I remember at last years CES one of the blu-ray displays was showing the movie "Hero" with Jet Le.

Have there been any updates on a release of this visually stunning film?

I remember at last years CES one of the blu-ray displays was showing the movie "Hero" with Jet Le.

Have there been any updates on a release of this visually stunning film?

I would love to see Hero on Blu-ray, great PQ/AQ. I have not heard anything about a release on bluray though. :(

If they do it I hope it's the slightly longer director's cut. But probably not as I think I'm the only person who prefers that version.

One of the first BVHE blu-ray promos showed 'Hero.' I know that the promo is on 'Jay and Silent Bob.' I'm sure that it is on other older blu-rays like that, i.e. 'Gone in 60 Seconds'. Too bad there is no word on 'Hero' recently.

If they do it I hope it's the slightly longer director's cut. But probably not as I think I'm the only person who prefers that version.

you're not the only person that prefers the longer version.

This is a must buy for me and based upon the quality of the dvd version, it should show much better than HOFD.

i want i want i want!!!

This is a must buy for me and based upon the quality of the dvd version, it should show much better than HOFD.

yup, too bad can't say the same for CTHD as of now. Hero may actually come out in asia before we see it here. i'd prefer the import one if that's available as it'd have subtitles in chinese no space wasted on dubbed tracks. should also get the dir cut as well if available in HK.

i want i want i want!!!

"My Sassy Girl" in BD would be nice too.

Hero DC will be released in GERMANY 10/11. Perhaps this is a sign for a soon us release.

Hero DC will be released in GERMANY 10/11. Perhaps this is a sign for a soon us release.
You have a link?

You have a link?


Got an email from the Label (Highlight) which is distributed in Germany by Paramount. No Specs anounced until now, only the release date.

Hero DC will be released in GERMANY 10/11. Perhaps this is a sign for a soon us release.On Blu-ray or just DVD?

On Blu-ray or just DVD?


Blu-Ray AND HD-DVD

Please let it have english subtitles....

And the German version doesn't have English subtitles...not only that, the two ratings on Amazon.de for the HD-DVD are 1 star and the Blu-ray, 1 rating that's 2 stars. The Blu-ray review on there proclaims "Worst Blu-ray ever." Ouch. I hope this is coming out soon, and in the Director's Cut, which I haven't seen.

Anybody want to tell me the differences between the cut we got on DVD vs the Director's Cut?

Another Jet Li movie "War" is up for pre-order at Amazon but no sign of Hero yet.

I wish they'd get off their arses and get this out there.

without ICT.

Ive been waiting for this one for quite a while. Hopefully we could get that, Fearless, and a somewhat better release of House Of Flying Daggers somewhere in the near future.

I would love this movie on Blu-Ray. And what ever happened to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?

The transfer sucks. It's only 1080i and is loaded with Edge Enhancent. It is in need of a brand new master.

Please avoid the german and dutch version of Hero BD at all cost!
I got the dutchfilmworks version... my eyes simply can't bare it. Baddest PQ title of the moment! Stick to the Japanese DVD which is the best version at the moment.

...
I got the dutchfilmworks version... my eyes simply can't bare it. Baddest PQ title of the moment! ...

You contradict yourself: I suppose you meant to say "worst PQ"; the (mainly American) slang word "baddest (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=baddest)" means quite the opposite of "worst".:D

I don't suppose anybody has anymore info on whether this has been released on bluray yet? (not that dodgy German version....) Such a beautiful movie, its a shame not to have it as a demo-disc, some of the most gorgeous visuals of any movie.

I don't suppose anybody has anymore info on whether this has been released on bluray yet? (not that dodgy German version....) Such a beautiful movie, its a shame not to have it as a demo-disc, some of the most gorgeous visuals of any movie.

I agree.

I love this movie, and will definitely be purchasing it as soon as it is released on Blu.

The transfer sucks. It's only 1080i and is loaded with Edge Enhancent. It is in need of a brand new master.

It's 1080p and doesn't have any edge enhancement.

It's is low bitrate MPEG-2 and blocks like crazy. It is also ridiculously grainy. Even grain lovers might find the grain overbearing. Not much you can do about it though if you want to keep the original look.

^ WTH? The DVD didn't show that much grain.

Filmed in Super 8mm... Not. Something weird is going on.

those pictures are a travesty, it looks better upconverted from the DVD

^I loved Hero.
But I will not buy a heavy grain/low bitrate release.
Hero is not a candidate for a 25gb disk.

The gift of HD-DUD keeps on giving...:rolleyes:

Filmed in Super 8mm... Not. Something weird is going on.

If only...

When will people learn that MPEG2 and 25GB aren't compatible. It needs room to breathe. Give it space and it look as good as anything else.

But if you try to squeeze it, you end up with Fox's worst catalogs.

Who the hell owns the right to the US release? And why isn't it available yet?

Better yet, where the F is the BD Kung Fu? I want my Iron Monkey.

The amount of grain/noise looks unreal like it was overlaid onto the soft image.

If only...

When will people learn that MPEG2 and 25GB aren't compatible. It needs room to breathe. Give it space and it look as good as anything else.

But if you try to squeeze it, you end up with Fox's worst catalogs.

Who the hell owns the right to the US release? And why isn't it available yet?

Better yet, where the F is the BD Kung Fu? I want my Iron Monkey.

That would be Miramax, or possibly Weinstein after the whole split


I remember using this on DVD as my first upconvert JUST because of the colors and the way it was filmed.

^I loved Hero.
But I will not buy a heavy grain/low bitrate release.
Hero is not a candidate for a 25gb disk.

The gift of HD-DUD keeps on giving...:rolleyes:

Yeah, because it has nothing to do with the transfer, compressionist, etc :rolleyes:

The amount of grain/noise looks unreal like it was overlaid onto the soft image.

I agree. What's going on here? :confused:

That is NOT grain, guys and gals. That is an example of not anough bits resulting in massive artifacting. Check out left of the tear streem on Zi-Yi's face. There is smearing and pixelating.

Yeah, because it has nothing to do with the transfer, compressionist, etc :rolleyes:

"the transfer, compressionist, etc" is PRECISELY why a 25gb shouldn't be used.:rolleyes:

"the transfer, compressionist, etc" is PRECISELY why a 25gb shouldn't be used.:rolleyes:

Hero was not a long movie (93 min for the original version, 107 min for the extended version). If this was properly compressed and encoded, 25GB should have been plenty for even a demo quality disc. If there is any blame, it should be squarely on compressionist or the source and not on any dead format or codec. 25GB for 100 min film works out to 40MBps, more than plenty bitrate even for MPEG-2 even after subtracting for overhead and audio.

That is NOT grain, guys and gals. That is an example of not anough bits resulting in massive artifacting. Check out left of the tear streem on Zi-Yi's face. There is smearing and pixelating.

I've seen enough bad mpeg-2 on broadcast HD to know what bitstarved mpeg-2 looks like.... and those screen shots don't look like it. They look more like the master used was incredibly bad with noise from hell. I can't believe that's how it looked in theaters.

Hero was not a long movie (93 min for the original version, 107 min for the extended version). If this was properly compressed and encoded, 25GB should have been plenty for even a demo quality disc. If there is any blame, it should be squarely on compressionist or the source and not on any dead format or codec. 25GB for 100 min film works out to 40MBps, more than plenty bitrate even for MPEG-2 even after subtracting for overhead and audio.

Yes. There are plenty examples of great looking discs on 25 GB discs... The Eye, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Warrior, Crank (While it's on a 50 GB disc, it has two versions on there...meaining each could fit on a 25 GB disc).

I just hope that this won't be another House of flying dagger...BR mistake.

I've seen enough bad mpeg-2 on broadcast HD to know what bitstarved mpeg-2 looks like.... and those screen shots don't look like it. They look more like the master used was incredibly bad with noise from hell. I can't believe that's how it looked in theaters.

Never mind theaters.

It didn't look like that on the DVD!

Those linked images look like an upscaled DVD with a grain filter added in Photoshop.

I think Eric is screwing with us.

I think Eric is screwing with us.

heh, I picked scenes with the most grain to show the extremes. I didn't touch anything.

Here's a comparison vs the DVD I found on a german site: http://web12.dvd2web.de/hd_hero/hd_hero.htm

heh, I picked scenes with the most grain to show the extremes. I didn't touch anything.

Here's a comparison vs the DVD I found on a german site: http://web12.dvd2web.de/hd_hero/hd_hero.htm

What was the source for the pictures that you posted?

What was the source for the pictures that you posted?

The German HD DVD release from that comparison and the one mentioned earlier in this thread (exact same video/audio as the BD version).

A lot of these films are licensed as-is for North American distribution, so Sony Pictures Classics (US) has no access to the original film and therefore can't remaster it. That's why they can't re-release House of Flying Daggers, because they can't get a new transfer for it. The situation with Hero may be similar, some of the distribution rights for the Zhang Yimou films are a mess because it involves the PRC and a Chinese distribution company which owns the films.

It's too bad Curse of the Golden Flower, which is the Zhang Yimou film I like the least, is the one that looks the best on Blu-ray. :(

I liked CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER but yeah, I like DAGGERS more. Sony was given a 2K digital master for that film that clearly is not the best. That is the best we are going to get from them.

Curse of the Golden Flower looks incredible.
The golds are eye-popping on my BD30/DLP.

Curse of the Golden Flower looks incredible.
The golds are eye-popping on my BD30/DLP.
Well, the thing i like most about this triogy of films is the use of color to convey different things such as emotion. The Blu release of COTGF exemplifies this.

A lot of these films are licensed as-is for North American distribution, so Sony Pictures Classics (US) has no access to the original film and therefore can't remaster it. That's why they can't re-release House of Flying Daggers, because they can't get a new transfer for it. The situation with Hero may be similar, some of the distribution rights for the Zhang Yimou films are a mess because it involves the PRC and a Chinese distribution company which owns the films.

It's too bad Curse of the Golden Flower, which is the Zhang Yimou film I like the least, is the one that looks the best on Blu-ray. :(

THIS

when the studios with release rights in the a particular territory don't physically have access to actual film elements, there is not much they can do. This is the case with many films made in China. The SD releases mask the problems that are unbearable to watch in the HD videotape master that is all the studio has access to.

THIS

when the studios with release rights in the a particular territory don't physically have access to actual film elements, there is not much they can do. This is the case with many films made in China. The SD releases mask the problems that are unbearable to watch in the HD videotape master that is all the studio has access to.
Huh. I never knew this but it explains a lot. It also means I have to let go of some of the grudges I'm holding against a few studios. I know a similar situation exists with many Hong Kong films, which is why we'll likely never see a clean version of Hard Boiled - which makes me a very, very, very sad panda.

I would be a very happy man if Hero and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles were released on Blu.

I would be a very happy man if Hero and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles were released on Blu.
Toss in Fearless and id be right with you

heh, I picked scenes with the most grain to show the extremes. I didn't touch anything.

Here's a comparison vs the DVD I found on a german site: http://web12.dvd2web.de/hd_hero/hd_hero.htm

Well, I was really looking forward to this, but not after looking at those comparison shots. To me, I don't notice any significant difference in detail...the only difference to me is the HD version seems brighter....not enough to justify buying this travesty...WE NEED A REMASTER!

according to http://www.asianblurayguide.com/ there's a french release of Hero coming out Sept 30th. no word on region encode or the quality and specs.

Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and The Banquet are all on my must-have list. i still wish to not have to import even if these french releases are region free.

^Absolutely agree!
Must have BDs.
Please somebody out there give us these great films in pristine BD50s with lossless...

French release coming

Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: French
BD50/99 minutes
Extras: Featurettes, Trailer
2.35:1/1080p/VC1

source: http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=61869

French subtitles, of course. No English.

French subtitles, of course. No English.

heh, i can live with that, i do hope there is chinese subs tho.

The funny thing about the versions of Hero I currently have on DVD is that the absolute best I have for PQ is an Iraqi bootleg I got outside Baghdad in 2004 for $5. PQ is stunning but the transfer is letterboxed. Every R1, R2 or R3 version I have gotten after that has been atrocious in comparison with the bootleg for PQ. I definitely hope for an excellent transfer on BD someday in the US.

Iraqi bootleg?


and those screens don't look like grain at all, but heavy noise.

X2 is a movie that could be called "grainy" and it looks nothing like this

Iraqi bootleg?




There is no Made In China branding, but one probably could presume such too. :)

French subtitles, of course. No English.

Dang!

http://www.blurayreviews.ch/reviews/hero-directors-cut-blu-ray-review.htm

PQ: 2/5
SQ: 4/5

+ Positive:
-- Close-up's offer reasonably solid sharpness and detail values.
-- General solid contrast ratio with mostly strong color reproduction.
-- Negative:
-- Very weak picture quality as good as no high-def feeling.
-- Up to a few shots virtually continuous soft / focus.
-- Virtually bleeding extremely heavy film grain / noise.
-- Details go through the grainy picture is extremely strong.
-- Image seems very flat and offers virtually no plasticity.
-- Very troubled part / zittriges picture.

'Hero - Director's Cut' is a very opulent Strip filmed at the meticulously staged battle sequences set with a lot of attention to detail were detained on celluloid. Only a pity that one of these many details on Blu-ray virtually impossible to get to see, because 'Hero' is exactly the opposite of what you wanted high-definition! The picture is extreme, and we feel really extreme, grainy and sometimes quite noisy. We are basically no film grain Hasser, but if sharpness and Detailzeichung including such suffering, it is even us too far.

And that is the case here: The picture is always very soft, especially in distance shots even really vague and almost muddy. Close-up's offer in part at least reasonably solid values, but also offer no compensation for the remaining so-called high-resolution image. Since it is not surprising that the film across very flat and virtually no plasticity. Really a shame, because a film like 'Hero' is so beautiful pictures has to offer, would have to Blu-ray deserves better. It is worth noting the difference to the availability of standard-definition DVD versions but only very slightly.

http://www.blurayreviews.ch/reviews/hero-directors-cut-blu-ray-review.htm

PQ: 2/5
SQ: 4/5

Damn! :mad:

http://www.blurayreviews.ch/reviews/hero-directors-cut-blu-ray-review.htm

PQ: 2/5
SQ: 4/5

this is the german copy right? think we've already read that the german copy is terrible in quality.

The screen captures on that page are pretty mediocre. Normally grain is a good thing but why is Hero that grainy? Was it that grainy in the theaters? I don't understand.

I saw this film on a huge screen when it was released and so far nothing has come close to representing how this film looks. Those BD screencaps are an abomination. That is not what HERO should look like.

The 720p HD version I have from Canada is vastly superior.

Damn after all this time it sounds like they botched it:mad:

Well hopefully they will release a US version that is superior...2/5 PQ??:(

Here are a couple of screenshots from the new French release:

http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/images/thumbs/004044.png (http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/images/004044.png)

http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/images/thumbs/006518.png (http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/images/006518.png)

http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/images/thumbs/045276.png (http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/images/045276.png)

http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/images/thumbs/104672.png (http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/images/104672.png)

Also got French House of Flying Daggers - are there any full sized screenshots around (from the US release) I could compare against?

Cheers! ;)
Peto

Wow, that does NOT look right at all! My DVD looks better. Something weird going on there. I don't think that fuzz is grain.

That transfer makes House of Flying Daggers look like King Kong. Out of focus with noise on top.

Here are a couple of screenshots from the new French release

Looks like a DNR'd version of the German release :mad:

Oh wow that looks atrocious.

ugh

Who will be releasing this in US? Sony?

Looks like a DNR'd version of the German release :mad:

I'm not even sure it's DNR. It looks like the whole picture is on extreme miore.

Those screenshots are terrible, worse than DVD.

Definitely something wrong, if I brought that disc I would be asking for a refund.

holy crap that looks horrible. Worse than the DVD by a mile.

Looks like a DNR'd version of the German release :mad:

Well, I was thinking the same when matching those screenshots to your HD DVD captures (couldn't match the 3rd one exactly though). Definitely a dire disappointment! :mad:

I hope the HoFD disc will fare better (will have a look later today)...

Peto

(The screenshots were ripped from the raw VC-1 stream through AviSynth (DirectShowSource decoded by WMP10), so I'm pretty sure they show what's really on that disc...)

Well, I was thinking the same when matching those screenshots to your HD DVD captures (couldn't match the 3rd one exactly though). Definitely a dire disappointment! :mad:

I hope the HoFD disc will fare better (will have a look later today)...

Peto

(The screenshots were ripped from the raw VC-1 stream through AviSynth (DirectShowSource decoded by WMP10), so I'm pretty sure they show what's really on that disc...)

Thanks for the screenshots. Can you run this tool on it to get bitrate specs?: http://www.cinemasquid.com/Tools.aspx

Here you go Eric:


Total Video
Title Codec Length Movie Size Disc Size Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track Secondary Audio Track
----- ------ ------- -------------- -------------- ------- ------- ------------------ ---------------------
HERO VC-1 1:38:39 22 734 065 664 29 073 248 652 30,72 24,57 DTS-HD Master 5.1 2169Kbps (48kHz/16-bit)


DISC INFO:

Disc Size: 29 073 248 652 bytes
Protection: AACS
BD-Java: No

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name: 00058.mpls
Size: 22 734 065 664 bytes
Length: 1:38:39 (h:m:s)
Total Bitrate: 30,72 Mbps
Description:

FILES:

Name Size Length Time In Time Out
---- ---- ------ ------- --------
00065.M2TS 22 734 065 664 1:38:39.914 0:00:00.000 1:38:39.914

VIDEO:

Codec Bitrate Description
----- ------- -----------
VC-1 Video 24575 kbps 1080p / 23,976fps / 16:9 / Advanced Profile 3

AUDIO:

Codec Language Bitrate Description
----- -------- ------- -----------
DTS-HD Master Audio French 2169 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 2169kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 1536kbps)
DTS-HD Master Audio Chinese 2153 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 2153kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 1536kbps)

http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/hero.png

Cheers! ;)
Peto

What in the hell is going on in those screenshots?

Here you go Eric:


Total Video
Title Codec Length Movie Size Disc Size Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track Secondary Audio Track
----- ------ ------- -------------- -------------- ------- ------- ------------------ ---------------------
HERO VC-1 1:38:39 22 734 065 664 29 073 248 652 30,72 24,57 DTS-HD Master 5.1 2169Kbps (48kHz/16-bit)


DISC INFO:

Disc Size: 29 073 248 652 bytes
Protection: AACS
BD-Java: No

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name: 00058.mpls
Size: 22 734 065 664 bytes
Length: 1:38:39 (h:m:s)
Total Bitrate: 30,72 Mbps
Description:

FILES:

Name Size Length Time In Time Out
---- ---- ------ ------- --------
00065.M2TS 22 734 065 664 1:38:39.914 0:00:00.000 1:38:39.914

VIDEO:

Codec Bitrate Description
----- ------- -----------
VC-1 Video 24575 kbps 1080p / 23,976fps / 16:9 / Advanced Profile 3

AUDIO:

Codec Language Bitrate Description
----- -------- ------- -----------
DTS-HD Master Audio French 2169 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 2169kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 1536kbps)
DTS-HD Master Audio Chinese 2153 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 2153kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 1536kbps)

http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/hero/hero.png

Cheers! ;)
Peto
Maybe all the noise is eating up the bitrate:D

That is the definition of a defective product. Imagine paying for THAT!!

I'd like to defend the German Blu-ray a little...

It certainly doesn't look great, because of the heavy grain/noise, but detail was ok and it was still very watchable on a 120'' scope screen (and certainly a lot better than the PAL DVD). At least it had a consistent, film-like look, unlike for example Gangs Of New York which looked extremely digital (EE, DNR) and was, for me, utterly unwatchable on the 120'' screen.

So of course I would appreciate it if someone, somewhere would release a better (sharper, less grainy) version of Hero, but for the time being this is the best version available and a clear step up from the DVD.

P.S. Those french screencaps look really horrible...

I'm lost for words. Is this an*whisper it*... upscale?

Peto, don't suppose you've had chance to look at House of the Flying Daggers have you?

Well at least Curse of the Golden Flower was bearable.

Peto, don't suppose you've had chance to look at House of the Flying Daggers have you?

I was moving to a new flat over the weekend - I planned to take the screenshots before packing my PC, but didn't have time to do it in the end. Now, in the new flat, everything's a mess, but the foundation stone of our household - the PC ;) - is up & running since yesterday, so I'll try to take the screenshots tonight...

Cheers!
Peto

I just noticed the screenshots of Hero on the previous page. It looks like they compressed the entire movie to .gif before encoding. :p

I was moving to a new flat over the weekend - I planned to take the screenshots before packing my PC, but didn't have time to do it in the end. Now, in the new flat, everything's a mess, but the foundation stone of our household - the PC ;) - is up & running since yesterday, so I'll try to take the screenshots tonight...

Cheers!
Peto

Cheers Peto :)

ugh

Who will be releasing this in US? Sony
Miramax owns it so it should be a Disney release.

Hi all!

The screenshots from the new French HoFD BRD can be found here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14791135#post14791135)...

Cheers! ;)
Peto

Back in 2007 I said Hero would be the one single movie that could get me to buy Blu-ray early, if it was of good quality and it had English subs. That never happened.

Now it's late 2008 and I finally have Blu-ray, and Hero with English subs is still not available. What's the frickin' holdup?!?!?

And it's sad that the BR releases so far (without English subtitles) look so crappy. Hero screams Blu-ray. IMO it's the most aesthetically beautiful film of all time. However, as someone said, some of those screengrabs really do look they GIFified the film first before Blu-raying it. It's a real travesty.

One of the problems limiting any BR release of Hero could be the source. The film was a victim of it's own success in that so many prints were struck from the original negative caising it to degrade rapidly. I'm sure there's a decent source out there somehwhere but it's no coincidence that no DVD of Hero came anywhere near to doing the film justive either. And yes, that includes the artificially colour 'corrected' and boosted Japanese DVD :)

The 720p transfer of HERO shown in Canada blows away what has been passed off on BD as 1080p HD (I have it recorded on DVHS). So there IS a magnificent source out there. It just hasn't been seen on Blu-Ray yet.

as has been pointed out in another thread - films like this from China have complex rights issues, and the US distributor usually does not have access to the original film elements. Hero is one such case. The US distributor can only release versions based on the master they have legal rights (and physical access to), which in this case is really, really poor quality.

So, I would not expect a high-quality release of Hero on BD in the USA if there is one at all.

as has been pointed out in another thread - films like this from China have complex rights issues, and the US distributor usually does not have access to the original film elements. Hero is one such case. The US distributor can only release versions based on the master they have legal rights (and physical access to), which in this case is really, really poor quality.

The American DVD from Miramax is not the same master as was used internationally. The American theatrical and home video releases of the movie have English prologue text at the beginning not present in any other version of the film. The color transfer is also slightly different.

That translation Miramax used is completely different. It's not bad, but they changed some ideas and concepts to be less Eastern and more Western.

That translation Miramax used is completely different. It's not bad, but they changed some ideas and concepts to be less Eastern and more Western.
Yeah, I saw the international version first, then picked up the Miramax release later, and was thrown off a bit by the change. I'd like to have the original version whenever it's released on Blu. I only ever watch the film in Mandarin anyway, so a subtitle change isn't that big a deal.

The 720p transfer of HERO shown in Canada blows away what has been passed off on BD as 1080p HD (I have it recorded on DVHS). So there IS a magnificent source out there. It just hasn't been seen on Blu-Ray yet.
Where did you get that? I'm also in Kanuckistan.


The American DVD from Miramax is not the same master as was used internationally. The American theatrical and home video releases of the movie have English prologue text at the beginning not present in any other version of the film. The color transfer is also slightly different.
I'd actually prefer an international release on Blu-ray. I have one international DVD of Hero, and I prefer that version of the English subs.

I suspect any non-North American company that decides to release a good quality 1080p24 Blu-ray version without region coding would sell a fair number as exports, as long as the subtitles were good.

I got it from some guy who had the Canadian HD-Cable showing recorded. My copy is on DVHS. Tape sucks, but it's the only option for numerous titles.

I own a dutch version of the Hero BD released by DutchFilmworks(DFW).
It feels like wathing a vhs tape on a HD screen. I will never buy anything from DFW again. I'd stick to your dvd until a remastered version will be released.

So, Matt_Stevens wins this thread so far. It almost makes me wish I had a DVHS deck. ;) Well, maybe not. :p

Too bad I missed that broadcast. I have Rogers HD cable in Ontario, and don't recall it being aired (cabled?).

I also like the longer cut.

I'll take any version in high def as long as it has the properly translated subtitle track.

Mistranslating the three words, "All Under Heaven" as "Our Country" for example.

I have a region 0 DVD from Hong Kong that looks great, has DTS and has the right subs.

I own a dutch version of the Hero BD released by DutchFilmworks(DFW).
It feels like wathing a vhs tape on a HD screen. I will never buy anything from DFW again. I'd stick to your dvd until a remastered version will be released.

Dutch Filmworks have released a number of good discs. Their release of Reservoir Dogs is superior to Lionsgate's.

I think the problem they have with Hero is the same that others studios have. The source material provided by the original Asian studio is not very good quality. There really aren't any good DVD releases of the movie in any region.

Josh and I disagree with this in regards to DVD. I think the Japanese DVD release rocks. he hates the color choices made in that transfer and I look at it as being a a superbly beautiful (for SD) release. The subtitle track is fine and the sound is astounding (no argument from anyone on that point).

But again, the HD version I have is glorious. 720p, yes, but 720p kicks ass compared to 480i!

Spanish BD - to be released by Sony

http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=19910
http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=19995

Audio: This is a flaw - the DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 4200 kbps is wonderfully dynamic and strong - but it is only for the English DUB! The original Mandarin Chinese audio is relegated to a 640 kbps at 5.1. So, they give the DUB a lossless HD and the film's original audio isn't even rate DTS. Bad decision Miramax.

Source: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews46/hero_blu-ray.htm

God damnit. How many times are studios going to **** up Blu-ray releases!? :mad:

There is a review of "Hero" on the DVD Beaver web page.

And at $44.99 MSRP to top it off. :mad:

^ link: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews46/hero_blu-ray.htm

Looks pretty good. The audio is a MASSIVE f*** up though.

I was already thinking of passing on this particular release and wait for something from another country that had the extended cut and improved subtitles, but no way am I buying this now.

I'm thinking (and hoping) that it's a pressing error. Wouldn't the solicitation specs have listed lossless for both tracks? I also wonder what the back of the package says.

"The original Mandarin Chinese audio is relegated to a 640 kbps at 5.1"

Although the video may be the best of the current releases, the audio might may be a dealbreaker for me.

^ link: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews46/hero_blu-ray.htm

Looks pretty good. The audio is a MASSIVE f*** up though.

What's up with the audio?

I'm thinking (and hoping) that it's a pressing error. Wouldn't the solicitation specs have listed lossless for both tracks? I also wonder what the back of the package says. I don't think so. The video is 38mbps plus all the listed audio tracks add up to 6mbps, so 44mbps total, there wouldn't be enough room for another 5mbps DTS-MA. They will have to re-do the video encode at a lower bitrate to fit lossless Mandarin.

This news really ruined my day. One of my favorite movies and the video looks like it did in fact get a new transfer, but the audio is crap.

Gee you would think the original audio would get the lossless not the dub. Guess like others i will have to wait for a foreign release if this information turns out to be true as this particular film has a fabulous soundtrack and i want lossless not lossy for this one.

"The original Mandarin Chinese audio is relegated to a 640 kbps at 5.1"



Ouch!

Haha, that's actually pretty funny.

I'm still getting the boxset, though. It's cheaper to get that than to get Iron Monkey, Zatoichi, and Drunken Master separately.

The only other release guaranteed to have English subs is the UK version but Disney/Miramax is also handling that. Hero has already been released in about 6 other countries, and none of them have English subs. If there was to be another foreign release in the future with English subs there's no guarantee that it would have the new film transfer.

Once again, I have another D-VHS recording I cannot retire. **** this crap. This is just in your face stupidity.

This is what happens when the main target audience is Sony Playstation owners.

This is what happens when the main target audience is Sony Playstation owners.

Speaking as a former Playstation owner i really think such comments are not accurate. The Playstation still represents one of the best players out there for those wishing to get into Blu Ray and have few issues with playback.

Speaking as a former Playstation owner i really think such comments are not accurate. The Playstation still represents one of the best players out there for those wishing to get into Blu Ray and have few issues with playback.

I started with a PS3 too, but studios marketing departments will look at PS3 owners as being the main audience for Blu-ray movies and a PS3 owner are more likely to view Hero in English.

Would anyone have complained if the Mandarin was in DTS MA, and the English dub was in 1.5 DTS? This is absurd!! I'm really begining to hate studios now, and I find myself looking for reviews to buy discs, when I shouldn't need to.

This is what happens when the main target audience is Sony Playstation owners.

I'm a PS3 owner, and this comment is insulting and absurd. This mentality that gamers aren't capable to recognize half-assedness is a load of bullsh... Also, I always watch movies in their original language.

Anyway, if the only lossless track on this disc is for the DUB, and if they recycle the same crappy transfer from the DVD release, I'm passing on this. Which is a real shame because I've been waiting for this news for a long time.

I can definitely understand wanting to listen to the original Mandarin track and using subtitles. They should have made it the opposite.

Is it just me, or there are a lot of blu ray **** ups recently?

This news really ruined my day. One of my favorite movies and the video looks like it did in fact get a new transfer, but the audio is crap.

Please. 640kbps Dolby Digital is not "crap". The biggest jump in audio quality will be from 480kbps Dolby Digital to 640kpbs DD. From 640kbps to lossless it is diminishing returns. If you were to notice any difference between lossy DD@640kbps and lossless, it would probably be minimal at best.

This is what happens when the main target audience is Sony Playstation owners.

Actually, I believe the main target audience for this disc is the same target audience for every other disc any studio's video division releases, which is as many consumers as possible, ie, mainstream audiences.

Like it or not, in the US, the majority of people don't care for foreign language films. These marketing hacks aren't really stupid, you know. They know what sells the most here, and if it is a foreign language film, a dubbed track is virtually a necessity. Why do you think discs get released like this in the US market? Just to piss off a handful if members of AVS Forum?

Dam so pissed...only lossless track on dub language...seriously what were they thinking...will take a pass unitl this gets fix :mad:

Anyone got a contact email for Miramax to voice displeasure?

Miramax won't be seeing any of my money...

Visually it looks pretty good to me. Can anybody with other releases confirm that this US version is better imagewise than the other versions that have come out previously like the german release?

As for audio, that US original language audio is pretty damn annoying. Disney are also releasing Hero on the 14th of September in the UK so there's a slim chance that that version might have better audio.

The Spanish version of Hero is also coming out this September but is being released by Sony, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 original language audio and Spanish Dolby TrueHD 5.1. You can find the audio info below:

Spanish audio info (http://www.1080b.com/blu-ray/caratula-hero/3916/)

The real question is whether the image quality will be disappointing like all the other previous releases or like this US one that seems to have been remastered. If I had to guess, I'd bet on the former. Knowing Sony from previous spanish releases like Memento that was region locked, I wouldn't be surprised if this was as well.

The DVD Beaver review complains of DNR but I don't see it in the caps - I think the condition of the image is reliant upon the elements that were supplied by the Asian distributors. For what it is, it looks pretty decent. But the ridiculous SRP plus the lack of HD audio on the original language track will likely keep me away from this release for quite some time.

DVDBeaver TC | German DC MPEG2 16mbps | French TC VC1 25mbps

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2720/1aus.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2720/1aus.jpg)http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/9817/1bger.th.png (http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/9817/1bger.png)http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/8058/1cfr.th.png (http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/8058/1cfr.png)
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-In comparison #7 the composition of the shot is different for the director's cut
-French release has some horrible DNR (see the right side of comparison #1)
-I believe all DVD and broadcasts are derived from the same master as the German and French releases
-old transfer has too much grain, new one has too little? Looks a bit on the smooth side. Unknown if this is the best the movie can look. The Chinese studio could have given Miramax a low quality copy to work with.

If you were to notice any difference between lossy DD@640kbps and lossless, it would probably be minimal at best.

no.

Till date, online stores used to save us $$$ with their promotions but nowadays Studios are saving us the entire cost of the disc by screwing up the release.

? send an e-mail with your questions or comments to mmx.info@miramax.com
? write us at: Miramax Films c/o Marketing 161 Avenue of the Americas, 15th Floor New York, NY 10013
? call us at: (917) 606-5500


Rant all you want...

Disney/Buena Vista is generally very good when it comes to listening to consumers. Don't know why nobody sent in "Nuts"(or the GONY equivalent) when GONY was released.

Even if they don't fix it, they will be more likely to be more thoughtful in the future. It's not like all of America is illiterate...at least not yet.:o

Till date, online stores used to save us $$$ with their promotions but nowadays Studios are saving us the entire cost of the disc by screwing up the release.
LOL!
True, true...


It's not like all of America is illiterate...at least not yet.:o

Not for another week or two.
Reminds me of Mike Judge's Idiocracy.:p

LOL!
True, true...




Not for another week or two.
Reminds me of Mike Judge's Idiocracy.:p
Believe it or not my favorite joke from that might be the most remedial
F-bomb thata way ->Butt****ers lol, it's funny because it's a restaurant(even funnier if you've been to a Fuddruckers). I would buy that if it was on BD.

DVDBeaver TC | German DC MPEG2 16mbps | French TC VC1 25mbps

-In comparison #7 the composition of the shot is different for the director's cut
-French release has some horrible DNR (see the right side of comparison #1)
-I believe all DVD and broadcasts are derived from the same master as the German and French releases
-old transfer has too much grain, new one has too little? Looks a bit on the smooth side. Unknown if this is the best the movie can look. The Chinese studio could have given Miramax a low quality copy to work with.

Thanks as always Eric. I take it the German MPEG2 shots are from the HDDVD? Shame about the audio as the Miramax release is the preferred from a visual standpoint imo. There looks to have been some brightness tinkering and DNR but not really at the expense of any detail due the poor elements in the first place. It's proportionally tighter too. The German one is pretty much a write-off and the French release looks to have its gamma out of whack.

Looks like Edko are the last hope when and if they ever get around to it.

What a bummer. This is a great film and this is a real downer. I can't stand dubbed movies. Oh well just have to chalk this one in the L column. Funny thing is most mainstream moviegoers don't even like these movies because they are unrealisitic to them. To them Jeff Speakman and Steven Segal are the best martial arts have to offer. This a foulball for Miramax.

Cheers

This is what happens when the main target audience is Sony Playstation owners.

This is such a ****ing retarded statement. PS3 owners are largely nerds, and therefore would be anal about watching in the original language.

Merged threads

Most people who prefer dubbed tracks don't even know what lossless audio is. At least, that is what I have found in my experience. Not saying it is universal. What is absolute is that more complaints will happen when the original audio track gets the shaft and so the studio really F'd up. No way will they get my money.

This is what happens when the main target audience is Sony Playstation owners.

:rolleyes:

Like it or not, in the US, the majority of people don't care for foreign language films. These marketing hacks aren't really stupid, you know. They know what sells the most here, and if it is a foreign language film, a dubbed track is virtually a necessity. Why do you think discs get released like this in the US market? Just to piss off a handful if members of AVS Forum?
That's a myth. Hero was subtitled during its theatrical run and opened #1 at the box office. Crouching Tiger was subbed as well and performed well. Everyone I've ever known who has been opposed to "reading" a movie has gotten over it after watching a movie or two with subtitles. The mainstream audience doesn't necessarily hate foreign films, its just new to them. (IMHO)

Regardless, there is absolutely no excuse to not give the original language lossless audio. I'd be willing to pay MSRP for a proper copy of Hero, now I will wait till its dirt cheap or hopefully a superior import is released.

so is this release going to look much better then my uncut collectors box version of this movie cause that thing takes up too much space? And to the person complaining about watching subs you must not be a Kung Fu fan then and/or hate the new Taratino flick (lots of subs there)

I started with a PS3 too, but studios marketing departments will look at PS3 owners as being the main audience for Blu-ray movies and a PS3 owner are more likely to view Hero in English.
People really need to find a new scapegoat. The reason this was done is because it's what Miramax does to foreign films. They inevitably find a way to screw something up. Always.

Like it or not, in the US, the majority of people don't care for foreign language films. These marketing hacks aren't really stupid, you know. They know what sells the most here, and if it is a foreign language film, a dubbed track is virtually a necessity. Why do you think discs get released like this in the US market? Just to piss off a handful if members of AVS Forum?

This is just plain wrong and/or ignorant.

As mentioned, Hero was shown in theaters with subtitles....as was intended.

It should be obvious to these marketing geniuses that the biggest purchasers of this movie will be those who are already fans of the film, and that those fans will want the original subtitles, not a stupid english dub.

Movie fans are not as stupid/ignorant as you make them out to be. At least not the ones who would purchase this movie on Blu-ray.

This is just plain wrong and/or ignorant.

As mentioned, Hero was shown in theaters with subtitles....as was intended.

Yes, and the film grossed ~53 million in the US and ~103 million everywhere else, and that for a major production starring Jet Li. Those numbers hardly support the notion that subtitled foreign language films appeal to mainstream American audiences.

Movie fans are not as stupid/ignorant as you make them out to be.

I didn't use the words "stupid" or "ignorant", you did. I said, mainstream American audiences generally don't like to have to read subtitles. That isn't the same thing as being stupid or ignorant, nor does it mean they don't like the films themselves. They just don't care for subtitles.

Yes, and the film grossed ~53 million in the US and ~103 million everywhere else, and that for a major production starring Jet Li. Those numbers hardly support the notion that subtitled foreign language films appeal to mainstream American audiences.

Are you saying that by only providing an English dubbed version, they will now make this movie "appeal to mainstream American audiences"?


I didn't use the words "stupid" or "ignorant", you did. I said, mainstream American audiences generally don't like to have to read subtitles. That isn't the same thing as being stupid or ignorant, nor does it mean they don't like the films themselves. They just don't care for subtitles.

True enough I suppose, though I, being a movie "snob" tend to look at people who think that way as being "stupid" or "ignorant", so when you said that they don't like to read subtitles, I interpreted it that way.

Kind of like the people who hate those stupid "black bars" at the top and bottom of their screen.

I don't think the issue is that the dubbed version is lossless. Obi is correct, that's where the money is, in terms of mainstream marketing. The real issue why they chose lossless for the dubbed version only.

They could have used lossless for both, so the clear message is that they decided to dismiss the preferences of the "film buff" market (i.e., the "handful of members of the AVS Forum"), which is most likely to want both lossless and OST.

Yes, and the film grossed ~53 million in the US and ~103 million everywhere else, and that for a major production starring Jet Li. Those numbers hardly support the notion that subtitled foreign language films appeal to mainstream American audiences.
I'm not disagreeing with you, but just thought I'd play "devil's advocate" and throw this into the mix:

Somewhat remarkably, the top two movies in America have subtitles. Lots and lots of subtitles.

I’d estimate that Inglourious Basterds is less than 50 percent English, with the rest being a mix of German, French and hilariously inadequate Italian, almost all of it subtitled. District 9 uses subtitles for the Prawn, along with Afrikaans, native languages and some difficult-to-understand English.

Two movies is not a trend. But I’m noting these two success stories for the next time I’m told audiences won’t tolerate subtitles.

(Borrowed from screenwriter John August's blog (http://johnaugust.com/))

I'm not disagreeing with you, but just thought I'd play "devil's advocate" and throw this into the mix:

Somewhat remarkably, the top two movies in America have subtitles. Lots and lots of subtitles.

I’d estimate that Inglourious Basterds is less than 50 percent English, with the rest being a mix of German, French and hilariously inadequate Italian, almost all of it subtitled. District 9 uses subtitles for the Prawn, along with Afrikaans, native languages and some difficult-to-understand English.

Two movies is not a trend. But I’m noting these two success stories for the next time I’m told audiences won’t tolerate subtitles.

(Borrowed from screenwriter John August's blog (http://johnaugust.com/))

Still a far cry from a foreign movie filmed entirely in a foreign language. Also, until this posts I didn't know those 2 films were heavily subbed, same prob goes for a lot of other movie goers.

Still a far cry from a foreign movie filmed entirely in a foreign language.

Indeed. This addresses the perspective of the viewer. If a film is primarily in the English language, or whatever the native language is of a given viewer for that matter, that is enough to establish a storyline and the use of foreign language parts with subtitles can actually enhance the story from the viewer's perspective, ie, adding realism to a given story. However, a film entirely in a foreign language lacks the establishing dialog that (some) viewers can relate to.

We are getting into the weeds here, but I don't consider having parts of a film in a foreign language where appropriate that same thing as a foreign language film.

I've got nothing against foreign language films. Hell, I've never even seen Hero in English, and have no plans to. The film doesn't have that much dialogue anyway, I don't see why anyone should complain.

I don't see why anyone should complain.

Wow... just wow...

I am seriously disappointed about this. I don't buy lossy Blu-rays anymore. PASS!

IIRC, the dubbed version is one of the better dubs...as if THAT is any consolation.:rolleyes:

EDIT: or was I thinking of CTHD?:confused:

I sent a polite email expressing my disappointment. I think this is something that can be fixed with enough bitching. We're not asking them to spend a ton of money to create a new transfer like with Gladiator, they just have to encode the Mandarin audio track to DTS-MA and not DD.

This kind of reminds me of the Akira DVD that was released in 2001.

The english dub, although new and in my opinion much better then the original that was on the VHS, was included in 5.1 while the Japanese Audio was only in Surround. This was remedied in part by the release of a alternate version that had a DTS Japanese track. Never got around to buyingn the DTS verson. Kinda a moot point now with blu ray but this Hero issue brought back memories.

Not sure if I will get Hero on blu ray, I was not happy with how the DVD looked versus what I had remembered in the theater after a rental so I never picked it up. I may just end up waiting to see if they release this with better audio options.

I think I'm going to wait for the inevitable Hong Kong version. That will have original audio in lossless and English subtitles.

IIRC, the dubbed version is one of the better dubs...as if THAT is any consolation.:rolleyes:

EDIT: or was I thinking of CTHD?:confused:The wierd thing is, CTHD actually has both the English and Mandarin tracks in lossless. Yes, it's from a different studio, but one has to wonder.

Between this and Gladiator, two of my most wanted BD releases, Im a very sad panda

This is what happens when the main target audience is Sony Playstation owners.

Well if things went the other way and this came out on HD DVD we would probably be complaining about 2 lossy tracks.

I'd rather have 1 in lossless than none.:cool:

The reality is this was a studio decision that had nothing to do with the format.

Between this and Gladiator, two of my most wanted BD releases, Im a very sad panda

Ha, I'm right there with you. But with these glaring problems, I'll just enjoy my DVDs of both Gladiator and Hero that much more (and save myself $40-50 in the process). Ah, these inferior transfers are curing my Blu-ray OC disorder. :)

Ha, I'm right there with you. But with these glaring problems, I'll just enjoy my DVDs of both Gladiator and Hero that much more (and save myself $40-50 in the process). Ah, these inferior transfers are curing my Blu-ray OC disorder. :)
From a video aspect, I think Miramax/Buena Vista did about the best job they could with what they had. This looks miles better than the French and German releases (which look even worse than House of Flying Daggers, IMO). The problem with Hero is the lack of HD audio on the original language track. It annoys me but it's something that I can get over for the right price.

It wasn't too long ago that studios weren't including the original language track at all. At least we seem to have made some progress since then. That doesn't make Disney's shortcoming with this release any less disappointing though, particularly considering that the majority willing to pay for the second or third time to own a superior version of the film, probably aren't representative of that majority consumer that doesn't appreciate such details as original language tracks, or lossless sound for that matter. Your "typical" US consumer probably won't even notice this on shelves and is still virtually indifferent to the BD format, especially for catalog titles they already own or, like most, already rented. That's not the target market for BD, collector's and more dedicated HT enthusiasts are. These releases may eventually trickle down to a broader audience in bargain bins and used markets as HD saturates the American lifestyle, but that's not who's buying now.

Considering the fidelity compromises inherent in so many English dubbed foreign films, I suspect that even at 640kbps, the lossy foreign track will sound considerably better (more detailed, fuller and likely more dynamic) than the English dub will in DTS MA. Whether it's an improvement over the DVD's DTS track is another question entirely. My guess is that only the dialog itself will benefit from the lossless English encode. Warriors of Heaven and Earth offers a good demonstration of how a sound design can be seriously stifled by an alternate language dub as it includes both Mandarin and English tracks in PCM for optimal comparison. The English dub overshadows or cancels out a lot of detail from the original Mandarin mix. As a result the sonic experience seems almost a muffled reflection of the original language experience. The difference is far more dramatic than comparing any lossless vs lossy soundtracks of the same film. Hero may not suffer as dramatically. But I'd be surprised if it there isn't a considerable difference in favor of the lossy Chinese encode.

I sent a polite email expressing my disappointment. I think this is something that can be fixed with enough bitching. We're not asking them to spend a ton of money to create a new transfer like with Gladiator, they just have to encode the Mandarin audio track to DTS-MA and not DD.
I just did the same. I believe that way back when Miramax was releasing Princess Mononoke on dvd that they were planning to release it with the english dub only. Enough people complained that they put the original Japanese audio track on the disc, so if enough of us write them hopefully they can put out a second pressing or something.

Uiversal released BROTHERHOOD OFTHE WOLF on DTheater with NO original audio track. Just the dubbed track, dspite it being released theatrically in French with subtitles. The outrage was massive with countless Dtheater buyers canceling orders and even demanding refunds.

Amazingly, DTheater supported two audio tracks, but none of the studios ever took advantage of that feature.

When Disney announced PRINCESS MONONOKE for DVD it was English dubbd only. Fan reaction was volcanic and Disney was so slammed online and even in print that they had to add the original soundtrack

Uiversal released BROTHERHOOD OFTHE WOLF on DTheater with NO original audio track. Just the dubbed track, dspite it being released theatrically in French with subtitles. The outrage was massive with countless Dtheater buyers canceling orders and even demanding refunds.



I remember that very vividly!

Uiversal released BROTHERHOOD OFTHE WOLF on DTheater with NO original audio track. Just the dubbed track, dspite it being released theatrically in French with subtitles. The outrage was massive with countless Dtheater buyers canceling orders and even demanding refunds.

Amazingly, DTheater supported two audio tracks, but none of the studios ever took advantage of that feature.

When Disney announced PRINCESS MONONOKE for DVD it was English dubbd only. Fan reaction was volcanic and Disney was so slammed online and even in print that they had to add the original soundtrack

I ordered the Canadian DVD of Brotherhood of the Wolf because of its French track. It too was a profoundly more visceral experience compared to Universal's English only DVD. But Universal's DVD had more refined video.

Universal eventually released a Collector's DVD with both English and French tracks. Hopefully when they get around to visiting the foreign films they own domestic rights to on BD, they'll copy Sony rather than Disney.

Once again, I have another D-VHS recording I cannot retire. **** this crap. This is just in your face stupidity.

What's the audio track on that D-VHS, Matt?

From a video aspect, I think Miramax/Buena Vista did about the best job they could with what they had. This looks miles better than the French and German releases (which look even worse than House of Flying Daggers, IMO). The problem with Hero is the lack of HD audio on the original language track. It annoys me but it's something that I can get over for the right price.

Exactly. There is no way I can pass on this when the image is up to par. Letting a few lossy tracks get by shouldn't be too offensive to my precious ears. :D

I ordered the Canadian DVD of Brotherhood of the Wolf because of its French track. It too was a profoundly more visceral experience compared to Universal's English only DVD. But Universal's DVD had more refined video.

Universal eventually released a Collector's DVD with both English and French tracks. Hopefully when they get around to visiting the foreign films they own domestic rights to on BD, they'll copy Sony rather than Disney.
I'm confused here because I bought the original Universal release of Brotherhood of the Wolf and I never upgraded to the special edition with the director's cut... and my copy has the original French audio. It's a ridiculously loud and thumping soundtrack, too, especially compared to the English language dub track.

I'm confused here because I bought the original Universal release of Brotherhood of the Wolf and I never upgraded to the special edition with the director's cut... and my copy has the original French audio. It's a ridiculously loud and thumping soundtrack, too, especially compared to the English language dub track.


Your memory is better than mine sir. I rented the domestic DVD mostly for review comparison. I had already purchased the Canadian 3-disc set - probably for the DTS track and extras rather than for the French language track then. I just still remember feeling I wouldn't have liked the movie near as much had I only heard the English dub.

Is the US release edited in any way? I know that Miramax has a habit of hacking bits out of films... Also, if anyone knows if their versions of Zatoichi or Iron Monkey are missing anything, that would be of use too... I have only seen the films in their original cuts and would like to keep it that way.

Is the US release edited in any way? I know that Miramax has a habit of hacking bits out of films... Also, if anyone knows if their versions of Zatoichi or Iron Monkey are missing anything, that would be of use too... I have only seen the films in their original cuts and would like to keep it that way.
I don't recall anything about the American release of Hero being edited, but this is the theatrical release, not the director's cut.

Miramax dumbed down the subtitles a bit (compared to the HK DVD), but they didn't remove any scenes.

I'm on the fence after hearing this travesty. I didn't spend over 2 grand on sound just to feed it lossy tracks. I never got the DVD because I was waiting on the bluray. Ive waited this long, I can probably wait longer. I'll either wait for a proper lossless OST or an import with english subs.

I'm getting very tired of the ignorance of the studios/publishers behind these releases

It's hard enough trying to sell my freinds and family on bluray without having to tell them that some blurays are actually not worth getting for this or that reason.

I will not buy it, Disney I Am. I will not buy it in a plane. I will not buy it in a train. I do not like this f-d up Blu-ray... no way, no way... Disney I Am.

Dr. Seuss would have fired me as a ghost writer. :D

No doubt this will hit Hong Kong or Korea at some point, so just be patient, folks.

Is the US release edited in any way? I know that Miramax has a habit of hacking bits out of films...

The U.S. release of Hero is the 99 minute theatrical cut. Miramax added some additional prologue text at the beginning and dumbed down the subtitle translation, but did not cut any footage.

A longer 109 minute extended edition was released on DVD in Asia. I've seen both. The longer cut just adds a lot of extraneous filler footage that slows down the pacing and pads some scenes to interminable length. It feels like an incomplete rough cut. There are no new scenes and only a small handful of new lines of dialogue. The 99 minute cut is superior, IMO.

Many thanks.

We need more info on the spanish version, please let us know those who live in that part of the world.

If the pq is just as good as the u.s. release we have a solution, as long as its not locked.

Looks like all 4 movies will NOT feature lossless dub in original language.

Looks like all 4 movies will NOT feature lossless dub in original language.
Damn it. I was looking forward to getting these. I've waited this long, might well wait to see if any imports are good. Stupid effing studios. Hopefully they get their s#(t together by the time 4k screens and media role out.:mad:

Damn it. I was looking forward to getting these. I've waited this long, might well wait to see if any imports are good. Stupid effing studios. Hopefully they get their s#(t together by the time 4k screens and media role out.:mad:

Review of Zatoichi is up at dvdbeaver. Features Japanese DOLL-BEE Digi-dull track at a blazing 640 Kbpsssssssssss :eek::(

Your memory is better than mine sir. I rented the domestic DVD mostly for review comparison. I had already purchased the Canadian 3-disc set - probably for the DTS track and extras rather than for the French language track then. I just still remember feeling I wouldn't have liked the movie near as much had I only heard the English dub.
Just to be sure, and to make sure I'm not delusional or that I didn't buy the Canadian version without realizing it....

This appears to be the original, domestic release of Brotherhood of the Wolf:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k243/Deviation59/1edaa874.jpg

...and yes, that's 5.1 French audio:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k243/Deviation59/6b658972.jpg


...and yes, the French track is bombastic to the point of making the English track seem anemic. Sorry for the crappy pictures but the iPhone was convenient and it had to be at an angle to avoid glare while still getting light.

Ok, I'm starting to waver. This was one of top five in my wishlist (along with other Cirque du Soleil, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Equilibrium, andBulletproof Heart) Anyone by chance heard anything about some other version of this that may have the proper audio? Should I continue to wait and hope, or do you think this is the best it is going to get?

Also, I saw the screens of Brotherhood of the Wolf above this. How is this release of it, and will it run on a us ps3?

I'm still waiting to hopefully snag a Japanese version of Equilibrium as soon as I find a cheap enough one.

I bought the bd of Cirque:Corteo though it is only an ok cirque in support and the hope that they will release some of the others.

And as far as Bulletproof Heart goes. I'm still waiting for that to even make it out on dvd (though supposedly there is a laserdisk of it out there somewhere).

I was in Best Buy today and I almost bought it. It was way too expensive for a movie that's been out for a few years. I'll stick with DVD until the price drops below $15.

For those who are still planning on getting this like me. Playusa.com select GB pounds = $21.39 delivered.

http://www.playusa.com/DVD/Region_1/3-/11072283/Hero_Special_Edition/Product.html

I enjoyed watching it for the most part but I will not be buying regardless of a low price!

The dumbed down subtitle translation, who approves/blesses what actually gets said?

What are 'dumbed down' subtitles?

What are 'dumbed down' subtitles?

Here is a review Josh did which explains the subtitle issues which i feel are important enough not to buy the disc.

I have the Hong Kong Edko DVD edition with better subtitles and a 1.5mbp/s dts track.

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/2527/hero.html

From the review.

This is an extremely aggressive surround mix with constant separation effects that create a truly immersive auditory environment. Fists fly, swords swing, and arrows cut through the air all around you. Low-end activity is loud and punishing. The powerful drumming in Tan Dun's score will get your heart racing, while deep bass sweeps extend as far as your subwoofer can handle. Many scenes in the movie have extraordinary auditory depth.

On the other hand, the lossy track often has poor balance between dialogue levels and overly-loud sound effects. The high-end scraping of steel on steel during the fight scenes can sound a little harsh and bright. The 1.5 Mb/s DTS tracks on some of the foreign DVD editions (while still lossy) were smoother and better resolved in these regards. No doubt, the Mandarin track would have benefited from lossless encoding had Miramax bothered to author the disc properly.

English subtitles are contained entirely within the 2.35:1 movie image, and are safe for viewing on constant image height projector screens.

Unfortunately, Miramax's subtitle translation is different than and significantly inferior to that used on international DVD releases of the film. The subtitles are coherent, but greatly simplified and "dumbed down." They lose much of the poetry of the language. For example, when the King of Qin (Chen Dao Ming) describes his plans to unite "all under heaven" (as every other edition of the film translates it), in the Miramax translation he generically refers to it as "our land." The epilogue text also proclaims that, "This was more than two thousand years ago" just in case anyone wasn’t sure.


The review is a good one and this film is very poetic and beautifully shot so to lose some of that due to poor subtitle translation means no sale as far as i'm concerned.

Best Buy's price is $34.99, which is much too high for a catalog title. It isn't totally BB's fault, since Disney set the MSRP at $44.99. Note that if you look up the movie at one of the in-store kiosks, it will come up at $29.99 "On Sale". You can get them to price match their own web site and get it for $29.99 (which is still overpriced, but a tad better).

I don't think Miramax intentionally "dumbed down" the subtitles so much as misguidedly tried to tweak them for Western audiences. It looks like someone took the original subtitle script (which is on the HK DVD) and made "improvements". Most of the lines are the same, but occasionally, you see something like "Our Land" instead of "All Under Heaven".

So can anyone clarify if the spanish one has lossless audio in the native language?

Someone on here earlier said it did and was being released by sony.

Please if anyone can offer any info. Or even the uk release?


Theres little to no info on the releases in the other regions, which may be better all around release.

I would like to purchase one but I have no idea what the pq, or sound is like on these foreign releases. Specifically the uk, and spanish versions.

WTF...checked my dvd version & mandarin track has dts while blu ray, a new format is only dolby digital mandarin track. Talk about a huge screw up :mad:

I still have the Japanese DVD and the DTS track is among the best I have ever come across.

Josh and I are known to agree about the transfer on that one. Right Josh? :D

I have the Dutch HD-DVD version of Hero with NO ENGLISH sub (I can converse in Mandarin, so its OK for me). The Dutch version of Hero has inconsistent shots. In door shots are extremely well defined you can see Jet Li's face with all his imperfections. Outdoor shots are very grainy and soft. I don't know if the original was shot this way or not, but my Dutch HD-DVD version is still way better than my US DVD release from Miramax. Oh, BTW, my Dutch version has the original Madarin track in DTS-HD MA lossless.

I will definitely keep the HD-DVD version until Hong Kong release or better version come out....

Watched it yesterday. If the price point for this were lower, it would be worth it. Since I didnt own it on DVD, it was worth it for me (paid 21 new/shipped via ebay). The DD sound was no slouch and sounded better than a lot of lossless blu-rays out there (as far as use of surrounds and overall enveloping). With that said, there's so little dialog in the movie, i think next time I watch it, i'll just switch to the english truehd during fight scenes...

The PQ is OK, nothing great (it should be better IMO).
The English MA is all over the place.
Where is our YesAsia (or whatever) edition with lossless Mandarin?

Spain release by Sony is confirmed to have Mandarin TrueHD, English subs, and be the theatrical cut. Unconfirmed is if it uses the better subtitle translation and if it uses the new video transfer.

If it does turn out to be the best quality release, anyone know any etailers that ship Spain BDs?

Any update on this version from spain? I want a copy but want to make sure I get the best one. Would love to know if anyone has that one.

Any update on this version from spain? I want a copy but want to make sure I get the best one. Would love to know if anyone has that one.

I ordered a copy from dvdgo.com back in November, but they turned out to be unreliable and never fulfilled the order. After several emails asking for the status, they told me that I needed to fax my credit card information to them in Spain. At that point, I told them to just cancel the order.

I wound up ordering from fnac.es next. They don't have an English option on the web site, but I think I navigated it OK. I received a FedEx delivery notice yesterday, so hopefully I should have it shortly.

Ok thanks please let us and me know how the disc is! I really hope it pulls through.

Ok thanks please let us and me know how the disc is! I really hope it pulls through.

Unfortunately, FedEx decided not to deliver the package yesterday, even though my wife was home all day and could have signed for it. They just left a door tag and never bothered to ring the buzzer. This is not the first time that's happened.

Since they won't allow me to redirect the package to my office, I don't know when I'll get it. :mad:

Unfortunately, FedEx decided not to deliver the package yesterday, even though my wife was home all day and could have signed for it. They just left a door tag and never bothered to ring the buzzer. This is not the first time that's happened.

Since they won't allow me to redirect the package to my office, I don't know when I'll get it. :mad:

That sucks Josh. :( I hope the transfer ends up being worth the extra hassle. I look forward to reading your comments when you have the disc in hand.

That sucks Josh. :( I hope the transfer ends up being worth the extra hassle. I look forward to reading your comments when you have the disc in hand.

I received and watched the disc this weekend. I wrote up a review which should be published on High-Def Digest this week. I'm not much impressed.

Long story short: The English subtitles are the superior theatrical translation. That's good. The video is very soft and noisy. Not so good. The audio is terrible, terrible, terrible.

Very dissappointing. I guess i go with the u.s. version and watch the dolby digital native language.

I received and watched the disc this weekend. I wrote up a review which should be published on High-Def Digest this week. I'm not much impressed.

Long story short: The English subtitles are the superior theatrical translation. That's good. The video is very soft and noisy. Not so good. The audio is terrible, terrible, terrible.

Thanks for the info Josh and thanks for taking another one for the team by purchasing this import. Like Murilo said this is very disappointing. :(

I look forward to reading your full review.

Thanks again.

That hurts Josh. Ironic that you have shelled out more $$$ to end up in disappointment.

Also, the Spanish disc is locked to Region B, even though the packaging says A/B/C on it.

(The packaging also claims TrueHD audio, which isn't present on the disc.)

If anyone's interested, my full review went up on High-Def Digest today.

Thanks for that. Most illuminating. Looks like I am sticking with my DVD and waiting to see what turns up in Asia over the next few years.

Thanks for that. Most illuminating. Looks like I am sticking with my DVD and waiting to see what turns up in Asia over the next few years.Me too.
What a disappointment.:(

Anybody bought the Australian release? Wondering if it has Mandarin in HD or is just a port of the USA disc...

Aside from the language track issues, another thing I'm noticing in a lot of these reviews is the picture quality.. they all seem to say that it's soft and lacks a lot of the fine detail that many other releases have. Some versions offer no real improvement over the not-very-good DVD.

So, are we looking at lackluster mastering and transfers, or is it possible that the original film source just isn't that good? What are the odds that Hero will ever look as good as our shiny new modern releases?

Makes me sad, because it's an incredible film, and the visuals are a strong part of that. I'd love to see some kind of definitive edition with a shiny, pristine new master, awesome transfer, and lossless Mandarin track. :(

Aside from the language track issues, another thing I'm noticing in a lot of these reviews is the picture quality.. they all seem to say that it's soft and lacks a lot of the fine detail that many other releases have. Some versions offer no real improvement over the not-very-good DVD.

So, are we looking at lackluster mastering and transfers, or is it possible that the original film source just isn't that good? What are the odds that Hero will ever look as good as our shiny new modern releases?

Makes me sad, because it's an incredible film, and the visuals are a strong part of that. I'd love to see some kind of definitive edition with a shiny, pristine new master, awesome transfer, and lossless Mandarin track. :(
The problem is that no one actually has *access* to the original elements. These Blu-ray releases are all sourced from distributed later generation prints.

The problem is that no one actually has *access* to the original elements. These Blu-ray releases are all sourced from distributed later generation prints.
LOL..

Sounds like just picking up a print off the sidewalk and saying "Hey, let's make a crappy HD release out of this.."

I have a funny feeling we're going to see about twenty different releases of this in every region known to man before someone finally goes back and does a proper version. I'll wait.

The problem is that no one actually has *access* to the original elements.NO one posting here ever does, but many pretend they do....;)

New pre-order date on amazon. Any chance this ones any different, maybe native language loseless?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003UMW66G/ref=nosim/panandscathed-20

New pre-order date on amazon. Any chance this ones any different, maybe native language loseless?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003UMW66G/ref=nosim/panandscathed-20

no, it's just the original disc repackaged with a dvd copy

no, it's just the original disc repackaged with a dvd copy

Mother Hubbard!!!!:(

Mother Hubbard!!!!:(

yeah, I desperately want a lossless Cantonese track too.But at least with the lowered MSRP we can get it for a reasonable price when on sale finally

This is a sadd thread.
On what was my fave flick of that yr.

Do any BD releases look as good as an upcovnert of the best SD DVD release?
W/the right subs & great audio?

Do any BD releases look as good as an upcovnert of the best SD DVD release?
W/the right subs & great audio?

While it's far from pristine, the NA release of Hero looks much better than any of the DVDs. If you can get over the fact that the original audio track is lossy, it's the best video presentation of the film available.

yeah, I desperately want a lossless Cantonese track too.

That'd be Mandarin. (But who's counting? ;) )

That'd be Mandarin. (But who's counting? ;) )

doh!!!, I'm so used to martial arts movies being natively Cantonese :D, forgot it was Mandarin

yeah, I desperately want a lossless Cantonese track too.But at least with the lowered MSRP we can get it for a reasonable price when on sale finallyI gotta hold out.
Hero is such a brilliant film I can't settle for less...:(

Any chance one of the HK distributors will redo this correctly so we can import?

Sweden has a release of Hero on Blu-ray with Mandarin DTS HD-MA 5.1. :)

Sweden has a release of Hero on Blu-ray with Mandarin DTS HD-MA 5.1. :)

But no English subtitles.:mad: Is it too much to ask???:(

The only way to get a proper version of this film right now is to make it yourself. Get a blu-ray drive and start learning. :)

Thankfully I have a full bit rate cband capture from a while back. It's a superb pic. If only I had better audio for it :)

The only way to get a proper version of this film right now is to make it yourself. Get a blu-ray drive and start learning. :)

You can make the english dub into native language dub with loseless audio? That sounds far to complicated.

But I would pay 45 dollars if someone could do it for me.

So whats the best version of this to own?

From what I can see, most think the domestic release looks the best, but of course has a lossy Mandarin track. I'm tempted by the German directors cut, as it has lossless Mandarin and obviously is the directors cut. But just how much worse is the video? And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't this originally in Cantonese?

I find my last post pretty funny now that I have the resources to produce a proper version.

U.s. video with any loseless audio release muxed together is still the best.

If not i think the u.s. probably is the best to own yet.

And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't this originally in Cantonese?

No, its Mandarin.

Ahso, in that case I guess the domestic release with the lossy Mandarin 5.1 is the best version to get at the moment.

How long do we have to wait for a decent release of Hero????
And House of Flying Daggers???????:mad::(

Ya Hero I keep waiting but Flying Daggers has a new HK disc that's pretty good. Though kind of soft picture still but lossless audio anyway.

Is the HK version uncut and will it play on a U.S. PS3?

Hong Kong is Region A anyway. It's uncut and on par with the other versions released around the world. I.E: Crap.

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleiche/index.php?art=full&image=2&vergleich=house_of_flying_daggers_bd1&action=1&lossless=0#vergleich

Hong Kong is Region A anyway.
BIG thanks for opening my eyes up too that!
It's going too cost me BIG time tho. :p