My Rep at Disney just sent me some discs of some recent Buena Vista releases of The Rock, Con Air, Airforce One and Crimson Tide from the UK.

All are AVC, PCM 5.1 4.6 Mbps 16bit and all play fine in my PS3.

The Rock
Picture Quality - 4.5/5
Audio Quality - 4/5
Special Features - 4/5
Overall - 4.5/5

Comments: This is without a doubt the best transfer that has ever been available for this action classic. The image is sharp and free of any film debris. My wife even commented the following; "Yeah, you can tell this is HD because I can clearly see the make-up on Nicholas Cage's face." The image does have a nice film grain appeal, especially during this dark scenes. I saw absolutely no macroblocking and I was meticulously looking for it. During every explosion or during the famous "chase" scene in the beginning through the streets of San Francisco it was as smooth as silk. In terms of audio quality I listened using the PCM 5.1 option and it sounded wonderful. The center channel was used to perfection for the dialog, the Surrounds were given a major workout with all of the explosions and background sounds and the LFE gets the workout of a lifetime. Simply put guys, this one is a no-brainer, get it now!

Crimson Tide
Picture Quality - 5/5
Audio Quality - 4/5
Special Features - 3/5
Overall - 4.5/5

Comments: Without a doubt the best in-terms of PQ out of the four. This picture for lack of a better term is flawless. It is crystal clear, free of grain and debris and is as sharp as a razor. The colors are perfect and completely life-like. I am completely blown away by this transfer. The AQ of this release is very good as well. The center channel get a nice workout and does a fabulous job of presenting the dialog in a clear and understandable way and the surrounds are used to perfection in many of the "weather" and "action" sequences. This release without a doubt is a MAJOR improvement over its DVD counterpart

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3682/rock1jy5.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/121/rock2tk2.jpg



~Josh

... *robs Josh's house for the must-have titles*...

Did your contacts give you any hints about when we'll see a street date for these titles?

I do not understand this. None of these have been announced yet for the US market. Are you getting pre-release disks, or are these for some other region?

Can you post some pictures of the cases (especially the back)?

Thanks!

I do not understand this. None of these have been announced yet for the US market. Are you getting pre-release disks, or are these for some other region?

Can you post some pictures of the cases (especially the back)?

Thanks!

Josh said in his post "from the UK."

I do not understand this. None of these have been announced yet for the US market. Are you getting pre-release disks, or are these for some other region?

They're from the UK, as he said (Region B) :)

I do not understand this. None of these have been announced yet for the US market. Are you getting pre-release disks, or are these for some other region?

Can you post some pictures of the cases (especially the back)?

Thanks!

Why don't you read his post AGAIN :mad:. He specifically mentioned that they came from UK.

why is europe a smaller market getting all the movies?? i'm baffled. I'd love all those and the Island also.

It has to just be a question of when for the US since all of these were on the slate for May here and were held back (except AFO I think).

My Rep at Disney just sent me some discs of some recent Buena Vista releases of The Rock, Con Air, Airforce One and Crimson Tide from the UK.

All are AVC, PCM 5.1 4.6 Mbps 24bit and all play fine in my PS3.

After skimming through all discs they look VERY good. I will post mini-reviews over the next few days.

~Josh
I ordered all of these myself. The one thing that confuses me is your audio information. Are the PCM tracks actually 24-bit, or are they 16-bit? I ask because a constant bit-rate of 4.6 Mbps is indicative of a 5.1, 48 kHz/16-bit PCM track.

4.6 is 16bit, 6.9 is 24...

I ordered all of these myself. The one thing that confuses me is your audio information. Are the PCM tracks actually 24-bit, or are they 16-bit? I ask because a constant bit-rate of 4.6 Mbps is indicative of a 5.1, 48 kHz/16-bit PCM track.

It must be 16bit then, eventhough the back of Crimson Tide says 24bit. The PS3 reads 48 kHz 4.6 Mbps.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/6567/crimsontidebackib6.jpg

~Josh

It must be 16bit then, eventhough the back of Crimson Tide says 24bit. The PS3 reads 48 kHz 4.6 Mbps.

~Josh
Thanks. Just when I thought Disney was done mislabeling audio information, they do it again. :p

Is this the case with the other three titles as well? Also, are these releases on a BD-25 or a BD-50?

... *robs Josh's house for the must-have titles*...

Did your contacts give you any hints about when we'll see a street date for these titles?

4th Quarter 2007 except Airforce One which is distributed by Sony here in USA.

~Josh

What's the Region Coding for "The Rock" ? If it plays in U.S PS3 it should mostly be No Region.
Please confirm.

What's up with Air Force One? What are the extras?

why is europe a smaller market getting all the movies??

It's not that small! The decision to release comes from the local distributor AFAIK. There are far more titles available in the US that europe so while you might not be able to get these 3 you're adequately compensated.

Besides, aren't these region-free discs? There's nothing to stop you from buying these from amazon.co.uk if you can't wait for a US release. It's not much more expensive.

I ordered Con-Air and Crimson Tide. For some reason, The Rock is already not available. That sucks, as I was really looking forward to that one with uncompressed sound. Was anyone else able to snag a copy of The Rock from Amazon.com/UK?

Just so you know the Rock Dvd and video were both cut in the Uk not sure if the Blu Ray version will be.

As i said not sure about the Blu Ray version but this is what was cut from the DVD over here.

The UK version

1. When Goodspeed & Mason besiege the morgue, Mason throwing a combat knife to impact in one of Hummel's men's throat has been curtailed. The camera zooms with the knife, but the impact & subsequent medium shot of the soldier with the knife in his throat have been removed. Connery's line "You must never hesitate!" to Cage has also been snipped.

2. Mason shooting a guard in the foot almost directly after has been trimmed of the close-up impact of the bullet.

3. The overhead camera zoom (lasting a massive 2 second duration) into the guard just before he is crushed by the generator has been excised.

4. Mason breaking one of Hummel's men's neck has had the sound removed.

5. During the finale's "coup-de-tat", there were trims primarily for excess blood-letting. Major Baxter (David Morse) being shot in the stomach has been reduced, and Hummel taking a hit in the left shoulder has been removed.

Was anyone else able to snag a copy of The Rock from Amazon.com/UK?
Yes, and it shipped. Sorry. :D

Can anyone confirm if The Rock has spanish dts audio? Thanks.

beatboy77 please post your reviews at least for The Rock as early as possible along with the tech specs. Thanks in advance.

As i said not sure about the Blu Ray version but this is what was cut from the DVD over here.

The UK version

1. When Goodspeed & Mason besiege the morgue, Mason throwing a combat knife to impact in one of Hummel's men's throat has been curtailed. The camera zooms with the knife, but the impact & subsequent medium shot of the soldier with the knife in his throat have been removed. Connery's line "You must never hesitate!" to Cage has also been snipped.

2. Mason shooting a guard in the foot almost directly after has been trimmed of the close-up impact of the bullet.

3. The overhead camera zoom (lasting a massive 2 second duration) into the guard just before he is crushed by the generator has been excised.

4. Mason breaking one of Hummel's men's neck has had the sound removed.

5. During the finale's "coup-de-tat", there were trims primarily for excess blood-letting. Major Baxter (David Morse) being shot in the stomach has been reduced, and Hummel taking a hit in the left shoulder has been removed.

Wasn't it re released uncut on DVD a little later - on imdb it states that initial DVD release was cut. Then it says:

In 2002 the BBFC waived all previous cuts required for a "15" rating in the UK

Can anyone confirm if The Rock has spanish dts audio? Thanks.

mine was shipped from sendit.com, so maybe today I will able to check it :)

Marek

Wasn't it re released uncut on DVD a little later - on imdb it states that initial DVD release was cut. Then it says:

In 2002 the BBFC waived all previous cuts required for a "15" rating in the UK

My brother has the region 2 dvd 2 disc SE and he confirmed that that version is indeed uncut, so i would have thought the Blu Ray should be.

It must be 16bit then, eventhough the back of Crimson Tide says 24bit. The PS3 reads 48 kHz 4.6 Mbps.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/6567/crimsontidebackib6.jpg

~Josh
I think they did this with King Arthur too. Box says 24 bit, but pretty sure it read as 4.6Mbps.

I think they did this with King Arthur too. Box says 24 bit, but pretty sure it read as 4.6Mbps.
They also did it with Gone in 60 Seconds.

I think they did this with King Arthur too. Box says 24 bit, but pretty sure it read as 4.6Mbps.

I quess that's about all that's left when you take out all the nasty bits...? ;)

Will the PS3 play Region B blu-rays?

Josh, I'm looking forward to the reviews.

What's the Region Coding for "The Rock" ? If it plays in U.S PS3 it should mostly be No Region.
Please confirm.

All are Region A, B and C.

~Josh

Can anyone confirm if The Rock has spanish dts audio? Thanks.

The Rock has PCM 5.1 English and Dolby Digital 5.1 English.

It has Swedish, Norweigan, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic and English for the Hearing Impaired Subtitles.

~Josh

Will the PS3 play Region B blu-rays?

Again, all of these movie play just fine on my American PS3.

~Josh

so is the rock cut the same as the criterion?

hows the PQ on the Rock?

As much as I want these I am not risking getting cut versions for import prices. These have to be coming domestically.

As much as I want these I am not risking getting cut versions for import prices. These have to be coming domestically.
I agree and will wait for these to show up here in the States as well.

Beatboy, does the UK BD of The Rock have the aforementioned edits?

Could someone give him timestamps of the deleted scenes in case he doesn't know where to look?

bunkaroo: The Rock (UK 2 disc DVD was uncut - the one with the same extras as the Criterion US DVD-, the previous old 90s release was indeed cut). I'd think it's safe to say these Blu-rays are uncut.

Beatboy77: Do you have any bigger photos of the back cover for The Rock, Con Air and Air Force One? I'd like to see the extas, subtitles etc ;)

Or if you feel like typing them down for us :)

Got The Rock this morning, took these with my phone:

Got The Rock this morning, took these with my phone:

Great, thanks! :D

(The Rock seem to be the same edition as the 2 disc UK/US Critereon)

Anyone who has got Con Air - does it have any extras at all ?

Yes, back covers for Con Air and Air Force One would be very appreciated too ;)

I just ordered mine last night so we'll see shortly about the edits! I have the criterion edition too so i'll be able to play them both and see differences

Got The Rock this morning, took these with my phone:

Wait a second...so The Rock has the audio commentary from the Criterion!?!?

That would mean all the extras have been ported over.

...i just saw that the uk Con air dvd, was cut, a headshot was removed, even in the "18" Version of the movie..... the rock was also cut in one dvd version in the uk....mhhhhh.... what about the blu ray releases ????

...i just saw that the uk Con air dvd, was cut, a headshot was removed, even in the "18" Version of the movie..... the rock was also cut in one dvd version in the uk....mhhhhh.... what about the blu ray releases ????


I think you are ok with the Rock as only the initial DVD release was cut all other releases after were uncut here in the UK (as was the 2 disc special edition which has the same extras as the Blu Ray) so I am betting it is uncut - when I get mine (should be tomorrow) I will check and report back.

Not sure about Con Air though

...i just saw that the uk Con air dvd, was cut, a headshot was removed, even in the "18" Version of the movie..... the rock was also cut in one dvd version in the uk....mhhhhh.... what about the blu ray releases ????

According to this site the UK (18 certificate) version is uncut http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=282

There was an "unrated extended edition" available too on DVD in the US (and of Crimson Tide and Enemy of the State too!), but that seemed more like a release with some deleted scenes thrown back in (just to make everyone buy the movie again). ;)

Additional Scenes: Poe's attacker says something rude about Tricia, and Poe getting arrested. 'Baby-O' rescues Poe from a burning cell during a prison riot. There are some tweaks to 'Pinball' dialogue, and a little extra back-story on how Poe once killed a prisoner called "The Giant". 'Johnny-23' brags more about rape, conversation between U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin and Ginny. DEA Agent Duncan Malloy gets an extra moment to ruminate over the death of his DEA agent, Poe shares a few extra words with guard Sally Bishop. 'The Marietta Mangler' kills a guard, and guard Sally Bishop shares a quick exchange with Swamp Thing. Convicts start looting when there land at Lerner Field and additional scenes between Poe and 'Baby-O'.

BOTTOMLINE: Con air is uncut by the censors in the UK, no matter what version you get. Can anyone confirm if the Blu-ray Con Air and Crimson Tide are the extended editions or the theatrical? (my money is on the theatrical though, Buena Vista went with the theatrical on Enemy of the State despite an "unrated extended edition" was available on DVD.)

Can anyone tell me if these come in the garbage thick bluray cases that most UK releases do? (Im from the UK and hate em, and only buy US discs)

All UK Blu-ray discs come in thicker cases, so retailers can lock a security tag inside. These are no exception.

Hmmm must have got confused, cause there used to be UK titles with slim cases, same for HD DVD. Actually a friend at HMV told me that the BBFC rating if displayed has to be full size, so hense the thicker spine.

Are their any european countries who use the sensible cases?

Hmmm must have got confused, cause there used to be UK titles with slim cases, same for HD DVD. Actually a friend at HMV told me that the BBFC rating if displayed has to be full size, so hense the thicker spine.

Are their any european countries who use the sensible cases?

HD-DVDs have the same slim case as in the US (with the BBFC logo slightly smaller), and in the US they also have security tags... so I guess it must be some other mysterious reason :)

HD-DVDs have the same slim case as in the US (with the BBFC logo slightly smaller), and in the US they also have security tags... so I guess it must be some other mysterious reason :)

Some early HD-DVDs came in the same slim cases as US ones, however most are now the thicker ones. The difference is the US security tags are inserted when the discs are packaged, where in the UK it's the retailers responsibility.

Hmmm must have got confused, cause there used to be UK titles with slim cases, same for HD DVD. Actually a friend at HMV told me that the BBFC rating if displayed has to be full size, so hense the thicker spine.

Are their any european countries who use the sensible cases?

It's only the UK and Australia that use the thicker cases, for the Amaray red tag security system. All the french imports i've had came in thin cases. See http://www.amaray.com/

Whoever is reviewing these, can you confirm the following?

1) Are they in the thicker cases?

2) Are the PCM tracks 24-bit or 16-bit?

3) Which extras are included on each title?

4) Are the movies uncut?


If The Rock is in fact the Criterion edition, I'll just get the UK release now. The Buena Vista version later this year likely won't have any of those extras. And I can make up the additional cost by selling off the Criterion DVD I've got. :)

If The Rock is in fact the Criterion edition, I'll just get the UK release now. The Buena Vista version later this year likely won't have any of those extras. And I can make up the additional cost by selling off the Criterion DVD I've got. :)

Why wouldn't it have the extras here as well? The only time I've seen that happening was on The Game.

Here's AFO.

No Commentary, No sale!!!!

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6339/afosk6.jpg

I have The Rock and Con Air. Both come in thick Amaray cases. The Rock does look great, it has a pleasing level of fine grain like the reviewer said above. Con Air doesn't look as good, it looks like it's been filtered and has a fair bit of edge enhancement, but still the best presentation of the film i've ever seen on any home format.

The Rock starts with a "hollywood pictures home entertainment" logo, then a buena vista blu-ray advert, before the menu appears. You get another hollywood pictures logo at the start of the film.

Con Air starts with a "touchstone home entertainment" logo, then a buena vista blu-ray advert, before the menu appears. At the start of the film, you get another touchstone logo.

Why have they bothered to add an extra studio logo before the buena vista blu-ray advert?

We want Crimson Tide.

My copies of Con-Air and Crimson Tide have been dispatched from the UK with an ETA of anywhere between July 5th-9th. Will post my impressions of both after viewing them. Too bad they are already sold out of The Rock. :mad:

Why wouldn't it have the extras here as well? The only time I've seen that happening was on The Game.

Actually it's happened on quite a few titles. Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, The Game, Dazed and Confused, La Haine, Traffic, and Spartacus are all missing the Criterion supplements on the HD-DVDs. Criterion almost never licenses out their extras to the studios with the exception of a handful of commentaries.

Actually it's happened on quite a few titles. Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, The Game, Dazed and Confused, La Haine, Traffic, and Spartacus are all missing the Criterion supplements on the HD-DVDs. Criterion almost never licenses out their extras to the studios with the exception of a handful of commentaries.

No. You're not understanding what i'm saying. On SD DVD, The Game was released with Criterion extras in all other regions besides R1. And all those versions were done by Universal and for some reason, we never got them here. But that's also a rarity.

I'm asking why the extras included in other parts of the world wouldn't match up to ours when we eventually get it?

No. You're not understanding what i'm saying. On SD DVD, The Game was released with Criterion extras in all other regions besides R1. And all those versions were done by Universal and for some reason, we never got them here. But that's also a rarity.

I'm asking why the extras included in other parts of the world wouldn't match up to ours when we eventually get it?

Criterion release movies on the NA market and therefore sells the rights of the extras to the distributor on the EU market since they don't have the distribution rights (The European version of The Rock released by Touchstone even has the Criterion menu.). Univeral has no rights to use the Extras in NA so no extras on the HD DVD and the same for The Rock.

And all those versions were done by Universal and for some reason, we never got them here.

You did get them, on the Criterion DVD's.

You did get them, on the Criterion DVD's.

The Game never had a Criterion DVD.

So no, we didn't.

The Game never had a Criterion DVD.

So no, we didn't.

True, it was back in the Laserdisc days Criterion released The Game with a commentary and a behind the scenes featurette (it was a rather slim edition compared to their previous effort of Se7en).

On DVD the Game has suffered all kind of insults on different regions, non-anamorphic, no extras, some extras, 2.0 audio, finaly anamorphic, but no commentary so far...

Right just got my copy of The Rock and it seems to be a bit of good news/bad news - the good news is it looks like it is uncut but the bad news is I cannot find the audio commentary (even though it says there is one on the back cover!)

Has anyone managed to find it?

True, it was back in the Laserdisc days Criterion released The Game with a commentary and a behind the scenes featurette (it was a rather slim edition compared to their previous effort of Se7en).

On DVD the Game has suffered all kind of insults on different regions, non-anamorphic, no extras, some extras, 2.0 audio, finaly anamorphic, but no commentary so far...

The Game had a lot more than just that on Laserdisc.

Again, ALL other regions got the special edition of The Game on DVD with all of the criterion extras. And it was all produced by Universal.

Does The Rock have all of the extras that the Criterion DVD has?

Sendit.com has The Rock in stock now. I just ordered my copy. About $34 with shipping if anyone wants to know a ballpark figure for importing it. Hopefully The Island gets released on 7-30-07, I will miss the PCM track for that one but who knows when its coming out over here.

Does The Rock have all of the extras that the Criterion DVD has?


Yes I think so except the audio commentary

The Rock is in stock in blahdvd.com but is priced at 22 GBP.
You can visit many U.K sites that gives 2 GBP voucher for purchase worth a min 10 GBP that reduces the price to 20 GBP. There is also a 5 GBP voucher but you need to add 3 items to the cart worth more than 30 GBP in total.

Why the hell hasn't that movie been released over here? That makes no sense to me.

Yes I think so except the audio commentary

But the picture says Commentary. So it may, indeed, have ALL extras.

Right just got my copy of The Rock and it seems to be a bit of good news/bad news - the good news is it looks like it is uncut but the bad news is I cannot find the audio commentary (even though it says there is one on the back cover!)

Has anyone managed to find it?

Seems no one found it so far :( Buena Vista prefer to include two dubbed DTS MA audio tracks (that eat a lot of space) as well as an arrange of dubbed DD 5.1 tracks instead of extras. They dropped all commentaries on both Pirates of the Caribbean discs in favour of dubbed tracks :mad:

The US discs only include foreign languages as DD 5.1 and can use the available space on a higher bitrate on the english PCM 5.1 (6.9 Mbps compared to the european 4.6 Mbps).

I just hope Buena Vista stop doing this, it's really annoying. Seriously, even if you're german, italian, french or spanish, woudn't you rather listen to the real actors voice in the original sound mix than some local voice actor?

UK is getting the same european multi lingual discs as mainland Europe. Most of mainland europe likes movies dubbed in their own countries language, as that is what they are used to seeing in their movie theaters. The solution to this would be BD50's for europe, if they aren't already using them.

But the picture says Commentary. So it may, indeed, have ALL extras.

The commentary ain't on there. Numerous posters on the DVD Times forum have confirmed this. It's a misprint on the back cover.

I'm still tempted to pick this up though since it has the rest of the extras. I'll wait til Disney announces its release over here(which should be soon) and look at the specs for that version before deciding.

UK is getting the same european multi lingual discs as mainland Europe. Most of mainland europe likes movies dubbed in their own countries language, as that is what they are used to seeing in their movie theaters. The solution to this would be BD50's for europe, if they aren't already using them.

They already use BD 50... unfortunately the space isn't enough.

They already use BD 50... unfortunately the space isn't enough.

Perhaps the way forward is lossless codecs rather than uncompressed PCM...

*edit* i'd prefer if we in the UK, got separate discs from the rest of europe with english only tracks of the best possible quality, then they could remove the english tracks from the non english european versions if they needed the space... but then what if europeans want english too? i'm sure some of them would want to hear the film in it's original english audio. producing a different disc for every european country would cost a lot more to produce, so we are stuck. Maybe they could give us the same pressings as the US version.

One thing is for sure, we are gonna need 2x BD50s for a decent amount of extras.

All three of these are must haves for me.

Anyone know if xploited will be selling them?

For dubbed tracks - I think the best solution is to always encode dubtracks with DD 5.1.
That's not that space consuming.

But lossless for dubs...that's really a waste of space!
In my opinion of course...
:)

The commentary ain't on there. Numerous posters on the DVD Times forum have confirmed this. It's a misprint on the back cover.

I'm still tempted to pick this up though since it has the rest of the extras. I'll wait til Disney announces its release over here(which should be soon) and look at the specs for that version before deciding.

oh ok. i didn't know that.

Thanks :) I'm in the same boat as you.

For those interested, HD addicts has The Rock and AFO for pre-order.

So, any word of the PQ on Con Air, Crimson Tide and Air Force One?
:)

All three of these are must haves for me.

Anyone know if xploited will be selling them?

Will they be must-haves again when the domestic versions come around? I feel patient lately....

So, any word of the PQ on Con Air, Crimson Tide and Air Force One?
:)

Con air looks like a faded print, is virtually free of film grain but doesn't have a lot of fine detail. It has 1 or 2 pixel wide edge halos at times, which you may or may not notice. Still plenty of detail to warrant upgrading over DVD.

Air Force One, like The Rock, looks pristine, has a bit of fine film grain and lots of fine detail. Nothing to complain about.

I haven't got Crimson Tide yet.

I will say that the PQ and sound are excellent (on The Rock) so if you are sitting on the fence then rest assured, although the commentary isn't there, the rest of the package is great.

Thanks for the mini reviews everyone. I can't wait until I receive these four BDs on Monday. I am way too impatient to hold off for the US releases.

Thanks cybersoga!
The only one that I'm on the fence about is Con Air...

But if it's the print that's at fawlt...i doubt we'll see an improved copy anytime soon so...
:)

Dumb question but will these region 2 BD's play in standard BD players (like the Sony S1) or is the PS3 required?

Dumb question but will these region 2 BD's play in standard BD players (like the Sony S1) or is the PS3 required?

All these are A,B,C Marked, they'll play on Any BD player in the world.

Thanks ryoohki!!!

Earlier than expected, I received my Crimson Tide and Air Force One BDs from Amazon UK (I presume my other BDs will show up on Monday). I only had a little time to scan a few scenes.

The PCM tracks on both discs are indeed 48 kHz/16-bit.

Crimson Tide looks marvelous. I couldn't spot any signs of edge enhancement or digital noise reduction. There are a few shots with a soft focus due to how the movie was filmed, but the vast majority of the disc is incredibly detailed. I noticed the occasional dirt and specks from the print. The end result is a very film-like, yet highly detailed image that is sure to please any videophile.

The same traits apply to Air Force One, except film grain is a bit more prominent.

Anyone on the fence over these two BDs would do no wrong by making a purchase.

The Rock and Conair a MUST HAVE...especially The Rock since it's one of my favorite movie. I'm still keeping my Criterion dvd set.

I am awaiting a good review on the PQ/SQ of The Rock Blu-ray as I thought the audio sucked big time in all the SD DVD Editions except the LD version.

So far so good. Con Air looks outstanding. I was expecting alot more grain than what is visible on this disc. I would say about %95 of the movie looks like a new release with just a few shots here and there that weren't spectacular. The first 2 minutes or so start off a lil shaky with a hint of noise in a sky shot and the occasional small specks of dirt here & there. On the whole though this is just an amazing job by Buena Vista.

Audio is spectacular as you can imagine with the PCM track....dialogue is clear and never got lost in the more frenzied louder moments. The crash sequence in Vegas in particular was just awesome with lots of surround effects and great LFE. Although that could be improved upon just a bit IMO.

While leaving a little room for improvement, as others have stated if you're a fan, you will pleased with the PQ & AQ of this title. Once again Disney/Buena Vista deliver the goods.

Now to watch Crimson Tide. My copy of The Rock shipped today from sendit.com so hopefully that will be here before the end of the week. SO far im very glad I imported these titles.

Maybe I will go ahead and get Air Force One now as well. How's the PQ on this title for those who have received their copy?

Watched Crimson Tide today, nothing to complain about :)

Does every Jerry Bruckheimer film project terminal screen readouts on peoples faces? :D

I ordered a copy of Con Air. It shipped today. I suppose that means I get it next monday...?

I ordered a copy of Con Air. It shipped today. I suppose that means I get it next monday...?

Rachel, I got mine in exactly five days from amazon.com/UK but I paid a lil extra for the expedited shipping as well. Not sure about the standard shipping times.

I received my copies of Con Air, The Rock and Hostel. The PCM track on all three of these BDs is 48 kHz/16-bit. I only had a chance to take a quick look, so I couldn't adequately test the audio quality.

I agree with everything tkbryant said about Con Air's picture quality. Like with Crimson Tide and Air Force One, there are specks of dirt that appear on the screen from time to time throughout the movie. The clarity is incredible, black levels appear to be spot-on, and compression doesn't seem to have affected the image. The same applies to The Rock, although film grain is more noticeable and thankfully wasn't DNR'd to hell.

Hostel's image quality didn't really impress me. Understanding that all of its "problems" may be related to the master, I noticed lots of block noise shimmering in the background. Edge halos were also prominent.

I highly recommend Air Force One, Con Air, Crimson Tide, and The Rock for those thinking about buying them. The Rock is indeed missing the audio commentary, but the other listed extras on all of these BDs are intact. Disney does need to get on the ball when it comes to labeling disc features.

Maybe I will go ahead and get Air Force One now as well. How's the PQ on this title for those who have received their copy?

Honestly I was very let down with the PQ of Airforce One. I saw lots of film debris and the picture was VERY soft. I give it a 3/5.

It will be interesting to see if Sony reencodes it for release here in The USA or if they will just use the BV encode.

~Josh

Honestly I was very let down with the PQ of Airforce One. I saw lots of film debris and the picture was VERY soft. I give it a 3/5.

It will be interesting to see if Sony reencodes it for release here in The USA or if they will just use the BV encode.

~Josh


Thanks. I will prob wait for the Sony domestic version then. They have been very good lately with catalog transfers, so maybe their master is better than BV's UK copy.

Anyone else get their copy of AFO yet?

Thanks. I will prob wait for the Sony domestic version then. They have been very good lately with catalog transfers, so maybe their master is better than BV's UK copy.

Anyone else get their copy of AFO yet?
I have Air Force One. What Beatboy mentioned is not at all related to the transfer, but rather to the source material. The movie has a rather thick layer of film grain, but it really isn't distracting to me. There are quite a few shots with a soft focus, but the majority of what I saw looked crisp. Negative things related to video encoding, such as compression artifacts, are not a problem. In fact, I was very impressed by how the video encode preserved the film grain without having things go awry.

In my opinion, this disc is definitely good HD material for my new 1080p projector. Just understand that not everything ought to look like King Kong.

Just received Con Air, Air Force One, and Crimson Tide. WOW that was fast! Now I'm just waiting on sendit.com for The Rock.

I have Air Force One. What Beatboy mentioned is not at all related to the transfer, but rather to the source material. The movie has a rather thick layer of film grain, but it really isn't distracting to me. There are quite a few shots with a soft focus, but the majority of what I saw looked crisp. Negative things related to video encoding, such as compression artifacts, are not a problem. In fact, I was very impressed by how the video encode preserved the film grain without having things go awry.

In my opinion, this disc is definitely good HD material for my new 1080p projector. Just understand that not everything ought to look like King Kong.

Okay, you convinced me. :) Hows the audio on AFO btw? I remember the SD version packing a pretty good wallop for the time.

Any word on whether the Rock uses the Criterion transfer and if there is much improvement?

Whats the typical delivery time for sendit.com? I had to order AFO from them as well since Amazon/UK is already out of stock on all 4 of these films. Weird that they dont offer expedited shipping on sendit.

Rachel, I got mine in exactly five days from amazon.com/UK but I paid a lil extra for the expedited shipping as well. Not sure about the standard shipping times.

I took regular shipping which is almost as fast during light shipping periods. It's all air-mail these days. They don't do the slow, cheap ship loads anymore. I figur a week to New York and then two days to here. I'll be counting the days with plenty to watch. If I'm pleased with this 'un, I'm gonna get Starship Ttroopers if it doesn't get announced here, maybe...?

I took regular shipping which is almost as fast during light shipping periods. It's all air-mail these days. They don't do the slow, cheap ship loads anymore. I figur a week to New York and then two days to here. I'll be counting the days with plenty to watch. If I'm pleased with this 'un, I'm gonna get Starship Troopers if it doesn't get announced here, maybe...?


Yeah, im thinking about pre-ordering Starship Troopers as well, it should translate very well to hi-def IMO, both audio & picture wise. I think that one is gonna rock hard!!! Thank god for region free discs right now! ;)

Okay, you convinced me. :) Hows the audio on AFO btw? I remember the SD version packing a pretty good wallop for the time.
The PCM track can indeed pack a pretty good wallop. Automatic gun fire, fighter jets, explosions, and sometimes the musical score, output a satisfying amount of low bass.

Most importantly, the PCM track reveals just how great this movie's audio mix really sounds. It is perfectly balanced; not once did I have the urge to lower or raise the volume. Dialog is always intelligible and the sound effects/musical score comes across crystal clear. Furthermore, this mix makes brilliant use of the surround channels. This disc's PCM track is one of the best that I've heard in a while.

In case there was any doubt, I want to verify that The Rock is uncut. In fact, the knife throwing sequence is in one of the three scenes chosen for the movie showcase feature.

So, for those of us who are a fan of these movies, is there any reason to wait until they're available in the U.S. besides possibly a lower price?

So, for those of us who are a fan of these movies, is there any reason to wait until they're available in the U.S. besides possibly a lower price?
I really don't see any reason to hold off besides the lower price. The US release of The Rock may have the commentary track, but who knows. The audio/video quality of these four Disney releases is superb. As a fan of these four movies, and made obvious by my blind faith in these BDs, I couldn't wait for the impending US releases. If you can comfortably afford these BDs and are truly a fan of the movies themselves, then I say buy the UK versions. I highly doubt the US versions will add anything meaningful, if anything at all. I know that I will never again buy these movies on disc.

So, for those of us who are a fan of these movies, is there any reason to wait until they're available in the U.S. besides possibly a lower price?

Problably the lack of audio commentary on The Rock, but if you allready listened to it or dont want it, I'd say there's no reason to wait :)

One more thing about The Rock, in the US the double disc set with all the extras was released by Critereon NOT Buena Vista (or Hollywood pictures that released the bare bones dvd), and so far Critereon have not put any titles on HD at all. In europe Buena Vista released the 2 disc including the extras. So there are no guarantee the US disc will have those extras if released by other than Critereon (Buena Vista/Hollywood pictures) who might sit on the rights for the extras for the North american market. Just a thought ;)

I'm still gonna wait to compare the US release. It could always have a 24-bit PCM track.

Yeah, im thinking about pre-ordering Starship Troopers as well, it should translate very well to hi-def IMO, both audio & picture wise. I think that one is gonna rock hard!!! Thank god for region free discs right now! ;)

I think it's time for wee-jun codes to say bye-bye. If Blu wants to win, scrapping the codes is one more avenue towards acceptance. I've heard more than one European comment that they don't want Blu with codes or without a work-around.

I expect Starship Troopers will have a few weaker, less-well shot scenes but overall will look just fine. How can such a sardonic movie seem so funny....? "Wanna learn more?". ;)

One extra note about The Rock: I previously suspected Buena Vista omitted the commentary because of lack of disc space due to dubbed tracks, but the disc does not include any dubbed languages in DTS MA or any other space hungry format. In fact the only soundtracks are the english PCM 5.1 and standard DD 5.1 (in english as well).

So, I am sad to say there's no good reason for omitting the commentary. They obviously got the rights to it since they put it on the DVD :(

Actually, the commentary track is not on Disney's DVD version. It's on Criterion's disc, which probably has the rights to it.

i never bothered with commentary tracks on any of the movies i own on dvd, and certainly wont bother with them on BD. i tried a couple of times to watch the movie with commentary on, and just end up falling asleep. does the director tell us who came up with, "i'll take pleasure in gutting u, boy."?

Actually, the commentary track is not on Disney's DVD version. It's on Criterion's disc, which probably has the rights to it.

Yes and no. In the US the commentary and all extras are on the Criterion 2 disc DVD (the single disc from Hollywood pictures did not have any extras). In the UK Buena Vista released The Rock as a 2 disc set with all the extras from the Critereon release including the commentary. (There was an now OOP version that was cut and had no extras prior to the 2 disc though).

We will probably face a similar situation with Starship Troopers, the DVD 2 disc set was released in the US by Sony. In europe Buena Vista only had rights to the extras from the first US release, not the 2 disc set. We'll see what end up on the BD. :)

Yes and no. In the US the commentary and all extras are on the Criterion 2 disc DVD (the single disc from Hollywood pictures did not have any extras). In the UK Buena Vista released The Rock as a 2 disc set with all the extras from the Critereon release including the commentary. (There was an now OOP version that was cut and had no extras prior to the 2 disc though).

We will probably face a similar situation with Starship Troopers, the DVD 2 disc set was released in the US by Sony. In europe Buena Vista only had rights to the extras from the first US release, not the 2 disc set. We'll see what end up on the BD. :)

Ah, I see what you were referring to now. This is what happens when you're oblivious to releases from other regions :)

any possibility that the Rock WILL get the commentary in another region?

$40 each? That's a little steep! Plus shipping from UK to NYC, plus the wait time. I do love The Rock, but I think i'm going to wait till BV releases stateside.

$40 each? That's a little steep! Plus shipping from UK to NYC, plus the wait time. I do love The Rock, but I think i'm going to wait till BV releases stateside.
At Amazon UK, I got these four BDs for a bit less than $40 each with shipping to NJ included. The wait to get them all was exactly one week. Well worth it in my opinion, but I'm not the patient type.

I checked Amazon UK, but they seem to be sold out. Oh well. Thanks for the tidbit, though.

I should add that I'm not sure how Amazon UK operates their pricing. These BDs show up as $41 before I checkout, but then appear as $35 right before I place the order. Am I getting some kind of discount?

I should add that I'm not sure how Amazon UK operates their pricing. These BDs show up as $41 before I checkout, but then appear as $35 right before I place the order. Am I getting some kind of discount?

VAT is being removed from your order as you are outside the UK.

Try out sendit.com or blahdvd. The more you buy the more you get to save.

any possibility that the Rock WILL get the commentary in another region?

If Buena Vista hold the rights to it in that region (remember, there are only three of them A, B, C). But now it would seem Critereon hold the rights on the US market (region A), and they have not issued any HD discs at all. If you want the commentary, hope for another region B release or region C perhaps...

I checked Amazon UK, but they seem to be sold out. Oh well. Thanks for the tidbit, though.


Try sendit.com. They are actually cheaper than amazon.com/uk.

What's the status of these being released later this year in the U.S. Will have they have the same video/audio specs etc....?

How to save £4 by ordering the below titles

The Rock (Blu-ray) - £17.99
The Island (Blu-ray - OFF THE SCHEDULE) - £16.99

Access the URL http://www.dvdbargainsuk.com/

Click on
- BlahDVD - £2 Voucher - HERE!
- BlahDVD - £5 Voucher - HERE

Create 2 different accounts by clicking on the £2 voucher

After applying voucher the price is reduced by £2

The Rock (Blu-ray) - £15.99
The Island (Blu-ray - OFF THE SCHEDULE) - £14.99

Total : £30.98 (including Shipment - yes blahdvd doesn't charge for shipment)

I think this is the cheapest deal one can get for these 2 titles provided they don't cancel the order.

Total amount you will spend in USD : $62

Try sendit.com. They are actually cheaper than amazon.com/uk.

http://www.hdaddicts.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=739

I ordered The Rock Blu-ray in blahdvd.com.
I heard that it's BD-25 and not BD-50. I think this may be the reason for the missing audio commentary. I request the owners to check and confirm.

I ordered The Rock Blu-ray in blahdvd.com.
I heard that it's BD-25 and not BD-50. I think this may be the reason for the missing audio commentary. I request the owners to check and confirm.
I looked at the back of the disc and can confirm that it's a BD-50.

MSmith83 - Thanks for the confirmation but I don't trust BVHE cover art specs. If you have a HTPC do check again and revert back. Sorry for the trouble.

MSmith83 - Thanks for the confirmation but I don't trust BVHE cover art specs. If you have a HTPC do check again and revert back. Sorry for the trouble.
I didn't check the cover art, but rather looked at the disc itself. There are two inner-rings with information, indicating that it's a dual-layer disc.

Furthermore, the disc sustains an audio/video bit-rate range that cannot be stored on a BD-25 given the movie's length.

I just got the UK Crimson Tide - the audio is absolutely stellar, but the i was a bit disappointed visually. You can make out the sweat on the actor's faces more clearly than on DVD but to me the picture seemed very soft for high-def, and there were numerous flecks and bits of dirt on the print.

MSmith83 - Thanks for the confirmation but I don't trust BVHE cover art specs. If you have a HTPC do check again and revert back. Sorry for the trouble.

The Rock is a BD50 (around 34GB).

I looked at the back of the disc and can confirm that it's a BD-50.

No excuse for no commentary then.

Gonna wait and see if another location gets it.

It was on the back of the box for a reason.

In case anyone is interested in knowing, Air Force One, Con Air, and Crimson Tide are also on a BD-50.

In case anyone is interested in knowing, Air Force One, Con Air, and Crimson Tide are also on a BD-50.

And AFO is another one that didn't carry over the commentary.

No excuse for no commentary then.

Gonna wait and see if another location gets it.

It was on the back of the box for a reason.
Yes, there is certainly no excuse for the missing audio commentary considering what's on the disc. I doubt that another location will be getting the commentary for the initial release of this movie. Looking at the situation surrounding the mislabeling of audio bit depth, it seems that Disney's mislabeling of information is universal across regions. I think it is safe to assume that it's merely a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

However, if you strongly desire the audio commentary for whatever reason, it doesn't hurt to wait if you are the patient type. I personally couldn't care less about the audio commentary. It does irk me that Disney still can't get their specifications right.

Yes, there is certainly no excuse for the missing audio commentary considering what's on the disc. I doubt that another location will be getting the commentary for the initial release of this movie. Looking at the situation surrounding the mislabeling of audio bit depth, it seems that Disney's mislabeling of information is universal across regions. I think it is safe to assume that it's merely a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

However, if you strongly desire the audio commentary for whatever reason, it doesn't hurt to wait if you are the patient type. I personally couldn't care less about the audio commentary. It does irk me that Disney still can't get their specifications right.

I'm going to wait on all. To be honest, HD DVD has a crapload of great releases and BD has none. I'll spend my money there. Should the US BD versions have less extras, I'll just get the import. If they have the same or more, I win.

I got my copy of Con Air in and it looked purr-dy good. It doesn't have much on the extras menu. I'm pleased and I'm gonna order Starship Troopers from the U.K.

The Rock (Blu-ray) - £17.99
The Island (Blu-ray - OFF THE SCHEDULE) - £16.99


The Rock at BlahDVD is now showing up as £23.89 ... is this typical at BlahDVD after release or did they jack up the price because it was popular?

It's £27 in HMV and Virgin Megastore (UK high street!) Cheapest online i've seen is £18.

The Rock at BlahDVD is now showing up as £23.89 ... is this typical at BlahDVD after release or did they jack up the price because it was popular?

I think they have jacked up the price.
It was initally 21.48, then was dropped to 17.99 and now it's up to 23.89 which is atrocious.

Check attached images.
I hope that they don't cancel my orders for NO REASON.

Got my copy of AFO today even though The Rock was shipped the day before this title. Weird. Any way the audio on AFO is just phenomenal!! This title will hold it's own against any new title released today. Excellent dynamic range, tight bass, and dialogue that comes through without ever being drowned out by the effects or the soaring music score which is one of my faves.

Video is pretty top notch too. A little grainy at times with darker scenes but nothing out of the norm. Blacks were dead on and details were outstanding. I had forgotten how dark the cinematography was in this film but it comes through nicely with it's cool blues and grays look.

Just ordered The Rock, AFO, Crimson Tide and Con Air from sendit.com. Thanks for all the reviews and I can't wait to receive them next week. I was tired of waiting on the releases so with the reviews here it was a no-brainer.

I have Superbit Air Force One.

The audio rocks. I mean really rocks.

The video is soft. I would say BELOW average for standard dvds being released today.

Question: Should I double-dip and buy Blu-ray Air Force One? I would hope the video is MUCH better than the superbit version (crappy video).

thanks.

My Rep at Disney just sent me some discs of some recent Buena Vista releases of The Rock, Con Air, Airforce One and Crimson Tide from the UK.

All are AVC, PCM 5.1 4.6 Mbps 16bit and all play fine in my PS3.

The Rock
Picture Quality - 4.5/5
Audio Quality - 4/5
Special Features - 4/5
Overall - 4.5/5

Comments: This is without a doubt the best transfer that has ever been available for this action classic. The image is sharp and free of any film debris. My wife even commented the following; "Yeah, you can tell this is HD because I can clearly see the make-up on Nicholas Cage's face." The image does have a nice film grain appeal, especially during this dark scenes. I saw absolutely no macroblocking and I was meticulously looking for it. During every explosion or during the famous "chase" scene in the beginning through the streets of San Francisco it was as smooth as silk. In terms of audio quality I listened using the PCM 5.1 option and it sounded wonderful. The center channel was used to perfection for the dialog, the Surrounds were given a major workout with all of the explosions and background sounds and the LFE gets the workout of a lifetime. Simply put guys, this one is a no-brainer, get it now!

Crimson Tide
Picture Quality - 5/5
Audio Quality - 4/5
Special Features - 3/5
Overall - 4.5/5

Comments: Without a doubt the best in-terms of PQ out of the four. This picture for lack of a better term is flawless. It is crystal clear, free of grain and debris and is as sharp as a razor. The colors are perfect and completely life-like. I am completely blown away by this transfer. The AQ of this release is very good as well. The center channel get a nice workout and does a fabulous job of presenting the dialog in a clear and understandable way and the surrounds are used to perfection in many of the "weather" and "action" sequences. This release without a doubt is a MAJOR improvement over its DVD counterpart

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3682/rock1jy5.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/121/rock2tk2.jpg



~Josh


You are one lucky guy beatboy :) The Rock Criterion looked great upconverted last time I saw it.. I hope Xylon is able to make a comparison of them...

I have Superbit Air Force One.

The audio rocks. I mean really rocks.

The video is soft. I would say BELOW average for standard dvds being released today.

Question: Should I double-dip and buy Blu-ray Air Force One? I would hope the video is MUCH better than the superbit version (crappy video).

thanks.

I'm sure the Blu-Ray will be much better, however it all depends how much do you like the movie..

I have Superbit Air Force One.

The audio rocks. I mean really rocks.

The video is soft. I would say BELOW average for standard dvds being released today.

Question: Should I double-dip and buy Blu-ray Air Force One? I would hope the video is MUCH better than the superbit version (crappy video).

thanks.

I got the Con Air and I thought it looked good. I think Air Force 1 is a film with a bit of an intentional, soft look. Soft will always look best in HD. Soft looks blurry in SD. If I liked the Rock enough, I'd order it based on recommendations here....My next import is Starship Troopers..... :)

Thats it. Where do I fill out the form to review BDs?

Why is every Michael Bay film about some sort of island?

Can we assume these will look the same when released in the U.S?

The Rock, Crimson Tide and Con Air to be released in Japan on 2007/Oct/17

Check out amazon.co.jp for more information

Anyways I ordered The Rock from blahdvd for the same price which is on it's way.

It's too bad Criterion doesn't release The Rock and, for that matter Armageddon on BR.

The latter's director's cut isn't even available on an anamorphic DVD...

It's too bad Criterion doesn't release The Rock and, for that matter Armageddon on BR.

The latter's director's cut isn't even available on an anamorphic DVD...

In the UK Buena Vista released the director's cut of Armageddon on a 2 disc DVD set (anamorphic, 2 commentaries and extras), so they might release the same set on BR... minus the commentaries of course, they'll probably throw in french and spanish dubs in DTS MA instead ;)

Would the UK version CRIMSON TIDE play on my Samsung B1000 player? I am hesitant in ordering it unless I am sure it will play on this U.S. player. I have the UK versions of HARRY POTTER/GOBLET OF FIRE, THE PIANIST and THE ELEPHANT MAN, all of which play fine on my Toshiba A1.

The Rock, Crimson Tide and Con Air to be released in Japan on 2007/Oct/17

Check out amazon.co.jp for more information

Anyways I ordered The Rock from blahdvd for the same price which is on it's way.

That's probably around the time they'll be released here. Still wondering if anyone will get that commentary. Obviously it was supposed to be included at some point.

Would the UK version CRIMSON TIDE play on my Samsung B1000 player? I am hesitant in ordering it unless I am sure it will play on this U.S. player. I have the UK versions of HARRY POTTER/GOBLET OF FIRE, THE PIANIST and THE ELEPHANT MAN, all of which play fine on my Toshiba A1.

There is no region coding on these discs, so yes they will play fine.

There is no region coding on these discs, so yes they will play fine.


Thanks. I'll order it right now.

Can confirm that Crimson Tide UK disc plays fine on my US Sony BDP-S1 , and looks superb

I,ve seen The Rock yesterday!.

Boy is the audio good, i mean it's blowing you out of the chair!! A very solid soundtrack. Never heard The Rock this good. They did a nice job with the pcm track!!! enjoy!

The only downside is the picture quality in some of the outside shots of alcatraz. It's blurry, unsharp and with a lot of grain. Yugh i looks horrible!! Luckely there are only a few of these shots in the film. Also bay's use of filters can drive you mad!! it's softens the picture sometimes a little. For the rest picture is way, waaayy better dan the dvd (owned also).

Above that, the movie stays as a rock!! what a action, decent actors etc. pump up the volume!!!! :)

Same with Face/Off Blu-ray. There are some film grains and dirt in few of the scenes. But 80% of movie sustains the high def glory. The PCM track is mind blowing. I am expecting the Rock to be delivered anytime.. We can't expect miracles with these decade old movies but it's definitely worth the upgrade as you never get to see and hear it any better than in HD.

Same with Face/Off Blu-ray. There are some film grains and dirt in few of the scenes. But 80% of movie sustains the high def glory. The PCM track is mind blowing. I am expecting the Rock to be delivered anytime.. We can't expect miracles with these decade old movies but it's definitely worth the upgrade as you never get to see and hear it any better than in HD.

Better warn you're neighbors if you have any.... :D

I thought I would give a short review on the Blu-Ray version of the movie Crimson Tide

The movie itself still stands up very well, and has not dated at all. The theme of the film is still very relevant in the politics of today. At its heart the film has a very strong cast, with Mr. Gene Hackman and Mr Denzel Washington at the forefront. I haven't seen Crimson Tide for a few years,and I have to say that I was totally gripped by the drama as it unfolds.

The actual disc itself is a UK region B title , but is an all region, ABC, as marked on the back cover and the running time is 116mins or 115 and 46 seconds to be exact.which I believe indicates that this is original theatrical version.It has a 1080p transfer and Visually this disc is quite simply one of the finest HD presentations on the Blu-Ray format. I could not detect any noise/grain in the picture and the image was sharp ,with the colours being vibrant when needed. This was the case when director Tony Scott uses strong red, green and blue shafts of light on the actor's cu's.There are plenty of shots where you very clearly see every amount of sweat which adds to the overall tension.Black detail is good without being crushed,and fleshtones look perfect. I could only count two spec's of dirt,and the disc has a very clean,smooth film like look.There wasn't any video artifacts or compression issue's that I could see.

Audiowise the disc has Dolby digital 5.1,DTS is only in french or Spanish 5.1and an english PCM 5.1. 48khz 24 bit audio. I listened to the PCM track (via hdmi) and was suitably impressed by the clarity and depth of the track.The surrounds are put to good use many times. The constant rumble of the submarine could be heard at all times,with explosions giving a wide and loud soundstage. The only problem with the centre channel was that although it was clear most of the time, it occasionally got lost in the mix. One final observation was at the very end of the movie as Gene Hackman's character is handed his dog , the audio can be heard to dip slightly before regaining itself for the credit sequence. This seems to be on all tracks.

The menu screens are a bit dull,with 32 chapters.Extra's are bog standard, the most interesting being the all access on set feature.The deleted scenes are here, and were included in the recent extended version on Dvd. Cover art has the horrible silver effect over the right side-yuk.

I viewed the disc on a Sony BDP-S1 f/w 2.0 hdmi to Sony VW50 in 1080/24p. Audio PCM5.1 hdmi to a Sony es3200.



Davide

I have just gone through all 4 of them and IMO I thought that Con Air looked the best.

thought that Con Air looked the best

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

please tell me you can't be serious ? please ...

they must have used an old master. i've never seen an HD transfer so "sharpened up" - edge halos everywhere. it's one of the ugliest HDs discs i've seen out there. i stopped watching it after 5 mins (and scanning through the disc). i didn't pay good money for this crap.

My Rep at Disney just sent me some discs of some recent Buena Vista releases of The Rock, Con Air, Airforce One and Crimson Tide from the UK.



~Josh

Would it be a real burden on you to put UK in the thread title? I believe you were asked to this in the past. Those of us who aren't interested in foreign releases would appreciate it.

Mods, can you modify the thread title and put UK in it?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

please tell me you can't be serious ? please ...

they must have used an old master. i've never seen an HD transfer so "sharpened up" - edge halos everywhere. it's one of the ugliest HDs discs i've seen out there. i stopped watching it after 5 mins (and scanning through the disc). i didn't pay good money for this crap.

I don't find it as unwatchable as you do and at some times there is a decent picture there but it is nasty in some places. The part when he arrives at the dock at the start has some serious edge enhancement that I've never seen to this extent on HD material before.

Would it be a real burden on you to put UK in the thread title? I believe you were asked to this in the past. Those of us who aren't interested in foreign releases would appreciate it.

If you actually are interested in the movies themselves, why wouldn't you be interested in imports? Sure they cost almost twice as much and never have as many extras but so what? Sometimes it's the only way to get a proper High Definition version of a specific film.

I love the fact that we're not limited to just domestic HD releases. This is coming from a movie lovers perspective.

i humbly ask that beatboy alter the title as well. thank you.

Has there ever been a movie with more Kubrick references than Crimson Tide?

1) The story is, of course, remarkably similar to Dr. Strangelove. Not just the impending nuclear holocaust theme, but the stock Kubrick theme of looming disaster caused by breakdown in communication is present here as well.

2) On the bus going to the sub's departure, the chubby guy who fails to address his senior officer correctly is called "fatboy," which is also what Gomer Pyle is called in Full Metal Jacket. He is ordered to "get down and give me 10," very much like DI Hartman in this movie.

3) Gene Hackman's character plays the piano music by Schubert which has become inextricably linked with the scene in Barry Lyndon where Barry kisses Lady Lyndon for the first time.

4) At one point Captain Ramsey says something like "am I to go crazy and say yee-haw?", which sounds like a reference to Major Kong on the B-52 in Dr. Strangelove.

5) As tension rises, Washington's character says something like "I think you should get some rest," which to me sounded like Hal 9000's famous suggestion that Dave relax, take a stress pill and think things over.

6) The officer who remains loyal to Captain Ramsey (he who says "I'm going in to see my captain") makes what has become known as "the Kubrick stare" (Dave before reentering the Discovery, Pyle before shooting Hartman, etc.), as he points his gun at Hunter.

7) On several occasions images on monitors are "projected" onto the faces of the sub's crew, like they do (contrary to the laws of physics) onto Dave's face as he prepares to reenter the Discovery.

I absolutely love this movie. The acting is incredible, the script is very, very well written, and it is chock full of Kubrick references. And the BD looks and sounds gorgeous, BTW :) .

Has anyone noticed (for example on the titles) that this transfer of Air Force One brings us back to the hey days of poor quality laserdiscs, when some titles were transfered with a picture that was not stable and shaking? Truth be told, it's a disgrace for any studio to produce such a bad release today, be it on SD DVD or HD DVD or BD. Except that small detail withthe shaking(!), the PQ is fine and the sound excellent. But a picture shaking does not contribute to its being crisp, sharp and clear. I do not recommend this BD, to anyone.

I still have to see CT and CA. I commented briefly on the Rock in another thread a few weeks ago.

Josh, I didn't both reading this entire thread, but I purchased The Rock BD about 2 months ago myself (or whenever it came out) and I have concluded it's one of the best-looking BDs I own...do the other 3 look as good as this one?

What's the word on the US releases?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

please tell me you can't be serious ? please ...

they must have used an old master. i've never seen an HD transfer so "sharpened up" - edge halos everywhere. it's one of the ugliest HDs discs i've seen out there. i stopped watching it after 5 mins (and scanning through the disc). i didn't pay good money for this crap.

Actually I thought con-air had a superb picture.The audio was fantastic also.

Has there ever been a movie with more Kubrick references than Crimson Tide?

1) The story is, of course, remarkably similar to Dr. Strangelove. Not just the impending nuclear holocaust theme, but the stock Kubrick theme of looming disaster caused by breakdown in communication is present here as well.

2) On the bus going to the sub's departure, the chubby guy who fails to address his senior officer correctly is called "fatboy," which is also what Gomer Pyle is called in Full Metal Jacket. He is ordered to "get down and give me 10," very much like DI Hartman in this movie.

3) Gene Hackman's character plays the piano music by Schubert which has become inextricably linked with the scene in Barry Lyndon where Barry kisses Lady Lyndon for the first time.

4) At one point Captain Ramsey says something like "am I to go crazy and say yee-haw?", which sounds like a reference to Major Kong on the B-52 in Dr. Strangelove.

5) As tension rises, Washington's character says something like "I think you should get some rest," which to me sounded like Hal 9000's famous suggestion that Dave relax, take a stress pill and think things over.

6) The officer who remains loyal to Captain Ramsey (he who says "I'm going in to see my captain") makes what has become known as "the Kubrick stare" (Dave before reentering the Discovery, Pyle before shooting Hartman, etc.), as he points his gun at Hunter.

7) On several occasions images on monitors are "projected" onto the faces of the sub's crew, like they do (contrary to the laws of physics) onto Dave's face as he prepares to reenter the Discovery.

I absolutely love this movie. The acting is incredible, the script is very, very well written, and it is chock full of Kubrick references. And the BD looks and sounds gorgeous, BTW :) .

That might be down to the Tarantino polish

I thought I would give a short review on the Blu-Ray version of the movie Crimson Tide

The movie itself still stands up very well, and has not dated at all. The theme of the film is still very relevant in the politics of today. At its heart the film has a very strong cast, with Mr. Gene Hackman and Mr Denzel Washington at the forefront. I haven't seen Crimson Tide for a few years,and I have to say that I was totally gripped by the drama as it unfolds.

The actual disc itself is a UK region B title , but is an all region, ABC, as marked on the back cover and the running time is 116mins or 115 and 46 seconds to be exact.which I believe indicates that this is original theatrical version.It has a 1080p transfer and Visually this disc is quite simply one of the finest HD presentations on the Blu-Ray format. I could not detect any noise/grain in the picture and the image was sharp ,with the colours being vibrant when needed. This was the case when director Tony Scott uses strong red, green and blue shafts of light on the actor's cu's.There are plenty of shots where you very clearly see every amount of sweat which adds to the overall tension.Black detail is good without being crushed,and fleshtones look perfect. I could only count two spec's of dirt,and the disc has a very clean,smooth film like look.There wasn't any video artifacts or compression issue's that I could see.

Audiowise the disc has Dolby digital 5.1,DTS is only in french or Spanish 5.1and an english PCM 5.1. 48khz 24 bit audio. I listened to the PCM track (via hdmi) and was suitably impressed by the clarity and depth of the track.The surrounds are put to good use many times. The constant rumble of the submarine could be heard at all times,with explosions giving a wide and loud soundstage. The only problem with the centre channel was that although it was clear most of the time, it occasionally got lost in the mix. One final observation was at the very end of the movie as Gene Hackman's character is handed his dog , the audio can be heard to dip slightly before regaining itself for the credit sequence. This seems to be on all tracks.

The menu screens are a bit dull,with 32 chapters.Extra's are bog standard, the most interesting being the all access on set feature.The deleted scenes are here, and were included in the recent extended version on Dvd. Cover art has the horrible silver effect over the right side-yuk.

I viewed the disc on a Sony BDP-S1 f/w 2.0 hdmi to Sony VW50 in 1080/24p. Audio PCM5.1 hdmi to a Sony es3200.



Davide


Thanks for the review

Actually I thought con-air had a superb picture.The audio was fantastic also.

Are you fine with all the sharpening/edge halos etc. like on the dock scene I mentioned?

The PQ of this three are "OK". Nothing spectacular. Still an upgrade over DVD.

Starship Troopers however are much, much better PQ. Well worth the price.

How is the PQ/SQ of Con-Air ?

Are you fine with all the sharpening/edge halos etc. like on the dock scene I mentioned?

I didn't notice any.im going to have to watch it again.

Anyone have any screenshots of The Rock?

The PQ of the UK Starship Troopers is very sharp, but the picture is slightly unstable/shaking (much less so than Air Force One, but still noticeable). Nevertheless, II watched the BD with pleasure. The sound is good too. Does anyone know why this title has been removed from the US release schedule?

The PQ of this three are "OK". Nothing spectacular. Still an upgrade over DVD.

Starship Troopers however are much, much better PQ. Well worth the price.

Xylon I disagree with you for the first time. The PQ of The Rock is a tad short of spectacular. I don't think the PQ can be improved further. BVHE is doing a tremendous job.No offense.

Damn Im jealous. Do you get all of these at no charge for reviewing? If so sign me up these HDM's are breaking my bank..

I am not sure whether the biggies like Xylon, Denner are getting anything out of this forum but there is no doubt that their contributions have so far been priceless.

Xylon I disagree with you for the first time. The PQ of The Rock is a tad short of spectacular. I don't think the PQ can be improved further. BVHE is doing a tremendous job.No offense.

I agree the black level in the Rock stands it out and the detail on show make it a great disc imoh

Not saying any of these 3 movies are bad or crappy. Not at all. PQ is very much improved over SD or broadcast.

What I'm saying is I have these 3 and Starship Troopers. If I'm going to choose which one is the "best" looking then I will pick ST. Ifyou can't wait and willing to pay extra they are worth the wait.

Gotta have them if you are going to balance out your BD collection with Ghost Rider in it :o

I will post screenshots from ALL four movies eventually.

I agree the black level in the Rock stands it out and the detail on show make it a great disc imoh

I agree as well for the same reasons. The Rock has some of the best high frequency detail that I've yet to witness on either format.

I suspect that Xylon's forthcoming direct screen grabs will prompt many people here to import The Rock.

From scanning the thread, I can see that Crimson, The Rock, Con Air are region free but I didn't see a definitive answer about Starship Troopers.

Can someone confirm that the UK import of Starship Troopers will play in Region 1 (US)? Thanks ahead of time.

Yes, Starship Troopers is coded A, B, C and plays on my Samsung BD P1200.

Yes, Starship Troopers is coded A, B, C and plays on my Samsung BD P1200.

Thanks for the info valmont74.....

Thanks for the info valmont74.....

It also plays ont he PS3.

watched it last night,looks good.Some of the space scenes were magnificent!

Not saying any of these 3 movies are bad or crappy. Not at all. PQ is very much improved over SD or broadcast.

What I'm saying is I have these 3 and Starship Troopers. If I'm going to choose which one is the "best" looking then I will pick ST. Ifyou can't wait and willing to pay extra they are worth the wait.

Gotta have them if you are going to balance out your BD collection with Ghost Rider in it :o

I will post screenshots from ALL four movies eventually.

ST first pretty please :)

Watched "Crimson Tide" tonight. It looks good. But could look better. There is edge enhancement which is quite distracting in some shots. But because it's a dark film most of the time not a big issue. And there are some jaggies. Also pure colors show at times the half resolution color difference signal limitations. This film could use 4:4:4 color.

slightly disappointed in the UK version of The Rock, not because of the PQ or AQ but because this isn't the original theatrical version. It's been edited in quite a few places. I hope the US release will be uncut or atleast the theatrical version.

A few seconds looks to be edited in the U.K version but someone mentioned that it was UNCUT and gave solid proof.

Is the Australian version uncut?

Imdb.com has a list of the alternate versions and the scenes that were edited and cut. the australian version appears to have been edited quite heavily. id post a link but im replying to this with my iphone. if you google "rock" "alternate version" and "imdb" it should show up

Imdb.com has a list of the alternate versions and the scenes that were edited and cut. the australian version appears to have been edited quite heavily. id post a link but im replying to this with my iphone. if you google "rock" "alternate version" and "imdb" it should show up

Does not mean the blu-ray is cut.

the censor rating on the box on would tell if it was or not. the uk has a 15 rating.

Can anyone confirm that AIR FORCE ONE is not cut? Thanks.

I've been waiting for The Rock for some time now to be released in the US as it hopefully won't be edited. Can we alter the title to indicate this is actually a foreign release please?

Just say NO to circumcised movies! Leave it up to the parents to decide what's best, not some movie doctor. :D

Can anyone tell me what the running time is on the Air Force One BD? I've seen it listed at 120 minutes, but the DVD is 125 minutes. I just want to be sure it's not cut. Thanks.

I've been waiting for The Rock for some time now to be released in the US as it hopefully won't be edited. Can we alter the title to indicate this is actually a foreign release please?

I thought it was confirmed a while back that the UK Blu-Ray was not edited.

Can anyone tell me what the running time is on the Air Force One BD? I've seen it listed at 120 minutes, but the DVD is 125 minutes. I just want to be sure it's not cut. Thanks.

Air Force One (J - BD) Running Time - 125 minutes. :)
Excellent PQ. Typical Wolfgang style. Soft but detailed. Bottom Tier 1 or Top Tier 2 material.
Reference SQ. Next to Underworld and Patriot.

Thanks, LGans. When you say "J - BD", do you mean the Japanese BD?

Yes. J - BD means Japanese BD.