HD-DVDs from Japan?
 

I was wondering a couple of things about the HD-DVDs from Japan. I know a few of them are being released on July 28th and I was wondering where you could buy them from and if they would work in the Toshiba?

Last Samurai (7/28)
Oldboy (7/28)
Pacchigi! (7/28)

Also does anyone know of a site where they list upcoming releases in Japan?

Thanks in advance!

DVD Talk has one review of a Japanese HD DVD: Finding Neverland. HD DVDs are, at least for the moment, region-free.

YesAsia supplied that HD DVD, and they have a number of other titles on their website. I'm not sure of a list that lists all upcoming titles, but it might be worth looking at the HD DVD Promotion Group's list.

Adam, thanks for the link for the HD DVD Promotion Group list. Now if I could only find someone to translate the Japanese text for me.

6/30/06
- The Last Samurai

7/28/06
- The Brothers Grimm
- Equilibrium
- Oldboy

8/25/06
- Oliver Twist
- Japanese Movie (ケータイ刑事The Movieバベルの塔の秘密 ~銭形姉妹への挑戦状)
- The Pianist
- Jersey Girl

8/30/06
- Japanese Movie (阿修羅城の瞳)

9/22/06
- The Machinist
- The Gift
- Volcano High (火山高)..... (I think this is correct)

TBA
- The Aviator
- Apollo 13
- Van Helsing
- Jarhead
- Serenity
- 1549 (Japanese Movie)
- Bourne Supremacy
- Hostage

There were a few in the TBA section that I couldn't translate.

OMG Fast Times is coming to HD-DVD!!!
Can't wait to see Phoebe Cates getting out of the pool in HD-DVD ;)

Damn...Old Boy on HD-DVD?? This is a title worthy of me being an early adopter!

Old Boy doesnt have any english subs.

Other places to find Japanese HD-DVD releases (apart from YesAsia) are,

www.cdjapan.co.jp
www.amazon.co.jp

Any particular reason you'd want a Japanese release of Last Samurai when there's a perfectly good one in this country already?

Kevin Smith representin' on HD-DVD :)

Wow!!! Thanks for the translation.

That was another question I had about the Japanese HD DVDs...... the whole subtitle thing. Well that sucks. I also heard the picture quality was pretty poor compared to the American releases also on the earlier Japanese releases due to MPEG-4 compression instead of the Microsoft VC-1 compression used in the U.S.

No reason on the Last Samurai. I was going to get the American version but I saw that it was one of the titles coming out in Japan so I thought I'd be thorough and put it in there.

Thanks.

Available and upcoming HD releases in Japan and elsewhere listed in a French web forum:
http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/v...php?t=29769511

Do we know if these newer releases are now using VC-1?

I heard they were going to use MPG2. I could be wrong.

MPEG2? Are you sure you don't mean MPEG4?

No.
MPEG2
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/do...0622/hddvd.htm

Oh. blech.

Any way to get Resident Evil HD-DVD that was bundled in with the HD-DVD player in Japan?

I'm sure that some will start popping up on ebay soon, but I heard that it is a really bad looking transfer.

I'm sure that's probably just a typo or a misinformed source.

So what do you think it really is? AVC or VC1?

All of the existing Japanese releases have been MPEG4 AVC, so I'm sure those are as well.

Yeah, I was afraid of that, but i've triple/quadruple dipped Resident Evil in the past.... what's another copy of it??!! :-)

Im all over equilibrium.....I love that movie!

It would be kind of cool to have a Sony product on HD DVD. There is just something so...sweet about that.

Wait until HD DVD burners come out. There'll be a lot of that going around. :)

I've got a buddy in Japan right now and am going to ask him to bring me back a couple of HD DVDs. Any recommendations?

Probably the standard:
The Brothers Grimm
Equilibrium
Finding Neverland
The Gift
Goal!
Killing Me Softly
The Machinist
Oldboy (No English Track OR Subs)
Oliver Twist
Out of Time
The Pianist
Reign of Fire
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade(No English)
xXx

Also Band of Brothers is supposed to be coming out at the end of June in Japan as well....This is jsut a quick list of what I could find I am sure there are more...

After a little research....

Brothers Grimm (Miramax title in US so unlikely to ever get a domestic HD DVD release, poor reviews on disc)

Equilibrium (Miramax title in US so unlikely to ever get a domestic HD DVD release)

Finding Neverland (Miramax title in US so unlikely to ever get a domestic HD DVD release)

The Gift (Paramount, so could get a domestic HD DVD release)

Goal! (Buena Vista, no likely domestic HD DVD release)

Killing me Softly (MGM, no likely HD DVD release)

The Machinist (Paramount, likely domestic HD DVD release)

Oldboy (no english subs!)

Oliver Twist (Sony, no likely domestic HD DVD release)

Out of Time (MGM, no likely domestic HD DVD release)

The Pianist (Universal, likely domestic HD DVD release)

Reign of Fire (Buena Vista, no likely domestic HD DVD release)

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (no english subs)

xXx (Sony, no likely domestic HD DVD release)

My candidates are

Brothers Grimm
Equilibrium
Finding Neverland
Goal!
Killing Me Softly
Oliver Twist
Out of Time
Reign of Fire
xXx

of which I'd only consider

Equilibrium
Finding Neverland
Oliver Twist

from what I can tell the HD-DVD edition of Wings of Honneamise hasn't come out yet, but that a Blu-ray w/standard DVD edition is available - any English subtitles for this??

Looks like that's coming out at the end of July. I can't find any info regarding subs yet. I hope it does (and hope it looks good). If so, I'll definitely pick it up, along with AKIRA and GHOST IN THE SHELL, which are also coming out in Blu-ray/DVD sets.