I picked up my first HD-A3 last week from VE... Wahoo! I have 10 titles already (including the 5 from from toshiba that I have to wait 6 years for:rolleyes:)

I was thinking. Am I better off getting the import titles that are not available in the US first just in case the format goes bad. I would imagine they would be alot harder to get if this happened.

I think it's pretty safe to say that The Machinist and The Elephant Man won't be hitting US shelves anytime soon. Hell, HD DVD & Blu-ray may have fizzled out by the time they'd be ready for these.

I am STOKED that these came out overseas and will enjoy them in HD for years to come.


Start with some imports first go from there. ;)

I would say the opposite, get the domestic titles first, there cheaper specially with the recent sales that are going on. Then order the imported titles afterwards when you are looking for additional content to watch.

It's only 2 dozen titles at the moment but there is a current sale on Amazon up to 53% off on these HD DVD titles. Click Link: Amazon Sale (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000189601&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1XT294J8DV9AJ2WZ4H1M&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=359057401&pf_rd_i=193642011)

Just to add, I do enjoy many of the imported titles and own at least a dozen of them. I just think you will get more movies to begin with getting the cheaper domestic titles to start. :)

I wouldn't bother importing. In a few years Blu-ray players will be cheap and you can pick up those titles then. $40 a film is insane unless it is something you can't live without or will never see in the US. Face it, regardless of how you feel about BR, you WILL go over when all the movies you want are only on that format.

For example, I imported the Japanese Equilibrium, Spanish Underworld Evolution, French Brotherhood of the Wolf, and UK Prestige. Most of those can be gotten on BR here (I also have a PS3). Equilibrium is probably the only choice that was smart on my part since that one is pretty scarse anywhere.

id say go for the imports their are some that may never come to US BD. Such as brotherhood of the wolf or la haine...

Id say US movies will be much eazyer to get even after its all sad and done. Ebay and such. But other region films will no longer be sold on import sides once they go out of production

I say just buy the movies you want. And if some of them are imports, so be it! (I imported The Prestige and The Holiday because I figured it would be a long time before I saw either of them on HD DVD. :))

I really want Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive, but I'm saddened that the pitch issue has never been addressed. :(

Here's what I'd suggest.

Everytime you see an import you're willing to pay for put the money aside.

Wait 3 months.

See how much money you have and reevaluate how the format war is going.

If you're an active movie purchaser you'll probably find it make sense to buy a Blu-ray player and pick up the domestic releases.

If you're a light movie purchaser you might be fine spending the $40-50 to import one or two releases.

Running Scared (German Import)
Brotherhood of the Wolf (French Import)

were MUST GETS for me

Running Scared (German Import)
Brotherhood of the Wolf (French Import)

were MUST GETS for me

me too as well as Les Triplets de Belleville.

Buy the movies you want. Don't worry. Be happy.

Imports I recommend:
The Island
Spanish Underworld: Evolution
German Underworld Extended Edition

Probably others I can't think of right now.

Death At A Funeral (German Import)
Terminator 2: Ultimate Edition (German Import)
East is East (UK Import)
Mr. And Mrs. Smith (Polish Import) just to name a few.

Also remember that IF you find yourself having trouble with combo discs. Often times the import titles are non combos.

I picked up my first HD-A3 last week from VE... Wahoo! I have 10 titles already (including the 5 from from toshiba that I have to wait 6 years for:rolleyes:)

I was thinking. Am I better off getting the import titles that are not available in the US first just in case the format goes bad. I would imagine they would be alot harder to get if this happened.

Ummm ... Outside of foreign films, many imports are BD titles in the US. Not sure I'm following the reasoning here/.

From my own personal experience, I'd say unless you are planning on importing 30+ titles just import what you want in.

That's what I've done and I don't regret it one bit.

Here's my personal import bill so far (including the price of shipping)

Total Recall (France) = $34.22
Mulholland Drive (France) = $35.63
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (France) = $35.63
Elephant Man (France) = $34.39
Serpico (France) = $31.44
Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer (Germany) = $40.00
Band Of Brothers Vol. 1-5 (Japan) = $80
The Machinist (Japan) = $20.75
The Pianist (UK) = $33.21
The Prestige (UK) = $33.21
Reservoir Dogs (Netherlands) = $30.02
Les Triplettes De Belleville (France) = $40.02
Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky (UK) = $32.33
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live at Monterey (UK) = $36.50
Bridge to Terabithia (Italy) = $25.00

So doing the math, I have:
19 titles
13 titles currently not available in America on either format (14 if you count the Theatrical Cut of T2 that comes in the 2 disc set from France which isn't available anywhere else in HD)
$542.38 spent overall
And considering that Blu-Ray titles aren't free (using $19.95 as price point), I've only spent $163.33 extra on imports.

From my own personal experience, I'd say unless you are planning on importing 30+ titles just import what you want in.

That's what I've done and I don't regret it one bit.

Here's my personal import bill so far (including the price of shipping)

Total Recall (France) = $34.22
Mulholland Drive (France) = $35.63
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (France) = $35.63
Elephant Man (France) = $34.39
Serpico (France) = $31.44
Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer (Germany) = $40.00
Band Of Brothers Vol. 1-5 (Japan) = $80
The Machinist (Japan) = $20.75
The Pianist (UK) = $33.21
The Prestige (UK) = $33.21
Reservoir Dogs (Netherlands) = $30.02
Les Triplettes De Belleville (France) = $40.02
Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky (UK) = $32.33
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live at Monterey (UK) = $36.50
Bridge to Terabithia (Italy) = $25.00

So doing the math, I have:
19 titles
13 titles currently not available in America on either format (14 if you count the Theatrical Cut of T2 that comes in the 2 disc set from France which isn't available anywhere else in HD)
$542.38 spent overall
And considering that Blu-Ray titles aren't free (using $19.95 as price point), I've only spent $163.33 extra on imports.

where'd you get the machinist for $20?

where'd you get the machinist for $20?

That and Band Of Brothers came from a friend in Japan who bought them at a second hand store and than mailed them to me. I sent him $100.75 worth of American HD-DVDs from Amazon in exchange for them.

Bridge to Terabithia came from a guy at HDD who was selling all of his imports/movies the day after the Warner announcement :)

Ummm ... Outside of foreign films, many imports are BD titles in the US. Not sure I'm following the reasoning here/.

My HD-A3 doesn't play BR. I would rather migrate an HD DVD to my HTPC next year as it is easier with its protection scheme

All things considered, I was pricing up the items on amazon.uk and I could get the graduate and terminator 2 shipped airmail for about 36 pounds (about $70). That isn't too bad considering they retail at 29.99. It is alot cheaper than a BR player. I think there are at most 10 movies that I would want to import

off the top of my head

resident evils
underworlds
the graduate
terminator 2
total recall
and probably a few more that I am not thinking of.

Most of the ones that I would want are available on US.

Of course the alternative is to wait it out and see what happens with blu-ray... not that I expect their prices to become reasonable anytime soon. The uk versions I would have no issues with as they are english. I am fluent in french so that would not bother me either (as far as menu navigation and all). The german might throw me off though (guess I could pick up another language :D)

I just assume there is no way to switch the menus to english, right?

It is kind of interesting the words that are used in the UK for certain things. Like they use dispatch instead of shipped...

I must admit it would be kinda cool putting in a foreign disk and playing it. My brothers would be like, "whoa! Where did you get that?"

I imagine these would hold their value more too if I eventually got a bluray and swapped them for the us BR versions.

The uk versions I would have no issues with as they are english. I am fluent in french so that would not bother me either (as far as menu navigation and all). The german might throw me off though (guess I could pick up another language :D)
I just assume there is no way to switch the menus to english, right?


yes,if you look there are usually english tracks but you have to switch to them after the movie starts.
the trailers before the movies are in the native language though.

EDIT:whoops...I just realized you meant menus...LOL

I don't think there are.

I just assume there is no way to switch the menus to english, right?

Studio Canal's releases have you choose the language of the menu when you boot up the disc.

Even with menus that aren't in English, it's fairly easy to figure out what is what.