Ask questions to The Digital Bits team (Bill Hunt, Jeff Kleist et.al.)

[AKORIS]

damn!

thanks for the reply!

[horseflesh]

Originally Posted by horseflesh

Jeff, any news on Ponyo?

[DaViD Boulet]

isn't Ponyo set for March 2 release in USA?
http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-a...=Ponyo&x=0&y=0

[Joe Cain]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

isn't Ponyo set for March 2 release in USA?
http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-a...=Ponyo&x=0&y=0

It's not the date that's in question; there's an ongoing discussion re: the original language track & whether there's any chance it might be lossless.

Hate to ask about a title , but it looks like it's been a year since anyone brought it up: are there any rumblings about the Branagh Hamlet?

[Pyoko]

He's probably asking for news regarding the supposed losslesslessness problem of the Japanese track.

[DaViD Boulet]

Originally Posted by Pyoko

He's probably asking for news regarding the supposed losslesslessness problem of the Japanese track.

Is this Disney/Miramax? they typically don't do lossless for original language tracks which really burns me up. I just bought another Japanese Blu-ray title, the skycrawlers, with both Japanese and English lossless.

I definitely think that lossless for original language tracks should be the RULE.

[Jeff Kleist]

No, I just said that a few days ago. Honestly I would be preparing to import at this point

[benzgrl]

Sorry to ask another "when is .... " but seeing the beautiful release of 1995's BBC version of Pride & Prejudice, is there any news as to whether some recent BBC productions will be released on Blu? In particular, 2008's Little Dorritt and 2009's Emma (both of which are already on DVD)?

Thanks!

[Diesel]

The Road turned out to not be Oscary at all it seems (well at least it wasn't pushed enough to be so apparently).

[Jeff Kleist]

P&P was distributed here by the US licensor (A&E?), BBC Video themselves are pretty much sticking to their genre programming

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

(A&E?)

Yes.

[MerrickG]

Jeff,

Does the fact that Warner has apparently ended their deal with Cinram and is now going with Technicolor have any significance to us whatsoever?

Is news THAT slow on the bluray front?

[Jeff Kleist]

To the general public at large, no. To a bunch of good and talented people who work at Cinram, possibly, there's a bunch of overflow work that goes through there from GDMX (Cinram's PA facility used to be owned by WB, back when it was WAMO)

[horseflesh]

Originally Posted by Pyoko

He's probably asking for news regarding the supposed losslesslessness problem of the Japanese track.

Correct.

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

No, I just said that a few days ago. Honestly I would be preparing to import at this point

I am expecting the worst to be honest Jeff, I was just wondering if you'd had it confirmed from Disney.

[DaViD Boulet]

can someone with connections here please b-slap Disney? Even with their A-list classic animation they only give lossy-compression for the historic original mixes. There's NO REASON why they can't do lossy for original mix and new mix... especially whether that original mix is the same language or different.

[blindcat87]

This is an issue I just can't understand the offending studios' thinking on. even as someone who needs dubs to watch certain films, I just can't figure out why the concept of giving proper respect and treatment to original language and original mix tracks. BD should make all of this moot. There is just no reason why all tracks from mono to 7.1 can't be lossless and why both original and alternate language can't also be losless. Every time I run into this issue, I think of the number of Sony titles released with stellar video and multiple lossless and lossy audio tracks along with a ton of subtitles. If Sony can do this in order to be able to release one disc to all markets, why can't other studios offer lossless original language and dub and original mono or stereo mixes in lossless where appropriate as well? I know studios don't want to blow their production budgets through the roof, but again, if Sony can do what they do with audio tracks, why can't the other studios give at least these basics.

In the days of DVD, I wished for more DD 5.1 tracks on my anime releases, but fully understood why, given space and bandwidth limits, I usually got stereo or basic surround for the dubs and understood the outcry when the dub got digital audio and the original did not. But this is BD, the issue shouldn't even be an issue anymore.

Just my half a wooden nickel.

Chris

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

can someone with connections here please b-slap Disney? Even with their A-list classic animation they only give lossy-compression for the historic original mixes. There's NO REASON why they can't do lossy for original mix and new mix... especially whether that original mix is the same language or different.

[Jeff Kleist]

Actually more often it was because the shows were mixed in stereo, and there wasn't the stems left to do 5.1

I firmly believe that if this is true, it's another case of the template striking again

I just called Disney, and production has not gotten back to them yet on it.

[GORT]

Jeff, I see that Forbidden Planet is finaly coming to Blu. I know its not due till Sept but do you know yet if it will have HD sound. thanks

[Jeff Kleist]

Almost certainly

[DaViD Boulet]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Actually more often it was because the shows were mixed in stereo, and there wasn't the stems left to do 5.1

I firmly believe that if this is true, it's another case of the template striking again

I just called Disney, and production has not gotten back to them yet on it.

2.0 and 1.0 can be presented losslessly via PCM, TrueHD or Master Audio just as easily as 5.1 and 7.1, so there's no excuse not to give lossless. The disc producers need to get over their "well, it's only stereo, so it doesn't need lossless. Hmm. The Beatles White album is only stereo. but lossless 24/192 digital audio would do very nicely thank-you.