Open Range Blu-Ray Release ? (1 Viewer)

[RolandL]

I must have the French release. I'll get back the DVD from my son who borrowed it. I'm not importing the German release and triple dipping. The DVD sound is so much better.

 

[Mark Booth]

I rented 'Open Range' in HD from iTunes a couple years ago. I felt it was reasonably decent in quality and I'm considering just buying it. $17.99 is a bit stiff for a catalog HD digital copy though. That's its price on all streaming services.

Guess I'll rent it again someday to hold me over until the Blu-ray release.

Mark

 

[Brent Reid]

Huh? It has been released on BD at least three times, with at least the French disc being region free. As per my earlier post, there is still no US BD forthcoming; what makes you so certain there will ever be one? Why not put that $18 dollars for an inferior-in-every-way streaming copy towards a region free set-up?

Nothing personal, but I can never understand why so many folk frequent home cinema forums, only to regularly moan that their particular film of choice hasn't been released in their particular country. It's like complaining about BD-only releases because they haven't yet gone HD! It was obvious to me I needed to be region free from the start, through VHS, DVD and now BD. Most of my thousands of discs are from overseas and as far as I'm concerned, if a film's been released on BD anywhere, that's it. A few clicks on a mouse and it's mine. A local release, as long as it's at least as good, is a bonus.

Hmm, think it's high time I had another spin of my extras-packed German Open Range – Weites Land BD, with its superlative video and lossless 6.1 audio!

 

[Keith Cobby]

Agree, not being region-free baffles me as well.

 

[Worth]

I can't understand the resistance to going region-free, either - particularly from those who seem to buy hundreds, if not thousands, of discs, yet balk at the $150 expense of buying another player.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I agree about not being region free.

 

[Brent Reid]

I can't understand the resistance to going region-free, either - particularly from those who seem to buy hundreds, if not thousands, of discs, yet balk at the $150 expense of buying another player.

Extravagant! Just a few days ago I directed my brother towards a great little Toshiba region free player – for less than £50 delivered. Last year I couldn't resist picking up a spare, as some old still-sealed and boxed stock was going for the bargain price of £9.99 each!

 

[smithbrad]

While I did go with a region free blu-ray a few years back, I also avoided it for many years. It was never about the money for a player, but the ever possibility of not always being able to maintain a region free status. When it came to DVD's, the firmware was hacked and there was no going back. However, with blu-ray's it isn't just a firmware hack since they can change the approach through a download, and while the hardware approach is great it hasn't always been bullet proof. The reality is that as an industry there is a stronger potential that it could be made void, unlike what happened with DVD's. I'm not saying it will, and obviously I eventually made the jump, but I can still see where some may be tentative about doing it. Also, in my case, there were still plenty of US releases I could focus on, so why gamble with another region when I still had plenty to get in my own region. And while waiting, maybe a region A release would come out, which has happened many times. Just saying I can fully understand the hesitancy some may still have.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Much like different tastes in film, it's easy to see why people might have reasons for not going region-free.

I avoided it for years (if I had a nickel for every time another HTF member told me I HAD to go region-free...). My reason was I didn't want to just add another player into my system to play the other-region-discs. And I couldn't afford the kind of player which would play other-region-discs as well as high-rez audio discs such as SACDs.

Earlier this year I treated myself to an Oppo-203, so I now have one awesome player. And I ordered the region-free-mod. I ordered a handful of non-Region A-discs right away but haven't really been bolstering the international economy with other orders...

 

[Brent Reid]

Much like different tastes in film, it's easy to see why people might have reasons for not going region-free.

I avoided it for years (if I had a nickel for every time another HTF member told me I HAD to go region-free...).

To paraphrase: if I had a nickel for every time another HTF member complained about NOT BEING region-free!

There's nothing wrong with having a region locked set-up; it's a choice everyone's at liberty to make. My contention is that once they've made that choice, it's tedious that so many constantly harp on to the rest of us about the lack of local releases. There's an easy solution to their woes and they choose not to take it. That's fine – so live with it.

 

[smithbrad]

To paraphrase: if I had a nickel for every time another HTF member complained about NOT BEING region-free!

There's nothing wrong with having a region locked set-up; it's a choice everyone's at liberty to make. My contention is that once they've made that choice, it's tedious that so many constantly harp on to the rest of us about the lack of local releases. There's an easy solution to their woes and they choose not to take it. That's fine – so live with it.

Just maybe they don't agree that it is such an easy choice. There is an easy solution to your woes, you could just ignore them instead of harping on them to go region free, but you choose not to take it. That's fine, I guess you'll just have to live it.

BTW, I don't see it has harping on the rest as just wishing aloud for a US release of a film they want, which is very common trait on a forum.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Yeah. I don't see that members hoping/posting for a Region A release of a title that's been released elsewhere (which they might not even know) is such a negative thing. Certainly not "harping."

And like I posted earlier, it wasn't an easy choice for me to go region-free. So its probably not for some others. Different people have different circumstances. Seems obvious to me.

 

[Dick]

As long as A) Region-free players are readily available and incredibly affordable and B) Amazon UK, Germany, France, etc. offer Region B Blu-rays that are no more expensive than those we purchase here in the U.S. (including shipping)...I fail to see an argument here, as Brent says. But I also agree with Brad that it is all a personal choice. People reluctant to go region-free may require a bit more information, but this should not have to be a "stay-where-I-am-or-move-to-Canada kind of situation.

 

[smithbrad]

People reluctant to go region-free may require a bit more information, but this should not have to be a "stay-where-I-am-or-move-to-Canada kind of situation.

Two people can have all the same information, yet still come to different conclusions. It's not about understanding why, as much as just respecting their choice and letting it go.

Having a projector, I cannot understand why someone would pay the same amount for a TV. I'll take my 2K projector over an equally priced 4K TV. I just prefer the bigger screen and ambiance of my HT with this setup. Both are readily available as options. Even though I don't personally understand it, I don't respond in TV threads asking why they didn't get a projector instead. I see no reason a person that chooses to not go region free but laments not having titles from their region available should be looked down upon or as ignorant. It's just a personal choice, they shouldn't have to justify it to anyone.

 

[Keith Cobby]

My first DVD player was region-free because I expected many of the films and TV shows I wanted to buy would not be Region 2. Same with blu-ray. More than half of the discs I have bought have not been European coded. Many of my favourites may never receive a European release.

 

[smithbrad]

My first DVD player was region-free because I expected many of the films and TV shows I wanted to buy would not be Region 2. Same with blu-ray. More than half of the discs I have bought have not been European coded. Many of my favourites may never receive a European release.

That's great. I don't think anyone ever questioned that there are merits to being region free. Out of hundreds of blu-rays, I have less than 10 from other regions. I choose to be very selective on when I go that route, and it took me several years before even deciding to become region free with blu-ray releases. I can under that some may be hesitant and don't questions their decision making.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It sounds like this argument has become circular in nature. Can we agree to disagree and move on.

 

[David Norman]

Just to throw an option out for those who just need an occasional player.

If you want a cheap region Free BD/DVD player with doesn't have 3D
Seiki SR4KP1 is around $50-60 at ABC Warehouse. It offer 4K upscaling though is pretty limited otherwise. Region Changes made with simple remote control input. Sears clearanced their supply 2 years ago fro around $40
It has surprisingly good PQ and AQ. It weighs about a 1 lb so long term durability would seem a bit questionable, but some folks have had them for nearly 3 years with pretty good reliability.

 

[skylark68]

This is exactly what I needed to know. My issue was any legal ramifications with region free(after all I’m currently in law school). Thanks for the model suggestion. It would only be for the occasional use with region free players

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm thinking about buying the German import for this - doing so would all but guarantee that Kino announces it for a U.S. release, right?