Anyone order the newly released Region 2 Japan DVD's? (1 Viewer)

hey everyone,

I was considering getting alot of the new Region 2 Japan DVD's that were just released. However, I can't find reviews for many of them. The only one I found was for The Terminator: Ultimate Edition, which I bought and got today and from watching bits and pieces of it today, it sounds awesome. I'll post a review up by the weekend.

If anyone has bought any of the following, watched it and can post a review (on the audio, video and extras), that would be greatly appriciated by me and many other multi-region DVD enthusiasts here.

Heat: DTS Edition
True Lies: DTS Edition
Predator: Ultimate Edition
The 6th Day: DTS Edition or Superbit Edition
The Core
The Way of the Gun

Please feel free to post reviews on any Region 2 Japan DVD's that have not been mentioned.

I had the R2 Japanese PREDATOR SPECIAL EDITION -- the extras were good, but the text was entirely in Japanese (including the on-screen trivia track) so I ended up buying the R4 Australian 2-Disc Special Edition. Contents (special features, menus, etc.) were identical, and obviously it was easier to move around the menus.

Transfer wise, though -- the US R1 DTS DVD is superior to both the R2 & R4 "Predator" discs. The picture is a little granier and the framing is overly tight on the R2/R4....if you're interested I'd pick up the overseas SE for the supplements, but nab the R1 DTS DVD for the picture & sound.

BTW, it's a good bet that PREDATOR SPECIAL EDITION will make its way to the U.S. when "Alien Vs. Predator" comes out in 2004. It'd give Fox a convenient excuse to FINALLY Release it!

The Terminator: Ultimate Edition (R2 Japan)

The movie that started it all in 1984 got a release it deserved in Japan Region 2. The case alone is worth the price paid. What amazing art work. The only annoying part is that there's no pouch within the case to put the booklets and flyers that come with the DVD. However, that's a very minor problem. Movie: 9/10 Case: 9/10

Video Transfer
The video transfer is a carbon copy of the Region 1 release. Overall a solid transfer from a low budget flick that is The Terminator. The print does have a tiny bit of grain in certain scenes and black blemishes but overall a heck of a solid transfer. 8/10

Audio Transfer
The main reason to get this version of The Terminator is for the DTS track. And what a kicker it is. For a movie originally filmed in mono, this DTS track is as great and modern as it's going to sound. It is an impressive improvement over the Dolby transfer. Although the surround effects are all added-in, it's very effective. Compared to the Dolby track, there were more surround effects and were more powerful. The DTS track as well as the LFE is more controlled and directional then the Dolby track. The DTS track is also a bit louder then the Dolby track when the sound is at the same volume. 9/10

Extras and Menu
Both the extras and the menu is the exact same as the Region 1 release however, it's all in Japanese, so navigation is tricky. So that might be an annoyance. I must admit, a James Cameron commentary would have been fantastic for all released versions of this movie. 7/10

BTW, I heard that Fox's R2 Jpn ultimate editions have all-new digital transfers that were re-done to best the picture quality from both U.S. or Jpn SE, in sort of a Superbit esque. Can anyone confirm this? If The Terminator review from DVDscan is a good lead, then I think this might be true; they said that it has indeed a better PQ than the R1 SE (or any other region for what's worth)

If it's true, then I'm really looking forward to see this new Ultimate Edition of Die Another Day, since the R1 version is know for some clear video problems, like EE and for out of sync DTS.

I appreciate any comments on this issue. Bellow is the link for Fox Jpn ultimate edition DVDs page.
http://www.foxjapan.com/dvd-video/ul...te_frames.html

As far as The Terminator R2 Japan video release is concerned, it looks just like the R1 release.

Harminder, I've got all of those. The 6th Day and Way of the Gun DTS have been out for a while though.

Don't forget about Ronin - Ultimate Edition!

Mark, do you have the Die Another Day ultimate edition? If so, can you please comment on this picture quality issue?

Harminder,
you can acces the terminator review I mentioned on this site: www.dvdscan.com. As I said before, I don't really know how the two transfers compare to each other, but these guys seem to have done a real close look at the discs.

AlexBC, No, I don't. Didn't see any reason to get it. If it lacks the R1's horrible Edge Enhancement then I just make pick it up!

I have a few of the titles mentioned here, The 6th Day Ive had for a couple years now, the pic is identical to the R1 but the DTS, encoded at(1509)kbps blows the DD out of the water and sounds incredible. The Terminator is identical picwise to the R1, and the DTS track, (754)kbps does improve on the already good DD track as well. True Lies I haven't had a chance to check out yet,but its DTS track is encoded at halfrate(754)kbps.I'll post on it when I get a chance.

Mark,
Would it be possible to do quick reviews on those DVD's?
Preferably comparisons to R1 versions and how the DTS tracks fair against the dolby tracks.

Alex,
Agreed they did look much closer at the disc. I will agree that the R2 Japan version's picture quality is slightly cleaner then the R1 and the resolution is also slightly better. But is it worth paying US$38 for just the picture quality? No way. If you pay $38, make sure it's for the superior DTS track and amazing artwork of the case.

It's been a while since I watched most of them. I did watch Jurassic Park and Lost World Superbits the last two nights. The PQ on JP is superior to the R1 release. No more compression artifacts in the grass like the R1. The DTS tracks is the same as the 'fixed' R1 DTS. I haven't seen the R1 Lost World but the R2J SB looks very very good and the DTS track is as good as the JP one.

I also picked up the recently marked down DTS version of Final Fantasy: Spirits Within. Hope to watch that this week.

Now that I think about it, I did watch T3 DTS over the holiday. Can't compare it to the DD version since I didn't watch it. Sounded as good as I hoped.

Thank you all for the comments. I'll be getting The Terminator and 6th Day for now.