually pretty happy with this release (except new aqua tint similar to Khan (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=16412315&postcount=571)), and I thought this thread would be an endorsement... oh well.

I'm looking forward to receiving mine. Thanks eric!:cool:

I have the UK version and it's region free.The next question I have to ask is if it has any standard def warning screens... anything in PAL format causes you to be kicked out to the XMB on the PS3 now, rendering some region free discs unplayable because you can't even make it to the menus.

The next question I have to ask is if it has any standard def warning screens... anything in PAL format causes you to be kicked out to the XMB on the PS3 now, rendering some region free discs unplayable because you can't even make it to the menus.

No PAL or 1080i/50 segments, so it plays fine on the PS3.

No major studios (Warner, Sony, Universal, Fox, etc.) use PAL or 1080i/50 segments on their BD releases. All problematic titles have been from smaller studios that exclusively release in Europe or Australia - Icon, M6, Optimum, etc.

I'm actually pretty happy with this release (except new aqua tint similar to Khan (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=16412315&postcount=571)), and I thought this thread would be an endorsement... oh well.

It is an endorsement as far as I'm concerned and this link regarding the quality seals the deal for me. Thank goodness I got some feedback on the audio. It is as important to me as the video as far as I'm concerned!

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=5034&show=review

And I quote: "but it nevertheless recreates the film's intended look masterfully"

Has there ever been a Blu-Ray.com review that wasn't an endorsement?

That site is not a balanced review resource.

There are very few Blu Ray releases where the upgrade from the DVD release is so miniscule that it's actually hard to differentiate between the standard definition and Blu Ray versions. I love this movie, that's what makes it so unfortunate that this is one of those releases.

Those halos/fringes are part of the photography.
In addition this shot had surely digital wire removal so it was scanned at 2K, processed, output on film, copied, and scanned again for the HD. Far from ideal. This will never look like today's DI material unless they redo these sfx shots in 2K and make the HD directly from it.

Has there ever been a Blu-Ray.com review that wasn't an endorsement?

That site is not a balanced review resource.

There are very few Blu Ray releases where the upgrade from the DVD release is so miniscule that it's actually hard to differentiate between the standard definition and Blu Ray versions. I love this movie, that's what makes it so unfortunate that this is one of those releases.

Please read the review and get back to us on what you don't agree with. Thanks much! Perhaps expectations are too high??

Quoted:

"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon finally arrives on Blu-ray with a gorgeous 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. Though the film tends to take on a slightly dulled look, it nevertheless enthralls with a consistently high quality film-like appearance. It's not quite as sharp, deep, or well-defined as something like The International, but it nevertheless recreates the film's intended look masterfully. Colors are never terribly vibrant save for a few scenes, though they appear consistently natural. Detail is rather good throughout; a few scenes look soft but there's never any difficulty in making out the finest of details in clothing, structures, or even the desert floor in one sequence where pebbles and sand take on a wonderfully textured and natural appearance. Black levels and flesh tones are consistently solid. The image sports a subtle layer of film grain that spikes on occasion but never seems all that intrusive, rounding out what is one of the better film-like transfers yet to grace the Blu-ray format."

Wow you guys are too hard to please. I'm buying the Korean release from Yesasia since that one includes Chinese subs and I already have the other 2 movies in the "trilogy". I'm seeing a night and day difference in the screencaps and imo the delay was worth the wait. I highly doubt the master is in good enough condition for the transfer to satisfy some of you guys.

Please read the review and get back to us on what you don't agree with. Thanks much! Perhaps expectations are too high??

Quoted:

"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon finally arrives on Blu-ray with a gorgeous 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. Though the film tends to take on a slightly dulled look, it nevertheless enthralls with a consistently high quality film-like appearance. It's not quite as sharp, deep, or well-defined as something like The International, but it nevertheless recreates the film's intended look masterfully. Colors are never terribly vibrant save for a few scenes, though they appear consistently natural. Detail is rather good throughout; a few scenes look soft but there's never any difficulty in making out the finest of details in clothing, structures, or even the desert floor in one sequence where pebbles and sand take on a wonderfully textured and natural appearance. Black levels and flesh tones are consistently solid. The image sports a subtle layer of film grain that spikes on occasion but never seems all that intrusive, rounding out what is one of the better film-like transfers yet to grace the Blu-ray format."

It's actually difficult to differentiate between the standard def and Blu Ray release much of the time. You could remove the first sentence and apply the paragraph that follows to the Superbit release. That paragraph provides very little perspective.... it's all vague pre-digested talking points with no point of reference with which to measure its quality. Had I read it without seeing it for myself I would've assumed it was, like the vast majority of all other Blu Ray releases, a release that stood head and shoulders above its DVD counterpart. Unless my glasses just stopped working in the past week, it isn't.

A clear and blatant improvement over previous standard definition releases is not an unreasonable expectation for the BD format, it's a prerequisite for the format's success and should be assumed when you go to buy a movie.

I'm sorry, I'm not one to really bitch and moan about these things, but this release just isn't a particularly strong representation relative to what was already available. I have nothing against that review site, I'm just calling a strike a strike.

For those saying you're seeing a night and day difference and a "huge improvement" in the BluRay, you must be smoking crack. It's, at best, slight.

For those saying you're seeing a night and day difference and a "huge improvement" in the BluRay, you must be smoking crack. It's, at best, slight.

Maybe not so much in details, but the color improvement is huge. The SuperBit looks like its contrast is turned up too high. Based on the screenshots I'm buying for sure.

It's actually difficult to differentiate between the standard def and Blu Ray release much of the time.I've only got the screen shots to go by at this time but I just don't understand this sentiment. I see a rather significant difference in between the two.

It's actually difficult to differentiate between the standard def and Blu Ray release much of the time. You could remove the first sentence and apply the paragraph that follows to the Superbit release. That paragraph provides very little perspective.... it's all vague pre-digested talking points with no point of reference with which to measure its quality. Had I read it without seeing it for myself I would've assumed it was, like the vast majority of all other Blu Ray releases, a release that stood head and shoulders above its DVD counterpart. Unless my glasses just stopped working in the past week, it isn't.

A clear and blatant improvement over previous standard definition releases is not an unreasonable expectation for the BD format, it's a prerequisite for the format's success and should be assumed when you go to buy a movie.

I'm sorry, I'm not one to really bitch and moan about these things, but this release just isn't a particularly strong representation relative to what was already available. I have nothing against that review site, I'm just calling a strike a strike.

For those saying you're seeing a night and day difference and a "huge improvement" in the BluRay, you must be smoking crack. It's, at best, slight.

If you have issues with the BD release by itself, hey fine. But the way you are phrasing things, it sounds like the BD is punished in your mind due to having a great-looking Superbit DVD. If the BD is representative of how the film looks, I don't see where the DVD plays into it. Just like "better than the DVD" isn't valid if the BD is still lacking, "not much better than the DVD" shouldn't be valid in the opposite case.

For those saying you're seeing a night and day difference and a "huge improvement" in the BluRay, you must be smoking crack. It's, at best, slight. I'm not smoking crack, there a huge's difference, and detail isn't the only factor. The DVD looks like highly processed digital crap, the BD looks appropriately soft for film.

The BD destroys the Superbit DVD. It's not even close. It may not be Tier 0 or even 1, but the BD has a very film like look that is not processed, digital and compressed in appearance. The Superbit DVD is all of those horrid things.

I'm not smoking crack, there a huge's difference, and detail isn't the only factor. The DVD looks like highly processed digital crap, the BD looks appropriately soft for film.

The BD destroys the Superbit DVD. It's not even close. It may not be Tier 0 or even 1, but the BD has a very film like look that is not processed, digital and compressed in appearance. The Superbit DVD is all of those horrid things.

I'm glad I'm not the only that saw a huge improvement, question is is Stinky smokin crack? You honestly have to be looking at the same picture twice if you can't differentiate the two. Or maybe your monitor is in terrible need of calibration.

Has there ever been a Blu-Ray.com review that wasn't an endorsement?

No, which is why I can't stop laughing when people cite a blu-ray.com review to back up a statement one way or another.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=4193&show=review

Doesn't look like an endorsement to me.

I gotta be honest, the screen caps look very good to me. Very organic and filmic. Can't say I think the DVD looks anywhere near as good. I definitely want to pick this up, but I'm going to have to go the import route because I don't want to buy the "trilogy".

I'm glad I'm not the only that saw a huge improvement, question is is Stinky smokin crack?

I also agree with you. I do drink lots of caffeine, so that may disqualify my judgment.

The BD destroys the Superbit DVD. It's not even close..

Do we own the same copy, and are we looking at the same screens?

Honestly, this is one of the weakest BD transfers I have ever seen.

But in motion it blows away the dvd or something like that. IMO judging solely by the screen captures it looks just okay. The overcranked gamma and the zoomed in framing are my biggest complaints about it though.

I'm UK based and got the Steelbook of this
I have still got the original R3 DVD of this and did a side by side comparison on my Oppo BDP-83 between the two on my 50" Pioneer 8g Kuro ISF'ed screen (stated specs of player and screen to say that i CAN see differences if they are there) and i can whole-heartedly say that the BD is MUCH better than the DVD, a really big improvement. :)
I don't know how much better the Superbit R1 of CTHD was over the original R3 Columbia DVD as i never got it, but I am more than happy with the BD
It is by no means the best BD I own and i wouldn't use it as a demo for blu-ray, but its very 'filmic' if a little soft, but is MUCH better than the old DVD

Do we own the same copy, and are we looking at the same screens?

Honestly, this is one of the weakest BD transfers I have ever seen.

What display and BD player do you have?

I don't have this yet to comment but I've gotten more feedback in the last few days and mostly folks are pretty happy with it. There are some very bold statements in the review as to the quality and I've come to trust "most" of his reviews though I cannot say the same for other individuals there which obviously will remain nameless.

Your "weakest" BD transfers statement and how he categorizes the quality is a night and day difference. Again, I'm not in the position to comment yet but other member's opinions don't have me second guessing me pulling the trigger whatsoever Superbit versus the BD.

No, which is why I can't stop laughing when people cite a blu-ray.com review to back up a statement one way or another.

All sites have diffrent individuals reviewing and perhaps with different equipment. Some I tend to agree with more than others as most others do as well. I have no problem whatsoever in using that specific review to back me up pulling the trigger on this specific BD after getting some feedback from other member's as well. It appears to be very representative!

my Korean copy shipped from Yesasia, should be able to see and hear for myself very soon.

I ended up ordering the UK version last night from amazon.co.uk... after international shipping charges, it came to just over $27. It was already dispatched this morning, so I should get it early next week. The UK version uses the same altered subtitles as the US version (just with English spelling for some words) unfortunately.

One question I do have: Is the UK version censored like the US version? The cuts are very brief (really just a bit of blood to insure the PG-13 rating) but it'd be nice if I was getting the uncut version of the film.

What's up with the Korean Blu-ray release? It's the first I've heard of it, actually. I'm curious to find out about the quality and which version of the subtitles it uses. It'd be a shame if I just spent $30 on an inferior version. On the other hand, I was very happy with the Korean release for Lust, Caution.

The BD may be the clear winner, but it's still somewhat weak for a BD. Still, it's hard to believe that people cannot see a huge difference.

One question I do have: Is the UK version censored like the US version? The cuts are very brief (really just a bit of blood to insure the PG-13 rating) but it'd be nice if I was getting the uncut version of the film.

Are you sure you're not confusing 'Crouching Tiger' for 'House of Flying Daggers'? 'Crouching Tiger' was not cut in the US, but 'Flying Daggers' was.

I think i might wait to see if a Blu Ray is released with the original theatrical subtitles.

IMDB says the region 3 DVD has those subtitles and so a Blu Ray from that region should have them as well.

Does Blu Ray sell well in region 3 land. I think thats parts of Asia and Hong Kong but does anyone know if Blu Ray sells well there and what is the Region code for Blu Ray there ?

The BD may be the clear winner, but it's still somewhat weak for a BD. Still, it's hard to believe that people cannot see a huge difference.

That isn't consistent with Martin's 4.5 scoring of the PQ and quoted "one of the better film-like transfers yet to grace the Blu-ray format".

No I don't see any other PQ scores from members on various forums or reviewers yet but there is pretty consistent feedback there is a rather huge difference with the Superbit. In time I'll get a look at it and we'll have even more opinions.

If it is as good as stated, I'd like to brainstorm if one is willing cause something may be wrong somewhere. A listing of one's player, display, and also seating position would be beneficial if not readily available in their profile.

Are you sure you're not confusing 'Crouching Tiger' for 'House of Flying Daggers'? 'Crouching Tiger' was not cut in the US, but 'Flying Daggers' was.
That's entirely possible. There's been a lot of cross chatter in the CTHD threads because of the (worst in the history of the format so far) bundling.

What's up with the Korean Blu-ray release? It's the first I've heard of it, actually. I'm curious to find out about the quality and which version of the subtitles it uses. It'd be a shame if I just spent $30 on an inferior version. On the other hand, I was very happy with the Korean release for Lust, Caution.

I'm Chinese and having Chinese subs for Chinese titles helps me understand better what was said. Since US and UK copies do not include it and the Korean copy does, I opted for the Korean copy. It seems to be much cheaper too. As for English subs, I'm guessing it'll contain some grammar errors if it was translated by people who did not learn English in an English-speaking country.

That's entirely possible. There's been a lot of cross chatter in the CTHD threads because of the (worst in the history of the format so far) bundling.

The worst part is they called it a trilogy as if the 3 films had any relations. It almost feels like a "all Asians look alike" insult. If they wanted to do a 3pack CTHD should be replaced with Hero, at least that way all 3 are Zhang Yi Mou Wuxia films.

If they wanted to do a 3pack CTHD should be replaced with Hero, at least that way all 3 are Zhang Yi Mou Wuxia films.

Hero is distributed by Miramax/Disney. This is a Sony box set.

Hero is distributed by Miramax/Disney. This is a Sony box set.

I forgot about that part. Then basically CTHD shouldnt be boxed with anything period. They might as well throw in Kung Fu Hustle and make it a Quad.

There is no R3 Crouching Tiger yet, correct?

There is no R3 Crouching Tiger yet, correct?

Do you mean on DVD? If you do then yes there is. There's also a R2 DVD from Japan I believe got the best PQ rating via DVDBeaver.

If you mean an Asian release by R3, for Blu-ray they're all Region A. The only Asian release I'm aware of is from Korea and it is distributed by Sony. Yesasia carries this one, mine shipped yesterday.

No this is a Blu-Ray forum, so I am talking about Blu-Ray. :) I am hoping there is a Blu-Ray somewhere out there that will have the original theatrical subtitles.

No this is a Blu-Ray forum, so I am talking about Blu-Ray. :) I am hoping there is a Blu-Ray somewhere out there that will have the original theatrical subtitles.

Haha well you can't say R3 I don't think if it's Blu-ray. Are there any particular instances of subtitles you want me to report when I get my copy?

Sorry, I am stuck in Korea = R3. :D Cannot get used to this Region A/B crap.

It would be great if you would check your BD subtitles when it arrives.

Go to 1 hr 50 minutes & 50 seconds, the scene featuring Li Mu Bai's final words to Yu Shu Lein before he dies.

In the theatrical subtitled version he states: I have already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my last breath... I have always loved you.

In the dubbed version he says, I have wasted my entire life. But I did find enlightenment... when at last I realized... that I love you.

On the U.S. Blu-Ray and recent DVD releases he says: l've already wasted my whole life. l want to tell you with my remaining strength that l love you. l always have.

The dubbed version is way way wrong. The two subtitled versions are essentially correct. However, the theatrical/original is what I know line for line because I have viewed the darned original DVD release more times than I can count.

I think i might wait to see if a Blu Ray is released with the original theatrical subtitles.

IMDB says the region 3 DVD has those subtitles and so a Blu Ray from that region should have them as well.

Does Blu Ray sell well in region 3 land. I think thats parts of Asia and Hong Kong but does anyone know if Blu Ray sells well there and what is the Region code for Blu Ray there ?

In HK the Blu market is slow due to most shops selling only USA versions ie no Chinese subs, add on top of that the stupid prices we get hit with, full RRP!!
The 2nd hand market is ok...
Region A

"Trilogy" set is now $40 on amazon. Individual UK version is probably still a better idea since it comes in a nice steelbook.

"Trilogy" set is now $40 on amazon. Individual UK version is probably still a better idea since it comes in a nice steelbook.Not to mention that the UK version is still $13 cheaper, even after international shipping. Assuming you already own or are not interested in the bundled movies.

"Trilogy" set is now $40 on amazon. Individual UK version is probably still a better idea since it comes in a nice steelbook.

I don't own any of the 3 films, so for about $12 or $13 more, I think this is a better deal -- especially since they're in individual cases. I can dump the slip case.

Ralph's review is up in case you aren't aware of that.

"Trilogy" set is now $40 on amazon. Individual UK version is probably still a better idea since it comes in a nice steelbook.

Well I don't have the others but I didn't really want them to begin with. I'll live with the individual UK version when it gets to me. The nice steelbook helps matters! :)

Well I don't have the others but I didn't really want them to begin with. I'll live with the individual UK version when it gets to me. The nice steelbook helps matters! :)

Yeah, I changed my mind. I would only be getting the other two because they were part of the package, when the only one I truly want is CTHD -- especially considering that Daggers has a unanimously panned transfer, and Golden Flower isn't as well received as the others. So I ordered the UK steelbook. I can put that extra $13 toward another movie I really want.

You can argue about the English subs but they don't exactly match the actual Mandarin dialogue.

I finally watched the whole disc last night.

The comment that someone made about the subtitles being 3-lines high is not exactly correct. Only the English SDH captions are formatted that way. The regular English subtitles are formatted in the standard Sony way, with one line in the picture and one in the letterbox bar.

I don't speak Mandarin, but just based on its coherency in English, I thought the subtitle translation was pretty bad. It's not nearly as awful as the dub, but it's still not good. It's filled with all sorts of slang and contractions that don't feel at all appropriate to the formal settings or types of conversations that the characters are having.

For example, early in the movie, Shu Lien asks Li Mu Bai about his Wudan studies. In the original DVD translation, he says, "I left the training early." On the Blu-ray, he says, "I broke it off."

I don't know which is more literal to the Mandarin being spoken, but the new subtitles lose a lot of the poetry of the language. Considering that the original subtitles were written by the English-speaking screenwriter, who undoubtedly knows how he intended the dialogue to come across, I can't imagine why Sony would go to the trouble and expense of commissioning a new translation in the first place.

Bingo.

Again, one can only pray a foreign release will set things right. Otherwise the film will be marred for me forever and I'll be stuck with this stupid old edge enhanced 480i DVD.

I wish I had paid attention to the recent HD cable showing and recorded it. Then I could see if it was subtitled properly. All I did was compare it to the DVD to see if it was a clear improvement (it was) and then decided to wait for the BD. I never actually viewed the movie to view a movie.

Anyone capture it?

I finally watched the whole disc last night.

The comment that someone made about the subtitles being 3-lines high is not exactly correct. Only the English SDH captions are formatted that way. The regular English subtitles are formatted in the standard Sony way, with one line in the picture and one in the letterbox bar.

I don't speak Mandarin, but just based on its coherency in English, I thought the subtitle translation was pretty bad. It's not nearly as awful as the dub, but it's still not good. It's filled with all sorts of slang and contractions that don't feel at all appropriate to the formal settings or types of conversations that the characters are having.

For example, early in the movie, Shu Lien asks Li Mu Bai about his Wudan studies. In the original DVD translation, he says, "I left the training early." On the Blu-ray, he says, "I broke it off."

I don't know which is more literal to the Mandarin being spoken, but the new subtitles lose a lot of the poetry of the language. Considering that the original subtitles were written by the English-speaking screenwriter, who undoubtedly knows how he intended the dialogue to come across, I can't imagine why Sony would go to the trouble and expense of commissioning a new translation in the first place.

"I left the training early" is a more appropriate way to say it compared to the dialogue given, but "I broke it off" seems to emphasize he did not finish the training better.

I'm fluent in Mandarin.

"I left the training early" is a more appropriate way to say it compared to the dialogue given, but "I broke it off" seems to emphasize he did not finish the training better.

I'm fluent in Mandarin.

Which would you prefer?

Which is more accurate?

Which one should we be getting for those who aren't fluent or have little or no understanding of the language, but watch in the native language?

I am trying to get a feel for your opinion. :)

Which would you prefer?

Which is more accurate?

Which one should we be getting for those who aren't fluent or have little or no understanding of the language, but watch in the native language?

I am trying to get a feel for your opinion. :)

As I said in that very post you partially quoted, the original subtitles were written by the English-speaking screenwriter, who undoubtedly knows how he intended the dialogue to come across. The new subtitles have too much slang. They don't feel appropriate to the setting.

And the director approved subtitle track is the one that was in theaters. Ang Lee flat out stated he went over it line by line to be sure it ws what he wanted.

Amazon UK's pricing looks like a bargain, for most of the asian blu-ray in comparison to Yes asia. I might want to order few more titles. The Gomorrah blu-ray is $9.98 :)

Question, Does anyone know how much the shipping cost from UK amazon to US ? I don't see this mention in FAQ nor somewhere in checkout steps.

Thanks

[nevermind : found it http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=11072991]

As I said in that very post you partially quoted, the original subtitles were written by the English-speaking screenwriter, who undoubtedly knows how he intended the dialogue to come across. The new subtitles have too much slang. They don't feel appropriate to the setting.

Isn't (or shouldn't) the script for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon be the defacto source for the movie's subtitles?

http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/c/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-script.html

No. They made changes while filming. It was a very fluid film in the way in which it was shot.

Ordered CTHD from Amazon.UK last night.
Way better deal than buying dupes of HoFD and Golden Flower.

i just got the UK steelcase. popped in and watched all the fight scenes :) . the amount of additional detail is obvious. no way does this look upconverted. sure it's not Benjamin-Button sharp, but it's still a radical improvement. ironically it's probably the night scenes that have the most upgrade. some of the daytime long shots do look a little soft.

Which would you prefer?

Which is more accurate?

Which one should we be getting for those who aren't fluent or have little or no understanding of the language, but watch in the native language?

I am trying to get a feel for your opinion. :)

I probably would have preferred "I left training early" over "I broke it off". A better way to put it imo would be "I had to break off my training early".

A better way to put it imo would be "I had to break off my training early".
isn't that redundant? :) like saying "i bought it on sale for a lower price" :)

Got my Korean copy today.

In the beginning part it says "I broke it off, I couldn't complete the training". The poster that mentioned this first didn't include the "I couldn't complete the training" part, which included is what I'd prefer to have for the subs. It is more accurate.

As for the ending part, this is what was said in the subs:
I have already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my last breath... I have always loved you.

Another thing I'm happy about is the Chinese subs is traditional rather than simplified. All this for $21 plus shipping = win.

Got my Korean copy today.

In the beginning part it says "I broke it off, I couldn't complete the training". The poster that mentioned this first didn't include the "I couldn't complete the training" part, which included is what I'd prefer to have for the subs. It is more accurate.

As for the ending part, this is what was said in the subs:
I have already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my last breath... I have always loved you.

Another thing I'm happy about is the Chinese subs is traditional rather than simplified. All this for $21 plus shipping = win.

So... the quitting the training line is from the newer translation, and the line at the ending is from the theatrical translation? That doesn't make much sense.

So... the quitting the training line is from the newer translation, and the line at the ending is from the theatrical translation? That doesn't make much sense.
- That is weird. Why would they have different English translations for different versions? Wouldn't it just be standard across the board?

- That is weird. Why would they have different English translations for different versions? Wouldn't it just be standard across the board?

Dunno, but that is what I saw. I also noticed the Chinese subs come out at the wrong time at several places throughout movie. Have not watched it with English subs yet so don't know about timing issues with Eng subs.

Can I request that folks please stop using the spoilers tag? The intent is nice but the tags are overkill and make reading the thread tedious. This movie has been out for nine years, almost a decade. It is long past the point where any discussion about its content can be spoiled. Rosebud is a sled, Vader is Luke's father and Crouching Tiger can be discussed today without spoiler tags.

As for why they commissioned a new translation, perhaps it was to avoid paying the writers of the theatrical subtitles a fee to include it on the Blu-ray? Usually, home video distribution rights are included in the writers' original salary but maybe it wasn't in this case for some reason. Money is usually the reason for these sorts of seemingly arbitrarily and inexplicable decisions.

Dunno, but that is what I saw. I also noticed the Chinese subs come out at the wrong time at several places throughout movie. Have not watched it with English subs yet so don't know about timing issues with Eng subs.
- I'm not sure if I missed it, but where did you buy the Korean version from? If that version has better subs, that's probably the version I'll get. Too bad CTHD wasn't in Cantonese, I wouldn't have a subtitle issue at all. :)

- I'm not sure if I missed it, but where did you buy the Korean version from? If that version has better subs, that's probably the version I'll get. Too bad CTHD wasn't in Cantonese, I wouldn't have a subtitle issue at all. :)

Well now, I'd be majorly pissed if it was in Cantonese hehe. I got the disc from Yesasia for $21 plus shipping.

Just got my copy in the mail. It looks beautiful!:D
It's no Man On Fire as far as picture quality is concerned because it never was supposed to be.
I'm slightly distracted by the subs. Oh well.

Crouching Tiger was the very first DVD I purchased, so buying in Blu was a no-brainer!:cool:

Just watched it tonight and I was more than satisfied with the disc. I sometimes forget just how great of a film this is. Absolutely beautiful.

Just watched it tonight and I was more than satisfied with the disc. I sometimes forget just how great of a film this is. Absolutely beautiful.

The more I watch it, the more I like this BD and have no regrets ordering it from Amazon UK which went rather smoothly.

Both the AQ and PQ are an upgrade. Nothing to shy away from if one really likes this movie. The subtitles for me personally are a non issue!

When the director and screenwriter slaved over the English subtitles and Sony chooses not to use them then it's an issue.

There was no reason not to use the theatrical subs. No reason at all.

By personally, I mean I rather have better PQ and AQ than the issue with subtitles. No I don't have them commited to memory though I watched this movie countless times. The subtitles were of no distraction to me in my enjoyment of this BD.

Yeah, the subtitles didn't distract me at all either - and I still have my DVD with the original theatrical subs.

Knowing that they're changed, it's a bad thing that they were - but the new subs, in and of themselves, are not in any way bad or "dumbed down".

Knowing that they're changed, it's a bad thing that they were - but the new subs, in and of themselves, are not in any way bad or "dumbed down".

I have to disagree. The new subtitles use far too much slang and contractions for the settings and types of conversations being had in the movie.

And going by some of your previous comments on the subtitles, I think you have a very loose definition of slang - and since the subtitles are written for an English-speaking audience, I fail to see any problems with using contractions.

The only thing bad about the new subtitles is that they're not the originals.

Sorry, I am with Josh on this one. The subtitles are not what the director and writer wanted. They have been altered, for reasons beyond understanding. It's just more stupidity from Sony, the company that loves to somehow ruin their releases of Hong Kong, Chinese and Japanese films.

And going by some of your previous comments on the subtitles, I think you have a very loose definition of slang - and since the subtitles are written for an English-speaking audience, I fail to see any problems with using contractions.

It's all about context. The settings being depicted are very formal and proper, yet the subtitles are very informal. The tone is wrong.

Imagine watching a Jane Austen adaptation where the line, "How do you do this fair evening, good sir?" is replaced with, "Hey, what's going on?"

I understand the point about the subtitles and it shouldn't have been done but I'm not sorry I took the plunge and bought this movie regardless. The PQ and AQ are just that much better than the Superbit overall.

i understand the point about the subtitles and it shouldn't have been done but i'm not sorry i took the plunge and bought this movie regardless. The pq and aq are just that much better than the superbit overall.

+1:)

It's all about context. The settings being depicted are very formal and proper, yet the subtitles are very informal. The tone is wrong.

Imagine watching a Jane Austen adaptation where the line, "How do you do this fair evening, good sir?" is replaced with, "Hey, what's going on?"

I have to wonder if this was done so people can read the subs faster so they don't become a distraction.

I have to wonder if this was done so people can read the subs faster so they don't become a distraction.

They really never stay on the screen that long to tell the truth and I also wondered about that. I wasn't distracted, slang and all and perhaps it also was to avoid seeing lines three deep on the screen in places.

You're both forgetting that the Superbit DVD had the theatrical subtitles. Nobody ever had a problem reading those. And they were still only 2-lines high.

I have to wonder if this was done so people can read the subs faster so they don't become a distraction.
Even if that were a reason, the theatrical subs still should have been in there as an option. While the subs aren't a reason to avoid owning this movie in HD, they still screwed up.

Glad I don't have to deal with English subs on this one.:)

I've just reread this topic twice, and maybe I'm getting woozy, but was it ever established whether the Korean or UK versions have the same redone subtitles? Did any of the folks with those versions compare that spoilered line to the US release?

I wonder if Ang Lee and James Schamus are even aware of this problem. They were also among the producers (and were almost certainly more hands on than most of the other 4 million "producers"). As creative talent goes, they are the type of people the studio tries not to tick off. It makes me wonder whether even other people at Sony are aware of what was probably a decision by some jerk in Home Video, and an inexplicable one at that. I mean: there's no way this was a money-saving move, because Lee and Schamus were holding them up for some extra royalty. I guarantee that those two are way more concerned with the integrity of the film.

My 2 cents on the OP subject: bd vs superbit dvd. I own(ed) both. The BD is a revelation compared to the dvd. I got the UK import and I LOVE IT!!! I rented the other two in the 3 pack bundle to make sure I was not missing anything, then decided to buy just the Crouching Tiger import. I am really pleased with everything about it, this is my first steelbook as well. Nice touch for my collection! Sold my superbit dvd, no contest. Great film.

Anyone ever investigate the Korean or Japanese BD releases of this title that are now out in regards to subtitle accuracy? I'm thinking of ordering the Korean one, but am unsure if I'm just wasting my money or not.

I too would like to know if there is an importable version with correct English theatrical subtitles and the same or better PQ/AQ as the U.S. Sony version.

Has there been any form of confirmation that the UK steelbook is sourced from the same master used for the domestic BD, or is everybody just assuming they are the same since both are produced by Sony? Not that DVDBeaver has the best track record, but their screenshot comparisons of the UK BD appeared to be less impressive than the screenshots of the domestic BD posted in this thread.

Has there been any form of confirmation that the UK steelbook is sourced from the same master used for the domestic BD, or is everybody just assuming they are the same since both are produced by Sony? Not that DVDBeaver has the best track record, but their screenshot comparisons of the UK BD appeared to be less impressive than the screenshots of the domestic BD posted in this thread. My screenshots are from the UK version since I didn't want that stupid trilogy set. Sony always uses the same video and main audio encodes worldwide (probably cheaper), as most studios do nowadays.

Well, against my better judgment, I've ordered the Korean version. I'm going to go through the UK one and the Korean and see what the differences are. I don't have the DVD copy of the film that has the theatrical subs, so I won't be able to say with any conviction which version is closer to the theatrical - but hopefully my transcript of the differences can be viewed by someone who does know the theatrical. I think Matt_Stevens said something about knowing the theatrical subs by heart so maybe he can offer his services...

Well, against my better judgment, I've ordered the Korean version. I'm going to go through the UK one and the Korean and see what the differences are. I don't have the DVD copy of the film that has the theatrical subs, so I won't be able to say with any conviction which version is closer to the theatrical - but hopefully my transcript of the differences can be viewed by someone who does know the theatrical. I think Matt_Stevens said something about knowing the theatrical subs by heart so maybe he can offer his services...
- Why not look at this scene?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16837699#post16837699

- Why not look at this scene?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16837699#post16837699

Well I will mine what I can from this thread, including the exchange you linked to, but the one poster with the Korean version seemed to imply that some scenes matched the theatrical and others did not. I'm going to be looking at the whole movie, to try to confirm or deny what he previously posted, and get to the root of the situation.

My screenshots are from the UK version since I didn't want that stupid trilogy set. Sony always uses the same video and main audio encodes worldwide (probably cheaper), as most studios do nowadays.

Thanks Eric. I'll order the UK edition then instead of waiting on SHE to excercise some basic common sense with their domestic distribution of the title.

Anyone who wants to post a transcript of any scene, just do so and I will look at it. I have a DVD with the original director approved subtitles.

Attached to this post is a transcript of the English subtitles from the first half of the movie (using the Korean BD as mentioned before). I'll try to do the second half sometime soon (maybe tomorrow if I'm feeling up to it).

I guess the simplest goal is "Is the Korean BD's translation better than the UK/USA BD's?". I'm not super familiar with the theatrical version, but I think I know enough to say that the Korean version isn't 100% faithful to it either - there are contractions all over the place, and there's still the line about "I broke it off" in regards to the training. But please, by all means compare to the theatrical subtitles and let us know!

I guess the simplest goal is "Is the Korean BD's translation better than the UK/USA BD's?". I'm not super familiar with the theatrical version, but I think I know enough to say that the Korean version isn't 100% faithful to it either - there are contractions all over the place, and there's still the line about "I broke it off" in regards to the training. But please, by all means compare to the theatrical subtitles and let us know! Exactly the same as the US and UK releases.

Exactly the same as the US and UK releases.

Well no, there are lines at the end that are different and more closely match the theatrical subtitles. We've gone over this on the last few pages - I wouldn't have randomly purchased the Korean BD if there wasn't info it was at least slightly better/different.

Compare yourself, here's the subs off the UK disc: http://pastebin.ca/1597216

And here's the original theatrical subs: http://pastebin.ca/1597219

Compare yourself, here's the subs off the UK disc: http://pastebin.ca/1597216

And here's the original theatrical subs: http://pastebin.ca/1597219

Those are useful to have, so thanks.

But there are supposedly some differences between the UK and Korean BD. jkcheng112 on page 3 or 4 said the Korean one has the theatrical line for the "I have always loved you" section, whereas the UK/US do not. I'm in the process of seeing if there are other differences.

And as a side note upon looking at the theatrical subtitle transcript - boy howdy look at all them contractions. I can't imagine why Josh Z was complaining about contractions in the new subtitles when there are just as many, or at least damn close, in the favored theatrical subs.

Got my Korean copy today.

In the beginning part it says "I broke it off, I couldn't complete the training". The poster that mentioned this first didn't include the "I couldn't complete the training" part, which included is what I'd prefer to have for the subs. It is more accurate.

As for the ending part, this is what was said in the subs:
I have already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my last breath... I have always loved you.

Another thing I'm happy about is the Chinese subs is traditional rather than simplified. All this for $21 plus shipping = win.

Well what do you know - this post is inaccurate. I just finished the Korean copy, and it turns out the subs ARE identical to the US/UK version. The ending line is "I’ve already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my remaining strength that I love you. I always have." - not the theatrical line like jkcheng112 incorrectly states.

Oh well. At least we know definitively now. The not knowing was bothering me.

Well what do you know - this post is inaccurate. I just finished the Korean copy, and it turns out the subs ARE identical to the US/UK version. The ending line is "I’ve already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my remaining strength that I love you. I always have." - not the theatrical line like jkcheng112 incorrectly states.

Oh well. At least we know definitively now. The not knowing was bothering me.
- That's extremely disappointing to know. At least you've saved one soul from buying the Korean version (me). :)

I found a used copy of the US release just after ordering the UK edition. Unfortunately, the amazon.uk order was already being prepared to ship, so it was too late to cancel. Oh well, it might be interesting to compare the two releases.

I found a used copy of the US release just after ordering the UK edition. Unfortunately, the amazon.uk order was already being prepared to ship, so it was too late to cancel. Oh well, it might be interesting to compare the two releases. The only fun you're gonna have is having different dubs and subs, since Sony always uses the same video encodes worldwide, like I told you a page ago: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17235492&postcount=146

The only fun you're gonna have is having different dubs and subs, since Sony always uses the same video encodes worldwide, like I told you a page ago: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17235492&postcount=146

This is not completely accurate.

Black Hawk Down Russia is reported to be MPEG-4 encoded with TrueHD (Te be confirmed).

Vertical Limit (UK) is MPEG-4 encoded. US is MPEG-2.

This is not completely accurate.

Black Hawk Down Russia is reported to be MPEG-4 encoded with TrueHD (Te be confirmed).

Vertical Limit (UK) is MPEG-4 encoded. US is MPEG-2.

Yes, there are some very few exceptions, that in most cases are related to different cuts (i.e. Casino Royale, Wild Things, Hellboy), but they are usually very similar encodes.

Vertical Limit is indeed the great exception, some European versions and Brazil got the AVC encode. Actually we got two AVC encoded versions here in Brazil, the original release with PCM and no portuguese dubs, then Sony updated it to include the dub track and replaced PCM with DTHD.

Regarding Black Hawk Down, is it distributed by Sony in Russia? I know there's another AVC version of this movie but it's not distributed by SPHE.

Looks like amazon.uk is out of steel books, which was what was pictured on their site when I placed the order, as I just got the uk edition in and it's in regular BD packaging (european thickness of course). European packagina always strikes me as funny though. Shoplifting must be a trivial concern for retailers in the uk. Not only does the case not contain 1 or 2 magnetic strips/stickers glued permanently on the inside of the case and additional exterior security stickers on one or more edges under the shrinkwrap and/or plastic security tabs/doors to lock the case shut, but the shrinkwrap even has an easy-open pull tab, like a pack of gum.

I just got the UK version as well and was disappointed it didn't come with the steelbook.

Please try play.com or dvd.co.uk.

Finally available as a standalone BD in the U.S.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00198X0UY/ref=s9_simv_bw_p74_t1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=183A8SNXSG43MW6NXWZV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=497897351&pf_rd_i=193640011

Thanks for those Photos

Looks like amazon.uk is out of steel books, which was what was pictured on their site when I placed the order, as I just got the uk edition in and it's in regular BD packaging (european thickness of course). European packagina always strikes me as funny though. Shoplifting must be a trivial concern for retailers in the uk. Not only does the case not contain 1 or 2 magnetic strips/stickers glued permanently on the inside of the case and additional exterior security stickers on one or more edges under the shrinkwrap and/or plastic security tabs/doors to lock the case shut, but the shrinkwrap even has an easy-open pull tab, like a pack of gum.
I could be wrong here but my understanding is that for games and often for movies as well, some UK retailers will strip the case and keep the discs behind the counter.

Finally available as a standalone BD in the U.S.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00198X0UY/ref=s9_simv_bw_p74_t1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=183A8SNXSG43MW6NXWZV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=497897351&pf_rd_i=193640011 Aaaand unavailable today.... :(

Aaaand unavailable today.... :(

CRAP! Did anyone get an order in and see it shipped? Mad I missed the chance to jump on this. :mad:

CRAP! Did anyone get an order in and see it shipped? Mad I missed the chance to jump on this. :mad:

Yes, supposed to be delivered today.