Good News Das Boot Superbit is 2 discs and a perfect DVD!
 

review from digitalbits.com


When Das Boot first appeared on DVD in late 1997, it was a very exciting release. But by today's standards, it left a lot to be desired. The digital video compression was abysmal, resulting in an anamorphic picture that was absolutely riddled with MPEG-2 artifacting. The remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 audio was very good, but you definitely got the impression that the disc could have looked and sounded better. And now it does.

When Columbia TriStar first announced their SuperBit line of DVDs, THIS was the film I was most hoping would be revisited. And when it was finally announced a few months ago, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.

Compared to the original DVD, the anamorphic widescreen video quality here is absolutely superior in every respect. The film is been split over two discs to maximize quality, and it benefits tremendously from the higher bitrate that both the SuperBit approach and the added disc space allows. You will be very hard pressed to spot ANY kind of digital compression artifacting, which is an achievement given the fact that so much of this film takes place in the moody darkness of the submarine, or the murky ocean depths through which it passes. That's not to say that there aren't still picture issues... but it does mean that they're all related to the quality of the print itself. You will see the occasional bit of dust or nick on the emulsion. And there's light to moderate grain visible throughout the film. But that's entirely acceptable given the nature of the film and what we've seen previously on disc.

The colors in this film range from muted to vibrant, but they're always accurate. This is true of everything from the green ocean depths, to the lush reds and blues of emergency lighting, to even the ever more pasty flesh tones of the crew. And the contrast! The blacks here are deep and solid without ever looking muddy or losing detail. So much of this film takes place in the dark nooks and crannies of the sub interior, but you'll never want for detail. Given the print itself, this is really stunning anamorphic video.

The audio is also superior, given what you'd expect from the SuperBit line. You're given 5.1 sound options (in the original German) in both Dolby Digital and DTS flavors. The DTS is, of course, absolutely the recommended choice. But fans without DTS will be plenty happy with Dolby Digital. The DTS features a smoother, more natural soundstage and better resolution of the subtler aspects in the mix. But both tracks feature incredible dynamic range and a very wide soundstage. Sound is SO important to this film, and you'll hear every little nuance of the mix, particularly in the DTS. From the faint gurgle of the ocean moving past the hull, to the pinging of sonar, the popping of rivets and the bone-jarring blast of depth charges... this is an extremely rich and layered DVD audio experience. I daresay this disc is going to be a serious challenger for BEST DVD - AUDIO in next year's Bitsy awards.


There's no doubt that the original Columbia TriStar special edition release of Das Boot (pictured at left) was inferior in terms of video quality. And it was a flipper disc. But it featured a couple of nice extras, including a full-length audio commentary (with director Wolfgang Peterson, star Jürgen Prochnow and Director's Cut producer Ortwin Freyermuth), a short "making of" featurette (that briefly addresses the making of the film and the creation of the Director's Cut) and an insert booklet with liner notes by Peterson. Unfortunately, in order to accommodate high bitrate anamorphic video and both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtracks, this new SuperBit DVD doesn't include either the commentary or the featurette, and the liner notes didn't carry over either.


To be sure, that's disappointing. It means that true fans of this film are definitely going to want to own both versions, because the audio commentary is a superbly entertaining listen. But I can absolutely appreciate why Columbia TriStar omitted these extras on the new DVD, and I agree fully with the decision. The goal here is absolutely top video and audio quality - the best possible for this film on standard DVD. And I think Columbia TriStar has achieved that in spades.

I might pick this up.

Well yes, as the first version was a double-layered flipper, I assume a 4-layered flipper isn't as good as two double-layered discs.

Mods, please don't move this to reveiws and recommendations. Since many of us were curious about the dvd, I wanted it here.

I never bought the original because in the age of DVDs I cant see myself doing the laserdisc-esque task of flipping. Or even changing discs with exception to special features. I just hate being interrupted during the screening of the film. I know ... call me crazy, or tell me I am missing out.

I waited this long, I might as well wait another 5-6 years to get the blue laser dvd.

The movie is almost 3 and a half hours, I don't think there are dvds out there over 3hour and 15 min that are not flippers or double dvds. I would reccommend this one since from what I hear, its a classic movie.

I know its long and that is why it has been flippered and changered. But I dont know... I just hate having to do it.

I bought Sleepers on dvd a few years back and returned upon realizing it was a flipper.

The only flipper I have right now is THE WILD BUNCH and that is because it was a gift.

I wont mind flipping this one. great film....sounds like a great dvd. for me it's a piss, cold beer and bowl break-wink-. I'll be getting it on day 1!

I'll wait for one with extras and perfect picture before upgrading... maybe by then I wont have to switch discs.

oh I can't wait... finally!!.... someday I wish CHV would acquire and release the 6 hour miniseries version.

I love this film. I'm considering getting it and using my current disk with the extras as a companion to the Superbit.

Whens this street date for this bad boy? Estimated retail price?

The original R2 release is on a single non-flipper disc...and like the R1 contains a featurette and a commentary by Wolfgang Petersen and Jurgen Prochnow.
However, looks like i'll have to 'douple-dip' again and buy this as the increased visual quality certainly warrants it.

i've been wanting to get this movie i guess now is the time

I had heard about the original release lacking in video quality, so I held off buying. Now it seems my wait was worth it. Some ask "why SuperBits?" but this release sounds like an answer to the question.

Count me in for the Superbit upgrade. I sold off the old flipper version over a month ago. I didn't think it was worth keeping even though it does contain extras that are not included with the Superbit DVD.

never seen this movie but what genre is it.Is it a war flick or something?

It is a WWII german movie about the crew of a German u boat (U-96)

Very good to hear. I do not have the current disc, so I'll be picking this one up for sure! :up:

So, DVD Savant reviewed this now and here are his thoughts about the picture quality (comparing the new disc to the original):

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=6020


So, we have The Digital Bits saying that there is "no doubt" the original was inferior, DVD Savant basically saying there is little noticable difference, and a few other reviews that say the SuperBit quality is great, but not really comparing it directly to the original release...

Anyone out there also do a direct comparison and care to weigh in?

bboisvert - No, I haven't done an A/B (can't now, I dumped the flipper) but my impression was that the picture quality is definitely better on the SB. How much though? I guess that's the question eh? The first 10 minutes or so of the film did not exhibit much improvement, if any, but after that it looked better... From memory of course, been several months (at least) since I've watched the flipper. My gear > 47" Panny 16X9 + a Panny prog scan player.

The DTS track is very nice.

I never saw the original disc but the new SB looks great on my JVC 48WSP30..

The DTS track is outstanding worth every penny despite the lack of xtras

It may be selfish of me, but I really wish that more of these so-called review sites would spend a bit more time to compare things like this. I've been to 3-4 sites that all review the SuperBit release as if it is the first one...

They say "Wow, looks great!" and "Hey, no artifacts!" Yet they don't even mention the first release and compare the two.

What they don't realize is that most fans of the film *already* own it... and have for years. They ONLY piece of helpful information is how does the audio and video compare with the previous release... so we know whether or not to shell out an additiona $20 for a movie we already own.

Just saying that the SuperBit looks great is worthless. The original flipper release looked pretty freakin' great too, honestly (and had a commentary and featurette).


(I guess I'm just getting frustrated with the state of Internet DVD reviews lately... seems like many of them have been worthless to me in the past few months. Praising mediocre releases, failing to mention if titles are anamorphic or not, etc.)

As with the Croutching Tiger Superbit, I will have to pass on this DVD as the German only 5.1 audio is a real problem for me. I hate reading subtitles because it takes your eyes off all the visuals and subtle facial expressions of actors, and to me this ruins a film much more then not hearing a foriegn language I can't understand anyway! I much prefer a dubbed audio track so I can fully enjoy all the visuals and with the last Das Boot DVD all but one of the actors did their own dubbing so the speech was not like some of the horribly sounding dubs you come across. They have included a DD 2.0 English track on the Das Boot Superbit but the DD 5.1 on the Director's cut it quite outstanding in it's own right so I am not to disappointed. The quotes about the video quality lacking is flase as far as I'm concerned as it looked just fine on my 58" Pioneer HDTV.

A reviewer can only do a comparison if they happen to already own the original disc. It isn't like Columbia TriStar is sending out copies of the old disc along with their review screeners for the new one.

If, as a reviewer, I happen to already own the old disc when the new one is sent along, of course I'd compare the two. If not, there's not much I can do short of going out and spending my own money to buy the old disc. If I had to do that for every remastered movie that came along, I'd be broke pretty quick. That just isn't a practical expectation.

I definitely understand that, Josh. I guess my point is that the larger review sites should make more of an effort to make sure that reviews like this end up in the hands of people who own/have reviewed the previous disc.

This is a situation where the "upgrade" costs $7 retail more than the original disc and loses all of the extras (commentary, etc.) If the video/audio quality turns out to be virtually identical (as DVD Savant says), that certainly should make a difference as to whether or not the SuperBit should be recommended.

I realize that it isn't a perfect world and there will be some times that a review can't compare/contrast editions of a film. But these sites also have to realize that it makes their reviews a hell of a lot less useful for readers.