The General HD Releases Thread!

[grim_tales]

Memento: 10th AE BD - Feb 22:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FHCH96/ref ... amp=211189

I wonder how the remaster looks? I remember thinking the DVD (I have the 3 disc) was fine.

[bradavon]

10th Anniversary Edition? Someone needs to learn to count.

[grim_tales]

Maybe it was planned for last year but was pushed back.

[Markgway]

Memento opened in the USA in 2001.

[Shingster]

Someone needs to learn how to use the IMDB!

[grim_tales]

Noticed Robocop had got a newer release on its own last year on USA BD - is this any better than the 2007 release?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Robocop-Blu-ray ... 053&sr=1-5

[Markgway]

I'm sure it'll be the same BD with a DVD added.

[saltysam]

Outlaw Josey Wales at last

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=5818

[Markgway]

Outlaw is a good film no question. But Warners fucked the audio up for the 5.1 remix by replacing the classic gunshots with something Lethal Weaponish. I hold no hope for any improvement here.

[Shingster]

Send Warner an e-mail asking them not to piss on your back and tell you it's raining!

[bradavon]

Outlaw is a good film no question. But Warners fucked the audio up for the 5.1 remix by replacing the classic gunshots with something Lethal Weaponish. I hold no hope for any improvement here.

WTF! Really? What! How out of place does it sound?

The guns in lethal weapon are completely different.

[Markgway]

Send Warner an e-mail asking them not to piss on your back and tell you it's raining!

If they did piss on my back it would no doubt be accompanied by a 5.1 remix so that every golden drop is heard in crystal clarity.

[Markgway]

Outlaw is a good film no question. But Warners fucked the audio up for the 5.1 remix by replacing the classic gunshots with something Lethal Weaponish. I hold no hope for any improvement here.

WTF! Really? What! How out of place does it sound?

The guns in lethal weapon are completely different.

Plenty of examples in this compilation taken from the DVD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lB_yeIlDqs

Original mono in this trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en9rfsUGDkc

[grim_tales]

The difference in striking - the remix makes the guns sound way too powerful.

[saltysam]

Kiss Of The Dragon getting a german release-hopefully this'll be the real deal as the uk/usa BD is a mess.

http://www.bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-filme ... u-ray-disc

[bradavon]

You mean Blu-ray right? I see it's out in the States but I didn't know UK too. Why is it a mess?

[saltysam]

You mean Blu-ray right? I see it's out in the States but I didn't know UK too. Why is it a mess?

Sorry yeah i meant blu-ray.the below is taken from hi def digest:

The Video: Sizing Up the Picture

Presented in 1080p with the MPEG-2 codec, 'Kiss of the Dragon' is a visual mess. This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing, but the standard-def edition of this film has a higher quality print that's shockingly more stable.

The first thing you'll notice on this high definition transfer is that there is a green sheen overlayed across the entire palette of the film. This one was so bad that it sent me bounding behind my HDTV to make sure something wasn't wrong with my setup. The green haze bleaches explosions into dull yellow flames, transforms skin tones into flat and sickly plastic, and mucks up outdoor scenes with pale skies and repulsively unnatural plant life. Once you get used to 'Kiss of the Dragon' taking residence with Agent Smith inside the matrix, you'll find yourself distracted by the dirt, scratches, and white speckles that haunt your screen. More vibrant than the film itself, these blemishes appear en masse in the surveillance room during the hotel assassination scene, in the inspector's car during a chase into a French tunnel, in the skies of almost every wide shot of Paris, and -- most distinctly -- during the scene in which Jian is threatened by Jessica's pimp. Keep peering through the thin veil of salt and pepper as Jian battles this shirtless fighter and you may even catch image trails on his arms and legs that cause the entire image to stutter.

As you work to ignore the substandard print, you'll notice the inconsistent contrast levels throughout the movie, sometimes from shot to shot. Take note of the bright walls when Jian is attacked in the bathroom near the beginning of the movie -- you can clearly see the transfer is unable to stabilize the shot's brightness and it produces an effect similar to the fluttering you see when staring at a florescent light bulb.

Worst of all, the transfer exhibits washed out colors, a softness that eliminates fine detail, and the visual quality of an eighties flick at best. This is best exemplified by the hospital scene where Jian has a conversation with an injured Jessica -- the image is so flat that all dimension is lost and nothing on the screen attracts your attention. There are rare instances of nice color saturation, such as Jessica's red leather coat in Chinatown, but moments later, pools of blood are dull and practically black. Overall, my experience watching 'Kiss of the Dragon' on Blu-ray was reminiscent of going to the dollar theater when I was in high school and watching a tattered print that had already made its rounds at more prominent theaters in the area. It's that bad.

[grim_tales]

Les Diaboliques on BD in April, coming from Arrow:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diaboliques-Blu ... 870&sr=1-2

Looking forward to this one, it's an excellent film One to add to the wish list.

[Markgway]

I picked up the UK BD of KISS of the DRAGON a while back for £4.99. I don't remember it being worse than the DVD - and I think that review exaggerates somewhat.

The version worth looking out for - when it comes - is the French version which will no doubt be better quality (as per their DVD) and uncut.

EDIT: From DVD Authority:

"Video:
"Kiss of the Dragon" was transferred using MPEG @ at 18mpbs, and the 1080p HD picture looks very good. Then again, John J. Puccio gave high marks to the SD release, so the source materials must be excellent. I wouldn't say that this is one that I would pop in the Blu-ray player to show the upper limit of what Blu-ray can do, but there's a nice amount of detail and clarity."

As usual opinion varies............

[luckystars]

Hmmm maybe I'll pick up the UK BD of KOTD if I see it cheap.

The French DVD is superb, and sort of 'uncut' as you say. The main reason I upgraded (apart from loving the film!) is the UK DVD had a horrendous sound mix. I recall it's music was just too damn loud or something? Anyway the DTS on the French disc was a breath of fresh air, and the print is much nicer.

Does the UK Blu have the neat storyboard comparison extras? And HD audio?

[saltysam]

Apocalypse Now getting a uk release

http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/1865 ... |prd:30372

[bradavon]

How is Kiss of the Dragon cut?

Apocalypse Now getting a uk release

http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/1865 ... |prd:30372

Absolutely fucking awesome news, thanks. I really want the USA 3 Disc SE but it costs a fortune (something like £30). The UK one looks to still be all 3 discs but significantly cheaper. I don't give a toss about the LE stuff included with the USA 3 Disc SE. It looks like the UK one is getting it's own LE content and Optimum now own it (from Universal).

[grim_tales]

I always thought all KOTD releases were uncut I'm sure the French release was (I used to have it).

[luckystars]

There's some digital enhancement to a gunshot in the French cut in the Laundry scene. Blood and a gunfash(?) is added.

[Markgway]

The USA/UK (20th Century Fox) version is missing a bloodspurt from a gunshot to the head cut/reframed in order to gain an R-rating.

The French DVD is (AFAIK) the only uncut version available.