Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

[Sky_Captain]

An AVC encoding of the existing master on a BD-25 with zero extras. Calling it.

[Markgway]

I'm just sticking with the uncut French DVD.

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by Markgway

I'm just sticking with the uncut French DVD.

A DVD!? On a Blu-ray site!? What the hell's in the water over there?

[Clark Kent]

The existing master looks like a remnant of the DVD era. I think the best we can expect is a new AVC encoding of the same, old master.

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

A DVD!? On a Blu-ray site!? What the hell's in the water over there?

I drink Evian.

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by Markgway

I drink Evian.

Might hafta get me some of that stuff and try it.

[Cevolution]

Originally Posted by Sky_Captain

An AVC encoding of the existing master on a BD-25 with zero extras. Calling it.

Codec: AVC
Resolution: 1080p/24
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Running time: 1:38:15
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
No special features
No disc menu
BD25
Region A locked

From a quick glance it appeared to be from the same master as the previous releases.

[Early Memphis]

Anyone know what the deal is with the German release? It's listed as "uncut", but both the DE version and the US version are listed as 98 minutes - not much room for difference there. Anyone who has seen both - any real PQ difference worth a double-dip?

[Sky_Captain]

I have the German disc.

Much like the US Anchor Bay re-release, it's the same master as the Fox release, but re-encoded in AVC.

However, unlike the US re-release, it has 6.1 English audio and all the extras ported across.

Ignore the whole 'uncut' thing, they're exactly the same. Previous cuts for the German market were simply restored.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by Sky_Captain

I have the German disc.

Much like the US Anchor Bay re-release, it's the same master as the Fox release, but re-encoded in AVC.

However, unlike the US re-release, it has 6.1 English audio and all the extras ported across.

Ignore the whole 'uncut' thing, they're exactly the same. Previous cuts for the German market were simply restored.

The master was the issue more than anything

[Sky_Captain]

Indeed, no amount of re-encoding could wring much more out of it and the small file size on the German disc reflects this.

As far as I know, there's no French BD at this point.

[hanshotfirst1138]

Was the Best Buy exclusive even a moderate improvement? Is there any half-decent BD version of this out there?

[Early Memphis]

So, if Sky Cap is correct (and I have no reason to suspect not - especially as no-one has commented otherwise), there's no reason to buy either the German or the new Anchor Bay release if you're looking for ANY PQ improvement, right? And yet, obviously being obtuse and addicted, I'm still tempted so as to see for myself 'cause AVC has to beat MPEG-2! And it's not popular enough to hope for a remaster. Crap!

[TXMoviebuff77]

So how is the quality of the Anchor Bay release, worth buying?

[PuppetMasterBlu]

Originally Posted by TXMoviebuff77

So how is the quality of the Anchor Bay release, worth buying?

It's not great but it's the best one out there. I just bought it for like 7 bucks. Not bad I guess for that price.

[hanshotfirst1138]

I just bought it and kept my
DVD for the extras. Best we're going to get.

[Early Memphis]

BTW, just to confirm: The German Kiss Of The Dragon (AVC) is noticeably sharper/better than the US release (MPEG-2). That might seem obvious but I’ve seen posts saying there was no improvement. The real head-scratcher is why the 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sounds less defined than the US 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. I went back and forth well after I determined that there was a slight but definite PQ improvement and I’d swear I was listening to a lossy track on the German disc as opposed to a lossless US track. And, although the US BD is a Db or two hotter, that doesn’t seem to explain the AQ difference.

P.S. The German release may have all the extras the US Anchor Bay release didn’t have. I’ll have to double check that against the US DVD, but there were a bunch (mostly titled in German on the DE disc menu).

[red84140]

I hope a 4K release is on the horizon!

[Markgway]

Holy unnecessary bump, Batman!