Predator 5 star collection (1 Viewer)

[DannyS]

In the UK we now have both Speed and Predator.

I watched THe predator "special edition" last night, and was blown away with the quality and quantity of supplemental material. The transfer wasn't bad but I was annoyed with the pal speed-up of sound and music.

This HAS to be coming out as a 5 star in the US. I will buy it in a second, just for the correct sound.

If is not on the cards as a 5 star, I will be shocked, and will say that the US is being screwed.

Any news?

 

[Dave H]

Danny,

Have you ever viewed the U.S. version of Predator DTS? How does the picture and sound of your Predator SE compare? I have wondered if they are using the same transfer, but just added supplements for the SE.

The R1 DTS version has very good sound and a pretty good picture for its age. However, I don't see it getting much better unless they do an actual restoration.

 

[MaxY]

Oh no, am I now going to be buying a third copy of Predator?

I did manage to resist on Speed and am looking forward to that and True Lies in Five Star EDs.

Max

 

[Kenny Goldin]

Well, I sure as heck wouldn't buy Predator for a third time. Sometimes you just gotta suck it up and say enough is enough, considering I have had it once on VHS and twice on DVD, I just could not justify buying it AGAIN.

 

[Dave H]

Since I have only bought it once (for $13.50) I will buy it again IF the transfer is better. I would sell my current version on eBay. No amount of extras will sway me to buy the SE though.

 

[Jeff Pryor]

Funny, I just got Predator DTS in the mail yesterday. The pic was very grainy, but the sound rocked.

 

[Neil Joseph]

and to think I just ordered the region 1 dts version just a couple of hours ago. :rolleyes

 

[Dave H]

If I recall, Peter Straddon said a SE wasn't coming to R1 anytime soon (I think that was last year he said?).

Neil, assuming you paid around $14.00 for the R1 DTS release, you won't be dissatisfied. I think, overall, it's a decent disc. The transfer is grainy (seems to be source related) but it does clear up quite a bit as the movie goes on. The DTS track is nice.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I will buy this film as many times as it takes to get the ultimate edition into my collection!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, i've said this many times in the past, if we don't get that 5 star here i'm going to be pissed! I still don't understand how this region issue works no matter how much I try. Why does one region get something and not another? We need a better system here I think. For one region to get a great SE of 'Predator' while we're stuck with a bare bones, albeit decent A/V transfer, version just isn't fair at all!

 

[Beau]

I'll buy a special edition if they make one in R1. I have one of the DVDs already, but I don't mind buying another one.

 

[MaxY]

The Film is just a grainy film and it has been in every version I have seen so far. There are scenes that are not grainy, so I can only assume the scenes with heavy grain were directors intent.
The DTS SoundTrack ROCKS though.
Oh and I still want an Anamorphic True Lies with DTS.
Max

 

[Robert_eb]

I'm in total agreement. I would love to get the Special Edition of The Fifth Element that's available overseas.

 

[Paul_D]

Dark Horizons said that the R4 special edition (identical to the R2 and thus likely the same as the eventual R1) is non-anamorphic!!!!!!!!!! Hol-e-shyte! This is truly bizarre. And although I've never bought this film, and would like to get a great version, this one won't become part of my collection without the anamorphic enhancement.

 

[Iain Jackson]

The R2 is definitely anamorphic, and I don't see why the R4 shouldn't be...

 

[Dharmesh C]

R2 and R4 are exactly the same. Got my SE copy, but I prefer the 5 star case design

 

[Paul_D]

http://www.darkhorizons.com/dvds/d-predse.htm

is a complaint many will have including McTiernan himself (its the very first words out of his mouth in the commentary track).

 

[Gareth Flynn]

I watched THe predator "special edition" last night, and was blown away with the quality and quantity of supplemental material. The transfer wasn't bad but I was annoyed with the pal speed-up of sound and music.

The 'Predator' SE has also just been released in Japan, which of course means NTSC It might be a bit more expensive, but it's better than no choice at all. Check out CD Japan's listing for more details.

 

[Malcolm Cleugh]

I bought the R4 from Australia and it is definitely anamorphic. This is dual encoded R2 & R4 as with most Fox titles.
See michaeldvd review
http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews...?ReviewID=1420
which confirms my view its anamorphic. However agree with all your comments and reviews that the picture is not great.

 

[Justin Pledger]

Deleted

 

[Douglas R]

I am more interested, however, in knowing what Danny means by the, "pal speed up of sound" I have never heard of this phenomenon before and was wondering what a pal speed up of sound actually sounds like. All very odd...

The PAL TV system, as used in the UK and most other European countries, means that films run at 25 frames per second instead of the correct speed of 24fps as in theaters and the NTSC TV system. This means that with PAL a film is slightly speeded up and a 2 hour film will finish about 4 minutes (someone will no doubt correct me on the exact time) faster than it should. Obviously 25fps speeds up the sound slightly and some people claim to notice the speeded up sound, especially music, to such an extent that they can't watch PAL. I maintain that it doesn't bother most people and I've certainly never been aware of any difference when listening to NTSC and PAL versions of he same DVD. Any difference is slight and, I suggest, is more to do with perceptions than anything else.