mulderxcoltrane

Opinions?

Worth the additional purchase?

deto

yes.

mulderxcoltrane

I'm a huge Pixar fan....but they do look good upconverted. Can they really look better??

Adam Tyner

As terrific as the DVDs look upconverted, the Blu-ray releases are in a league all their own. The difference really is startling.

If you're curious, there are some comparison shots of Monsters, Inc. over here (click on the thumbnails to enlarge)...

mulderxcoltrane

Sure wish they'd get going on Monsters Inc in blu-ray.

Adam Tyner

My Blu-ray disc is in the mail now...ordered it from amazon.co.uk for all of $23 shipped or so.

It's supposed to get a domestic release later this year alongside Up.

mulderxcoltrane

I've never ordered an overseas release before.

Will it be compatible in my US blu-ray player? I have a samsung.

Will there be any differences in special features?

Sorry about all the questions - just hooked up the player today.

BillWatkins

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releas...ters-inc2.html

Adam Tyner

I don't have it in my hands yet, but it looks to carry over all the extras from the DVD set. This is a region-free release and will play in any Blu-ray deck the world over. (The UK release doesn't have the DVD and digital copy that the US version will, but considering how inexpensive it is coupled with the fact that I can have it now, that's more than worth the tradeoff. I already have the DVD set and have no need for a digital copy anyway. )

mulderxcoltrane

Will you buy Finding Nemo from amazon.co.uk too?

I guess what I'm asking is:
If you've bought the UK blu-ray version before - is it the exact same except for the standard DVD and digital copy?

Adam Tyner

If it's out there first and is region-free, then absolutely.

This is the first time I've ever done this for a Pixar release. (It's the first time there's been this sort of lag with Disney. They're holding back Monsters, Inc. on these shores to tie it in with Up hitting home video.) Skimming through the specs, it doesn't look like you're missing out on any extras, and all of the comments I've seen point to this Blu-ray disc being absolute perfection in terms of quality.

I've only imported a few discs from the UK (The Seventh Seal back before it was released by Criterion, Almost Famous, the 1986 Transformers movie, David Lean's Great Expectations, and Black Narcissus...eclectic!), but I've had nothing but great experiences with it, and amazon.co.uk is fast and very reliable. The trick is checking up online to make sure a title you're interested in isn't region-locked. None of the ones I've listed are.

mulderxcoltrane

How do I find out if a title is "region-locked?"

Adam Tyner

The higher profile ones are usually discussed somewhere on DVD Talk (either in International DVD Talk or HD Talk) and on AVS.

http://bluray.liesinc.net/ is a really great resource too.

mulderxcoltrane

That link you provided shows Monsters Inc as a Japanese Import (I think).

Does that mean all of the box exterior will all be in Japanese?

What about menus?

I guess I've always shyed away from imports....guess I don't know why.

Should I be?

Adam Tyner

There is a Japanese release that came out first, but there's also a British version that's in English, and that's the one I ordered from amazon.co.uk. There's discussion about the UK release further along in that thread.

I'll admit that I never really imported much of anything on DVD, but Blu-ray makes it a lot less of a hassle. (Since there isn't a PAL/NTSC hiccup and pretty much everything's the same frame rate and colorspace this time around, region-coding is the only thing you have to fret about. Well, that and making sure foreign films have the subtitles you need.)

mulderxcoltrane

Thanks for your help Adam.
I'm on the fence about Monsters. I'm thinking we might enjoy the digital copy/DVD to take for our kids on long road trips. BUt - don't know if I can wait until November.

I'll be sure to send you a message to find out if you grabbed Nemo when it comes out in September.

What does that leave? Toy Story 1,2 and the Incredibles?

DGibFen

I'd assume Toy Story will be released when Toy Story 3D comes out. As for the Incredibles, I don't know. I haven't heard much about a sequel in formal production, and Brad Bird is working on another film at the moment.

Of course, Incredibles is the one Pixar title I'm wanting to upgrade... arrugh.

calhoun07

I'd say it ALL depends on your TV and the size of the screen. If you have a 1080p over 32 inches, buy the Blu-Ray.

For me, I am not looking to invest a whole lot of money in a big expensive TV (for various reasons) but I would like to look at buying a Blu-Ray player for event titles with a ton of bonus features (such as UP.) In the future, after I get some other important financial things out of the way, then I may look at buying a TV. But even then I think I would go with a 720p TV. The main reason? I have a TON of DVDs and I am sure they will look fine on a player that can output at 720 dpi and I've seen regular DVDs upconverted on much better high end TVs and some of them leave a lot to be desired. So, for me, a lot of it depends on how many Blu-Ray titles I would actually want to purchase (I am guessing 4-8 a year) and I want to be able to watch my current collection on a TV that doesn't make everything look pixelated and ultimately piss me off.

It all depends on what you want and what your entertainment needs are. I've done my shopping around...when I am ready to make my purchase I already know what I want and why. But everybody is different.

depooter

definitely. the audio and video is upgrade is huge + most of the releases have new, exclusive HD extra features as well.

greymatter

good to know

mulderxcoltrane

Is this the specific version you're speaking of? (classification U)?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monsters-Inc...0134290&sr=8-1

Mr. Salty

Classification U is the film's rating, similar to a G rating in the U.S. It has nothing to do with region coding.

slop101

If the Bug's Life blu-ray is anything to go by, YES, it is totally worth upgrading Pixar titles to blu-rays.

Adam Tyner

It is.

The disc came in the mail earlier in the week, and it played beautifully in my region A PS3. The level of fine detail is ridiculous, it's a two disc set teeming with extras, and Pete Doctor shot a high-def introduction to the package too.

I'll definitely be doing the same for Finding Nemo if it's confirmed to be region-free too.

mulderxcoltrane

Yeah - the more I thought about it - the only thing I'd be losing is the digital copy - b/c we have the DVDs I can hold on to for normal players.

I might wait until Nemo is released to save on shipping.

As soon as you find out if Nemo is region-free - can you give me a heads up?