The Descent - 2 different Blu-ray versions CONFIRMED (MPEG-2 vs AVC encoding) - Page 24

I guess my point would be that I was totally immersed in the film (even when I saw it in the theater AND took some of my brothers and sisters who love to be scared) and never, ever gave a thought to what might or should be looking "better" when watching this blu-ray. Somehow I don't think all the extra effort to find the version that is supposed to be better looking is going to help me get more IMMERSED in the film and forget about technical qualities. For me, that's all that matters.

EzyDVD is $21.60 USD before shipping. I'd just rent if I wasn't going to get the AUS version.

http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/802989

And to add more intrigue, ezydvd is calling this a pre-order for the disc coming out Nov. 5. Another xfer?

larry

I've never understood why additional pressings sometimes get their own release dates. It's just strange.

Two syllables, most likely, "cha-ching".

larry

So who's going to be our guinea pig?

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releas...-descent2.html (Thanks to Patsfan123 for finding it)

I've got it on pre-order to compare to my US AVCV2 copy.

Since it's from Fox, is it likely to be region coded?

Man on Fire UK release by Fox wasn't region coded.

My guess is that the UK release will be the same as the AUS release.

larry

Are you really sure about that v2 US AVC copy? It seems no one else has been able to confirm that...even after recently ordering from Amazon.

Quote: Are you really sure about that v2 US AVC copy? It seems no one else has been able to confirm that...even after recently ordering from Amazon.

Here we go again. I can understand people being skeptical due to the lack of any further collaboration but the version I received from Amazon.com definitely has color timing that matches the AUS disc. This is confirmed on two calibrated screens. Now just this in itself indicates the presence of a second AVC disc in the wild, but then there's the contrast, and the intensity of the colors. The latter is especially different to both the AVC/MPEG and AUS versions, falling at a point somewhere around the 80% mark with respect to the AUS disc levels.

It was way back on p12, post#348, when a poster first raised the issue of this 'different' disc existing. My findings concur with his. I'm now starting to wonder if there was at first an AVC copy (AVCV1) and that Lionsgate requested the manufacturer redo it to correct an issue. A new AVC disc was therefore done (AVCV2) but for some reason this was also pulled almost immediately, and a third and final disc in MPEG format was issued instead. An alternative scenario is that a small batch of AVC discs were pressed at the beginning (AVCV2), Lionsgate checked them and gave the go ahead, and that somehow something got changed and AVCV1 was released instead, to be then changed again later for the MPEG. Both these scenarios would go some way to explain why this AVCV2 disc is so hard to find.

Anyway I've pre-ordered the UK disc blind even though it's more than I wanted to pay for a disc (especially with a movie I already have on Blu). I haven't a clue what extras will be on it, or the format being used for the main feature, but it's piqued my curiosity to see how it looks/compares.

Not long to go now...

Anyone ever buy the German and compare it? According to Amazon, it has DTS-HD 6.1 audio too.

I already bought this movie on Bluray 4 times, I'm done...

i ordered this from amazon last week and got the mpeg2 version.

i am emailing lionsgate and asking if they can exchange mine for the avc version. i expect an auto-reply or to be ignored.

anyone received there uk copy yet ??

Znook, could you dump a couple of frames from your version?

Any word on the UK release?

Just got a rental copy in the mail today, as it happens.

It's coded for Region B only. Colour palette matches the Australian BD and UK DVD rather than the American BD. Unlike the Australian release, all of the extras from the standard definition DVD have been ported over. Bit rate and overall file size are slightly lower on this release than on the Australian version, despite the presence of both PCM and DTS-HD Master Audio tracks (both 5.1, and one of course rendering the other redundant). A cursory glance didn't reveal any noticeable differences as far as compression is concerned, but this was far from an in-depth scientific comparison so I wouldn't like to say for sure whether this is the case. In any event, the region-free status of the Australian release is likely to make it the most viable option for American viewers who don't want to be lumbered with their native release's (it would appear) incorrect colour palette and/or the inferior MPEG-2 encode that is now in wide circulation there.

I'll definitely be importing this (its good to have a region-free player).

Weird, I just popped in Rambo BD (US) and there is a trailer for Descent and it appears to have the UK/AUS color. lol

(I didn't do any comparisons, but the blacks were deep and the colors were rich.)

Hate to ask this, can someone summarize the findings of each version? Is there a US version that looks good? Is there anything in particular to look for in the US to ensure it's the best version available?

Thanks.

There are two US versions, with one looking better than the other. Ironically, it's the earlier release that uses AVC for the encode and looks superior to the later MPEG-2 release. Both US releases have incorrect color timing and there's no surefire way to tell them apart without opening the packaging.

There is an AUS release that's region free, has the correct color timing and looks spectacular. Pay the shipping fees and get the AUS version.

Except now Znook claims there is a third US release using an AVC encode again, but it has correct colors.

I'm curious about the assertion that the color on the US disc is "wrong".

What, specifically is wrong?

I watched this movie about three times before I even saw this thread (I have the early AVC disc) and I always thought it looked terrific. Nothing struck me as at all out-of-place. Now, the general opinion I here is , "Sure, it looks terrific but the color is wrong".

Ok...WHAT'S wrong...from those who actually HAVE the other discs.

best thing to do is read back in the thread.

Thanks for the "help".

I've been reading the thread and it's never been pointed out what's wrong (which is why you don't know the answer either).

Plenty of people have posted that the Australian disc right and the American BD is wrong. I've read that in 20 posts. I'm not really looking for guesses from people who haven't compared the discs.

WHAT is wrong (again....looking for an answer from someone who has seen the disc and knows the answer).

Thanks for the info. It's too bad there's no surefire way to know which US is superior. I just saw some of the Black Friday deals for The Descent and thought I'd take advantage.

I posted these comparisons before. You'll have to make your own mind up. Different people have different preferences. I have the US MPEG-2 release for the extras and the AUS release for watching the film itself because IMO the colours are better, there's a lot more fine grain and its darker which IMO makes it a lot more claustrophobic than the US release that seems to have been artificially brightened.

The two US releases by Lionsgate have a completely different color scheme than any other release of the movie anywhere in the world. Regardless of DVD or Blu-ray release. The trailers themselves for the movie even feature the color scheme from the international releases.

Oh and this WAS discussed in great detail already in this thread. So take your high and mighty attitude elsewhere.

The AUS (and UK) BD match the "look" of the UK SD DVD. One would assume the UK SD DVD is "correct" since it came out before the actual movie was shown in the US. The US AVS BD looks ok until you see see the AUS BD. (enough abbreviations? )

larry

Hey Dex. No need to be a smartass. I DO know the reason and it has mentioned several times in this thread. If you couldn't decipher what people were saying, what good would it be for me to re-iterate it? Or maybe you actually DIDN'T read the whole thread. I own the UK SD dvd and now the AUS BD so I HAVE compared them myself. Some others chimed in after my post...




Does that work for you?