Band of Brothers Japanese HD DVD discs are available for pre-order at Amazon Japan as of today. 2 months to release date (7/27).

Pre-order price is 25 % off at 2993 yen per disc and there are 5 discs sold separately (as reported earlier). Pre-ordering from Amazon JP is probably the cheapest way to get them.

If you order after release date, the discount is probably not available anymore and price is likely to be 3990 yen per disc (at Amazon JP).

These are released by Toshiba Entertainment / Amuse Soft Entertainment so the release is exclusive to HD DVD.

Links:
Disc1 (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B000QUUG8K/%72%65%66=dp_change_lang/249-2757418-7963512?ie=UTF8&language=en%5FJP)
Disc2 (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B000QUUG8U/%72%65%66=dp_change_lang/249-2757418-7963512?ie=UTF8&language=en%5FJP)
Disc3 (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B000QUUG94/%72%65%66=dp_change_lang/249-2757418-7963512?ie=UTF8&language=en%5FJP)
Disc4 (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B000QUUG9E/%72%65%66=dp_change_lang/249-2757418-7963512?ie=UTF8&language=en%5FJP)
Disc5 (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B000QUUG9O/%72%65%66=dp_change_lang/249-2757418-7963512?ie=UTF8&language=en%5FJP)

Note: I had to modify the URLs so that I hex-encoded occurrences of "ref" in them as %72%65%66 because otherwise avsforum's URL handling was somehow breaking the links by converting part of the URL into *****.

These updated links were checked by me and work OK now.

If any problem with these links, please refer to my post in High Def Digest forum that contains unedited links that work OK over there:
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=8391

links are still broken

Yes, seems the links are broken. Can't seem to paste them here so that they would work. I'll try to figure it out.

Probably some special characters in the links that don't seem to work well when pasted in this forum.

In the meanwhile please refer to my post in High Def Digest forum where the links work OK:

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=8391

EDIT: They are not broken anymore, found a way to make them work and updated original post.

Ouch, I'll just wait for the eventual US release.

$123.27 without shipping is a little too rich for my blood.

BOB is without a doubt a must buy for me, but I'll wait it out until a US release...$123 w/out shipping, ouch! :o

I clicked the links and they worked fine.

I clicked the links and they worked fine.

The links in my corresponding High Def Digest post that is now linked here work fine.

First I put direct links to Amazon Japan items in my original post here as well, but those links didn't work right so I removed them. Some part of the URLs turned to '*' characters when pasting and that broke the links. I'll try to find a way to put working links here later today.

EDIT: The URLs contain this kind part "/ ref=" (without the space) and that seems to turn into a bunch of asterisks whenever I try to paste the links here. => Links get broken. I solved the problem by hex-encoding "ref" and inserting the hex-encoded string in its place in original URLs. Original post has now fixed links.

Hmmm...ok. I wouldn't mind ordering it though but since I can't read Japanese that's gonna be a problem.

Hmmm...ok. I wouldn't mind ordering it though but since I can't read Japanese that's gonna be a problem.

Ordering related dialogs are available in English and my links posted in HDD forum shows the titles in "English mode". The names of the titles and other title related information is never available in English, but the ordering dialogs are available in English, so as long as the titles can be located (easy using the available links), ordering itself would not be so difficult in the supported "partial English mode".

With Amazon JP you can't use existing data from Amazon.com though so you need a new account there or possibly all the required information can be entered during the order process.

I pre-ordered all 5 discs already :)

Account creation for Amazon Japan is in Japanese....i think.

EDIT: OK, registering wasn't too bad. I had to figure out what was what though but the good thing is is that yes the checkout has an english option.

Ouch, I'll just wait for the eventual US release.

$123.27 without shipping is a little too rich for my blood.

My guess is the way it's being released. It's being released as separate volumes and not as a complete boxset.

In Japan the "box sets" are not typically cheap either, and often they release TV series here as 2 separate box sets, first one containing first half of a season and 2nd one containing 2nd half of a season, and both boxes cost plenty.

These Band of Brothers HD DVD discs are actually now cheaper in Amazon.co.jp with pre-order price than corresponding DVDs (released sometime last year). Corresponding DVD releases have the same MRSP (3990 yen) but they are discounted less now (22%). At least so far there hasn't been much price premium on HD DVDs in Japanese market, it's just that DVDs are very expensive too here...

In Japan the "box sets" are not typically cheap either, and often they release TV series here as 2 separate box sets, first one containing first half of a season and 2nd one containing 2nd half of a season, and both boxes cost plenty.

These Band of Brothers HD DVD discs are actually now cheaper in Amazon.co.jp with pre-order price than corresponding DVDs (released sometime last year). Corresponding DVD releases have the same MRSP (3990 yen) but they are discounted less now (22%). At least so far there hasn't been much price premium on HD DVDs in Japanese market, it's just that DVDs are very expensive too here...

Hmmm....that's interesting news.

Anyways, I just need some clarification on the shipping costs.

Since I live outside Japan (in the Oceania region according to them) the shipping charges are:

2000 yen per shipment (going by DVD)
300 yen per item

so does that mean the total shipping cost would be:

2000 yen + 5 x 300 yen

since there's 5 volumes?

I just ask because Amazon Japan doesn't show a chart on how it is calculated so that's what I assume it to be. The total cost for me would be $186 AUD....a lot for a miniseries but I can't really argue when you buy it brand new hot of the press as it were.

I definitely would like to get it and probably will order in a few days or at the end of May/early June. I've mainly ordered most of my HD-DVDs from the US and this will be the first time I'll order from Japan. It will be a late birthday gift as my birthday is 4 days before it gets released though I've known Amazon to ship orders when they get stock before release day.

This is why I love HD-DVD: No Region coding = more access to titles both sold locally and overseas.

I found a way to make the links work here. Needed to hex-encode the part that avsforum's URL handling system was converting to asterisks. Now the original post has been updated with direct links that work.

...
Since I live outside Japan (in the Oceania region according to them) the shipping charges are:

2000 yen per shipment (going by DVD)
300 yen per item

so does that mean the total shipping cost would be:

2000 yen + 5 x 300 yen

since there's 5 volumes?


I think you are right with that calculation. I have no first hand experience of international shipping from Amazon.co.jp because I use their domestic standard shipping which is free if price of order exceeds 1500 yen.

Note that you probably get 5 % tax off on the disc prices when you order internationally. Not so much but it's something :)

It appears that they only offer express shipping internationally now, which would be more expensive than their international economy shipping used to be. I found this note on their page:

International Economy Service is no longer available

Amazon.co.jp has been offering International Economy shipping and International Express shipping. To deliver your items safely to you as soon as possible, we have decided to offer only International Express shipping which has tracking ID on every shipment.

It appears that they only offer express shipping internationally now, which would be more expensive than their international economy shipping used to be. I found this note on their page:

I guess that's what you get to get your items moving faster and it also has the advantage of package tracking too. July 27 is still ages away so I'll order in June which is later this week.

I'm trying to create an account but am stuck on the second line. The first is for 'name', the third is for email address, the fourth is to repeat the email address, and to the two entry boxes underneath are for password and repeat password. But what does the second word mean? All I'm getting from google translate and babelfish is 'hurigana'?

Jules

I'm trying to create an account but am stuck on the second line. The first is for 'name', the third is for email address, the fourth is to repeat the email address, and to the two entry boxes underneath are for password and repeat password. But what does the second word mean? All I'm getting from google translate and babelfish is 'hurigana'?

Jules

Not sure on the translation but if you have an Amazon UK account, you should
be able to use the same logon for any other Amazon site including Japan. I am
able to use my UK account on Japan, Germany and France's Amazon.

I'm trying to create an account but am stuck on the second line. The first is for 'name', the third is for email address, the fourth is to repeat the email address, and to the two entry boxes underneath are for password and repeat password. But what does the second word mean? All I'm getting from google translate and babelfish is 'hurigana'?

Jules

Yeah, it took me a few to figure it out. I also tried babelfish but to no avail so I had to wing it.

1st line: First name
2nd line: Last name
3rd line: Email
4th line: Confirm Email
(gap)
5th line: Password
6th line: Confirm Password

I hope that helps

It seems to me you can create the account in English while you are doing your first order in Amazon.co.jp.
If you have no existing account and you are proceeding to checkout with some items in your cart, you are prompted for your e-mail address and password (for existing account). That page has "Would you like to see this page in English ?" option, if you select that, the rest of the ordering and account creation is in English.

1) Select to view the page in English
2) Enter your e-mail address and select "I am a new customer." button.
3) Press the "Sign in using our secure server" button
4) Select the "International (outside of Japan)" link on the next page
5) Fill in your address data in English and select "Ship to this address"
6) Enter your credit card information on the next page
7) Enter your full name and password information on the same page

I guess that's about it. Shouldn't have to use Japanese at all when creating the new account in the ordering process. I tried it through until the last listed steps but didn't want to create an actual new account.

There is this kind of note in Amazon.co.jp's "Assistance to new customers" section:

Placing an order at Amazon.co.jp is easy. There's no need to create an account first; you will have done that once you've placed your first order online. (Please note: We cannot accept orders by phone, fax, or e-mail. All orders must be placed online.)

It seems that if you try to create an account separately first without ordering at the same timel, it can only be done in Japanese.

The fields in that case are:
1) Name:
Your whole name (first name and last name or the other way around)

2) Furigana:
Reading field for the whole name, this applies to Japanese names that are written in kanji. Reading field provides the pronounciation information in half-width katakana or western characters. You can write your name in western characters in this field also or leave it blank if system accepts that.

3) Birth month and day on two small windows (optional)

4) E-mail address

5) E-mail address (again to confirm it's correctly written i.e. both are identical)

6) Password

7) Password (again to confirm it's correct, i.e. both are identical)

It seems that in this kind of account creation, no shipping address or billing address or credit card info is filled in, just the basic account is created.

Anyway, it seems it's simpler to create the account at the same time when making a first order.

Yeah, it took me a few to figure it out. I also tried babelfish but to no avail so I had to wing it.

1st line: First name
2nd line: Last name
3rd line: Email
4th line: Confirm Email
(gap)
5th line: Password
6th line: Confirm Password

I hope that helps

1st line is for the whole name and 2nd line is "pronounciation" for the whole name, which basically applies to Japanese names written in kanji (pronounciation can't be determined from kanji). For western names it's best to write the whole name in both 1st line and 2nd line => but this 2nd line's "furigana field" is not even there if you create your account in English while making your first order.

Well, I was close....I got most of them right.

LOL

EDIT: I've modified my account details based on what you've said so it should be fine. Thanks for clearing that up as my Japanese is pretty much non-existent.

Thanks guys! Managed to create the account.

Boy, is the shipping expensive. I got to the checkout and found that while the disc is only 2850 yen the shipping is 3000 with no other option. That makes it £24 (about $48) per disc! It seems that shipping to Europe is 1000 yen more expensive than to the US! I wonder what price Xploited would be selling it at? Or how about YesAsia? They have free international shipping don't they?

Thanks guys! Managed to create the account.

Boy, is the shipping expensive. I got to the checkout and found that while the disc is only 2850 yen the shipping is 3000 with no other option. That makes it £24 (about $48) per disc! It seems that shipping to Europe is 1000 yen more expensive than to the US! I wonder what price Xploited would be selling it at?

It seems that shipping cost to Europe is 2700 per shipment + 300 yen per item (HD DVD) in that shipment. Thus it should be 3000 xen if you order 1 disc in shipment but it should be 2700+5*300=4200 yen for shipment with 5 discs in it. So 850 yen per disc in a 5 disc shipment to Europe.

Thanks Kannisto. The only problem with ordering all together is I'll get whacked for customs in the UK. I'll have to work out what's better to do overall.

It costs more to go to Europe than to Australia....bloody oath! Ah well being geographically closer does make it a little better.

Thanks Kannisto. The only problem with ordering all together is I'll get whacked for customs in the UK. I'll have to work out what's better to do overall.

Wait for the US version maybe? In Australia, customs doesn't whack you with import tax if the item's value is under $1000 AUD (not including shipping fees). That works to my advantage.

Not being part of the EU is even better as I can import most electronic items like a PS3 from HK (which I have done) because Sony had to make a big deal of Lik-Sang selling PSPs to European customers.

Thanks Kannisto. The only problem with ordering all together is I'll get whacked for customs in the UK. I'll have to work out what's better to do overall.

Oh yeah, I didn't think of that... I had this kind of problem when I was still living in Europe (Finland) in early 90's and importing some movies on VHS tapes. It's tough to have to manouver with customs every time when importing stuff...

Japan is pretty convenient place to be for importing, I've never been asked to pay any customs or taxes for any of my HD DVD and other disc imports from U.S. and Europe. The local postal system is pretty fast and reliable too. I import most of my discs. I buy Japanese releases only when they are Japan exclusive gems :)

If you are thinking about ordering these from Xploited Cinema, I think Fragile (Japanese HD DVD) is a good reference for price. Its Japanese MRSP is the same (3990 yen) and it's Amazon JP pre-order price was the same as for each of these BoB discs. Its price in Xploited Cinema is 36.95 $, I don't know how much they charge for shipping to Europe. (It's a very good movie as well, recommended!)

http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/fragile-japanese-release-p-11709.html

I always have the impulse of buying titles that released in a particular region first before it arrives locally in Australia or any other region. So like I'll buy 24 (the TV show) DVDs from the UK as they get it first...even before the US. This'll be the same.

Ouch, I'll just wait for the eventual US release.

$123.27 without shipping is a little too rich for my blood.

I remember paying $100 for the DVD boxset version previously, I dont think this price is drastically higher.

I do hope the US release has a TrueHD track though, I heard the JP one does not.

But when will HBO release it? Wasn't it on the slate last year as once of the expected titles? Neither HD-DVDs nor Blu-rays have been pouring off the HBO conveyor belt... I wonder what's going on with them?

But when will HBO release it? Wasn't it on the slate last year as once of the expected titles? Neither HD-DVDs nor Blu-rays have been pouring off the HBO conveyor belt... I wonder what's going on with them?

You are correct, it was on the comming soon list previously and has since been removed. I have asked several times on the Insiders thread about HBO and specifically this movie but each one has still gone unanswered...

HBO & New Line have previously stated support for Warners THD discs so I'm wondering if this may be the cause

Warner executives said that Warner Bros, New Line and HBO will switch over current separate HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc production to Total Hi Def discs "in the back half of this year." Title names and pricing will be announced closer to the release dates.

Sanders said that once Warner Home Video is "up and running and manufacturing [THDs], this will be the only high-def version that we will be releasing."

Tsujiharo said, "We plan to put the exact same content on each side, so there won't be a different viewing experience for HD DVD or the Blu-ray Disc versions.

Okay, for anyone from the UK who's interested I calculated that if you buy all 5 discs from Amazon.jp and have them shipped together it all comes to about £100 (nearly $200) including all duties, VAT and handling fees.

I'm not sure about ordering it as that's a hefty price for something that we have been promised will come out sooner or later on HD-DVD in the US, perhaps with enhanced audio and presumably at a much cheaper price. So just HURRY UP ALREADY HBO!!

This page in Amazon JP has info on their shipping prices. Note that they offer only Express International shipping now (delivery in 2-5 business days):

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/help/customer/display.html/250-7181933-8184201?ie=UTF8&nodeId=1039606

In case of shipping to North America:
Per shipment: 1700 yen + handling charges 300 yen * item.

For 5 disc package that would be 1700 + 5 * 300 = 3200 yen.

Per shipment fee is 1000 yen cheaper to U.S. than to Europe...

So to U.S. it should come to 5 * 2850 yen + 3200 yen for shipping = 17450 yen
for the whole package of 5 discs including shipping. I don't know if there are any import customs or taxes in U.S. for this kind of package.

HD DVD format blog had the details on these:
http://hddvdformat.blogspot.com/2007/04/band-of-brothers-arriving-on-hd-dvd-in.html

Audio is DTS-HD (English 5.1 and Japanese 5.1 tracks available).

Is Toshiba bringing BoB to Japan cos I'm interested in seeing if there are menus and whether they're in english or not.

Is Toshiba bringing BoB to Japan cos I'm interested in seeing if there are menus and whether they're in english or not.

These are being released by Toshiba Entertainment, yes.

I have 5 Toshiba Entertainment HD DVD releases so far (Equilibrium, The Machinist, The Gift, Brothers Grimm and Reign of Fire). All of them have menus. If I remember right, typically main menu level has labels in both Japanese and English at the same time and the menus are pretty simple to navigate. There has been no option to select menu language though and support for English in menus is typically a bit limited but since the menus are quite simple, it should not be a problem.

Typically there are this kind of sub-operations available from main menu: "Play", "Chapters", "Language settings", "Extras". Sub-items in "Language settings may often only be listed in Japanese, but typically original language with Japanese subs is set on by default. Language and subs can typically be controlled via remote during playback without restrictions so it's simple.

If there are text based extras (such as actor, director etc. information), those would normally be available only in Japanese.

I'll check my Toshiba Ent. HD DVDs in more detail when I get back home.

These are being released by Toshiba Entertainment, yes.

I have 5 Toshiba Entertainment HD DVD releases so far (Equilibrium, The Machinist, The Gift, Brothers Grimm and Reign of Fire). All of them have menus. If I remember right, typically main menu level has labels in both Japanese and English at the same time and the menus are pretty simple to navigate. There has been no option to select menu language though and support for English in menus is typically a bit limited but since the menus are quite simple, it should not be a problem.

Typically there are this kind of sub-operations available from main menu: "Play", "Chapters", "Language settings", "Extras". Sub-items in "Language settings may often only be listed in Japanese, but typically original language with Japanese subs is set on by default. Language and subs can typically be controlled via remote during playback without restrictions so it's simple.

If there are text based extras (such as actor, director etc. information), those would normally be available only in Japanese.

I'll check my Toshiba Ent. HD DVDs in more detail when I get back home.

That doesn't sound too bad....I can live with two languages on the same menu.

I wonder if some of the titles that set the place (eg. San Francisco 1999) will be in English or Japanese.

Don't import from Japan and waste your time. It's ridiculously expensive here.
Shipping via normal post will work out to be less than $15. This means that some resident has to order it and then mail it to you. Once I shipped 10 DVDs via normal post and it cost me $8 though this option may consume 3-4 weeks. The best option would be to pass the stuffs through someone or your friends who are traveling to the US from Japan or ship it via normal post.

Companies here have been deceiving the consumers by not introducing the next gen players like they did in other countries on time and also pricing the titles too high at SRP. It's extremely difficult to get a next gen disc below 2,980 Yen (=$25) and the average cost ranges between $30-40. I don't know how long Japan is going to continue this trend as it dents the pockets of the average consumers.

Upcoming titles on HD DVD

http://www.hmv.co.jp/fl/7/196/2/

I wish I knew someone... :( Might just have to hang on indefinitely for HBO to publish BOB HD-DVD themselves.

Don't import from Japan and waste your time. It's ridiculously expensive here.
Shipping via normal post will work out to be less than $15. This means that some resident has to order it and then mail it to you. Once I shipped 10 DVDs via normal post and it cost me $8 though this option may consume 3-4 weeks. The best option would be to pass the stuffs through someone or your friends who are traveling to the US from Japan or ship it via normal post.

Companies here have been deceiving the consumers by not introducing the next gen players like they did in other countries on time and also pricing the titles too high at SRP. It's extremely difficult to get a next gen disc below 2,980 Yen (=$25) and the average cost ranges between $30-40. I don't know how long Japan is going to continue this trend as it dents the pockets of the average consumers.

Upcoming titles on HD DVD

http://www.hmv.co.jp/fl/7/196/2/

Sure Japan is an expensive market for this kind of media but it has been that way all the time. Not specific to HD DVDs or Blu-ray as DVD and CD and Laser Disc pricing has also been / was consistently much higher in Japan than e.g. in the U.S. market during the 11 years I've been here... Unlikely to change soon. I'm from Europe and prices over there are relatively expensive too so it's nothing new for me. I would guess this trend will continue for the long term. Everybody's own choice of course what to import and what not...

I'm a sucker... I ordered them. Wish they came as a box set though.

Don't import from Japan and waste your time. It's ridiculously expensive here.
Shipping via normal post will work out to be less than $15. This means that some resident has to order it and then mail it to you. Once I shipped 10 DVDs via normal post and it cost me $8 though this option may consume 3-4 weeks. The best option would be to pass the stuffs through someone or your friends who are traveling to the US from Japan or ship it via normal post.

Companies here have been deceiving the consumers by not introducing the next gen players like they did in other countries on time and also pricing the titles too high at SRP. It's extremely difficult to get a next gen disc below 2,980 Yen (=$25) and the average cost ranges between $30-40. I don't know how long Japan is going to continue this trend as it dents the pockets of the average consumers.

Upcoming titles on HD DVD

http://www.hmv.co.jp/fl/7/196/2/

That's the price you pay when importing HD-DVDs.

I'm just about to order it and the price is lower than expected. It's 17,750 Yen for people outside Japan orders because it's tax exclusive.....YAY!

I'm a sucker... I ordered them.Join the club, sucker. ;)
~$150.00 shipped is not all that outrageous for 5 imported discs.
I've paid more. In fact I just did for Brotherhood of the Wolf.
Plus BoB has some of the best battles scenes bar none.
If this was released domestically, it would sell on the order of Planet Earth.

Join the club, sucker. ;)
~$150.00 shipped is not all that outrageous for 5 imported discs.
I've paid more.
Plus BoB has some of the best battles scenes bar none.
If this was released domestically, it would sell on the order of Planet Earth.

Count me as part of the club too! I ordered them just a few seconds ago.

That doesn't sound too bad....I can live with two languages on the same menu.

I checked my 5 Toshiba Ent. titles more carefully this morning. Actually the main menus are not always available in English, it varies.

- Equilibrium and Brothers Grimm have entirely English main menu
- Reign of Fire and The Gift have only "Set up" in English in main menu and other sub-folders in Japanese
- The Machinist has entire main menu in Japanese

Sub-menus are mostly in Japanese. Sometimes the return to "Main menu" option is in English.

Anyway, typically there are this kind of items in the main menu: "Play", "Chapter", "Cast/Staff", "Setup", "Special Features". The first item in focus is "Play" and audio & subtitles can be controlled via remote control during playback as well so it's not difficult to get going.

I can translate the menu-items that are in Japanese and post somewhere around here once I get my discs :)

A note to all "suckers":

In case you change your mind later it's of course possible to cancel orders in Amazon.co.jp (also in English) in the exact same way as in Amazon.com, until very close to shipping time when they lock the order while preparing it for shipment.

:)

I checked my 5 Toshiba Ent. titles more carefully this morning. Actually the main menus are not always available in English, it varies.

- Equilibrium and Brothers Grimm have entirely English main menu
- Reign of Fire and The Gift have only "Set up" in English in main menu and other sub-folders in Japanese
- The Machinist has entire main menu in Japanese

Sub-menus are mostly in Japanese. Sometimes the return to "Main menu" option is in English.

Anyway, typically there are this kind of items in the main menu: "Play", "Chapter", "Cast/Staff", "Setup", "Special Features". The first item in focus is "Play" and audio & subtitles can be controlled via remote control during playback as well so it's not difficult to get going.

I can translate the menu-items that are in Japanese and post somewhere around here once I get my discs :)

Either way I can always figure out what does what.

EDIT: Looks like I'll have to find out when I receive it.

These are being released by Toshiba Entertainment, yes.

I have 5 Toshiba Entertainment HD DVD releases so far (Equilibrium, The Machinist, The Gift, Brothers Grimm and Reign of Fire). All of them have menus. If I remember right, typically main menu level has labels in both Japanese and English at the same time and the menus are pretty simple to navigate. There has been no option to select menu language though and support for English in menus is typically a bit limited but since the menus are quite simple, it should not be a problem.

Typically there are this kind of sub-operations available from main menu: "Play", "Chapters", "Language settings", "Extras". Sub-items in "Language settings may often only be listed in Japanese, but typically original language with Japanese subs is set on by default. Language and subs can typically be controlled via remote during playback without restrictions so it's simple.

If there are text based extras (such as actor, director etc. information), those would normally be available only in Japanese.

I'll check my Toshiba Ent. HD DVDs in more detail when I get back home.
Hi Kannisto,
Out of 5 what would you rate 'The Gift' for AQ/PQ?
BoB is a must have, i love this series !

I think it's a must-have too as there's no news of its US release on the horizon and since there's no date being released I may as well get this version mainly because I really like the mini-series.

I also want to watch it with its English DTS-HD track.

Hi Kannisto,
Out of 5 what would you rate 'The Gift' for AQ/PQ?
BoB is a must have, i love this series !

The Gift is a bit softer on PQ than the other Toshiba Ent. HD DVDs I have. I didn't notice any artifacts or anything, but it's just not very sharp. That could well be related to the original master. I would rate it around 3.5 to 4 out of 5 since I still found it to look rather pleasing to the eye, just not tack sharp. I think it doesn't have any special audio effects so it's difficult to rate the audio. It sounded pretty "normal" for a non-action film. Hope this helps somewhat :)

I'm a big fan of the film in itself. Would like to get "A Simple Plan" on HD DVD at some point as well.

I think most of the bulk pre-order thread is only for the rich people !!!

I'll wait for the release over here... :)

The Gift is a bit softer on PQ than the other Toshiba Ent. HD DVDs I have. I didn't notice any artifacts or anything, but it's just not very sharp. That could well be related to the original master. I would rate it around 3.5 to 4 out of 5 since I still found it to look rather pleasing to the eye, just not tack sharp. I think it doesn't have any special audio effects so it's difficult to rate the audio. It sounded pretty "normal" for a non-action film. Hope this helps somewhat :)

I'm a big fan of the film in itself. Would like to get "A Simple Plan" on HD DVD at some point as well.
Thanks Kan. I may just go ahead and order one then:) I also maybe a sucker and order BoB as well !!

I'm worried more about the quality then the actual price... Waiting on the first review of it. So who will be the first to post there review?

Well I pre-ordered :) Am hoping now that Tosh did a good job of the transfer! It is difficult to see how they could mess it up given that it was shot ready for High Def and the SD-DVDs looked fantastic.

Only 3 weeks to go!

Anyone else counting the days?!! :p

Ouch, I'll just wait for the eventual US release.

$123.27 without shipping is a little too rich for my blood.

Do we think the US MSRP will be much less? Half a season of the Sopranos has a MSRP os $129.99. I might just import these.

Play-Asia (www.play-asia.com) has all 5 volumes available for pre-order.

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-19-49-en-15-band+of+brothers.html

$37.90 USD per volume, not sure about shipping costs.

The disc prices for Amazon.jp are cheaper at 2850 Yen per disc. The PlayAsia discs work out at 4643 Yen.

I know...for me it would cost me about $224 AUD not including shipping while Amazon japan is $180 AUD including shipping.

POTC, Spiderman, Matrix... Bah humbug! Band of Brothers on HD-DVD is THE hi-def event of the year for me. If I didn't already have an HD-A1 it'd be worth buying a player just for this HD-DVD set.

Just don't screw it up Tosh!

Do you think they'll be using VC-1 or another codec? What have they been using up to now on their Japanese releases?

POTC, Spiderman, Matrix... Bah humbug! Band of Brothers on HD-DVD is THE hi-def event of the year for me. If I didn't already have an HD-A1 it'd be worth buying a player just for this HD-DVD set.

Just don't screw it up Tosh!

Do you think they'll be using VC-1 or another codec? What have they been using up to now on their Japanese releases?

AVC

What's the quality of AVC like compared to VC-1?

Wow, so Amazon Japan was cheap in comparison! :) 3 weeks until it's mine!

Me looking forwards to its arrival to my PO Box!

I placed my order. I figure if the PQ is not worth it, I'll resell it. I don't expect to be selling them though; such a good series.

Mine should arrive just after I return to university for next semester....Good times!

Ordered!

I know I'm just gonna enjoy the D-Day drop in HD.

I just picked up the SD DVD set two weeks ago. I'll wait until my birthday next month to pick up this amazing series in HD. Plus, it gives me time to hear about the quality before I drop a good chunk of change on the set.

Great WWII epic being sold in high def in Japan before the US.....what's wrong with this picture?

Is HBO still supporting HD DVD? I've asked three times in the last several months on the insiders thread about HBO and all have gone unanswered

Is HBO still supporting HD DVD? I've asked three times in the last several months on the insiders thread about HBO and all have gone unanswered

Last time I checked HBO was owned by Warners so yes. Toshibe Ent. has the rights to the mini-series in Japan so it's HD-DVD only in Japan. For them there's no real point in importing as the US blu-ray version (when HBO officially announces it) won't have Japanese subtitles or language track.

Last time I checked HBO was owned by Warners so yes. Toshibe Ent. has the rights to the mini-series in Japan so it's HD-DVD only in Japan. For them there's no real point in importing as the US blu-ray version (when HBO officially announces it) won't have Japanese subtitles or language track.

Btw. Toshiba Entertainment changed their trade/brandname to "Showgate" recently as they had a change of ownership from first of May. This is the first HD DVD release by them under the new brand name. Anyway this is released by their subcompany Amuse Soft Entertainment like some of the earlier Toshiba Ent. HD DVD releases.

I'm looking forward to my package!

Great WWII epic being sold in high def in Japan before the US.....what's wrong with this picture?

You'd think that they won and we lost based on this wouldn't you? ;)

Btw. Toshiba Entertainment changed their trade/brandname to "Showgate" recently as they had a change of ownership from first of May. This is the first HD DVD release by them under the new brand name. Anyway this is released by their subcompany Amuse Soft Entertainment like some of the earlier Toshiba Ent. HD DVD releases.

I'm looking forward to my package!

Interesting, but a name change doesn't mean anything as they're still supporting HD-DVD.

http://areahd.dvdtiefpreise.com/img/title/bobjp.jpg

How many discs is the set?

How many discs is the set?

5, but they're sold individually.

Just a reminder:

In case somebody is still thinking about ordering these from Amazon Japan priced at 2850 yen per disc (25 % pre-oder discount and tax reduction for international orders), you need to do it before 27th (in Japan timezone) as Amazon Japan provides 25 % discount only until the release date and after that they usually sell HD DVDs at MRSP, which is 3990 yen per disc for these (tax inclusive price).

I don't suppose these same discs will be available cheaper than 2850 yen per disc from anywhere as new, though additional international shipping costs from Amazon JP are not so cheap either...

Just a reminder:

In case somebody is still thinking about ordering these from Amazon Japan priced at 2850 yen per disc (25 % pre-oder discount and tax reduction for international orders), you need to do it before 27th (in Japan timezone) as Amazon Japan provides 25 % discount only until the release date and after that they usually sell HD DVDs at MRSP, which is 3990 yen per disc for these (tax inclusive price).

I don't suppose these same discs will be available cheaper than 2850 yen per disc from anywhere as new, though additional international shipping costs from Amazon JP are not so cheap either...

Awesome....Lucky I pre-ordered early. I'll need to check my order to see if they already applied it. If the discount is not applied do they apply it to my order when it ships?

EDIT: Yep, it's added to the order. Not long now, though it just had to be released after my birthday but it's close enough.

4 days left to go (that's if you live in Australia)!!!!

My order has estimated shipping date 7/26 and arrival date 7/27-28. Hope they get their supply without any delay. Can't wait!

My order has estimated shipping date 7/26 and arrival date 7/27-28. Hope they get their supply without any delay. Can't wait!

Shipping day is the same but it will just arrive at the end of the month.....God I love is mini-series.

EDIT: Mind you I ordered on May 30 so I've had it ordered for nearly 2 months so I better get it.

Hurry up Amazon Japan: Fill my order!!!!

Has ANYONE had their order dispatched yet? Mine says estimated delivery of 30-31 July. Unless they dispatch today I can't see how they're going to do that... I sure hope BOB isn't going to be delayed :confused:

Still the same status for me.

I suppose it does say This item will be released on July 27, 2007 in the detail. I suppose that would fit with Kannisto's estimated shipping of 26th and delivery of 27-28.

I suppose it does say in the detail. I suppose that would fit with Kannisto's estimated shipping of 26th and delivery of 27-28.

That's cos Kannisto lives in Japan while we don't, though I don't know why it hasn't really changed much since I ordered it....all 5 actually.

Geez, it's so hard to be patient! For this week i've got a PS3 and a new RX-V661 receiver due for delivery and Band of Brothers at the beginning of next week! The anticipation is killing me!

I've been patient for 2 months and now that it's so close I'm getting very impatient yet excited.

Is it really quiet over there in Japan cos I don't see anything change...LOL

I'm trying to be patient hehe

My earlier experience with Amazon JP is that they don't much change the target shipping date indicated in their page for the order in question even if they miss it by a bit. That would mean that the shipping target stays as 26th even if they actually ship on 27th or 28th or something. The order is expected to move in to "preparing for shipment" status maybe around half-a-day before the actual shipping takes place.

So far there's no way to tell if they are on track to ship BoB tomorrow or not, but I'm going to check on my order a few times during tomorrow to see if it has been locked into "preparing for shipment" status, which would indicate that they are about to do the shipping.

So far my order is still in "Items not yet shipped" status. If they ship in FIFO order I should be well placed though because I ordered them on the first day they became available for pre-ordering there, but I don't have Amazon Prime and I selected free (standard) domestic shipping and they probably prioritize Prime users and expedited shipping orders first.

In Japan it's customary to start selling new releases (at least CDs, Games and DVDs) in B&M shops one day before official sales start day. No shops that I know of start earlier than that. I'm also planning to go to check some B&M shops tomorrow evening to see if they have BoB available. Not going to buy from B&M but seeing the discs would confirm that the release is out. Problem with HD DVDs is that they are relatively low volume articles here so there's not always much product volumes in shops right away.

I don't think the release is postponed or anything, there have been no such indications anywhere, but I'm not sure how much supply Amazon JP or other shops will have available for shipping instantly. Recently all 5 BoB discs have been filling the TOP 5 in their "best selling" HD DVD list.

My earlier experience with Amazon JP is that they don't much change the target shipping date even if they miss it by a bit. The order is expected to move in to "preparing for shipment" status maybe around half-a-day before the actual shipping takes place. So far there's no way to tell if they are on track to ship BoB tomorrow or not, but I'm going to check on my order a few times during tomorrow to see if it has been locked into "preparing for shipment" status, which would indicate that they are about to do the shipping.

So far my order is still in "Items not yet shipped" status. If they ship in FIFO order I should be well placed though because I ordered them on the first day they became available for pre-ordering there, but I don't have Amazon Prime and I selected free (standard) domestic shipping and they probably prioritize Prime users and expedited shipping orders first.

In Japan it's customary to start selling new releases (at least CDs, Games and DVDs) in B&M shops one day before official sales start day. No shops that I know of start earlier than that. I'm also planning to go to check some B&M shops tomorrow evening to see if they have BoB available. Not going to buy from B&M but it will confirm that the release is out. Problem with HD DVDs is that they are quite low volume articles here so there's not always much product volumes in shops right away.

I don't think the release is postponed or anything, there have been no such indications anywhere, but not sure how much supply Amazon JP or other shops have available for shipping instantly. Recently all 5 BoB discs have been filling the TOP 5 in their "best selling" HD DVD list.

When did you order Kannisto?

When did you order Kannisto?

They same day I posted the original thread, i.e. 5/27 :)

They same day I posted the original thread, i.e. 5/27 :)

Hmmm....OK. I pre-ordered 3 days after you (May 30 Japan/Australian time) so we should get our orders filled and shipped....after waiting 2 months.

Hmmm....OK. I pre-ordered 3 days after you (May 30 Japan/Australian time) so we should get our orders filled and shipped....after waiting 2 months.

Let's hope they ship to us tomorrow as expected :) I'll post again once I see some sign of progress with my order or after I've checked on the B&M shops tomorrow. Now I need to get going home from the office at 22:20 pm... No time for watching any HD DVDs today :(

I'm gonna check the status again though the real indicator is the notification email.

Guys, I'm delighted to say that my order status has changed to 'Items shipping soon' :p

Nice!

EDIT: F-yeah! My order's status has changed too!

I bet that by the end of today or tomorrow it will have been shipped.

Mine is "Shipping soon" too :)

Based on my previous experience they will likely ship on the same day the status changes to this. I hope they do so again today!

I'm starting to love Amazon now!

Drooooooool

I got 2 words for you: "Order Dispatched"

Ordered this morning, shipped this afternoon. Can't wait!

Mine's not shipped yet but it's looking good since you guys are getting the international ones through dispatching already :) I think the standard domestic shipments usually go out in the evening time. Waiting patiently...

Mine shipped overnight!

I can almost hear the opening bars of the theme tune :)

arrghghghghgh to buy or not to buy.

arrghghghghgh to buy or not to buy.

I would say buy it but I think you should wait until what some of us have received and looked at them.

Click! Too late! It's still 2850 yen per disk and about 3000 yen for shipping to the USA at this time so Pre-order price is going still.

So you purposely slipped your finger eh?

Click! Too late! It's still 2850 yen per disk and about 3000 yen for shipping to the USA at this time so Pre-order price is going still.

Pre-order price should still be available until midnight at least (Japan time). 6 hours 15 minutes to go :)

My package has now shipped too with Pelican (domestic package delivery service in Japan). Getting exciting though I don't suppose it will show up yet today :)

I'm looking forward to your impressions Kannisto if you get it before the rest of us! Given that this is a significant investment I really do hope that they did a good job of the transfer.

I'm looking forward to your impressions Kannisto if you get it before the rest of us! Given that this is a significant investment I really do hope that they did a good job of the transfer.

Yes, I intend to post first impressions as soon as I have the discs and have taken a look. I really hope it's an excellent transfer.

I'm fairly confident in Amuse Soft Entertainment since their HD DVD releases (as subcompany of Toshiba Entertainment => now Showgate) have had some pretty good transfer before (for example Equilibrium). This is also the first HD DVD under Showgate brand name so they must make it a nice showcase :)

I have Equilibrium - an impressive transfer as you say. I think it was MPEG4. If BOB is in the same ball park as Equilibrium then we have a winner.

Found all 5 in Shinjuku BIC Camera. Didn't buy of course as waiting for my package. Red HD DVD cases slightly thicker than normal US cases.

EDIT: Updated pics.

3580 with 13% points right or is it 3180 with 10% points ?

3580 with 13% points right or is it 3180 with 10% points ?
3590 in store, no special marking about points so I think it is 10%.

I have Equilibrium - an impressive transfer as you say. I think it was MPEG4. If BOB is in the same ball park as Equilibrium then we have a winner.

I think so too! AVC seems to be the dominant codec for HD-DVDs in Japan at the moment.

Found all 5 in Shinjuku BIC Camera. Didn't buy of course as waiting for my package. Red HD DVD cases slightly thicker than normal US cases.

Nice pic Kannisto but you could have rotated it to portrait rather than landscape.

I think so too! AVC seems to be the dominant codec for HD-DVDs in Japan at the moment.


Nice pic Kannisto but you could have rotated it to portrait rather than landscape.


For Japan native HD DVD supporting distributors that is definitely the case, both Toshiba Ent. / Showgate and Shochiku Home Video have only used AVC. These 5 had AVC marked in the back covers as well.

My earlier post with the pic was done on the move with a mobile phone. I took the photo, resized it and posted the whole thing while still in Shinjuku. Anyhow, now I updated that post by changing the photo to portrait mode and added a backside photo too. The discs were inside protective plastic cases so I couldn't get very nice photos...

By the way, the back covers of these discs again show the video as 1080i in the Toshiba Ent. tradition although it's always 1080p in reality.

Thanks Kannisto :) Yes, I notice that on the back of Equilibrium it says 1080i.

Kannisto, the photos are great indicator for what to expect....Good work my Internet friend!

I notice on the back of the box it says DTS-HD. That's a nice surprise as for some reason I had resigned myself to DD alone! Not Master Audio I suppose?

I notice on the back of the box it says DTS-HD. That's a nice surprise as for some reason I had resigned myself to DD alone! Not Master Audio I suppose?

Yes, audio is DTS-HD. Initial reports about the specs that were floating around said DD+ but the information was corrected afterwards. No Master Audio though.

I was hoping that the spine would have a partial image so that when stacked the spines would make a complete image as in the image would span over the 5 spines of the cases, that would have been cool.

When will we be able to buy these on specialty sites that make the ordering process a little easier (like T2 for HD).

The price on Amazon Japan for international orders is now 3,800 Yen per volume.

Do check out in hmv.co.jp.

http://www.hmv.co.jp/fl/7/196/3/page=4

Do check out in hmv.co.jp.

http://www.hmv.co.jp/fl/7/196/3/page=4

I wonder why HMV JP discounts 2 out of 5 discs only... The discounted price (3192 yen) is quite good though not as good as Amazon JP pre-order price was. Now it would be cheaper than Amazon anyways since that pre-order price expired already. I don't know about HMV's shipping though as I've not ordered from their online shop so far. In their B&M store they seem to sell HD and BD at MRSP, I went to their big Shibuya store recently.

...

I hope I have my package waiting at home when I go home after work today. If it's arrived I can post my initial impressions sometime late today (Japan time).

I wonder why HMV JP discounts 2 out of 5 discs only... The discounted price (3192 yen) is quite good though not as good as Amazon JP pre-order price was. Now it would be cheaper than Amazon anyways since that pre-order price expired already. I don't know about HMV's shipping though as I've not ordered from their online shop so far. In their B&M store they seem to sell HD and BD at MRSP, I went to their big Shibuya store recently.

...

I hope I have my package waiting at home when I go home after work today. If it's arrived I can post my initial impressions sometime late today (Japan time).
But I doubt it will be that low again until it has been out for a while.

My set also left Amazon.co.jp noon yesterday and Tokyo - Narita at midnight to Europe according to tracking.

For Japan native HD DVD supporting distributors that is definitely the case, both Toshiba Ent. / Showgate and Shochiku Home Video have only used AVC.I would expect Toshiba to use their own AVC encoder.

--Darin

It would be a big surprise if Toshiba did not choose VC-1.
Kannisto would be able to confirm it.
I now want Showgate to release SAVING PRIVATE RYAN coz I am more interested in owning it than BoB. Many years ago I made the biggest blunder by buying SPR SD DVD with Dolby Digital soundtrack when it was also released with DTS only track.

But I doubt it will be that low again until it has been out for a while.

I've yet to see Amazon JP selling any HD DVDs at equal or better than pre-order price after their release date. They've had some occasional ~20% discounts on some of the titles after release date but not as good as 25 %.

It would be a big surprise if Toshiba did not choose VC-1.
Kannisto would be able to confirm it.
I now want Showgate to release SAVING PRIVATE RYAN coz I am more interested in owning it than BoB. Many years ago I made the biggest blunder by buying SPR SD DVD with Dolby Digital soundtrack when it was also released with DTS only track.

These new BoB discs are encoded in AVC according to their back covers. All other Toshiba Ent. HD DVDs I have (Brother's Grimm, Equilibrium, Finding Neverland, The Gift, Killing Me Softly, The Machinist, Oldboy, Out of Time, Reign of Fire) have also been AVC.

I've been wondering why MicroSoft didn't manage to get Toshiba Ent. to use VC-1 since MS and Toshiba have been working so closely together on HD DVD promotion etc.

Now about to go home... Hope I find my package there :)

What sucks is that Amazon Japan used DHL and they didn't specify it. Now I have to get it redirected from my PO Box to my home address.

What sucks is that Amazon Japan used DHL and they didn't specify it. Now I have to get it redirected from my PO Box to my home address.

Yup, I didn't know what they use for international express either...

I've got my discs here now :) :) :) :) :)

But I've got to have dinner with the family etc. before I have time for evaluation. I'll post initial impressions in a few hours though. Hope the quality is really good...

Yup, I didn't know what they use for international express either...

I've got my discs here now :) :) :) :) :)

But I've got to have dinner with the family etc. before I have time for evaluation. I'll post initial impressions in a few hours though. Hope the quality is really good...

LOL one smiley for every disc.

Mine is moving....slowly.

Yup, I didn't know what they use for international express either...

I've got my discs here now :) :) :) :) :)

But I've got to have dinner with the family etc. before I have time for evaluation. I'll post initial impressions in a few hours though. Hope the quality is really good...


You're keeping us in terrible suspense!!! Put us out of our misery! A good transfer?

I friggin' hope so!

I think Kannisto's gone to bed ;)

Anyways, it appears that my BOB discs have arrived in London. I might even get them tomorrow with any luck, if not then Monday - they've got to get through customs first.

Sorry to keep you guys waiting! When I was about to start watching it, my wife wanted to watch Tales from Earthsea (Anime) on DVD which we've been planning to watch for a while and that took 2 hours. I watched first episode of BoB after that.

I'm really happy with the transfer, it looks very natural with very good sharpness and overall very pleasing to the eye. Colours are muted but I think that's what the source looks like. There were some rather grainy scenes (darker indoor scenes) as well and some infrequent scenes that were a bit softer but overall it looks excellent to me :) End credits were somehow quite juddery but that didn't bother me too much. All in all I'm very pleased and can't wait to see the other episodes too.

Regarding audio, it sounded good as well, but my audio setup is not so great so I can't make so much evaluation of that.

Hope you guys get yours quickly too :)

And the covers are not that much thicker than slim U.S. HD DVD cases, very close to those and definitely much thinner than DVD-thick European cases.

Thanks :)

Mine have cleared customs now.

Mine is out for delivery! Looks like I got an early birthday gift!

The menu is entirely in Japanese so here is a quick translation of how it works (refererring to disc 1):

Main menu level:
=======================
Center left: Play both episodes back to back

Upper row: Play 1st episode ; Play 2nd episode ; Setup ; Cast/Staff

Lower row: Chapters for 1st episode ; Chapters for 2nd episode ; Trailers (for some of the episodes) ; Bookmark (instructions on how to use)
=======================

Setup menu (3rd option (out of 4) in upper row of main menu options):
=======================
Leftmost options: Audio: Original ; Japanese
Center options: Subtitles: Japanese #1 ; Japanese #2 ; None
Rightmost options: Menu control audio: On ; Off
=======================

Apparently scenes can be bookmarked by pressing B on remote control during playback, I didn't try it yet...

Cast/Staff information is text based and in Japanese only.

You can control audio and subtitles from remote during playback as well. Default audio is original, and Japanese subs are ON by default but easy to disable.

Any title displays that appeared in the content were in English as expected.

The menu is entirely in Japanese so here is a quick translation of how it works (refererring to disc 1):

Main menu level:
=======================
Center left: Play both episodes back to back

Upper row: Play 1st episode ; Play 2nd episode ; Setup ; Cast/Staff

Lower row: Chapters for 1st episode ; Chapters for 2nd episode ; Trailers (for some of the episodes) ; Bookmark (instructions on how to use)
=======================

Setup menu (3rd option (out of 4) in upper row of main menu options):
=======================
Leftmost options: Audio: Original ; Japanese
Center options: Subtitles: Japanese #1 ; Japanese #2 ; None
Rightmost options: Menu control audio: On ; Off
=======================

Apparently scenes can be bookmarked by pressing B on remote control during playback, I didn't try it yet...

Cast/Staff information is text based and in Japanese only.

You can control audio and subtitles from remote during playback as well. Default audio is original, and Japanese subs are ON by default but easy to disable.

Any title displays that appeared in the content were in English as expected.

Thank you very much. ありがとう

I received my copies here in Pennsylvania this morning. Hope to be able to watch this weekend.

Scott

Got mine on my lunch break and was able to watch a half hour. Very impressed. I forgot how great this really is! Here's the spine.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c344/mikebarnhill/bob.jpg

It would be a big surprise if Toshiba did not choose VC-1.Why would they use VC-1? Toshiba competes with Microsoft when it comes to codecs. Toshiba has their AVC encoder and Microsoft has their VC-1 encoder. Which is one reason it is interesting when some HD DVD fans seem to like to trash AVC and Toshiba is one of the big AVC companies. I expect Toshiba to use AVC for things they put out.

--Darin

Got mine on my lunch break and was able to watch a half hour. Very impressed. I forgot how great this really is! Here's the spine.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c344/mikebarnhill/bob.jpg

I was hoping that they would span the BOB logo over all 5 spines, it looks neat.

Mine came today as well - can't wait to check this out.

Before I whip out my CC, can you guys tell me the place you got this from and the total purchase price then plus shipping.

Thanks.

Before I whip out my CC, can you guys tell me the place you got this from and the total purchase price then plus shipping.

Thanks.

From Amazon Japan. For international buyers it's 3,800 Yen per volume and about 3,000 Yen for shipping.

Mine is still sitting at some DHL warehouse in Brussels... hopefully Monday.

July 28, 2007 08:55 Tokyo - Japan Departed from DHL facility in Tokyo - Japan

and it hasn't changed!

^^ Sorry to hear that. Mine's stuck at the DHL facility 30 miles away from me. Looks like a Monday delivery. It would be sure nice to hear more feedback from those who have the discs already though.

Had a sneek peek of BoB in yodobashi akiba today.
It's AVC and 1080i NOT 1080p.
It features DTS-HD audio track which is arguably liked by Spielberg who is a big investor in DTS.

Had a sneek peek of BoB in yodobashi akiba today.
It's AVC and 1080i NOT 1080p.
It features DTS-HD audio track which is arguably liked by Spielberg who is a big investor in DTS.

The back covers say 1080i but Toshiba Ent. has been marking their releases that way all the time although it's been established that they are actually 1080p despite the marking... At least I've seen Josh Z and some others stating that a couple of times in here and/or HDD forum.

^^ Sorry to hear that. Mine's stuck at the DHL facility 30 miles away from me. Looks like a Monday delivery. It would be sure nice to hear more feedback from those who have the discs already though.

I watched Episode 2 today. It has a whole lot of reference quality material from PQ point of view! Superbly sharp and clean whenever there is enough light. Some dark indoor scenes were again quite grainy and not quite as sharp but I think that's related to source material. I'm really convinced about the transfer's quality now after watching 2 episodes.

Saving the rest of the Episodes for tomorrow and later :)

That's great thanks :)

My status still hasn't changed.....where the heck is it?

OK, I called my local DHL customer service centre (or 'center' for you US ppl...same thing) and they said it was on it's final leg but since it was the weekend in Australia it's a bit slow. But they let me put in a request for it to have it be redirected so I should get some news tomorrow morning at best.

The back covers say 1080i but Toshiba Ent. has been marking their releases that way all the time although it's been established that they are actually 1080p despite the marking... At least I've seen Josh Z and some others stating that a couple of times in here and/or HDD forum.
Yes, the 1080i is the expected output. Not very marketing savy, but they are in fact encoded 1080p24

Yes, the 1080i is the expected output. Not very marketing savy, but they are in fact encoded 1080p24

It's not that I don't believe you when you say it's really 1080p but how do you know that it's outputting 1080p? Do you run it through something like PowerDVD or is there an option in your player to show you that info?

It's not that I don't believe you when you say it's really 1080p but how do you know that it's outputting 1080p? Relax man, it's ok ;)

Hopefully mine gets here monday. Otherwise booooo!

My order's shipping status has changed and has arrived in sydney....YAY!

Hey guys how much would they be to get sent to the UK, Would i get stung with taxes,
Also what would be better, to order the separately, or all of them at once. (tax depending)

Hey guys how much would they be to get sent to the UK, Would i get stung with taxes,
Also what would be better, to order the separately, or all of them at once. (tax depending)

You can always go through the checkout process as they will how much it will cost as well as how much the shipping is on the confirmation page....just don't place your order if you're just scoping out the price.

As for shipping I say to reduce shipping costs ship all 5 together.

Hey guys how much would they be to get sent to the UK, Would i get stung with taxes,
Also what would be better, to order the separately, or all of them at once. (tax depending)

Hi, I pre-ordered BOB and I live in the UK. I worked it out at the time that it was cheaper to pre-order all the discs at once from Amazon.jp. All in all the cost of the discs plus VAT and tax I reckon it will all come to about £100. That was the cheapest way of doing it. Now that the Amazon price has gone up it'll cost more than that.

Guys, I got my BOB today and have watched a few opening scenes. This is a definite advance on the SD-DVD which I must have watched upscaled on tens of occasions. While the colours are muted as per the director's intentions they are nevertheless more solid and richer. The contrast and black levels are much improved. The picture has subtle grain but this is as per director's intentions. The picture is also much sharper and detailed than the SD-DVD. I am passing PCM sound over HDMI to a Yammy RX-V661 receiver and the sound I have is a great advance too. All in all, from what I have seen so far the price was worth it - Tosh didn't let us down.

Guys, I got my BOB today and have watched a few opening scenes. All I can say is that it was worth the price! This is a definite advance on the SD-DVD which I must have watched upscaled on tens of occasions. While the colours are muted as per the director's intentions they are nevertheless more solid and richer. The contrast and black levels are much improved. The picture grain but this is as per director's intentions. The picture is much sharper and detailed than the SD-DVD. I am passing PCM sound over HDMI to a Yammy RX-V661 receiver and the sound I have is a great advance too. All in all, from what I have seen so far the price was worth it - Tosh didn't let us down.

Glad that you got it and that you are happy with it too! I was so far most impressed when the battle scenes in good light started :) Today I'm planning to see 5th and perhaps 6th episode.

Glad that you got it and that you are happy with it too! I was so far most impressed when the battle scenes in good light started :) Today I'm planning to see 5th and perhaps 6th episode.

Haven't you seen the mini-series Kannisto? I have heaps of times on SD-DVD but with positive outlooks of the HD-DVD I'm looking forward to it.

Haven't you seen the mini-series Kannisto? I have heaps of times on SD-DVD but with positive outlooks of the HD-DVD I'm looking forward to it.

Heh, I have to confess that I'm watching it for the first time ever. I've read so many positive things about it that I felt it must be excellent, hence the big interest in getting it, but I've never seen it as TV broadcast or on SD DVD.

Heh, I have to confess that I'm watching it for the first time ever. I've read so many positive things about it that I felt it must be excellent, hence the big interest in getting it, but I've never seen it as TV broadcast or on SD DVD.

I got into it after watching tidbits of it on TV and I got really into it with the DVDs and I hope HD will make it better.

Got mine on Friday (it got here in ONE day!) and spent the weekend in BoB bliss. For reference I have the MPEG2 HD caps from HBO when it first aired, with AC3 sound. This mini series actually was responsible for me getting an HD TV and HBO-HD in the first place. So I am a fan ;) The sound is noticeably better, which I really enjoyed. The picture quality is slightly better in parts, though not a stunning improvement. Do I regret buying it? Absolutely not (though I wish it were cheaper!).

Do I regret buying it? Absolutely not (though I wish it were cheaper!).Most excellent. Mine is still "in transit" from California.
Still @ $25 per disc is not all that bad.

Kannisto, is there any menu for selecting DTS-HD and DD+? On the back of the box it only lists DTS, but on the discs themselves the DD+ logo is also there. I have no idea what is being fed to my receiver.

Kannisto, is there any menu for selecting DTS-HD and DD+? On the back of the box it only lists DTS, but on the discs themselves the DD+ logo is also there. I have no idea what is being fed to my receiver.

No, audio for main content (10 episodes) is only available with DTS-HD original English and DTS-HD Japanese audio tracks. Setup menu in each disc only provides selection between original English audio and Japanese audio.

Menu music in all discs and documentary in disc 5 are using DD+ audio. I think that's why they include DD+ logo as well.

My HD-XF2 shows the audio codec in the details view and I checked those this morning.

Got mine yesterday from Amazon.co.jp shipped in two working days to Europe and from the looks of Currahee it looks mighty fine. Discs packed well and in excellent order. Can't vouch for the transfer of the rest of the episodes yet, since I haven't watched them though. Very nice.

Once you figure out the Japanese menus everything else is a breeze, subtitles can be hidden and English audio works well. Looks solid - I immediately was familiar with the show, but it felt more vibrant then ever before, a strange but nice feeling since I've of course only seen it SD in TV/DVD (unlike many films you've seen sharp in movie theaters before seeing them in HD).

Thanks guys for posting the instructions and visual guides on the menus!

costly....hope it will release in amazon US soon.....

Got mine yesterday from Amazon.co.jp shipped in two working days to Europe and from the looks of Currahee it looks mighty fine. Discs packed well and in excellent order. Can't vouch for the transfer of the rest of the episodes yet, since I haven't watched them though. Very nice.

Once you figure out the Japanese menus everything else is a breeze, subtitles can be hidden and English audio works well. Looks solid - I immediately was familiar with the show, but it felt more vibrant then ever before, a strange but nice feeling since I've of course only seen it SD in TV/DVD (unlike many films you've seen sharp in movie theaters before seeing them in HD).

Thanks guys for posting the instructions and visual guides on the menus!

Glad you like it! I was also really happy about the cases used by Showgate as this is the very first time a native Japanese HD DVD distributor has adapted normal red HD DVD cases for a release and the cover papers look very nice too :)

I pretty much dislike the use of old style DVD cases for HD DVDs that was customary by native Japanese distributors until now.

Typed in a mini review, in English: http://www.saitti.org/2007/07/31/282/

Typed in a mini review, in English: http://www.saitti.org/2007/07/31/282/

Nice mini review! The PQ review fully matches my experience with my somewhat limited setup. Good to have a confirmation that the video is 1080/24 as well.

I was curious about the surround issue mentioned in the review so I tried this morning on my setup. I have HD-XF2 (Japanese equivalent of HD-A2 and HD-E1) as player and Denon AV Surround Receiver AVR-550SD. I'm feeding the DTS (core) audio as a bitstream via optical output to the surround receiver and the receiver is decoding the DTS stream and feeding the speakers (5.1 setup) without any special sound processing enabled.

I quickly checked the sound in the beginning of Episode 2 (theme music and then during the D-Day air sequence). Sound was coming out from both rear speakers at volumes that sounded similar to each other, as well as from all the other speakers, so the right surround was not muted in my environment. I also haven't noticed any unbalanced surround sound while watching the 5 first episodes so far. Maybe that problem somehow relates to specific playback environment on the PC.

As for the extras mentioned in the review, those are just the Japanese trailers for some of the episodes, and indeed they are in low quality. The main extra is the 80 minute documentary on disc 5 and that looks much better though.

I quickly checked the sound in the beginning of Episode 2 (theme music and then during the D-Day air sequence). Sound was coming out from both rear speakers at volumes that sounded similar to each other, as well as from all the other speakers, so the right surround was not muted in my environment. I also haven't noticed any unbalanced surround sound while watching the 5 first episodes so far. Maybe that problem somehow relates to specific playback environment on the PC.
Most likely, yes. It's just weird that another disc with similarly specced audio (DTS-HD HR) played in all channels with the exact same equipment. I should have some free time later today, so I'll check the audio on another (non-PC) system. Oh, a thought just occurred to me: I believe your system played the DTS core, right? What if the surrounds are fine in DTS core, but right surround is muted in DTS-HD HR? It's entirely possible, but requires DTS-HD decoding abilities from PowerDVD.

Most likely, yes. It's just weird that another disc with similarly specced audio (DTS-HD HR) played in all channels with the exact same equipment. I should have some free time later today, so I'll check the audio on another (non-PC) system. Oh, a thought just occurred to me: I believe your system played the DTS core, right? What if the surrounds are fine in DTS core, but right surround is muted in DTS-HD HR? It's entirely possible, but requires DTS-HD decoding abilities from PowerDVD.

Yes, my system can output only DTS core. I also had the thought of whether the problem you experienced could be a specific problem with full DTS-HD HR but not with the core - but with my equipment there's no way of testing that.

I don't know the specifics of how DTS-HD HR works though so don't know how likely it would be that such a problem would exist in source data specific to full HR output. I guess we'd need result from more than one system supporting full resolution output to know better whether the problem is in source data or decoder.

Anyway, I'm glad the problem didn't occur in my setup :)

Nice mini review! The PQ review fully matches my experience with my somewhat limited setup. Good to have a confirmation that the video is 1080/24 as well.

I was curious about the surround issue mentioned in the review so I tried this morning on my setup. I have HD-XF2 (Japanese equivalent of HD-A2 and HD-E1) as player and Denon AV Surround Receiver AVR-550SD. I'm feeding the DTS (core) audio as a bitstream via optical output to the surround receiver and the receiver is decoding the DTS stream and feeding the speakers (5.1 setup) without any special sound processing enabled.

I quickly checked the sound in the beginning of Episode 2 (theme music and then during the D-Day air sequence). Sound was coming out from both rear speakers at volumes that sounded similar to each other, as well as from all the other speakers, so the right surround was not muted in my environment. I also haven't noticed any unbalanced surround sound while watching the 5 first episodes so far. Maybe that problem somehow relates to specific playback environment on the PC.



I think it is a problem that is specific to playback with PC and the Toshiba HD-DVDs. I have exactly the same problem (no sound in one of the the rear speakers) with their HD-DVD of XXX. All others HD-DVD with DTS HD or DTS Master work just fine. It's just Trible X from Toshiba that doesn't work right.

I think it is a problem that is specific to playback with PC and the Toshiba HD-DVDs. I have exactly the same problem (no sound in one of the the rear speakers) with their HD-DVD of XXX. All others HD-DVD with DTS HD or DTS Master work just fine. It's just Trible X from Toshiba that doesn't work right.
Wow. Wonder how Toshiba has managed this to happen... Truly weird stuff.

Is this present in the HD-DVDs or in their PC hardware?

Is this present in the HD-DVDs or in their PC hardware?
HD DVDs. I don't have a single piece of Tosh PC hardware.

OK, what's the actual problem with the DTS-HD tracks?

I think it is a problem that is specific to playback with PC and the Toshiba HD-DVDs. I have exactly the same problem (no sound in one of the the rear speakers) with their HD-DVD of XXX. All others HD-DVD with DTS HD or DTS Master work just fine. It's just Trible X from Toshiba that doesn't work right.

I happen to have XXX as well and I tried it in my HD-XF2 now and both rear surrounds sound OK. Again the player is just extracting the DTS core since I use optical output (and I guess they may still utilize only core even with HDMI?), so at least the DTS core track should be OK there - or at least compliant with Toshiba standalone players.

So apparently when the PC based player SW tries to utilize the full resolution audio from the disc something goes bad. Is it PowerDVD in your case also?

I guess they must have something unusual (but could be spec compliant?) in the HD audio track (outside of the core track?) that the PC player doesn't like, or it might be downright against spec in which case at least it would be Toshiba's fault...

If it's PowerDVD in both cases I don't know if we can still conclude that the problem is in Toshiba's content side or if PowerDVD doesn't like some specific audio configuration.

How good is XXX HD DVD ? I hope that the PQ / SQ is better than the BD version.

How good is XXX HD DVD ? I hope that the PQ / SQ is better than the BD version.

I bought it 2nd hand last weekend and haven't watched it yet except for some sneak peeks, but it didn't look that good, probably worse than average.

I happen to have XXX as well and I tried it in my HD-XF2 now and both rear surrounds sound OK. Again the player is just extracting the DTS core since I use optical output (and I guess they may still utilize only core even with HDMI?), so at least the DTS core track should be OK there - or at least compliant with Toshiba standalone players.

So apparently when the PC based player SW tries to utilize the full resolution audio from the disc something goes bad. Is it PowerDVD in your case also?

I guess they must have something unusual (but could be spec compliant?) in the HD audio track (outside of the core track?) that the PC player doesn't like, or it might be downright against spec in which case at least it would be Toshiba's fault...

If it's PowerDVD in both cases I don't know if we can still conclude that the problem is in Toshiba's content side or if PowerDVD doesn't like some specific audio configuration.

Yes I'm using PowerDVD. I don't know if it's an issue that the software has with Toshiba Discs or if somethings wrong with the DTS-Encode itself. Like I said before I don't have any problems with other HD-DVDs or Blu-Rays that use DTS-HD or DTS-Master when I play them with PowerDVD.

OK, what's the actual problem with the DTS-HD tracks?
When played on a PC with PowerDVD, right surround channel is mute. It seems this applies only to discs released by Toshiba Japan.

When played on a PC with PowerDVD, right surround channel is mute. It seems this applies only to discs released by Toshiba Japan.

But it's fine on a CE standalone player yes?

But it's fine on a CE standalone player yes?

It's fine on my HD-XF2 (Japan equivalent of HD-A2 and HD-E1) with optical output (bitstream setting). I haven't tried via HDMI as I have no HDMI supporting surround processor.

I'm sure Showgate (ex. Toshiba Ent.) would test them properly at least with those Toshiba standalone players/recorders that are available in Japan market (HD-XA1, HD-XA2, HD-XF2 (equivalent of HD-A2 and HD-E1 etc.), RD-A1, RD-A600, RD-A300) as they'd have to take most of them back if there were this kind of major sound problems with the players that are "common" in Japan market.

I had full sound on my XA2.

Interesting. If it glitches on a PC and not on a standalone player then there's something in the PC software that's causing the glitch.

Interesting. If it glitches on a PC and not on a standalone player then there's something in the PC software that's causing the glitch.
That's the logical conclusion, aye. However, same software, same PC, another (non-Toshiba) DTS-HD HR soundtrack = no glitch, all channels play fine.

That's the logical conclusion, aye. However, same software, same PC, another (non-Toshiba) DTS-HD HR soundtrack = no glitch, all channels play fine.

Yes, same here.

Anyways, my Band of Brothers HD-DVDs have arrived and currently going through and assessing the PQ and so far I'm with you guys in the PQ dept.

No sound problems when playing on my 360 + HD-DVD addon.

Anyways, my Band of Brothers HD-DVDs have arrived and currently going through and assessing the PQ and so far I'm with you guys in the PQ dept.

No sound problems when playing on my 360 + HD-DVD addon.

Good to hear that yours finally arrived after those issues regarding DHL redirection!

I watched episode 6 last night, that was one of the best episodes for me so far in terms of story impact.

Yep, and oddly enough my HD-DVD drive is the japanese version too LOL

Weird, the bookmarking function doesn't work on the 360 as I just get an error message saying it can't play the content and gives a status code. I'm not fussed about it though.

Weird, the bookmarking function doesn't work on the 360 as I just get an error message saying it can't play the content and gives a status code. I'm not fussed about it though.

I'll give it a try on my player tonight and will let you know if it works there and how. I was thinking of trying it out originally when I got the discs but it slipped my mind.

hey Kannisto
i know this is of topic, but how is the pq on jersey girl and goal!,
i would really like to know as these happen to be two of my favorite flicks, and am considering importing them, even at their hefty price tags
thanks,
raven

hey Kannisto
i know this is of topic, but how is the pq on jersey girl and goal!,
i would really like to know as these happen to be two of my favorite flicks, and am considering importing them, even at their hefty price tags
thanks,
raven

I haven't watched those yet, as I just bought them last weekend. I only tried so far that the discs were working OK (bought them 2nd hand). I'll take a better look and give you some comments on the pq (probably as Private Message) soon though.

Kannisto, I suggest you read the book as well as the mini-series doesn't include a lot of things.

Anyone know where I can get pics of the covers? I found the one in post #79, but I'd like to get the other ones so I can enter these babies into my database.

Kannisto, I suggest you read the book as well as the mini-series doesn't include a lot of things.

Agreed, the book is a great read. In fact, I have practically all of Steven Ambrose's books. Some of the info relating to Band of Brothers was taken from Citizen Soldiers as well.

Anyone know where I can get pics of the covers? I found the one in post #79, but I'd like to get the other ones so I can enter these babies into my database.

Small size pics of all 5 covers are available on this page:
http://www3.toshiba.co.jp/hdd-dvd/products/hddvd/catalog/softlist/catalog/tdhy-9013.html

A little bit bigger and better versions here:
http://www.sofmap.com/product_detail/exec/_/sku=10723180/-/gid=DD14010000

Weird, the bookmarking function doesn't work on the 360 as I just get an error message saying it can't play the content and gives a status code. I'm not fussed about it though.

I tried this last night with my HD-XF2. It was working OK there. Need to press 'B' key during episode playback at each point that is to be bookmarked, and when you do that an icon appears briefly and shows the episode number, bookmark number and time stamp of the bookmark.

Afterwards when you go to the bookmarks menu (under main menu), you can see all stored bookmarks for that disc there in a row. In that menu you can select any of them to jump right into the marked point, or you can delete saved bookmarks. To delete you need to press "scroll down" and then "select" when bookmark to be deleted is highlighted.

I guess there may be some kind of an interoperability problem with this feature in case of 360 HD DVD drive then.

Kannisto, I suggest you read the book as well as the mini-series doesn't include a lot of things.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll try to get the book and read it when I have time :)

I tried this last night with my HD-XF2. It was working OK there. Need to press 'B' key during episode playback at each point that is to be bookmarked, and when you do that an icon appears briefly and shows the episode number, bookmark number and time stamp of the bookmark.

Afterwards when you go to the bookmarks menu (under main menu), you can see all stored bookmarks for that disc there in a row. In that menu you can select any of them to jump right into the marked point, or you can delete saved bookmarks. To delete you need to press "scroll down" and then "select" when bookmark to be deleted is highlighted.

I guess there may be some kind of an interoperability problem with this feature in case of 360 HD DVD drive then.

I'm not really worried about the bookmarking so long as the discs play and they do. I may talk to MS support about it and see what they can do.

The book is actually an interesting contrast to the movie. Things are given huge emphasis in the book that play minor parts in the movie, and vice versa. I thought it was neat to see where the creatie diffferences between the writer and the movie producers varied. Well worth reading.

They altered some of the character's positions in the company. Guarnere, in the book, was part of the mortar crew but he's not in the mini-series. The didn't include the long march which I think took 3 days to complete and that Easy was the only company marching their way while the remaining companies took the train to Fort Bragg. The March would have been interesting to have seen in the mini but then you can't do everything.

Ordered the book from Amazon JP just now.
2080 yen, no pre-order discount though :rolleyes:

Ordered the book from Amazon JP just now.
2080 yen, no pre-order discount though :rolleyes:

Of course, the book has been out for ages even before the mini-series.

Of course, the book has been out for ages even before the mini-series.

I know, I was just joking :)

Yeah, that march was freaking crazy. And he cut anyone who didn't make it.

Small size pics of all 5 covers are available on this page:
http://www3.toshiba.co.jp/hdd-dvd/products/hddvd/catalog/softlist/catalog/tdhy-9013.html

A little bit bigger and better versions here:
http://www.sofmap.com/product_detail/exec/_/sku=10723180/-/gid=DD14010000

Thanks Kannisto.

Yeah, that march was freaking crazy. And he cut anyone who didn't make it.

They changed a lot when adapting it to screen. One has to really read the book.

They changed a lot when adapting it to screen. One has to really read the book.

My copy of the book just arrived today, I'll give it a go after I've finished watching the 10 episodes.

Well I have done a mini review by episode and if you want to take a look at it then please follow this link (http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=52287&st=20)

I have looked at the previous pages of this thread and I may or may not agree with what has been said but at the end of the day it is just my opinion so take it as you will.

Yeah... you're right. I don't agree ;)

Have you seen the original broadcasts, or the DVD version as a comparison?

If you read on in Mav's posts he does post quite a few comparison shots between the SD and HD-DVD versions. I think he's done a good job, but I would have to say that the grain which Mav talks about as a failing on the transfer side is actually there too on the SD discs. I rather think it adds to the mood and authenticity and therefore believe that it was intentional on behalf of Messers Hanks and Spielberg. I'm up to episode 5 now and am loving it! The colours are more solid than the SD, and there is much more detail, but it's the improved blacks and contrast that are really knocking my socks off. My best HD investment yet.

Just got mine. But I need help to get screenshots from the HD DVD AVC ENCODE:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11424756&postcount=42

Just got mine. But I need help to get screenshots from the HD DVD AVC ENCODE:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11424756&postcount=42

Hi Xylon, well your certainly more familiar with running these on the computer and taking pictures then I am. Is it a restriction that does not allow you to play on Powerdvd and take a picture or screen shot?

If I made something that gives you the ability to take screenshots by key stroke command and/or a timer before starting the movie would that help you?

Looks good ;)

Hi Xylon, well your certainly more familiar with running these on the computer and taking pictures then I am. Is it a restriction that does not allow you to play on Powerdvd and take a picture or screen shot?

If I made something that gives you the ability to take screenshots by key stroke command and/or a timer before starting the movie would that help you?

Sorry for the delay responding I forgot about this thread :o

There is no restriction. I wont let that stop me. Its just the playback software I'm using somehow is not using the correct external filters to play the video. I never use PowerDVD to take HD screenshots. Its mediocre compared to MPC.

Im in Japan and had no idea this was out, I just ordered mine. Cant wait.

Still painfully waiting on US release.

This is my fave mini series of all time, I wish it would come out over here already.