http://www.nbcuniversalstore.com/detail.php?p=41817&v=nbuunidvdscn.

Looks like Universal is about to announce MR BEAN'S HOLIDAY for Nov. 27 release.

Looks like they added Dolby TrueHD track for the US release as well as a combo format.

Definitely getting this one! I only wish Universal were releasing the first Bean movie the same day.

I have had the UK version for some time now, The PQ is great and the story is full of laughs but I was a BIT let down with the movie..

True HD is nice wish they'd drop the dvd side. Or offer 2 versions. I don't get why the US is heavy on the combos yet the rest of the world gets just the HD-DVD.

Nice! Glad I held off on the Import.

This is a very difficult decision - single sided disc or TrueHD? I know I'll be buying the flick one way or another, so this is good news!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g38/edcokpareke/bean.jpg


I purchased Mr. Bean's Holiday from Amazon a few days ago. A quick inspection of the specs on the back of the box revealed that it was in 1.85:1 aspect ratio (16x9...almost), 1080P video, and Dolby TrueHD audio. I was kinda psyched cuz this is my first Universal Studios title with TrueHD. So anyway, I threw it into my HD-A20 which feeds 1080i to my 1080P Samsung DLP, and feeds PCM via HDMI to my Yamaha HTR 6090 7.1 setup. Here are my observations.

Picture: Let me start off by saying: I prefer HD movies with the 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratios. I feel like I'm seeing more of the action (even though this isn't always the case), and it just feels like PQ on widescreen movies is better. Many 16X9 movies that I've seen just don't look as good (e.g. You, Me, & Dupree). So I popped in Mr. Bean's Holiday expecting to be lulled into the land of HD mediocrity, but boy, was I impressed.

Highdef digest says this movie doesn't look that great, and that the colors are off, bla bla bla. Well, "my" opinion is a little different. To me, the PQ was sharp and on point. The colors were juicy. Details were present, whether in dark or bright scenes. Everything just seemed "right". My original intention was to watch just a few minutes of it, and to save the rest for a weekend where some unfortunate lady friend just happens to fall into my couch. Instead, I found myself watching pretty much most of it. Yeah, it was funny; in that weird senseless brit kinda way, and that had a lot to do with it. But if it didn't look as good as it did, I would probably have switched it off after only a few minutes of viewing. Transformers anyone? I kid, I kid...or do I?


Audio: I've proclaimed on these forums many many many times that I can't tell the difference between DD+ (at any bitrate) and TrueHD. I'm confident that I have the equipment to take advantage of the differences. Prior to now, I'd tested many TrueHD movies including TMNT, Letters~Jima, 300, etc. These are all "Bang!! Whoosh!!" kinda movies with a lot of opportunities for TrueHD to rise above other encodes, but I just never heard a difference...until now.

So this silly little Mr. Bean comedy comes along, without too many loud crazy scenes...atleast compared to action flicks. I listened to a couple of scenes on DD+ and on TrueHD (train station scene for example), and I believe I've spotted a difference. The TrueHD track sounds more "natural" and "unforced", for lack of better phrases. Please, this is by no means knocking the DD+. Infact, the audio is pretty much spot on with DD+, and users shouldnt feel like they're missing anything. However, it just seemed like the TrueHD mix was just...well,...nicer. Was it just all in my head cuz I've spent all this money on audio equipment in the past year? Possibly. But I really tried to be objective here...I swear.

Again, Highdef digest didnt give the audio in this movie any high praise, and they do make some good points. The surround channels aren't very active, and it is a bit center-heavy. Altogether though, I think it is a very nice audio mix. No, it doesn't have the "Whoosh" and "Ping" of transformers, but should it? This is a silly comedy...about the French!!

If you're into Rowan Atkinson's silly humor, I recommend this movie. Yeah, it's no Monty Python, and yeah its the same old Mr. Bean stuff. But I feel it is a worthy HDDVD purchase...just my 2 cents. Thanks for reading :)

I might pick this up with the BB BOGO next week in the BOGO thread.

Are there any differences between this version and the UK version?

cobolisdead - Not sure, but see post #2?

Finally watched Mr. Bean's Holiday this weekend and I agree 100% with edcokpareke. Shots like the French countryside in HD were awesome. For me, the movie is probably a 7 out of 10 (some dull spots), but the PQ and AQ were both very high 9's.

Feeling better about picking this up with Bourne on the BB BOGO, then.