I've been able to find a list where you can find info out what discs are and are not region locked, but as far as more specifics, I'm not able to find a lot.
I'm looking for pretty mainstream titles that aren't available in the US (like Batman Returns, Almost Famous, etc), but feel free to suggest any title.
I am loving HD, but special features aren't so important to me. Would I prefer a loaded disc (and I'm talking catalog mostly)? Sure, who wouldn't.
But I've ordered titles such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Cold Mountain, The Constant Gardener, and The Butterfly Effect from Canada because I just didn't want to wait and heard the pq and aq on those titles were good (thanks GizmoDVD). If better US releases come along, I may bite or I might be satisfied with what I have. But I'm just happy to have them in HD now and not looking for an announcement or hoping for a rumor to be true about a release sometime before 2012.
In the US, I've purchased titles like The Usual Suspects and Independence Day despite the lack of special features and with ID4 without the extended cut. Again the pq and aq reviews were good and I didn't want to wait for the rest.
So, I'm looking for people who've imported already and can suggest titles that have limited or no special features, but very good to great pq and aq.
What I don't want are loaded discs with special features in SD PAL that will give me trouble. For those titles, I'll wait for whatever comes in the future, because having an import with a ton of stuff that will not play well seems like a waste when they'll be plenty of suggestions I'll want that don't have any of that. But if I'm not really missing much, like the movie comes with nothing or 3 deleted scenes or 2 trailers and 5 minutes featurette, it won't bother me.
I look at titles like Once, Maria Full of Grace, Amelie, etc and those are titles that I want now if I can get them. But if they have inferior transfers and such, I can't seem to find that stuff out. If they're loaded with special features I won't be able to enjoy because they're in SD pal, that info isn't readily available either.
I'm hoping to get/find from these suggestions 20-30 titles, some I may not even know are available, that I would rather just own now than to wait for a US release or a loaded with special features release.
Please help with your suggestions and some brief info about the import title such as whether it looks really good, what kind of lossless sound, and what the special features may be.
Thanks for any suggestions.
GizmoDVD
10-29-09, 09:04 PM
So you want movies that look and sound good only?
dolphinboy
10-29-09, 09:26 PM
So you want movies that look and sound good only?
Mostly, yes (although I think that I'd also want them to be in their OAR is implied). I'd rather wait for a loaded US release than get a foreign release with tons of SD pal special features that aren't watchable or have issues of any kind.
With something like Almost Famous, I know what I'm getting. A great looking Blu-ray of a great movie that I love. If had a tons of pal SD special features, I think it would bother me more that they were there.
It makes sense to me. ;)
trespoochies
10-29-09, 09:47 PM
Sorry - I misread your post - you don't have a region free player, you're only looking for region free titles. I would recommend The Nest, but that is from France (amazon.fr). Great picture and sound, but there are extras and they are in SD PAL format.
HumanMedia
10-29-09, 11:48 PM
Hannibal
Maria Full of Grace
Once
Almost Famous
The Island (2005)
Black Narcissus
The Red Shoes
Sunrise
dolphinboy
10-30-09, 12:35 AM
Hannibal
Maria Full of Grace
Once
Almost Famous
The Island (2005)
Black Narcissus
The Red Shoes
Sunrise
Can you share any details on Maria Full of Grace and Once? PQ and do they both have lossless audio?
Most importantly, are they really light on special features? Or even better are there special features in HD, thus making the pal issue not a problem?
Those are exactly the types of recommendations that I'm looking for as far as films go.
Almost Famous is the only UK import I've already ordered.
I think that I read The Island only has DD 5.1.
Thanks.
Canadian Bacon
10-30-09, 07:59 AM
The Goonies- PQ is very good for a mid 80s low budget movie, AQ is good, not real active but no problems
WMAangel
10-30-09, 09:26 AM
The Goonies- PQ is very good for a mid 80s low budget movie, AQ is good, not real active but no problems
Considering today is October 30th, you may as well just wait two and a half more weeks and see if the rumor is true that Target will be getting The Goonies as a timed exclusive BD on November 17......if it does happen (as it did with Gremlins), then there will be no need to import it from the UK....
HumanMedia
10-30-09, 08:46 PM
Can you share any details on Maria Full of Grace and Once? PQ and do they both have lossless audio?
Most importantly, are they really light on special features? Or even better are there special features in HD, thus making the pal issue not a problem?
Maria and Once are both DTS HD MA.
I know they both have extras will try and check formats this weekend.
dolphinboy
10-31-09, 12:13 AM
Maria and Once are both DTS HD MA.
I know they both have extras will try and check formats this weekend.
Thank you. Would really love those 2.
HumanMedia
11-01-09, 07:29 AM
Maria full of Grace and Once are both region ABC, 1080p24 with DTS HD MA 5.1 audio.
The main features play without problem on a Region A PS3 and there are no 576i50 menus or trailers on disc insertion. However the featurettes and trailers ARE 576i50 and wont play on a Region A PS3. Maria only has a trailer anyway (and the commentary which does play). Once has three featurettes whcih dont play and a commentary which does.
Once is also shot on something low res so the Blu-ray doesnt seem lik emuch of an improvement over a DVD (until you see a DVD of it which is much worse).
Hope that helps.
riotinmyskull
11-01-09, 07:32 AM
does anyone own the UK release of SON OF RAMBOW? care to comment on whether or not the special features can be played? picture/sound quality?
dolphinboy
11-01-09, 09:57 AM
Maria full of Grace and Once are both region ABC, 1080p24 with DTS HD MA 5.1 audio.
The main features play without problem on a Region A PS3 and there are no 576i50 menus or trailers on disc insertion. However the featurettes and trailers ARE 576i50 and wont play on a Region A PS3. Maria only has a trailer anyway (and the commentary which does play). Once has three featurettes whcih dont play and a commentary which does.
Once is also shot on something low res so the Blu-ray doesnt seem lik emuch of an improvement over a DVD (until you see a DVD of it which is much worse).
Hope that helps.
That helps a lot.
Maria Full of Grace is EXACTLY the type of import that I'm looking for. It's barebones, really, other than the commentary, which I'll still be able to listen to and the trailer means nothing to me.
I looked up the US review, many of my SD dvds are in boxes right now because I moved, and the commentary is the only special feature it already has, so when the time comes for a US release, I'd only be losing the trailer (if they even put it on the US release).
I'd rather have the BD disc now! Again, a perfect example of what I'd like to find. A BD available now where I'll be losing nothing when the US release comes along.
As far as Once goes, because of the 3 featurettes, which I think I'd like to have, I'll probably give it longer.
1 of 2 is still good.
I really hope that I can get some more suggestions like this, because I'm looking forward to adding this to my BD collection. I have to wait until December, because November is a killer month.
Thanks again.
dolphinboy
11-01-09, 05:53 PM
HumanMedia or anyone else, can I get a couple of recommendations of reputable online stores that sell UK imports and reasonable prices?
For some reason, it kind of figures, Maria Full of Grace is no longer being sold by Amazon.uk.
I've never ordered anything from the UK other than from Amazon.
Thanks again.
HM, the way you described those imports was terrific. It's too bad there isn't a website that gives the info you gave and kind of spells it out simply the way that you did too.
I know a lot of people who come to this forum are very savvy, but some people just don't understand everything quite as well. I've seen several reviews from good intentioned people who ordered from amazon.uk who got bds that didn't play.
They just want to buy their favorite movies in HD like everyone else. Many just don't know about the trailers before a feature that might make it not playable and about the special features and how some SD pal special features will play and some won't (having to do with that 576i50 which I'm trying to learn up on).
Some people just don't even want to take a minute or two to help explain something they think someone should know like they do, so, again, thanks for spelling it out so perfectly clear for me.
HumanMedia
11-01-09, 08:51 PM
It gets tricky because some Region A players play i50 material (LG, some Panasonics) and most dont. And from the ones that dont, some can skip over i50 material (like trailers on insertion and menus) and some dont (many Sony players, PS3).
So some of the Region sites have region information reported that is incorrect for other people with different players.
For the main feature to be truly region free for all players it has to be Region ABC 1080p24, with no i50 menus or material on startup.
Before I had a multiregion player (modded Panasonic BD35) I used to correlate info from forums.highdefdigest.com/blu-ray-imports-subforum, blurayregioncodes.com and releaselists.com.
If these places were all in agreement then it was a safer bet. But sometimes they are not in agreement.
Josh Z
11-02-09, 01:48 PM
does anyone own the UK release of SON OF RAMBOW? care to comment on whether or not the special features can be played? picture/sound quality?
Son of Rambow is Region B locked. Additionally, the menu is 1080i50 and the bonus features are SD PAL.
dolphinboy
11-02-09, 02:13 PM
It gets tricky because some Region A players play i50 material (LG, some Panasonics) and most dont. And from the ones that dont, some can skip over i50 material (like trailers on insertion and menus) and some dont (many Sony players, PS3).
So some of the Region sites have region information reported that is incorrect for other people with different players.
For the main feature to be truly region free for all players it has to be Region ABC 1080p24, with no i50 menus or material on startup.
Before I had a multiregion player (modded Panasonic BD35) I used to correlate info from forums.highdefdigest.com/blu-ray-imports-subforum, blurayregioncodes.com and releaselists.com.
If these places were all in agreement then it was a safer bet. But sometimes they are not in agreement.
Any suggestions of where I might get a good deal on Maria Full of Grace? Amazon.uk told me that may or may not ever carry it again. I'm a little concerned buying something from the marketplace seller over there. I've done no other ordering from the UK, so I could google but with no real idea of whether people here have had good experiences in the past with the companies that I find. Also there is some kind of tax they charge that Amazon.uk never did. Will any other online store charge that extra tax or are there any others that don't?
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