Blu-Ray Best Of The Best - for discussing releases only

[JP]

Lol not sure if it would work quite as well that way...

Are you any good at describing in 1080p?

I wasn't so bothered about seeing the Flags film which is why I only bought this one. I've had a quick look at the extras on it and the other is looking more appealing the more I see.

[Kotatsu Neko]

I've just bought Letters from Iwo Jima. I'm not sure whether to hold off watching it until I buy Flags of Our Fathers so I can watch them as a set, what do people recommend?

They are companion pieces, you really should see both. Flags is actually quite a different take on the story, as it follows the US soldiers made famous in the flag raising picture as they tour America trying to raise money for the war.

Definitely see both, the way Clint intended.

[RLench]

Does it matter which one I watch first? I'd hate to watch one film first and miss all the references in the other film. Or can I watch them any order?

[Kotatsu Neko]

You can watch them in any order.

[RLench]

Ok cheers. I'm tempted to save them for a night when I can watch them back-to-back

[Kotatsu Neko]

Ok cheers. I'm tempted to save them for a night when I can watch them back-to-back

I watched Flags on Saturday night, then Letters on Sunday night. It's a good idea to watch them in close proximity so you can see how the same locations play out in different ways from each perspective and time line.

Goes without saying they look stunning in HD too.

[JP]

I have a couple of questions which I hope hope people here will be able to help with...

Does anybody know what the issue is with The 5th Element on Blu-ray?

I've been reading that there was quality issues with the earliest release so it was then re-released with superior mastering. How do I know which one is which when buying?

I've been reading as well that 300 is getting a collectors edition on Blu-ray later in the year. Is the standard edition master OK? I really couldn't care less about the interactive stuff on it but if there were any improvements I'd probably hold out for the later edition.

[Kotatsu Neko]

According to HighDefDigest, the only way to identify the remastered Fifth Element disc is to look for the words 'experience high definition' at the bottom of the front cover in silver, instead of grey. The back of the box will also list a new Dolby TruHD soundtrack. This is for the US release though - I have no idea what's happening in the UK with this.

As for 300, the rumour about a re-release of the blu-ray version was to bring it in line with the HD DVD version, which had a ton of interactive stuff. (such as blue screen picture in picture for the entire movie, and a bunch of online features- such as being able to cut your own trailer for 300 and share it online, where you can download and vote on the best trailers)

There are no new documentaries though, so if you don't want the interactive stuff then don't bother waiting for the re-release.

[RLench]

As above, the new version of Fifth Element is meant to look infinitely better and it DEFINITELY worth buying. I doubt any retailers will still be selling the older version but you could email them first and ask perhaps?

For 300, the only extra stuff would be the PiP commentary and editing your own trailers. The actual film presentation would be identical to the HD/Bluray releases out now...which are pretty much flawless. So, if you want the extra stuff, then either wait or buy the HD-DVD version. If you just want it for the film (like I did) then there is absolutely nothing wrong with the current Bluray version

[JP]

Thanks!

I've read on one forum that the remaster also listed a Dolby TrueHD audio track which the original didn't. Can anybody confirm this either way for me from their own discs?

I'm not really interested in waiting months for extra stuff on the Blu-ray release so I may as well go for the original. It seems to go for about £15 from UK sellers on eBay now which seems fair to me.

[RLench]

iirc the original FE has a PCM soundtrack and the re-issue has PCM and TrueHD. TrueHD and PCM are the same though so it's not a major benefit (pretty much a pointless feature to have both soundtracks tbh)

[Kubrick]

Apparently Sony will exchange the ****ty version for the new one free of charge. Probably only applies to US residents though...

[JP]

iirc the original FE has a PCM soundtrack and the re-issue has PCM and TrueHD. TrueHD and PCM are the same though so it's not a major benefit (pretty much a pointless feature to have both soundtracks tbh)

I suppose the advantage is that it points out which version you're buying though lol.

I'm looking into a HDMI amp at the moment as my last "proper" amp died a few months back. I'm suffering with the good old fashioned red/white phono leads at the now so I'm not going to be able to hear the difference between different audio apart from mono & stereo...

I've not yet heard any uncompressed audio so I don't really know what I'm missing. Does it sound that much better to DTS which is my current favourite?

[RLench]

I'm waiting to upgrade to it as well I'm currently using a regular DD5.1/DTS amp so I'm yet to hear PCM or the other next-gen audio formats. I have heard a few demos though and it is AWESOME Everything is louder and clearer, there's more detail in every single second of audio etc. I watched Casino Royale at a friend's house and decided right there that I NEEDED to upgrade my amp ASAP.

Remember the first time you heard a film in 5.1 compared to TV speakers? Well it's a bigger difference than that, IMHO Until I heard it, I would have said [email protected]/s is sufficient for all movies...I was so wrong. Now my twisted mind is telling me that I've wasted money on my speakers unless I buy an amp that does them justice

[Strider]

Just watched Con Air and was really impressed with the transfer seeing it's now ten years old.