http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/8020/trafficcacover.jpghttp://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1999/514zixiegblss500.jpg

15.00Mbps AVC (1080i) | Blu-ray | Canada | Alliance | 2009-03-03
20.02Mbps VC-1 | Blu-ray | Germany | Splendid Film | 2008-05-28

Mouseovers here (http://comparescreenshots.slicx.com/comparison/13812/) (click Stop on this thread to not waste time downloading from both servers)

http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-02-42_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-02-42_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-05-48_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-05-48_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-15-35_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-15-35_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-21-57_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-21-57_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-22-05_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-22-05_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-26-17_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-26-17_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-28-01_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/0-28-01_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/1-37-56_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/1-37-56_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/1-42-32_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/1-42-32_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/1-43-24_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/1-43-24_DE.png
http://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/2-20-28_CA.pnghttp://chidragon.thedessie.com/bdcomp/trafficcomp2/2-20-28_DE.png
Another brightness-boosted, poorly-encoded job done by La Boîte numérique (http://www.laboitenumerique.com/fr/graphic-design/menus-anime-animation-Blu-ray-dvd/Various-projects-Blu-ray/3/) for Alliance.

But forget that, what I'm interested in is the differences in the master.

Alliance's release uses the English-language master that Universal used on their DVD and HD DVD (except that this is actually HD), whereas the German disc is using the international master with no text overlays/subtitles printed in.

This was pre-DI days, so the scenes that use text are actually from different prints with sometimes markedly different color/contrast, and different print artifacts (both are pretty dirty). The rest of the footage is identical between the two.

Thanks for doing this!!!

Are you planning on picking up the French version in a couple of weeks?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vTcQL8WdL._SS500_.jpg

http://www.amazon.fr/Traffic-Blu-ray-Michael-Douglas/dp/B002CXG7MI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1252425679&sr=8-1

StudioCanal eh...

Jojos posted JPEGs of their HD DVD when it was released and there were only minor compression differences vs the German BD. StudioCanal is known for recycling their HD DVD encodes to BD (and across the whole EU), so I probably won't bother.

Strange that they went with a new cover though.

StudioCanal eh...

Jojos posted JPEGs of their HD DVD when it was released and there were only minor compression differences vs the German BD. StudioCanal is known for recycling their HD DVD encodes to BD (and across the whole EU), so I probably won't bother.

Strange that they went with a new cover though.

Wouldn't the StudioCanal HD DVD version be the same as the Universal HD DVD encode?

Are the German and French discs region free?

so the contrast is more correct on the german BD?

Can't do proper quoting at the moment so I'll just reply in bullet form.

1) I don't think StudioCanal has ever shared an encode with a US disc. The StudioCanal HD DVD is definitely real HD unlike Universal's "HD" DVD.

2) Can't speak for the French disc, but the German one is region free.

3) Brightness technically, but yes. Its brightness balance agrees with all previous releases and broadcasts unlike the Alliance boosting.

How's the 7.1 DTS-HR on the German disc? Some of those 7.1 tracks on German releases are really poor upmixes with voices getting blended into the surrounds. Also I heard that the intended audio mix for Traffic was mono.

Everything in TRAFFIC is mono except for the music. They started to mix it all in stereo, but then decided that mono was more in keeping with the overall aesthetic.

Looks like the FR edition may have forced French subtitles when you choose the English soundtrack. Did anyone pick it up?

Anyone pick up the italian version? It's put out by 20th Century Fox, apparently.

http://www.dvdequipe.it/scheda.php?id=41129bd

Here's yet ANOTHER release to compare...if you're interested. Coming February 2010:

http://static.bol.com/imgbase0/imagebase/large/FC/6/3/7/5/1002004007505736.jpg

Wouldn't the StudioCanal HD DVD version be the same as the Universal HD DVD encode?

No. The Universal HD DVD was a SD upscale if you can call it that, wasn't even HD. I bought this one because I wanted to see the film and figured at least the case was smaller than a DVD case. The Studio Canal HD DVD was completely different and very much HD looking, like night and day. However, that one was not English-friendly from what I understand.

I'd be careful of any European release by Studio Canal, if there's word of forced subs. In the case of one title (3 Days of the Condor), there was forced subs on the Danish HD DVDs. The entire packaging was in English, but forced subs were still there just like the French discs!