What imports are "better" than the US releases?

[dfms23]

I don't think they'd be listed unless they are region free but Blacklac will need to answer that question for it to be truly definitive.

[Blacklac]

I have tried to make it a point to label any non-US releases that are region locked, as so. Now, some of the US releases may be region locked. I should go through and list those US releases one day.

[lgans316]

U.K / German BD of X-MEN TRILOGY features BonusView and slightly more extras than the U.S counterparts and they are Region Free too.

[bevilacq12]

Anyone ever get around to checking the quality of the UK 'A History of Violence'? I heard some vague reports that it was less DNR-ed, but never found anything substantial.

[Penthouse]

Just an FYI, on the Nordic version of Death Sentence, the subtitles are forced.

[Blacklac]

Oh bummer! I hadn't read that. I will update.

[HD 335]

Just noticed this older title wasn't on the list

Mongol, US release only carries a 5.1 Mongolian Dolby Digital track while the UK import gets a 5.1 Mongolian DTS HD MA track. I believe the PQ is the same but can't confirm. Also, UK import is locked to Region B.

[Cochise]

Originally Posted by HD 335

Just noticed this older title wasn't on the list

Mongol, US release only carries a 5.1 Mongolian Dolby Digital track while the UK import gets a 5.1 Mongolian DTS HD MA track. I believe the PQ is the same but can't confirm. Also, UK import is locked to Region B.

Thanks for that ^^^. I rented it and actually turned it off after on a few minutes because the DD audio was so crappy, it sound like DVD. The UK release actually might have AVC video as it's from Universal and the US release was from New Line/Warner. It's also in the 3for2 Amazon UK deal, so I think I'll find out.

[HD 335]

I just picked up the import copy of Mongol a couple weeks ago from the UK 3for2 deal but haven't got around to re-watching it. I also have the US release and enjoy the movie, but also was not satisfied with the audio.

[Vipper VI]

Does anyone have the consensus on whether the Kinowelt release of 1408 is better than the US/Dutch versions?

[Penthouse]

Originally Posted by Penthouse

Just an FYI, on the Nordic version of Death Sentence, the subtitles are forced.

Sorry, but I was mistaken. I was able to turn the subs off. I don't know what I was doing before!

[Patsfan123]

Originally Posted by HD 335

I just picked up the import copy of Mongol a couple weeks ago from the UK 3for2 deal but haven't got around to re-watching it. I also have the US release and enjoy the movie, but also was not satisfied with the audio.

It is Region B locked, AVC and also on a BD50 compared to the US version.

UK Review: http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/69025/mongol.html

[Cochise]

Originally Posted by Patsfan123

It is Region B locked, AVC and also on a BD50 compared to the US version.

UK Review: http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/69025/mongol.html

Huh? The specs on the sidebar in the review says Discs / Type: 1 / BD25, as does the label on the back of my copy. But it is AVC and, in my opinion, much richer and far more detailed than the Warner VC-1 release. And the cinematography in this movie is just fantastic. The DTS Master Audio on the UK release is like day and night compared to the Warner Dolby Digital. Every subtle sound effect is captured perfectly. Highly recommended. And it's a steal in the Amazon UK 3for2 deal.

[Jester217300]

^ Well I had to buy a copy of Mongol (UK) to complete my 3 for 2 order I'm more worried about the movie than anything else, epics are very hit or miss with me.

[Cochise]

Has anyone bought the UK version of The Shawshank Redemption? I'm looking for 1 more title to fill out an order from Amazon UK, and the price is pretty decent (£9.98). I see in the specs here that the UK version only has DD while the Warner US release has TrueHD. But in the customer reviews on Amazon UK a user has posted some pretty good details for comparing the two:

By LGANS316 (Tokyo Japan) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
Version: Japan, U.S.A / Warner / Region A, B, C
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
VC-1 BD-50 / Advanced Profile 3
Running time: 2:22:33
Movie size: 23,56 GB
Disc size: 31,88 GB
Average video bit rate: 16.42 Mbps
Number of chapters: 40
Subtitles: English SDH / Chinese / French / Japanese / Korean / Portuguese / Spanish

Dolby TrueHD Audio English 1423 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit /
#Commentary by writer/director Frank Darabont
#2 Documentaries: Hope Springs Eternal: A Look Back at The Shawshank Redemption, Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature
#The Charlie Rose Show segment featuring Darabont, Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman
#Comic Spoof of The Shawshank Redemption
#Stills and Collectibles Galleries
#Theatrical Trailer (HD)

************************************************** ***********

Version: U.K / Region A, B, C
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 2:22:32
Movie size: 30,44 GB
Disc size: 42,58 GB
Average video bit rate: 25.98 Mbps
Number of chapters: 12
Subtitles: English

Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Extras: PAL-SD

#Commentary by Frank Darabont
#Hope Springs Eternal: A look back at the Shawshank Redemption (31m:00s)
#Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature (48m:00s)
#The Charlie Rose Show with Frank Darabont (42m:19s)
#Cast Interviews - Tim Robbins (27m:21s), Morgan Freeman (20m:54s), Bob Gunton (37m:45s), William Saddler (32m:24s), Clancy Brown (15m:41s)
#Stills Gallery
#Shawshank Storyboards
#Original on Location Footage
#Original Theatrical Trailer
#New Theatrical Trailer

Normally the version with lossless audio would be a no brainer decision for me, but I'm a bit biased against Warners low to mid bitrate VC-1 PQ, and the AVC bitrate is 50% higher on the UK version. I haven't seen Shawshank in several years and don't remember if the sound design is such that it would benefit that much with the TrueHD.