Blu-rays - Regional content and quality variations

[Sonic Dreamer]

I've invested some time this week in comparing the content of re-released (old) movies in the Blu-ray format issued in Regions 1 and 2. The focus of the information was:

http://uk.blu-ray.com/
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/
http://www.dvdcompare.net/

This quest began when learning that the Planet of the Apes 40th Anniversary Blu-ray box set released in the USA.

http://www.amazon.com/Anniversary-Collection-Beneath-Conquest-Blu-ray/dp/B001G7PX80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313523059&sr=8-1

had different technical specifications (sound) and bonus content to the less lavish Uk anthology release:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001GPTCE8/ref=s9_simh_gw_p74_d0_g74_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1Y0F6K157JPYGX9XFH47&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

Across region differentiated products some consistent patterns unfolded, in summary, along these lines:

1. USA versions taken from better quality source and frequently remastered or restored than taken from source material used for the DVD version.

2. USA versions have superior sound version - DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 as opposed to DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1.

3. USA versions have additional bonus content not found on the UK release.

I think it is deplorable the UK/European consumer is apparently being fobbed off with inferior Blu-ray product, whilst paying roughly in parity to the USA consumer.
The Blu-ray manufacturers need to address this issue and introduce standardisation of quality and content across the Regions.

Cheers
SonicD

 

[chudleighpaul]

Whats's new?

We have been getting second best from the studios for years. This is one of the reasons that people bought multi-region DVD players and imported US discs when DVD was launched in the UK.

 

[strapped for cash]

It's not all one way traffic.

For instance, Criterion releases are all Region A-locked, which is deeply annoying if you're a cinephile with a Region B Blu-ray player.

On the other hand, Eureka's Masters of Cinema series is Region B-locked, much to the consternation of Region A Blu-ray player owners.

I agree that Region A is better served on the balance of things, but there are exceptions. Besides, more often than not the transfers and audio are identical, which to be honest is all I really care about.

 

[Oldboy]

You have to remember that most european releases contain multiple languages on one disc when compared to US discs which normally contain just english or at most 2 languages and therefore save on disc space meaning there is more room for higher resolution sound and/or extra bonus features especially when the movie is on a BD25.

You have to also consider the potential size of the market in the US as opposed to here in blighty and across european territories...a specific BD release for the US can often make more money for the studios than the european version and is therefore a viable financial proposition plus if a studio releases a different version for the US market it increases the credibility of the disc in the US.

It's still very annoying ,i agree, but as has been pointed out earlier it's not always the case so it's best to research the blurays you want before purchasing and if the US disc is superior then import it, true it does cost a bit more to do this but the upside is that you get the best version. You have to be a little careful with region coding but most discs are region free (even though they don't like to tell you that) and it's rare for a US disc to be region locked these days but it does still happen. Sites such as Axel and Movietyme list the discs as being region free or not so it's hard to go wrong.

The only way the situation would change would be if britain got it's own dedicated releases and this won't happen as the market isn't large enough to justify a special release, simple economics i'm afraid.