While I love to buy British DVDs from BensonsWorld and BlackStar, they are both severely lacking in the technical specs department. Are there any sites that do an accurate job of listing if the DVDs are 16:9 enhanced or not?

Disney has just released several animated films in the UK so I'm hopeful that at least a couple of them will be done properly (anamorphic) since their R1 counterparts were not.

www.dvdstreet.infront.co.uk are usually pretty good at more comprehensive listings. I agree though that most of the other sites are sadly lacking in exact info - it’s all you can do sometimes to find out if it’s widescreen or not.

Yes DVDStreet is certainly an improvement over the two I previously mentioned but they still seem a bit lacking. Thanks though.

Anyone else have a recommendation?

www.play247.com has specs, though not the widest selection. Great prices though overall.

Amazon UK list technical info; once you've brought the basic info for the disc up on the screen (price, delivery time, etc.), click on the link that says something like "see the technical information for this edition".

Sadly unlike the .com, amazon.co.uk is somewhat lacking in technical info and clicking on the "more" link usually just gives a repetition of what’s already visible on the first page. It‘s a larger problem really inasmuchas even most of the studios have scant info themselves eg. I phoned up 20thCFox about a month before the release of the R2 Lake Placid to ask if it was anamorphic and they couldn’t tell me. I also phoned WarnersUK in advance of the release of Cross of Iron to ask if it would be anamorphic widescreen and they said "no". Transpired when released it was anamorphic widescreen.

Either through ignorance of how important this info is, or laziness on the part of the studios, the UK is just not up to speed when it comes to the technical breakdown of DVD for the more discerning consumer.

Im not sure its ignorence on the part of the eretailers as it is just a zone 2 thing. I've noticed that many zone 2s are labeled incorrectly. Sometimes for the better. For instance, I had put off buying strictly ballroom for a while because I thought it was released 4:3, but I found it in the UK on a recent trip and there was no indication that its was tv format. So I bought it. And it turned out to be widescreen anamorphic in fact. (I think it was anamorphic, i have to check on that). But it was definitely fine on the 16.9 and had the parts of the scenes that were missing when I got it on Video.

And I do lots of research on a disc before buying it. I just think zone 2 manufacturers are a big behind the times. Some of the early releases just plain suck, but now i will often choose a zone 2 over a zone 1 for particular movies.

Also, the transfer for Strictly Ballroom wasnt that great, but that is probably just bad manufacturing, which is unfortunately another problem with zone 2 release.

So, my point, go to many sources for the tech info. I*d start with the Internet Movie Database just to check the actual spec. Then compair that with the sources online, and if you have the opportunity, on the back of the DVD boxes in the stores.

Then price compair, then buy.

Good luck!
Jim

FaustBos:

I appreciate the word of caution. Unfortunately for most movies at IMDb, if there is a region 2 version listed in the tech specs it's almost always only the German version. That helps a little but since R2 can have so many different versions even IMDb is quite limited in their info.

I think you are confusing where I'm mentioning to look. Dont go by the Dvd availablility boxes on the upper right. I*m talking about in the menu under the choice "Technical Specs". That gives you in most cases the orginal aspect ratio of the film as it was released in theaters. That way you can know exactly what to look for in the tech specs of the DVD sites you go to.

Again, this is a best source only, I can't claim its entirely accurate, just a starting point. I*ll link and example. Since one of my guilty pleasure films, When Worlds Collide is being released, I wanted to check the original Aspect ratio.

When Worlds Collidge:
Main listing: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0044207
Tech spec: http://us.imdb.com/Technical?0044207

So according to the IMDB the original was release in theaters at 1.37:1 which essentialily is 4:3 or TV framed. So when I get the DVD I wont be expecting widescreen or anamorphic.

Another:
The day the earth caught fire
Main listing: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0054790
Tech spec: http://us.imdb.com/Technical?0054790

With this latest film which was released in late 50s I think, the aspect ratio for the release in the theaters was 2.35:1 which is very wide. So on whatever zone I buy this from whatever manufacturer, I am expecting to get the film in that ratio. If its anything other than that, than the release is altered and i'm not interested in wasting my money on it, unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

My experience is, you have to do the research or you might get disappointed.

Jim

Yes I knew exactly where you were talking about. It's in the column that runs on the left of the page under "technical specs" which is above "laserdisc details" and "dvd details." They pretty much only have R1 and R2 - Germany specs.

I've been thinking the same thing. I hope BensonsWorld and BlackStar don't mind all the emails I send them. The sad thing is that even though they are great at replying they rarely know the answer. They usually give me the aspect ratio. I realize in some areas the terms used for anamorphic vary so I always write "aka 16:9 enhanced." I'm trying to upgrade all of the nonanamorphic R1 DVDs I own but it's hell trying to get accurate info about R2 releases.

any good uk retailers willing to mark packages as "gift" with a low value? i ordered Eraserhead and Idioterne a month ago and ended up paying 30% in customs/duty charges.

julian

Bensonsworld has done this without my even asking.

DVDstreet and dvdreviewer.co.uk both have a lot of cover scans that can be enlarged to find some information. The bad news is that some of the fine print might not be legible.