UpcomingDiscs is the first review site to have the Blu-Ray edition of Terminator reviewed...

http://www.upcomingdiscs.com/dvd_rev...type=disc_type

"As one of the launching Blu-Ray titles, The Terminator defines everything a launch title should for a new format; fine visual and audio examples all encompassed inside of a great film. Blu-Ray didn’t need to convince me to purchase The Terminator as I love the film and will continue to purchase new edition after new edition. My friends, Blu-Ray has arrived and the red carpet has been laid out for an all-star film. Highly recommended!"

Awesome! Looks like this will be one of my first BD purchases instead of The Fifth Element. Hopefully this edition ditches the lame remastered track from the last SE (the one where it sounds like Arnie is using a silencer to kill the first Sarah Connor)?

You wanna trade off? you come to my place for HD and I go to yours for BD?

LOL, you'll have to wait till August, because if I have to drop a grand for a Blu-ray player it won't be on a Samsung.

you're the only person i know that would

This sounds amazing, but... am I reading this correctly? Has the mono track (which was on the previous DVDs) been dropped entirely?

I have an issue with that, especially given how terrible this new soundtrack is, with newly recorded foley effects, etc.

Nope, that 5.1 track is now the "official" sound mix for the movie, and is what's been included on the Blu-ray.

That's what it looks like based on the review. If so, I'll never get the Blu-Ray version. I HATE that 5.1 "remix".

Great news about the picture quality... lame about the original audio - this does not bode well for future releases. (atleast from Sony) Here they are dumping hundreds of millions into their technology and releases, yet what to us seems like obvious and basic features are being overlooked.

Amazon has this for pre-order for 11.99!

Big price drop from 20.29 a week ago.

It looks like this 5.1 mix is not the same one that was used on the special edition. At least that's what the review makes it seem like, as they say that the DVD mix was disappointing, while this one wasn't at all.

and my fingers are crossed that T2 - is also demo worthy

There is only one 5.1 mix for the movie. Van Ling spent a great deal of time and money re-recording sound effects and remixing the entire track from scratch. Whether you like it or not, that is now the official sound mix for the movie, and the studio isn't going to do it all over for the benefit of a few whining fanboys.

Various DVDs and Blu-rays may encode that 5.1 track in different audio formats, which may offer improved fidelity to the new master, but the master itself is the same one used for the Special Edition DVD. That includes all of the inappropriate new sound effects and awkward directional panning.

I don't need them to do it over. I just want them to include the mono track so we're given a choice.

I wonder if there was room on this Blu-Ray for an extra audio track.

I can't imagine how a Blu-Ray disc with all the extra storage capabilities couldn't fit a mono track.

They're using a less efficient video codec and, since they're using a single layer, actually have less space than an HD DVD. (Maybe not even 25 gigs, if some reports are to believed.) Remember, they don't even have room for all of the extras from the DVD on some of these Blu-ray discs, so I wouldn't be surprised if the mono track had to be ditched too.

Well...

With a SL BD combined with production problems yields ~20 GB discs, based on earlier reports (did anyone report what size the Blu-Ray discs are that are in people's hands?).

With MPEG-2 compression, you are looking at ~8-10 GB per hour. Terminator is 108 min. That is ~16 GB. Add in the extras (even at SD) and you are looking at least another 2 GB -- up to at least 18 GB. Now add in the audio track(s) (does this disc have any HD audio tracks?) and you could easily be at the 20+ GB stage.

It's not inconceivable, at least in my mind. Hopefully the move from MPEG-2 (to VC-1 or AVC) comes quickly. It cannot happen soon enough.

Ok, I stand corrected. Of course, this begs the question why did Sony go with MPEG-2 to begin with? The HD-DVD ports haven't had to drop anything thus far(aside from Universal ditching trailers like they always do lately).

VC-1 is a Microsoft developed codec, and Sony doesn't want to pay their chief video game console competitor the licensing fees.

I will buy this arguement, however, Sony is already using H.264 with their UMD movies so there is no logical reason for them not going with that codec for their HD discs. That codec is probably on par with VC-1 and would have solved some of the space issues with the single layed discs.

I would imagine it's a question of their decoding software not being ready yet. It's actually pretty bizarre.

That is part of the problem, but I still have to question why. Why if HD DVD is ready on day one with dual layered discs, DD+ support and VC-1 can Blu-ray not be ready with any of these things? The discs I understand since there are still manufacturing problems, but the other two are not so easily explained away when you consider Blu-ray launched a few months later. Blu-ray should have implemented DD+ decoding in their $1000 players and they should have had their tools ready for encoding the HD material.

I think the DD+ decoding being left out is Sony greed. They want people using LPCM instead which would be fine if they also had dual layered discs.

The Blu-ray launch is a disaster. There is no other way to spin it. Not only is the first player released a dud that will have to be replaced next year by anyone serious about the format, but the discs will all have to be replaced as well when and if they get a second release down the road.

I just wish Fox would see the light so I can eliminate my need for a Blu-ray player at all.

Sony has a stake in PCM?

Blu-Ray is screwing the pooch....