True Lies Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Jerome Muz]

Hi, I'm a new member and am creating this new thread as, for some reason, I could not respond to user Disctrip who is asking about the audio-video quality of that Spanish blu-ray release of True Lies.
Just a bit of context: as a French resident, I ordered it from Amazon.es. This is definitely NOT an official release but there's apparently some legal hole with the rights of the film in Spain which allowed that 'bootleg' edition to come out and Amazon.es to sell it.
But what about the quality of the transfer? Well, it's by no means up to the standard of current releases, whether they are new films or even newly mastered re-release of catalog films.
However, you own the Laserdisc and the non-anamorphic DVD (ouch!) like me and you just can't wait to finally watch True Lies again on your projection screen and loud sound system, then it's a no-brainer! The disc is quite cheap too (about 15$ + shipping + tax if applicable). The master is the same as the LD/DVD but the new HD scan (not to mention anamorphic transfer at last!) is a major improvement. Of course, in terms of colors and contrast, the image feels a bit flat. Bright lights (the light beams in the opening scene, explosions or sun flares) look burnt and therefore probably lose a lot of image information but again, that's the same 20-25 year-old master so it should not come as a surprise. Grain is present as it should be but a new master will allow for a much more elegant handling of it obviously. But again, let's not think about how we hope True Lies to be looking in HD (and future 4K releases), but let's just be content with that bootleg release for now. Even though this is an old master, the good news is that the compression itself is clean enough.
Audio-wise, you've got a DTS HD MA 5.1 track that delivers the good. If you'd asked me before watching the film again last night (and I hadn't watched it since 2001 maybe), I would have told you this was the greatest, loudest, most spectacular old-school action films ever made. I suppose it's still true but having watched and heard so many Atmos, DTS X and HD tracks since, I have to say that the sound mix on True Lies sounded very quiet. Not in terms of volume: the explosions and gun fire are as loud as they should be. What I mean is that the 'old' mixing consoles did not allow sound effects to be as precisely positioned in the mix, nor were the mixers able to throw the sounds around the room like they do today with the object-based mixing software which automates part of their work. Again, the DTS HD MA 5.1 is technically flawless. It's just that... and I hate to say that.. I didn't think True Lies would ever age. It still holds as a great action film of the 90's, maybe the swan song of that type of action films. I was a huge fan of the film upon its release and the Laserdisc is the film I watched the most on my first home-cinema gear. But oh my... I'm 45 now! I sort of felt 20 again as I watched the film again. But it's aged probably more than T2 did if you want to compare it to another Cameron film. Maybe because it has not been available to watch for whoever has refused to watch the non-anamorphic DVD or the LD for the past 20 years like me?

I do not regret buying that bootleg edition. It's a huge improvement on the DVD so if you can import it in the US at a reasonable price, don't hesitate.
And by the way, the disc is region-free of course. (it would have been weird to lock a bootleg disc, wouldn't it?)

 

[dpippel]

Welcome to HTF! Just so you know, promoting the purchase of illegally bootlegged discs is a no-no, and against forum policy. This was not a great way to introduce yourself to the community.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Welcome to HTF. As Doug mentioned, discussing bootleg material is against forum policy. You could not respond to that other user because the thread was locked, as it went against forum policy. I would expect this thread to be locked soon, too.

 

[DaveF]

thread locked

Terms and rules | Home Theater Forum

Terms and rules

You must agree to these terms and rules before using the site.

www.hometheaterforum.com

5. Respect for copyrights. Home Theater Forum has a strict policy of respecting the rights of copyright holders. We do not allow promotion of bootleg material or discussion on how to obtain it, and we immediately delete all links to sites that deal in bootleg material. If you have any doubt whether a source is legitimate, please check with a moderator before posting any links. We also do not allow discussion of (a) how to make unauthorized copies of video or audio materials, (b) how to defeat any form of copy protection (including, for example, how to make "personal" copies of commercially produced DVDs), and/or © how to obtain equipment that can only be used for such purposes. In one form or another, this rule goes back to the very origins of HTF. We are serious about it. Please do not try to debate copyright law with us. We're not interested in discussing what the law should be. Public discussion about copyright law is allowed as long as it doesn't violate any portion of this or any other site rule. We believe it is in the best interest of HTF to enforce this policy strictly, and members test it at their peril.