HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I wasn't too happy about it the first time that I had to do it either but it's pretty sweet when you get the update and the disc works.

Not to be a doomsayer but keep in mind that the player may not have an update that 'fixes' the T2 disc yet either or it could also be a bad disc.

EDIT: I hope Jacob's news is wrong. Or people (like myself) with Profile 1.0 and 1.1 players are out of luck.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I bought this player last November, so it's pretty new...

I was just able to access and play the several trailers. I'm thinking that not "all" features are unplayable here, and the movie itself should certainly be able to play.

There is one extras option on the main menu called "Skynet Access", and when I highlight this ONE option, it then says "requires 2.0 for content access".... but none of the other menu options say they require this.

My feeling is that the STUDIO CANAL logo goes for 23 seconds, and after that it gets stuck at 23 and freezes on the black and won't "jump" to the start of the main feature. I'm wondering if it's a faulty disc.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

what player do you have joe?

I hope I am wrong about the news about the 2.0. It was how I read it from other people that were having problems. I recently got the panasonic 60 and I also have the ps3. I have not gotten the t2 skynet. I have the original release from a couple of years ago.

Jacob

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Be sure you have the latest firmware update for your player.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

By the way, I returned the first disc to the store just in case it was defective, but the replacement disc has the same problem.

By BD player was bought only this past November, it's a Sony BDPS350, which has perfectly played all other BDs which were said to be problematic (like some Fox discs, like the Bonds).

This business of bothering with "the latest firmware" is a load of garbage. I even called Sony and they were willing to send me a free upgrade disc... But they asked me for my serial number of the unit and I am unable to get to the back of the player to do so. It's hooked up with all other wires and gizmos in a shelving unit and it's a pain in the neck.

So is there any other way to get this 2.0 upgrade firmware other than from Sony themselves? And do I have to give a serial number?

This is a real annoyance just to watch a damn movie.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Well, it might be the difference between playing and not playing your movie. I would at least check and give it a try. Sony is good with firmware updates, so I bet a new one has been released since last Nov.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Joe, i have this player too. Let me ask, did you do the firmware update in Jan? Thats the last one i got.
Also, i never d/l a firmware disc, i have Sony send me one. Its easy, its free, and i dont have to worry about not being able to burn a disc, or have my player hooked up to the internet.

I dont have T2 yet, so i cant tell you if it plays on my 350. But when it comes, i will let you know.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Thanks. No, I haven't done a firmware update yet at all. I have at least 25 discs now but never had to do one.

So let me ask you - do you have to give your serial # to Sony to get the disc upgrade? And also, when does it end? Is this going to be something the studios are going to require us to do forever, say 3.0, 4.0, and beyond?

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Joe, where you been? I've had to get 6 FW upgrades for my Panny BD30 (bought last year) and at least 4 for my HDDVD A1 player (bought when it first came out.)

It's a pain, but I've talked to Panny and they blame the companies and the companies blame Panny...what a vicious circle.

All I know is, I have to keep up with the FWs or I'm outta luck.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Sheesh. I'd like to think at some point the upgrades will cease and we'll all be good to go permanently, though. I blame the BD companies, not the player manufacturers. And at the very least, Lionsgate will get an earful from me on this, for whatever that's worth.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I hear you!!!

All I want is the damn movie. I could give a shit about all the crap they add to it...so it doesn't play in our players.

All our bitching is falling on deaf ears it seems. How long did it take the bastards to give us anamorphic...almost 5-10 years!

We keep winning the little battles, but never the war...arguh!

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Is there any further info on the 1.0/1.1 generation machines and this disc?

I've got a Panny BD 10 and am wondering if I shouldn't even be thinking about this disc.

Jake: Where did you get that info?

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Joe, no, you dont have to have the serial number. Just the model number.

I blame the studios for the need in firmware updates. They are the ones who put out the discs that have some change to...whatever...the player cant read. Fortunately, like others have said, Sony is really fast in firmware updates.
Even if your not going to use the internet (Profile 2) options, like me, you should still do the firmware updates. They usually update more than one thing in the player.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I think there is a problem with the bdlive. I have both the ps3 and the panasonic 30 which can do the 2.0. I am also having problems. it cann't connect to the site. however I am able to play the movie.

Jacob

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I'm actually excited to check the disc after the Lakers win (hopefully). Seems like Bill Hunt did a bit of research and re-viewing of the disc and has changed his mind. Interesting read:

The Digital Bits: Celebrating Film on Disc - DVD & Blu-ray

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

This has happened before on release day for very popular releases. Only so many logins etc., can't handle the traffic anyway.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I think you are right.

Jacob

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

So there aren't any issues with the early generation Blu players and this disc?

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Mike, the problem being described sounds like one regarding firmware updates. I have both a PS3 (which is what I primarily use) and a Panasonic that I picked up last year, and I keep them up to the most current firmware.

If there is any doubt, I recommend looking up your player on the company website and checking both about firmware updates and 2.0 compatibility. That should clear everything up in a hurry.

I agree that it can be a pain to wait for all the interactive stuff to load up before you can just watch the movie, but I see it as the same thing as loading a software program on my laptop - takes a few seconds. But in the end, I'm happy with the payoff.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Over at The Digital Bits, Bill Young has just revised his statements about this Blu-ray and the issue of DNR.

Young is saying that Lionsgate is saying that no grain reduction was done for this edition - that the differences visible between this edition and the earlier US Blu-ray have to do with encoding differences between the MPEG-2 transfer on the BD-25 of the earlier release and the VC-1 transfer on the BD-50 for the Skynet Edition. Young is also saying that he can see fine grain and more detail now that he's looked more carefully at the transfer on his monitor, which is a heck of a lot larger than my 40". He also says that this transfer was approved by Lightstorm.

Thought I should add that in, as it might be crucial in helping people make a decision about whether to look this one over.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I think most of us agree that turning special features into PiP is almost always a step backwards. I wonder why Van Ling did it on T2?

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

It's too late for that. People have labeled it as having DNR and the title will never be able to shake that. It's like McCarthy calling someone a Communist in the 1950's, the accusation alone left you branded.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

In the Insiders section right here on HTF, there's a very interesting thread about this title, and Van Ling (the producer of the BD) has been a very active participant.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

My BD-10 has had the latest firmware update (and, unfortunately, probably its last). That is: version 2.5 from August 2008. But it is a 1.0 machine and Jacob's comment below made me think it's not a question of firmware, necessarily, but a hardware limitation with a disc that seems to want to maximize current software capabilities.


I guess now I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with a first-gen player who has been able to play this disc without problems.

I think you mean Bill Hunt of Digital Bits in your other post about the DNR issue. Carlo had posted a link about a half-dozen posts earlier.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Well, it is hard not to look at the 'bits 'retraction' as backpedaling and damage control on the behalf of a studio that potentially swatted their hand as a result of their original comments when you're as cynical as I am.

All I can say is if I can see more fine detail in some compressed .jpg files in the Japanese release vs. the Skynet edition on DVD Beaver, chances are good I'm going to see them on my monitor too.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I've got a Sony BDP-350 and ran into a problem loading the Profile 2.0 content too. I updated the firmware last night and it didn't fix the problem. The movie plays fine, but running into that error everytime is going to get old!

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

The Sony BDPS350 can be upgraded directly over an ethernet cable connection.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I spun this disc last night using a PS3 (with current F/W) and a 60" Sony XBR2. I used the THX optimiser to adjust picture and contrast. My player is set up NOT to automatically go to the net however, after the menu came up I did access the Skynet feature and it took a couple of minutes before a new menu came up. I cancelled out and explored the main menu a bit and had no trouble navigating. I have a B&K series 2 AVR507 which does not support the latest lossless codecs so it downcoonverts the new DTS soundtrack.

I'll start with the sound. In one word.... loud. The logos (DTS, etc) are especially loud. Nice to see the THX logo presentation as it brings back memories of the T2 LDs (which I still have). The soundtrack is really enveloping and I can only imagine that the lossless playback must be truly amazing... if you have the support for such codecs, is reason enough to get this disc.

With all the talk here about video, I paid close attention to this for the first 20 minutes (before I got absorbed into the movie). This is my first time seeing this movie in Hi Def and it was a real treat for me. I was trying to ascertain any DNR, paying particular attention to skin tones, but didn't really see anything that struck me as plastic looking or artificial. When Arnold walks into bar at the beginning, variance in skin tones can be seen as well as the hair on Arnold's chest, which was kind of blondish. I always thought his chest was clean shaven. This level of detail I have never see before on previous home video releases.

As I stated before earlier in the thread, the image is a tad soft compared to other discs I have seen but that can be attributed to many variables. Overall the image is still quite sharp. Blacks are solid and color is nicely saturated. All in all I have no problem with this disc.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

If you have the latest firmware, you will also need to install a USB memory stick in the slot in the back of the player, since the BDP-S350 does not have any built-in flash memory.

I own the BDP-S350, and added a 2GB stick for under $10 which works fine. However, I almost never bother to download BD-Live content anymore, since I have yet to find any of it worthwhile. I left the network connection in place only to download firmware updates.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I've got a 2GB stick also. Seems to be something preventing the disc from finding the network connection. All my other BD-Live discs work fine.