Time Bandits BD (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Robertson]

DVDBeaver has a review up on the Region B release and it looks good:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare2/timebandits.htm

This has me wondering about when North America will see a release as well as when we can expect Brazil. Criterion still had the rights to the latter last I checked and they have released some Blu-Ray titles already. Is Brazil on their schedule at this time?

 

[Doug Otte]

Hi Jeff. I read that review, and the screenshots look luscious. I'm eager to get Time Bandits and Brazil too.

Doug

 

[Rhett_Y]

I am looking forward to this one also. I really liked this one as a kid......

 

[Paul Arnette]

I watched this disc with my son Saturday night. I found it ironic that I was exactly his age when my parents took me to see this in the theater many moons ago.

Overall, the disc looks good, but there is a lot of scratches and wear on the print used as the source in places. I quickly got passed this and enjoyed the movie.

It's always fun to revisit films many years later. There's so much subtext in this film I missed when I was seven. And even though the parents are complete asses in this film, how many movies today would kill them in the final reel!

 

[Jeff Robertson]

Hopefully, the Region A will use the same excellent source that these BD screencaps came from. It looks much better than I was expecting.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

IS there any official word on a Region A release, or is that just speculation? This is one of my all-time favorite movies, I have several copies of it in various formats including the widescreen Paramount and Criterion laserdiscs, and since I just got a 16x9 TV I got the Anchor Bay special edition DVD since that's out of print.

I might have to get an all-region Blu-Ray player just for Time Bandits if it doesn't come out here, gotta pay off the equipment first though

 

[Worth]

I bought the UK disc recently and I'm very happy with it. The film hasn't looked this good since it was first released.

I'd definitely recommend picking up a multi-region blu-ray player. There are a lot of interesting titles available in Europe and Asia that aren't out in region A and may never see the light of day on this side of the world.

And decent players can be had for around $250, some of which even convert PAL-NTSC.

 

[Paul Arnette]

I second the recommendation to get a multi-region Blu-ray Disc player. There are ones that can be had for as little as ~$150 (see the Sherwood BDP-5004 thread in the hardware forum for more details).

However, if you have a Panasonic BD player there is a work-around to play many RB and RC discs without even having to purchase another player on some models...

At the warning screen indicating that your player it set to an incompatible region, on most discs you can hit Stop and then hit Top Menu, which will take you right to the root menu of the BD and you can play it properly from there. This worked with Time Bandits on my Panasonic DMP-BD55. The only RB BD discs it has not worked on so far are the Optimum Night of the Living Dead and Tartan/Palisades Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. I believe this has more to do with the software than the hardware region locking implementation.

 

[Eric F]

Doesn't Anchor Bay still hold the distribution rights for this in North America? If so I hope they do a better job on this than the rest of the shit they've been putting out lately.

 

[John Stuart]

Nice to hear this gem was released on Blu. I hope Brazil comes next. o/

 

[Jeff Robertson]

Here's the official release announcement:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Disc_Announcements/Image_Entertainment/Time_Bandits_Announced_for_Blu-ray/4655

Image is known for their lackluster 1080i discs. I hope they're able to make something more impressive out of this. Time Bandits deserves good treatment.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

HTF press release: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/301070/image-press-release-time-bandits-blu-ray


Currently $12.49 for pre-order at Amazon

 

[hotrodguy]

Hey guys,


It's nice but it's not great. Yes, it is a 1080i encode and the HDCAM looks like a film print, dirt and all but still very clear. The audio is DTS-HDMA 5.1 but still displays some slight distortion in the explosions scenes throughout the film. Also included is a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a French DD 2.0 track. The picture is 1.78, not the OAR of 1.85 but at least it's not that much of a difference. The only extras are a Terry Gilliam interview and the original trailer. This disc has been encoded in the Java platform so it's very sluggish between actions. Like I said, it's not bad, it's just not great but it is still enjoyable.

 

[Doug Otte]

Originally Posted by hotrodguy

Hey guys,


It's nice but it's not great. Yes, it is a 1080i encode and the HDCAM looks like a film print, dirt and all but still very clear. The audio is DTS-HDMA 5.1 but still displays some slight distortion in the explosions scenes throughout the film. Also included is a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a French DD 2.0 track. The picture is 1.78, not the OAR of 1.85 but at least it's not that much of a difference. The only extras are a Terry Gilliam interview and the original trailer. This disc has been encoded in the Java platform so it's very sluggish between actions. Like I said, it's not bad, it's just not great but it is still enjoyable.

Thanks for the advance review. Because I only have the original non-anamorphic DVD, and the BD is only $12.49, it still seems like a worthwhile purchase for me.


Doug

 

[Jeff Robertson]

Well if it is 1080i, then it is safe to say it is not the same transfer as the Region B title. Bummer.


What is it with Image and 1080i anyway? I understand when it comes to concert material or documentaries, but film content should always be 1080p on Blu-Ray. Do they just not have the correct hardware at their disposal to pull this off ?

Originally Posted by hotrodguy

Hey guys,


It's nice but it's not great. Yes, it is a 1080i encode and the HDCAM looks like a film print, dirt and all but still very clear. The audio is DTS-HDMA 5.1 but still displays some slight distortion in the explosions scenes throughout the film. Also included is a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a French DD 2.0 track. The picture is 1.78, not the OAR of 1.85 but at least it's not that much of a difference. The only extras are a Terry Gilliam interview and the original trailer. This disc has been encoded in the Java platform so it's very sluggish between actions. Like I said, it's not bad, it's just not great but it is still enjoyable.

 

[hotrodguy]

Hey guys,


No, it's not the same transfer as the region B unfortunately. This particular master is the same as the Canadian release.


It all depends on the post house that makes the transfer to HDCAM masters and yes some are 1080i. There are many other BD feature films coming that are 1080p/24. They are getting better.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Arnette
However, if you have a Panasonic BD player there is a work-around to
play many RB and RC discs without even having to purchase another
player on some models...

At the warning screen indicating that your player it set to an
incompatible region, on most discs you can hit Stop and then hit Top
Menu, which will take you right to the root menu of the BD and you
can play it properly from there. This worked with Time Bandits on my
Panasonic DMP-BD55. The only RB BD discs it has not worked on so
far are the Optimum Night of the Living Dead and Tartan/Palisades
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance . I believe this has more to do with the
software than the hardware region locking implementation.

------------------------------------------

Hmmm... I have a Panny BD60, but didn't know about this. Has that continued to work fine for you after various firmware updates?

My last 2 DVD players were also capable of bypassing DVD region coding (via remote hack), and I did use that for a handful of titles. But concerns about firmware updates (and the potential that future updates might disable the capability) were virtually non-existent for DVD after the early days of that format (and maybe a brief initial release period for certain players).

If this proves dependable enough for Panny players (and the BD60 in particular), I may add a couple region B locked titles to my next batch of imports from Amazon UK.

Is there some updated list of such verified working titles readily available on the web?

Thanks.

_Man_

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

I don't care what IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT wants to release but if you release a Blu in 1080i then I think honestly, it is time to find another job. It sounds harsh but I am not buying a movie that was shot on film and is given a half-a**ed transfer.

Why did they waste their time, and money? This is another case of well it is released in HD on BLU so it must be better than the DVD, just better is NOT enough.

I will just keep watching my Criterion NON anamorphic DVD release.

 

[TravisD]

Beaver says 1080p,.....so is it a deinterlaced "source" or is it an interlaced encode(Disc).


I still have the last SE with the included MAP.....and it's progressive...and anamorphic.

"Jolly Jolly Good" - Robin Hood

 

[Jeff Robertson]

Beaver has the Image release up for comparison and it doesn't look good:

 

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare2/timebandits.htm

 

Region B blows it away.