Why do other countries seem to get better releases in Blu-ray?

[x melio x]

Especially American made films... I see so many Steelbooks in other countries but none over here. At least the amount I see from the UK and Canada. I know they werent huge successes but movies like Slither or most of David Lynches movies to be exact have yet to be released.

[duggie walker]

So THE REST OF THE WORLD(!) put together gets more Steelbooks than the US. Great. That must seem unfair if you're obsessed with steelbooks.

Do some research, though, and you'll quickly find out what ungrateful nonsense you're posting.

In the UK, Warner Bros release maybe half of what they do in the US, if that. There is no Criterion. There are no Archive schemes. Paramount is not celebrating its centenary here - only Universal look set to release their centennial product. There are no digibook releases here, no deluxe gift sets; no original soundtracks because of the need for multiple subtitles. The catalogue titles that do get released here arrive at least a month or two after the US versions (often minus extras) and sometimes up to a year. Now take a look at dvdcompare.com or dvdbeaver.com and see how many US discs get higher ratings for PQ, or for extras. Now check out the prices on amazon.co.uk and see how we routinely pay the kind of prices that are described on this forum as "criterion prices".

Yes, we get a few steelbooks. In the UK we have a couple of boutique
labels that actually benefit from the fact that the major studios see us as pond-scum so therefore licence out their product. No doubt these few releases are the ones you're focusing on.

True, it's not a big deal for everyone in THE REST OF THE WORLD(!) because day one it was just a fact of life that you had to have a multi-region player or you'd miss out on sixty percent of dvds and Blu-rays.

Here in THE REST OF THE WORLD (!) we import discs routinely; wait patiently for them to get here (from barnesandnoble.com, at least a month); pay our customs duties on top of the price; ship them back when they go wrong; then go through it all again.

So yeah - excuse me if I don't shed too many tears for your predicament. Man up and get yourself a multi-region player. Like THE REST OF THE WORLD has to.

[KrugerIndustrial]

Originally Posted by duggie walker

So THE REST OF THE WORLD(!) put together gets more Steelbooks than the US. Great. That must seem unfair if you're obsessed with steelbooks.

Do some research, though, and you'll quickly find out what ungrateful nonsense you're posting.

In the UK, Warner Bros release maybe half of what they do in the US, if that. There is no Criterion. There are no Archive schemes. Paramount is not celebrating its centenary here - only Universal look set to release their centennial product. There are no digibook releases here, no deluxe gift sets; no original soundtracks because of the need for multiple subtitles. The catalogue titles that do get released here arrive at least a month or two after the US versions (often minus extras) and sometimes up to a year. Now take a look at dvdcompare.com or dvdbeaver.com and see how many US discs get higher ratings for PQ, or for extras. Now check out the prices on amazon.co.uk and see how we routinely pay the kind of prices that are described on this forum as "criterion prices".

Yes, we get a few steelbooks. In the UK we have a couple of boutique
labels that actually benefit from the fact that the major studios see us as pond-scum so therefore licence out their product. No doubt these few releases are the ones you're focusing on.

True, it's not a big deal for everyone in THE REST OF THE WORLD(!) because day one it was just a fact of life that you had to have a multi-region player or you'd miss out on sixty percent of dvds and Blu-rays.

Here in THE REST OF THE WORLD (!) we import discs routinely; wait patiently for them to get here (from barnesandnoble.com, at least a month); pay our customs duties on top of the price; ship them back when they go wrong; then go through it all again.

So yeah - excuse me if I don't shed too many tears for your predicament. Man up and get yourself a multi-region player. Like THE REST OF THE WORLD has to.

Well put, duggie! And I completely agree. E.g. Cast Away was released in 2007 in the US and now they're planning to release it in the UK later this year. That's only about 4 years and it's more than likely it's the exact same transfer with a heftier price tag! Not to mention the prices we pay are borderline criminal if compared to US prices. I don't even live in the UK so I have to pay even more. And yet someone complains here that a $9.99 BD is too expensive. Man, am I glad to be finally region free.

[KarmaNL]

Originally Posted by duggie walker

So THE REST OF THE WORLD(!) put together gets more Steelbooks than the US. Great. That must seem unfair if you're obsessed with steelbooks.

Do some research, though, and you'll quickly find out what ungrateful nonsense you're posting.

In the UK, Warner Bros release maybe half of what they do in the US, if that. There is no Criterion. There are no Archive schemes. Paramount is not celebrating its centenary here - only Universal look set to release their centennial product. There are no digibook releases here, no deluxe gift sets; no original soundtracks because of the need for multiple subtitles. The catalogue titles that do get released here arrive at least a month or two after the US versions (often minus extras) and sometimes up to a year. Now take a look at dvdcompare.com or dvdbeaver.com and see how many US discs get higher ratings for PQ, or for extras. Now check out the prices on amazon.co.uk and see how we routinely pay the kind of prices that are described on this forum as "criterion prices".

Yes, we get a few steelbooks. In the UK we have a couple of boutique
labels that actually benefit from the fact that the major studios see us as pond-scum so therefore licence out their product. No doubt these few releases are the ones you're focusing on.

True, it's not a big deal for everyone in THE REST OF THE WORLD(!) because day one it was just a fact of life that you had to have a multi-region player or you'd miss out on sixty percent of dvds and Blu-rays.

Here in THE REST OF THE WORLD (!) we import discs routinely; wait patiently for them to get here (from barnesandnoble.com, at least a month); pay our customs duties on top of the price; ship them back when they go wrong; then go through it all again.

So yeah - excuse me if I don't shed too many tears for your predicament. Man up and get yourself a multi-region player. Like THE REST OF THE WORLD has to.

this is true. Stop whining.

[scorpiontail60]

People actually care about SteelBooks?

99% of the time U.S. gets better audio/visual/extras and even gets releases when Europe gets ****ed over (Blu-ray version of Winnie the Pooh being a recently example - it was only released in the U.S.).

Of course, there are some cases where Europe got better picture (like U-571 and Pan's Labyrinth, which didn't get molested with DNR over there), or perhaps Japan (Band of Brothers didn't get slapped with the DNR ugly stick over there either) but by and large the U.S. gets the best deal. And we don't get those stupid ****ing colored ratings emblems plastered all over the fronts, sides of cases and discs like Europe. You ever seen a UK title? It'll have a giant ratings stop sign butchering the artwork.

[KrugerIndustrial]

Originally Posted by scorpiontail60

People actually care about SteelBooks?

99% of the time U.S. gets better audio/visual/extras and even gets releases when Europe gets ****ed over (Blu-ray version of Winnie the Pooh being a recently example - it was only released in the U.S.).

Of course, there are some cases where Europe got better picture (like U-571 and Pan's Labyrinth, which didn't get molested with DNR over there), or perhaps Japan (Band of Brothers didn't get slapped with the DNR ugly stick over there either) but by and large the U.S. gets the best deal. And we don't get those stupid ****ing colored ratings emblems plastered all over the fronts, sides of cases and discs like Europe. You ever seen a UK title? It'll have a giant ratings stop sign butchering the artwork.

Not to mention double and triple play banners to finish the job.

[KarmaNL]

I have to import 99%. You have to import 1%.

[24framesasecond]

It depends on your tastes. For lovers of foreign language, classic, and arthouse cinema like me, Europe is DEFINITELY superior to the U.S.

Here are just some examples of UK/DE/FR/RU/NZ classic/foreign/arthouse releases that have not and may never see the light of day in America. (Many of these titles might not mean much or appeal to a lot of you, but to arrogant, elitist cinephiles like me they are manna from heaven):

Touch of Evil (including original 1.37:1 AR)
Bicycle Thieves
The Burmese Harp
Chaplin classics--City Lights, The Gold Rush, et.al
Ozu classics--Early Summer and Tokyo Story
Olivier's Shakespeare classics--Hamlet and Henry V
The Go-Between
The Innocents
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Mean Streets
Night of the Living Dead
Once Were Warriors
The Pianist (Polanski)
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Rififi
A Separation (shoo-in for Best Foreign Film of 2011)
Andrei Rublev
Danton
The Elephant Man
Great Expectations
The Ipcress File
The Lavender Hill Mob
Sunrise
Cleopatra (won't be released in the US until 2013)

Announced for 2012:

The Conformist
The Tin Drum
Classic Mizoguchi Box Set
Tess (Polanski)
The Killing Fields
Grand Illusion
Lifeboat (Hitchcock)
Ugetsu
Sansho the Bailiff
Babette's Feast
Double Indemnity
The Lost Weekend

...plus a June 4 release of Lawrence of Arabia.

Thank God for region-free players, no VAT in the US, and amazon.co.uk.

[Greengoblin]

What about australia we don't have too many steelbooks, but i really don't care as long as i can watch my uncut horror films i don't care too much about the covers.

[duggie walker]

Well, inevitably THE REST OF THE WORLD is going to do slightly better on their own product, though the releases you're talking about are divided between several countries. The studios think we're scum but at least they think we're open-minded scum.

But yes, I'm used to the importing situation and in many ways - if we discount the extra hassle and expense - we have the best of all worlds.

And yet I can't happily listen to anyone from the US complaining about their lot in disc-life without wanting to crush their argument.

[P@t_Mtl]

Why does the grass always look greener on the other side of the fence?

[Eny-]

OP - Steelbook is not better.

[exolstice]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Why does the grass always look greener on the other side of the fence?

Optics?

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by exolstice

Optics?

Correct answer is "perception" but thank you for playing

[DetroitSportsFan]

I occasionally import to get a better release than here (and "better" doesn't mean SteelBook IMO) or something unreleased here. But the US has far and away the widest range of releases.

[Battra92]

Originally Posted by 24framesasecond

It depends on your tastes. For lovers of foreign language, classic, and arthouse cinema like me, Europe is DEFINITELY superior to the U.S.

Add silent to your list and you're right on the money for me! Heck even the UK DVD market is good for silent films!

Guess I'm just going to have to take a second job or cut back on eating to afford all these import discs. The $40 I spent on a refurbed Region Free BD player was minimal.

[HD Goofnut]

See my Superior International BDs thread in my signature. It seems that about 99% of the time the U.S. version of a U.S. made film gets the best treatment in the U.S. Especially since Warner and Paramount decided to start included lossless audio on all of their titles in 2009.

[Syber]

just my 2 cents. I can buy any steelbook thats released here in Canada, but choose not to. The ones I do have, the centre piece thats supposed to hold the disc, doesnt work very well and ususally ends up with it rolling around inside the case. The other problem I find is they are not well made and actually very easy to ruin, as the steel is easily put out of shape causing the case to sit slightly open on a corner.

as another poster said, grass is always greener.

[KingSimba]

Seriously?

Consider yourself lucky over there in the US that you actually get a large amount of catalogue titles released.

Fox and even more so Warner are always screwing us over in the UK in terms of actually releasing anything.

I'm actually starting to think Warner hate us, because they often buy the rights of a film that other distributor's have already released on Blu-ray, only to then simply not bothering to re-release it themselves on Blu-ray and only on DVD (if at all).

[toddly6666]

When I think of the rest of the world, the main other countries that have great releases just like the USA are UK and Germany.

UK has Eureka Masters of Cinema - just as good, and I think even better than Criterion.

Germany seems to get the best variety of films on Blu-ray.


But the moral of the story is, yes, buy a multi-region blu-ray player. If everyone is buying blu-rays online nowadays, then what is stopping one from buying blu-rays from other countries? UK shipping is cheap and there are group buy forums in here (run by GBox) that help blu-ray.com forum members save a huge amount of money when ordering from other countries (such as France and Germany).