Originally Posted by laidbacklarkin

lesson learned. I still need to let Amazon know that they need to pull this product. especially with this copied UPC bit

Originally Posted by DVD Polizei

Definitely let Amazon know and post a review on there.

Originally Posted by DVD Polizei

Inspired-Studios (aka Inspired Corporation), based out of New Jersey, I believe. This is just a company that pays pennies on the dollar to get the rights to make videos (most of them are exercise and kid's videos), and I'm somewhat insulted that Zulu managed to get this company releasing it. This release took somebody maybe a half-hour to make (including cover), and they sure were not going to pay to put the overseas high-quality version on a BD-50, as it probably cost them another 50-cents. They probably have a ton of BD-25's lying around, so anyone purchasing from this company should beware of ANY future Blu-ray releases from this crap-inspired company, as they will ALL be BD-25's and the video will be processed accordingly.

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger

To be fair, the legitimate Zulu release from the UK is also from an HD transfer that has been completely stripped of high-frequency content. It's the main complaint about it, the clean print quality is a result of zealous DNR usage.

I also believe that the mono soundtrack is the original for Zulu. The UK disc does have exemplary compression standards from Paramount.

Originally Posted by laidbacklarkin

and so here is the report from giving the disc I received this afternoon a spin - this is the R1 disc that's on sale at Amazon fulfilled by a marketplace seller called Oceanbreeze Video or something like that.

General observations:
1. The cover is a cheaply printed artwork that betrays a bootleg right away
2. Its a single layer region free disc (says Region 0) released by a company called Inspired Pictures
3. the UPC Code is 007108370011
4. the artwork on the disc too is cheap and screams knockoff
5. the playing side of the disc is a professionally pressed disc, not a DVD-R

Disc:
1. opens with a FBI warning that means nothing
2. immediately followed by a 'Inspired Pictures' animation with sound following which the feature begins
3. chapter stops don't exist - pressing next or previous chapters during playback present a 'cannot operate during playback' message on my Sony BDPS570 BD player
4. There is no disc menu. Hitting the disc menu on the player's remote takes you back to the FBI warning message from where you sit through the whole shit again
5. There are no subtitles
6. There are no extras

Video quality:
1. the PQ is remarkably free of blemishes/scratches etc - does that make it a standout ? read on
2. resolution is at best upconverted DVD and little else, explains the single layer BD. This is no 1080p presentation and nowhere on the artcover or disc does it mention 1080p resolution.
3. image on the screen appears to be digitally scrubbed to oblivion - the colors and contrast pop but there are no details on faces - as they appear waxy

Audio Quality:
1. No 5.1 or any other surround sound
2. Sound is limited to a limp mono English track that is sourced into the center channel.
3. The sound is clear but not remarkable

Verdict:
Avoid big time. I can't tell if its a bootleg. But no studio will produce a disc like this shorn of all the above mentioned features. Am still deciding if I should return it (on principle of not owning inferior discs and/or bootleg) or just swallow the cost and learn a lesson.

Originally Posted by mugwump

Over at Blu-Ray.com there's a thread with screen caps and discussion of the two discs. Here's the link.

Originally Posted by DeputyDave

Wow, thank you for taking one for the team. I guess I'll just stay happy with my DVD.