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***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

#1
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9/6/07 at 11:30am
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Welcome the the HTF Blu-ray insiders thread. This is a forum for HTF members to ask Blu-ray related questions to Blu-ray insiders. There are additional rules that will be enforced:

Members can only ask questions, no comments.
No "baiting" questions.
Only people who are certified as Blu-ray insiders are allowed to answer questions.
Be respectful in your posts.

We would like to welcome our first Blu-ray insider paidgeek.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
To View My Massive DVD Collection Click Here
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#2
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9/6/07 at 12:22pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Welcome, paidgeek. I hope and think you'll find the environment here more to your liking than your old stomping grounds.

I have one general and one specific question if you can answer it. Approximately, how many more Sony Blu-ray Disc annoucements can we expect between now and the end of the year? Also, will Resident Evil be released on BD this year along with, I assume, Resident Evil: Extinction?

Edited to add:

Since this thread was started in the High Definition Player - Blu-ray Owners forum, are software related questions permissable? If not, I apologize, but some clarification might be in order.

Universal Blu-ray Discs I will not be buying while they're offered only as Blu-ray + DVD 'flipper' discs:

The Jackal, Out of Africa, and Traffic.

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#3
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9/7/07 at 10:04pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

A warm welcome indeed. I'm very glad that you've decided to join us and look forward to your insight.

DVD & Blu-ray - It's all about the movies!
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#4
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9/8/07 at 6:02am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Based on Paul's post we removed the word "players" from this and the HD DVD forum name.
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#5
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9/9/07 at 8:01am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Big welcome to Paidgeek.

First off - Great work on Hellboy, The Fifth Element (redo), Casino Royale, etc. Really looking forward to Bram Stoker's Dracula, Close Encounters, Life of Brian, 20 Million Miles to Earth and the Spider-Man flicks.

Also can't wait for the rumored 08 titles: Das Boot, Taxi Driver, Lawrence of Arabia and Bridge on the River Kwai so I have to say I'm glad you folks at Sony are opening up the vaults a bit as it's the only way to expand the demographics - tempting the classic film enthusiasts into adopting this format. Not to mention how much I want these titles in High Def.

I guess my question is what kind of shape are the other Ray Harryhausen titles: Jason and the Argonaughts, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Mysterious Island, etc? and is the format too young to expect older genre titles such as these and others like Curse of the Demon, etc?

Also can you drop a hint if the first 20 Bond films are at least being considered in the next 12-18 months?

Lastly a request:
To port over all extras from SD editions. Even though the extras may only be available in standard def for us collectors repurchasing these titles, we feel shortchanged by not having everything available that previous SD editions had. Don't give collectors a reason not to upgrade.
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#6
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9/9/07 at 2:08pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Lastly a request:
To port over all extras from SD editions. Even though the extras may only be available in standard def for us collectors repurchasing these titles, we feel shortchanged by not having everything available that previous SD editions had. Don't give collectors a reason not to upgrade.
Agreed.

Which segues to a question, Pg: would you please comment on the studio's calculus regarding whether or not such supplements get included or not? For instance, I'm specifically interested in Black Hawk Down: I'm sure it was rights issues--specifically, the studio not wanting to pay A & E and PBS--but what was the thinking on the dropping from the BD of the "The True Story Of Black Hawk Down" and "Frontline: Ambush In Mogadishu" documentaries that appeared on the outstanding standard def Deluxe Edition (especially given that the latter appeared on the SD Extended Cut released shortly before the BD).

BHD BD also occasions the question of what the calculus is regarding whether or not an "extended" or "director's" cut gets released on BD: for BHD and Tears Of the Sun, it was the theatrical cuts. The Patriot, however, is the Extended.

Might this mean we can look forward to subsequent BD releases of those titles which didn't include all their SD supplements upon first hitting BD?
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#7
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9/13/07 at 8:00am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Arnette
Welcome, paidgeek. I hope and think you'll find the environment here more to your liking than your old stomping grounds.

I have one general and one specific question if you can answer it. Approximately, how many more Sony Blu-ray Disc annoucements can we expect between now and the end of the year? Also, will Resident Evil be released on BD this year along with, I assume, Resident Evil: Extinction?

Edited to add:

Since this thread was started in the High Definition Player - Blu-ray Owners forum, are software related questions permissable? If not, I apologize, but some clarification might be in order.

Sorry for my delayed response.

There will be another 20 or so releases by the end of the year. Look for the Resident evil releases early next year.

As you might assume, Sony Pictures works off a schedule of titles planned for release, but I would appreciate members limiting questions about when title xyz is coming out. The studio is sensitive about giving out our release timing plans and these are always subject to change anyway.
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#8
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9/13/07 at 8:03am
  • Joined: September 2007
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris S
A warm welcome indeed. I'm very glad that you've decided to join us and look forward to your insight.

Thanks,

I'll do my best to answer you questions. They keep us on our toes...
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#9
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9/13/07 at 8:09am
  • Joined: September 2007
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim_K
Big welcome to Paidgeek.

First off - Great work on Hellboy, The Fifth Element (redo), Casino Royale, etc. Really looking forward to Bram Stoker's Dracula, Close Encounters, Life of Brian, 20 Million Miles to Earth and the Spider-Man flicks.

Also can't wait for the rumored 08 titles: Das Boot, Taxi Driver, Lawrence of Arabia and Bridge on the River Kwai so I have to say I'm glad you folks at Sony are opening up the vaults a bit as it's the only way to expand the demographics - tempting the classic film enthusiasts into adopting this format. Not to mention how much I want these titles in High Def.

I guess my question is what kind of shape are the other Ray Harryhausen titles: Jason and the Argonaughts, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Mysterious Island, etc? and is the format too young to expect older genre titles such as these and others like Curse of the Demon, etc?

Also can you drop a hint if the first 20 Bond films are at least being considered in the next 12-18 months?

Lastly a request:
To port over all extras from SD editions. Even though the extras may only be available in standard def for us collectors repurchasing these titles, we feel shortchanged by not having everything available that previous SD editions had. Don't give collectors a reason not to upgrade.

I think you will see more of the classic titles in late 08' or 09'. Remember that we are still selling to early adopters and when these customers browse the shelf at retail shops, they want to see the new hits. Blu-ray is still earning its retail shelf space, so there is only so much room for classics right now.

We don't have distribution of the Bond films (sadly as I'm a fan). Fox is now handling these.

The extras question is a hot one. We have seen from other forums that members are divided about the importance of SD extras on Blu-ray titles. We will add them when we think it makes sense for a given title.
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#10
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9/13/07 at 8:13am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul.S
Agreed.

Which segues to a question, Pg: would you please comment on the studio's calculus regarding whether or not such supplements get included or not? For instance, I'm specifically interested in Black Hawk Down: I'm sure it was rights issues--specifically, the studio not wanting to pay A & E and PBS--but what was the thinking on the dropping from the BD of the "The True Story Of Black Hawk Down" and "Frontline: Ambush In Mogadishu" documentaries that appeared on the outstanding standard def Deluxe Edition (especially given that the latter appeared on the SD Extended Cut released shortly before the BD).

BHD BD also occasions the question of what the calculus is regarding whether or not an "extended" or "director's" cut gets released on BD: for BHD and Tears Of the Sun, it was the theatrical cuts. The Patriot, however, is the Extended.

Might this mean we can look forward to subsequent BD releases of those titles which didn't include all their SD supplements upon first hitting BD?

I'll see if I can find out the basis for the added value decisions on BHD.

If the seamless branched titles, Spiderman 2 and Close Encounters are well received, we may try to use that feature more for those titles that have multiple versions. It will take a fair bit of research to find out why a particular version of a title was released over another, but we suspect that consumers will like the idea of getting the version they prefer on the same disc.
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#11
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9/13/07 at 9:15am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Welcome, paid! I am hoping SPHE is giving you some kind of bonus for all the hours you've been logging around the net lately. Your efforts have been greatly appreciated.
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#12
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9/20/07 at 1:27pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Thx for reply post #10. Per that, I look forward to a follow up post.
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#13
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10/14/07 at 11:24am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Very Nice - paidgeek - The message or buzzterm Go Format Neutral seems to be loud and clear on these and other forums.
In the minds of the studios, would you say this is no longer a matter of one or the other but of refreshed media quantity in general?
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#14
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10/16/07 at 10:34am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Thanks for the info!

At the prices HD discs are commanding these days, leaving off extra features is a major issue for me. I am not really planning on upgrading any of my existing titles until prices come way down or there is more added value material -- my PS3 does a great job of upconverting good-quality SD discs, and I just can't afford to replace them at $20-$40 a pop. Especially when I'd want to keep the original disc for the extras.

I think branching multiple versions is a great (and obvious!) idea. Take advantage of the tech, I say. (Personally, I'm disappointed by Tears of the Sun, as I found the extended cut to be far superior to the theatrical version. ) Again, I think the added value really needs to be maximized to sustain current pricing. (I might pay that much for a new title, but not to replace one I already have unless there's a very compelling reason.)

Just my thoughts! Thanks for reading.

"How wonderful it will be to have a leader unburdened by the twin horrors of knowledge and experience." -- Mr. Wick

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#15
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11/4/07 at 5:31pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

What happened to the title "The Professionals" which was scheduled to come out last year?






Crawdaddy
G.W. McLintock: Camille, you're on your own.
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#16
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11/6/07 at 7:49am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Welcome, Paidgeek. I´m sure you´ll find a much more relaxed atmosphere here than in some "other" places..

Rewind - DVDcompare/Site Administrator
*US PS3 (1080p) - Xbox 360 Elite (HDMI) - Nintendo Wii (Euro) - Sony PSP-2000 - Nintendo DSi
*HD DVD Toshiba XE1 (1080p) - Sony Bravia KDL-40W2000 (1080p) - Yamaha RX-V1800 (HDMI 1.3)

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#17
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11/7/07 at 11:55am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

paidgeek,
Has Sony released sales numbers for Spiderman 3 yet?
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#18
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11/7/07 at 4:19pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

This might be a stupid question but I've always been curious to how they re-format the movies for the BluRay players to give them that hidef look. Is there some kind of reading posted about this? If so I would love to read it to see how they go about making the BluRay discs!

-Nick-
Home Theater Setup
TV - Sony KDS60A3000
Reciever - Denon AVR2308CI
DVD - Denon DVD1940CI
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#19
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11/8/07 at 6:12am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Dear Paidgeek,
Is there a possibility if or when Sony releases "Tommy" on Blu-ray the REAL quintaphonic audio restored by the film's original sound mixers (which isolates the vocal and certain sound effects to the center channel) found on the overseas 2-dvd set could be used? I was so disappointed with the mix on the Superbit version, which mixed both the instrumentals & vocals on the center channel, ruining the original intent of the mix. Thanks.
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#20
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11/12/07 at 10:29am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Hello Paidgeek,

Is there any news on when Crimson Tide might be released? I thought I was due to be released a few months ago but there seems to be no more information on it.

Thank you for your time.

1080p High Definition SupporterLossless Audio Supporter Current Library: 221 DVD's / 70 HD-DVD's / 181 Blu-ray's (251 HD Titles)

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#21
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11/12/07 at 10:46am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Dave, a reliable (he's reported accurate release information in the past) retailer who posts in the Blu-ray.com forum says Crimson's new date is February 5, 2008.

PG, echoing my post #6, I hope this BD will include the theatrical cut and the seamlessly branched extended cut as well.
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#22
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11/12/07 at 1:07pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Thanks Paul, I can not wait to own that title.

1080p High Definition SupporterLossless Audio Supporter Current Library: 221 DVD's / 70 HD-DVD's / 181 Blu-ray's (251 HD Titles)

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#23
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11/12/07 at 8:56pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
What happened to the title "The Professionals" which was scheduled to come out last year?






Crawdaddy

Our schedule changes quite a bit, but we will have at least one or two classics out this spring.
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#24
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11/12/07 at 9:10pm
  • Joined: September 2007
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Echo42987
This might be a stupid question but I've always been curious to how they re-format the movies for the BluRay players to give them that hidef look. Is there some kind of reading posted about this? If so I would love to read it to see how they go about making the BluRay discs!

-Nick-

Making Blu-ray discs is a many step process, but the key steps are film transfer/digital intermediate to create and HD master, compression for audio and video, authoring including menu artwork, and replication. There is no "re-format" going on. If the only video master of a film is standard definition, then the film needs to be transferred again in HD resolution. Doing all of this correctly is expensive and time consuming, but the telecine/DI process is re-used for other distribution like HD broadcast, and in the case of DI, for the film release itself. For more detailed info, wikipedia is a good resource.
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#25
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11/12/07 at 9:12pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by StephenP
paidgeek,
Has Sony released sales numbers for Spiderman 3 yet?

Lot's of numbers posted on SM3 already. 130K in the first week is quoted the most.
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#26
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11/12/07 at 9:14pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by James_Garner
Dear Paidgeek,
Is there a possibility if or when Sony releases "Tommy" on Blu-ray the REAL quintaphonic audio restored by the film's original sound mixers (which isolates the vocal and certain sound effects to the center channel) found on the overseas 2-dvd set could be used? I was so disappointed with the mix on the Superbit version, which mixed both the instrumentals & vocals on the center channel, ruining the original intent of the mix. Thanks.
We generally try to include the original mix for Blu-ray whether it is mono, stereo or what have you. We can do the same for Tommy.
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#27
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11/12/07 at 9:19pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Moritz
Hello Paidgeek,

Is there any news on when Crimson Tide might be released? I thought I was due to be released a few months ago but there seems to be no more information on it.

Thank you for your time.

I'm pretty sure that Disney has this one. I don't know when they will release it, but I like it too.
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#28
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11/13/07 at 4:04am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Duh yeah sorry--"blond moment." Crimson is of course a Disney release. It's going to be interesting to see whether the longer AND theatrical cuts are included. If Remember the Titans and Enemy Of the State are precedents though, it will unfortunately just be the theatrical.

This is an excellent opportunity for Sony to distinguish itself on its BD releases of titles for which there have been more than one cut released on SD.
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#29
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11/13/07 at 8:33am
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Thanks for the reply Paidgeek

1080p High Definition SupporterLossless Audio Supporter Current Library: 221 DVD's / 70 HD-DVD's / 181 Blu-ray's (251 HD Titles)

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#30
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11/13/07 at 12:33pm
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Re: ***Official Blu-ray insiders thread

Paidgeek,

Thank you so much for your participation here.

I was amazed at the transfer on Black Book. For anyone who hasn't seen it, it is a terrific film with near flawless video & audio.

My question is in terms of films aquired by Sony from foreign studios, how difficult is it to get ahold of the original elements? Does SPHE do their own scan or are the scans generally done overseas?

Thanks!
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