http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept...ideos/did-106/


there you go

I should have mine before Friday, but I will only be able to compare it against the 2-disc Edko version.

I'm guessing it's the same the earlier Korean release. If so, the Japanese version will be better but only rather slightly.

the miramax usa dvd and cinema release will apparently be the 120 minute version... the directors cut... waiting for that...

That would be nice if it were true, but kinda doubt that since the whole reason it was cut down to 96 minutes in the first place was because Miramax wanted it shorter.

and the urban legend continue to grow...

Got my copy today. I just started watching it, and the first difference I noticed was that the opening text is in scrolling english now. I know my HK version only had chinese text.

It also includes a full bitrate DTS 6.1 track, and the running time on the back is listed as 99 minutes.

Here are some screen shots


Main Menu
Audio Menu


Opening Crawl

The Film:
Flying Snow (Red)
Nameless
Broken Sword (Blue)
Flying Snow (White)
Flying Snow (Green)

That's interesting. The Edko DVD has Chinese text with English text below it. However, the director's cut does have its prologue text in scrolling format.

Can you check the running time on the disc itself, not just the case? Are you familiar with the theatrical cut? A quick way to tell the difference between the two cuts is that the Golden Forest duel between Flying Snow and Moon is much longer in the DC, almost twice as long, with many more shots of the two of them leaping around between trees.

Can anyone comment on how the PQ compares with the R2 Japan version?

dvdcompare.net claims that the US release will be the 120 min version. i am sure that it is bullshit though. i wonder where they are getting their info from.

I went back and compared every frame of the Golden Forest duel, and they were identical. The run times however, are not. On my R0 HK the run time was 1:36:22 and on the new R3 KR it is 1:38:33. I am sure that, either most, or all of the additional time is due to the english text for the beginning and end of the movie.

Japanese shots taken from the comparison @ http://207.136.67.23/film/DVDCompare2/hero.htm

Japanese Version - Elite (Top) / Korean Version - Bitwin (Bottom)

I don't know how much that helps, since it sounds like the original EDCO release was a different transfer than the new BITWIN release.

?

I'm comparing my shots to the Elite Group (JPN Release).

In my opinion, all four versions look like they have a similar transfer, with the exception that someone at the studio may have screwed with the brightness levels.

Sorry about that, since there are two Korean versions, and the link you posted was for the older release, I thought the images you posted were from the EDCO release.

Assuming the screencaps are at the same neutral settings, it looks like the Korean disc has overcooked the contrast, as is quite typical with Korean discs unfortunately. How's the actual packaging? It certainly looks like a nice set!

Thanks for the comparison! I think I may go with the R2J version since the picture looks a bit better and there are no English subs for the "Cause" documentary in the R3K version anyways.

NO IT'S NOT!

Sheesh...there should be a FAQ on this, I swear - this was already mentioned ont he 1st page of the same thread! The US version is the same as everybody else's in the world. Don't go around spreading this kind of misinformation.

Very strange.

The screenshots above make the Korean disc's transfer look very similar to the Chinese EVD release of the director's cut, which is brighter than the DVD and has duller colors (and is generally bluer, which you can clearly see in that last shot).

Flashburn says that the opening and ending text are different (which is true of the DC), but that the rest of the movie is no longer than the theatrical cut.

So what kind of weird hybrid print did they transfer it from?

Just completed my side-by-side screening of both the R3 Edko and Bitwin discs.

Running Time - Edko 1:38:32
Running Time - Bitwin 1:38:34

The Edko disc ran on my Vaio using WinDVD5 and the Bitwin disc ran on my Phillips 727.

Everything, including the opening and ending sequences, is in sync.

I guess the 99mins in just a misprint.

It's not really a misprint. You can't really put 98 1/2 minutes on a DVD box so they just round up. I've seen it many time.

As for Hero being 2 hours in the US. That comes from news of Quentin Tarentino convincing Miramax to let that version play in the US. Considering Miramax forced Mr. Zhang to change the movie, I doubt that news is true.

Tarantino is confused. He saw the 98-minute version the same as everybody else, and assumed that Miramax wanted to cut it down further, so he "convinced them" not to cut it. I don't think he realizes that there is a 120-minute cut of the film available.

So... should i upgrade from my single disc copy (Weikai/Face) to the Ultimate Ed.?

Fact #1: Miramax had already forced Zhang Yimou to cut the film to 98 minutes. But this cut was still done by Zhang himself.
Fact #2: Miramax was considering cutting the movie FURTHER themselves for the US release. This is where Tarantino stepped in.

So Tarantino is just bringing the 98 minute version. I hope that this is the final time that this point needs to be addressed.