End of Love

[pro-bassoonist]

Simon Chung's End of Love (2009) is set to be released on Blu-ray on April 15th. Courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama. Screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.



Synopsis:

Stuck in a Christian 'rehabilitation' camp, Ming recalls his double life, a whirlwind of sex and drugs as a rent boy, and a sedate, romantic life with the older and more conservative Yen. Secrets and lies haunt their relationship, as Ming's mother confronts her son's sexuality in a most extreme fashion and Yen tries to get Ming to give up hustling.

Pro-B

[blu.rr]

Happy Black Friday!

So, I purchased the "End of Love" Blu-Ray from YesAsia.com a few weeks back. I decided to watch it this afternoon as a way to pass time.

While the copyright warnings and the film's studio production logos play, the rest of the movie will not. It simply switches to a blank screen.

I've tried resetting my player, testing other region-free discs (which play), fiddling with the cords, and trying another player altogether. No avail.

Is anyone else having this issue?

[pro-bassoonist]

Welcome to the community blu.rr

I don't have this disc to test it, but from what you have written it appears that the film might be encoded in 1080/50i. Therefore, you won't be able to play it.

Could you let me know what player you have?

This release, for example, is also encoded in 1080/50i and cannot be played on U.S. PS3's and 98% of SAs (standalone players).



From your description, I would guess that the disc is indeed interlaced (1080/50i). It certainly does not sound like a firmware issue.

Pro-B

[blu.rr]

Thank you for your reply!

I tried playing it on both a Sony BDP-350 and a Sony BDP-S480.

Would that encoding affect the main menu of the disc, though? In other words, is a Blu-Ray's menu encoded the same as the film?

The Blu-Ray packaging doesn't indicate 1080p, but it does have a seal saying "Full HD 1080."

[pro-bassoonist]

No. The menu can be in 1080p and the film could be in 1080/50i. Without having the disc, I am almost certain this is indeed the case here.

[blu.rr]

I have the American version of Korea's "The Good The Bad The Weird," which is 1080i. That plays fine, though. What would be the difference between the two?

[AnimeOnBlu]

Originally Posted by blu.rr

I have the American version of Korea's "The Good The Bad The Weird," which is 1080i. That plays fine, though. What would be the difference between the two?

TGTBTW is 60hz. This might be 50hz. Only very few televisions and Blu-ray players in the US/Canada handle 50hz or convert 50hz -> 60hz.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by blu.rr

I have the American version of Korea's "The Good The Bad The Weird," which is 1080i. That plays fine, though. What would be the difference between the two?

See AnimeOnBlu's explanation.

In America, 98% of all BD players, including the PS3, cannot handle 1080/50i. 1080/60i is not problematic. U.S. TV sets definitely do not handle 1080/50i - unless you order a special multi-system set.

In Europe, and certain parts of Asia, like Hong Kong for example, 1080/50i and 1080/60i are handled without a problem. (By the way, back in the days of DVD, even though NTSC was the "official" standard in Hong Kong, there were quite a few PAL releases as well).

All in all, things are a lot easier to figure out and deal with when it comes to Blu-ray. For example, you could easily find a Region-Free Insignia BD player that will do automatically all conversions for you and you won't have to worry about issues such as the one you are facing at the moment.



Pro-B

[blu.rr]

Interesting and informative. Thank you both for your replies! ^_^

Update: I just picked up a LG BD630, as it is compatible with 1080/50i. The Blu-Ray disc plays perfectly!