muscular27 Posted January 7, 2007 Posted January 7, 2007 Fellow hd-dvd/blu-ray adopters, I came across a shop along Orchard Road which also starts to carry hd-dvd and blu-ray titles besides HMV. The shop's name is That's Music in Midpoint Orchard building. Some of the titles I saw there: Blu Ray - Kingdom of Heaven, Ice Age: Meltdown, Terminator, Kiss of the Dragon, Rocky, Enemy of the State, Species, Underworld 2. HD-dvd - Superman Returns, Superman, F&F: Tokyo Drift, Ray, Goodfellas, Last Samurai, We were Soldiers. Had a talk with the owner, Mr. Chow. Nice guy and I asked him to bring in more recent titles such as Crank, Poseidon, Hulk, Casino, Fearless, Black Rain, The Covenant, Pearl Harbour, X-Men, Flyboys, etc.... Regarding pricing, it's definitely better than HMV's.. Priced between $59 - $70 plus (depending on title) but these prices are BEFORE discount. You can discuss abt the discount with him. So for those who do not buy from Internet or worried about using credit card over the 'Net, you can check out this shop. And he can also bring in hd/br titles that you want. Of cos shows that do not pass the censors will not be brought in. Each title in the shop there has a BFC sticker. Guess those guys over at the censor either have a hd-dvd & blu-ray player to test or the stickers are given to the respective movie title. I asked him to try to get Harry Porter hd-dvd for me... ;D Disclaimer: I am not related to the owner in whatever way.
htfreak Posted January 7, 2007 Posted January 7, 2007 That's great news although prices here are still higher than HK. It would be great if he is able to bring in those Europe and Jap ones like Harry Potter and Equilibrium as well as shipping from those places costs a bomb for individual disc titles.
muscular27 Posted January 7, 2007 Author Posted January 7, 2007 Tat's why I asked him to try to get the Harry Porter for me... ;D Equilibrium just don work for me though. Yeah the prices are higher than HK's ones but I believe the web retailers' prices are also slightly higher than HK's except for amazon's after taking into account shipping. Anyway, I believe he brings in 1 or 2 copies per title only. So he can never compete with HK's prices and over here, it's still only a handful who can play high def as compared to HK imo.
htfreak Posted January 7, 2007 Posted January 7, 2007 I'm just holding my breath for tomorrow's flurry of news coming out from CES. With luck, Harry Potter will be announced in the States too. Disney has already pre-announced a whole list of titles. Here's their announcement :- MY TWO CENTS - 1/5/07 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt More high-def announcements are breaking today in advance of CES, and we've got another one for you now. Buena Vista Home Entertainment has just officially informed us that they're announcing a large slate of 2007 catalog Blu-ray Disc releases at the convention in Las Vegas next week. These titles will begin streeting in North America, Europe and Asia in March, many of them as 50GB releases ("enabling the highest caliber encodes, expanded bonus material and exciting new interactive features" according to the studio's forthcoming press release). In North America, BVHE's 2007 Blu-ray catalog releases will include Chicken Little (3/20), the King Arthur: Director's Cut and G.I. Jane (both 4/3), Con Air, Crimson Tide and The Rock (all 6/8), Disney and Pixar's Cars, The Recruit and Open Range (Summer), Remember the Titans (Fall), and Finding Neverland (TBA). BVHE has also just officially announced Ladder 49 and Reign of Fire for release in North America on 2/13, with The Prestige following on 2/20. We'll have more details on those three in a moment. In Europe, they'll release Eight Below, Chicken Little, Enemy of the State, Flightplan, Gone in Sixty Seconds, The Guardian, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Pearl Harbor, Scary Movie 4, Sky High, Finding Neverland and The Wild (all in March), followed by Dinosaur and the King Arthur: Director's Cut (in April), Bruce Almighty, Con Air, Crimson Tide, The Rock and Cars (in June), and Air Force One, Reign of Fire and Wild Hogs (in Summer). BVHE's Asia Blu-ray slate will include Face/Off (in March), Chicken Little and The Wild (in April), Scary Movie 4 (in May), The Guardian (in June), and Cars, Con Air, Crimson Tide, The Rock, the King Arthur: Director's Cut, Air Force One and Starship Troopers (Summer). Additional catalog Blu-ray title announcements will follow in the weeks ahead. This is in addition to a number of new-release Blu-ray announcements that are expected to happen throughout 2007. Says BVWHE president Bob Chapek: "Blu-ray is the strongest high definition format on the market and we are very pleased to add this amazing slate of Blu-ray releases that will appeal to our core demographic. With the dual-layer, 50GB discs now becoming standard, the possibilities for exciting new interactive features and additional bonus content are endless." Okay, back to those February Blu-ray titles from BVHE. Ladder 49 (2/13) will feature the original DVD extras, including The Making of Ladder 49 and Everyday Heroes featurettes, deleted scenes, audio commentary by director Jay Russell and Robbie Robertson's Shine Your Light music video, along with a Blu-ray exclusive Movie Showcase. Reign of Fire (also 2/13) will include the Breathing Life into the Terror: The Making of the Dragons and Below the Line: If You Can't Stand the Heat featurettes, a conversation with director Rob Bowman, the original theatrical trailer and a Blu-ray exclusive Movie Showcase. The Prestige (2/20) will be a 50GB release including The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight of Hand of Christopher Nolan documentary, The Art of the Prestige production gallery (featuring costumes, scenery and set design images), and another Blu-ray exclusive Movie Showcase. ========================================================= Anyway, just got an email from Amazon that they have extended the 10% discount until end of this year. Hooray. Too bad my Superman Returns shipment got lost and now they are resending it to me again. Any of you guys facing long delays with your recent Amazon shipments. I've got another one targeted to arrive by the 12th at the latest. I hope this one don't go missing as well as I can't wait to see Mr Chow in High Def Kung Fu Hustle.
Fred1624705785 Posted January 9, 2007 Posted January 9, 2007 Too bad my Superman Returns shipment got lost and now they are resending it to me again. Any of you guys facing long delays with your recent Amazon shipments. My Superman Returns finally arrived on time as per Amazon given deadline ;D
Audio Posted January 10, 2007 Posted January 10, 2007 My Superman Returns finally arrived on time as per Amazon given deadline ;D Yes, my mailman deliver my Superman Returns yesterday. Watched it at night. It's pretty good but I know the format can do better, I suppose the studio are holding back something.... :) The opening intro....it is spectacular!! Then the movie goes into a soft look..... :) (Audio)
muscular27 Posted January 10, 2007 Author Posted January 10, 2007 It's pretty good but I know the format can do better, I suppose the studio are holding back something.... The opening intro....it is spectacular!! Then the movie goes into a soft look..... I am sorely dissappointed with superman hd's PQ as well.. For such a recent show, the PQ imo is just average for hd. Thankfully the truhd is good. Audio, you may want to check out Casablanca hd. Very good pq for such an old classic. The special features alone are worth the cost of the disc. Alot of nice gems there.
wwyjoe Posted January 10, 2007 Posted January 10, 2007 side track a bit...just watched blu-ray pearl harbour...picture is so so, of course better than SD, but some scenes are grainy. But in terms of sound........ SHIOK! the first torpedo explosion really rocked the house...and i'm only using optical digital output. Imagine how uncompressed would sound like
muscular27 Posted January 10, 2007 Author Posted January 10, 2007 Pearl Harbour is inherently grainy due to the usual stylisation of the director. Same goes for any Ridley Scott's shows even on high def. Bro, have you watched his Black Hawk Down blu-ray?
wwyjoe Posted January 10, 2007 Posted January 10, 2007 Pearl Harbour is inherently grainy due to the usual stylisation of the director. Same goes for any Ridley Scott's shows even on high def. Bro, have you watched his Black Hawk Down blu-ray? yeah....not bad. actually among all the blu-ray, i find ultraviolet the best, though many would disagree. story sucks but picture is 'eye-candy' to me
Audio Posted January 10, 2007 Posted January 10, 2007 HD - but the studios are holding back ESPECIALLY on the Blu-Ray camp. That is why, when HD-DVD player launched, they did the best one with Phantom of the Opera which is STILL the best PQ to date. Looking at this disc, you know they are not holding back anything!! Ok, will check out Casablanca. Just got Fearless and 5 more Blu-Ray titles, arrived today... (Prada, Pearl Harbour among the many) (Audio)
Guest francis woo Posted January 11, 2007 Posted January 11, 2007 guys, as a matter of curiosity. how much are you paying averarge for a br and hd disc shipped from amazon to singapore!! thanks
Audio Posted January 11, 2007 Posted January 11, 2007 I got 6 discs yesterday. Paid US$26 expedited International rates. But Amazon gave me a discount of US$15 for the HD-DVD and Blu Ray.....not bad hor? (Audio)
enthusiast1624705824 Posted January 11, 2007 Posted January 11, 2007 I got 6 discs yesterday. Paid US$26 expedited International rates. But Amazon gave me a discount of US$15 for the HD-DVD and Blu Ray.....not bad hor? (Audio) You got buy "Enter The Dragon"? How's the picture quality and colour tone like?
Guest francis woo Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 hi audio, so what's the cost per disc works out to be?
htfreak Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 I'm going to have a bumper viewing weekend as within a matter of 3 days, Amazon sent me a total of 3 packages containing a total of 15 HD-DVD's and Bluray titles combined. Only managed to check out snippets of Kung Fu Hustle last night which was okay and similar in quality to the demo disc included in the Samsung Bluray player. Gonna check out my $14.99 copy of Talladega Nights tonite to see if this BD-50 version really sucks as what many netizens make it out to be.
Audio Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 You got buy "Enter The Dragon"? How's the picture quality and colour tone like? For a old movie like this, this turned out to be better than I thought. The sharpness of the picture is mixed, certain scenes very chisp and sharp....certain scenes don't know why...but turn soft all of a sudden. But this is probably the best version of this move you can ever get. I watched "Fearless" the other night....now that is what I call a good HD-DVD movie to demo. If you have seen the Region 3 version (HK), you will be able to tell the difference in PQ...it is absolutely night and day and we all know that most chinese movie have this habit of being soft....NOT THIS HD-DVD!! All the graphics of the venues of the flights is so detailed ..with no artifacts like what the MPEG2 DVD has. (Audio)
Audio Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 hi audio, so what's the cost per disc works out to be? In suppose $26/6 would be about US$4 a disc. I think I paid $16 for a 3-disc shipment. I ship direct these days, no more Vpost for me....they just slow you down for a couple of weeks....sending invoices to them is a pain in the neck. (Audio)
muscular27 Posted January 12, 2007 Author Posted January 12, 2007 Depending on the title, movie studio as well as whether hd-dvd/blu-ray.. For eg., a Warner Bros title typically cost usd 19.95 from amazon. 10% discount = usd 17.95 Shipping = about usd 6 - normal shipping. [provided u buy 1 title only; so it's better if you purchase more titles per shipment like what Audio has done] Total = usd 23.95 Conversion (x1.7) = $40/-. Just a very rough calculation based on the cheapest hd-dvd. Blu-ray of cos is more expensive with average price of usd 27 before 10% discount.
enthusiast1624705824 Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 For a old movie like this, this turned out to be better than I thought. The sharpness of the picture is mixed, certain scenes very chisp and sharp....certain scenes don't know why...but turn soft all of a sudden. But this is probably the best version of this move you can ever get. I watched "Fearless" the other night....now that is what I call a good HD-DVD movie to demo. If you have seen the Region 3 version (HK), you will be able to tell the difference in PQ...it is absolutely night and day and we all know that most chinese movie have this habit of being soft....NOT THIS HD-DVD!! All the graphics of the venues of the flights is so detailed ..with no artifacts like what the MPEG2 DVD has. (Audio) The HD-DVD version of Fearless got this missing fight scene with the Thai boxer, I heard the death blow was an imagination? I think Fearless badly needs an artifact-free picture more than Enter The Dragon, because the fight cinematography and the landscape scenery got nice details. Same for House Of Flying Daggers. And where is Ying Xiong? ???
htfreak Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 Assuming you buy 4 discs per shipment using normal shipping, you just need to add about US$3.49 to each disc to derive total cost. Most credit card charges nowadays are tagged at 1.56 exchange rate. Hence, the breakdown comes down to the following :- US$19.95 titles ==> S$33.50 US$23.95 titles ==> S$39 US$27.95 titles ==> S$45 Still cheaper than most Code 1 DVD discs sold here isn't it. :)
Guest francis woo Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 tks jeff, this is assuming you get 10% discount. do you always get the discount? what do you need to do in order to get the discount?
htfreak Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 For those currently getting the 10% discount, Amazon has already extended it till end Dec 2007. Furthermore this discount applies to all HD-DVD and BD titles unlike previously where you have to look out for the 10% discount logo. All that is needed to get the discounts is to either purchase 3 High-def discs or any High-Def player. However, I'm not sure if this discount scheme is still available for those looking to sign up now.
Audio Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 tks jeff, this is assuming you get 10% discount. do you always get the discount? what do you need to do in order to get the discount? It's hard not to be eligable for the discount....just buy 3 HD-DVD or Blu-Ray at one go.....how not to qualify??? After that, everytime you buy any HD disc, they will post a 10% discount on top of the total upon checkout.... (Audio)
Audio Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 The HD-DVD version of Fearless got this missing fight scene with the Thai boxer, I heard the death blow was an imagination? I think Fearless badly needs an artifact-free picture more than Enter The Dragon, because the fight cinematography and the landscape scenery got nice details. Same for House Of Flying Daggers. And where is Ying Xiong? ??? "Fearless" compared to "House of Flying Daggers"??? NO FIGHT!!! PQ wise and story wise, Fearless is SUPERIOR!!! (Audio)
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