Imports: HD-DVD Import Releases and Guide - Page 9

They're standard SD DVD case size; not the slimline HD DVD cases.

Ok thank you for that confirmation AES... The Machinist looks really tempting.

Leaving Las Vegas was shot on 16mm in quick-and-dirty guerrilla filmmaking fashion, mostly at night. That's just the way it looks.

Can anyone comment on the cut of Mr. & Mrs. Smith? i.e. is it the 'theatrical' version or the same as the 'unrated' version with the extra footage.
I'm also curious about the upcoming release of 'Underworld'.......

Under Siege 2 up for pre order:

http://www.rodisc.nl/gsp.dll?sid=103...DDV&p_genreid=

I have a question. What's the best way to get the Serenity UK HD DVD version?

I tried Play.com but they won't deliver the UK version in the US. They just refunded my CCard.

Edit: OK, I see HD Addicts, but they cost $32.50

Amazon UK are always a safe bet.
Otherwise try Sendit.com maybe, although they can take their time before sending out the items you ordered.

EDIT: BTW, what's the difference for you to prefer the UK over the US release?

The UK version is supposed to be a better quality transfer according to various review sites and forums, so I thought I would see for myself.

Edit: Here's one example
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=63484

"When I reviewed the US HD DVD release of Serenity back in July, I proclaimed it the greatest-looking non-theatrical presentation of a film I had ever seen. That particular disc retained that title for an impressive period of five months, before being dethroned... by its UK counterpart. As it happens, the US release was actually mastered using an early version of Microsoft's VC1 codec - a codec that they have continually worked to refine, bringing down the bit rate requirements. For the UK release, Universal decided to have another crack at Serenity, partially in order to free up some space for additional audio tracks (given that VC1 is now capable of producing excellent results with a mere 10-15 Mbps bit rate)."

Thanks I used Sendit.com

It was only $21.00 w/ shipping

I was just going to xploited today to buy equilibirum and machinist and see machinist is OOP. is there anywhere else to easily obtain this to the USA ? *crying maniacally*

Check the HDD forum sticky import thread for sources:
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=3010

Delete.

In forum discussions here at AVS forum it's been noted a couple of times that it (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) is the theatrical version. I have it too but I haven't watched it yet.

I'm not sure why these aren't on the list but these are scheduled for release this fall:


France- Natural Born Killers (Tueurs nés)

Spain- The Downfall (Der Untergang)

Germany- Green Street Hooligans (Hooligans); Tideland

Also rumors of "The Goonies" for a french release.

thank you

The Downfall has been available from Spain since last fall but unfortunately does not contain English subs.

Xploited has Mr. Bean's Holiday now. I like Mr. Bean, but not at the import price right now.

Why is Equilibrium so expensive? Is it out of print? I can only find it at Xploited but it is $45!

It _is_ in fact out of print, but that's not the reason for the price. It's a Japanese release and Japanese releases are frankly more expensive than the rest of the world; the price at Xploited is pretty close to what it sells for in Japan. I remember back in '99 I bought a copy of the original Mad Max from Japan and it set me back $60; stuff's just more expensive there.

Thanks. I'm new to the import scene, obviously. I would love to have Equilibrium in HD (because I doubt it will ever be released here in the US), but I don't know if I want it bad enough to pay that. I wonder why it is already out of print?

It's been out of print once before as well but Toshiba Entertainment did a reprint. Now that Toshiba Entertainment doesn't exist anymore as such(now called Showgate under new corporate ownership), it's not so clear how reprints will be dealt with. I guess this title has been relatively popular and personally I really like it.

In Japan the tax inclusive MRSP has been 5040 yen.

I bought Equilibrium from www.movietyme.com
Not sure if they'd be any cheaper or whether they still have stock, but worth a look if you're interested.

PS Yes. The Equilibrium Japanese HD DVD release looks great! Definitely worth a purchase if you like the movie

Yes, I like the movie a lot but I don't think I've paid $50 for a single title since Spinal Tap Criterion DVD ages ago. I'll have to think about it. Thanks for the info on a second source...

[Edit] - OK, enough thinking. I went ahead and ordered it. Thanks for all the info, guys...

good decision. great flick with an above average transfer

Hi all. I'm trying to find Terminator 2 on HD in the DIRECTORS cut edition. I'm in the USA, so either region 1 or region free. Also, in english...no english sub titles. I've looked at several sites ( amazon UK for one ) but can't find it. I'd like to find a reputable vendor that will ship to the USA. Can anybody help ?

UPDATE on Amazon UK, it has the format as Pal..I know that's European, but it does not list a region. I've also heard that HD is region free ? True ? False ?

I see by the HD dvd users thread that this version looks pretty good...4.6 stars or above. And how long is the directors version ? On regular dvd, my copy is 156 minutes and on laserdisc, it's 152 minutes.

Anybody own the HD version in the DIRECTORS ( longer ) version ? If so, how do you like the audio and picture quality ? And what is the length of the directors edition ?

THANK YOU in advance.

PS...you can pm me or reply here.

Hi. Right, let's see about answering some of these questions
- Confirm that HD DVD has no region coding, so a UK HD DVD release will play in your US HD DVD player
- WRT a reputable vendor, Amazon is always a safe bet
- There is no such thing as PAL or NTSC in the HD world. All movie discs are 1080/24p i.e. 1920 vertical lines * 1080 horizontal lines with a refresh rate of 24 frames per second (a few releases are 1080i); not the 576/50i of PAL or 480/60i of NTSC anymore.
- If an online retailer or other site states PAL/NTSC or region x with HD DVD, then just ignore that. They either have no idea of the technology or are probably using their existing SD DVD template data for the HD DVD releases that they list.
- The Studio Canal HD DVD transfer of T2 is indeed pretty good; not stunning, but definitely worth getting.
- And finally, if you're only interested in the Director's Cut, then the UK release of the Studio Canal T2 transfer is the one to get.
This release is 152 mins long if I'm not mistaken.

IMDB lists the following times for T2:
USA Theatrical 137 min / USA:152 min (director's cut) / USA:154 min (extended special edition)

Don't confuse the version with the silly tacked-on future ending that's hidden as an easter egg on the DVD with being a "Director's Cut" of the movie. That version was thrown together as a lark. It is not meant to be taken seriously.

The only director-approved versions of the movie are the theatrical cut (137 minutes) and the "Special Edition" cut (152 minutes). The UK HD DVD contains the 152-minute cut.

I got T2 from Xploited Cinema. They are located in Cleveland and are legit. They have the UK version that contains 2 discs. The theatrical version has forced subtitles that can be moved, but disc 2 has the Director's Cut with no forced subtitles.

I don't see the UK version on their web site. Are you talking about French version ?

Vov76,

yes, xploited carries the french version of T2. this has 2 discs, one with the subs and the other one without (this is the director's cut). the 2nd disc is the same as the UK version.