Why do you import?

[Kynch]

Seriously, I selected all the options except for "More extras". It's a combination of all those criteriae. I recently imported Hellboy from the US because it included the best video transfer, had a director's cut and cost less than buying in stores here.
Now I'm also a SteelBook collector so this has forced me to import on numerous occasions.

Importing is something I highly support and I hope this because more of a custom for people.

[Moviefan1203]

I import when it's a title that has been released in other countries than my own. I also want to have a global wide Blu-ray library.

[Batman1980]

Transformers is the only import I have besides Let the Right One In. I ordered it from the UK because it hasn't been released here yet.

[KubrickFan]

I always try to get the best version. And that means the best picture quality, audio quality and best selection of supplements. If every version of a film is the same, I go with the lowest price. I'm also glad I'm not dependent on subtitles anymore.
I used to import more with dvds, because of PAL speedup, but that's redundant with Blu-Ray now (thank god).
The thing that bothers me now is the fact that companies like Criterion refuse to make their Blu-Rays region free. To make a player region free it still costs a lot, so I'm not happy at all about that. I hope that will improve in the future.

[Clark Kent]

Various criteria lead me to import specific movies. Obviously local availability is a key issue. The current economics of releasing Blu-ray titles means that many studios are skipping over niche titles and more obscure works that might not justify an American release. It appears that only a handful of the movies that appeared on dvd will ever be released on Blu-ray in the foreseeable future.

Other factors for me include the best technical quality, particularly in the realms of audio and video. I picked up the U.K. release of JCVD because it had a lossless audio track, where the American Blu-ray only contained lossy audio.

[Hugh K. David]

I think this thread is going to be of great use for me professionally, as a number of the labels I work with have pulled back from BD production this year, due to the high manufacture costs. However, I keep pointing out to them that with current exchange rates, exports will do very nicely.

Myself, I spent my teenage years in Switzerland, where video rental stores had both PAL and NTSC tapes once they could get hold of Quebecois tapes, and English-language rental stores carried PAL tapes from the UK and Australia, and NTSC tapes from the US. When DVD came along, I bought a chipped multi-region player Xmas '99, and started importing from anywhere and everywhere, as long as it got me the best edition, judged in the following order:

a) Uncut or extended running time
b) Extras, particularly director/writer commentaries
c) Transfer.

As the quality of UK DVD releases improved, my importing narrowed to Asian and French discs, with the occasional US disc. Now, with BD, I'm finding I have to go back to my research-before-you-buy habits of yesteryear, weighing up the pros and cons, but limited by using a Region B PS3. Thankfully, I speak French and can follow both Spanish and Italian, so European discs are a great option, despite their relative expense to someone on a UK salary. Thanks to those members of Amazon zShops, both individuals and shops, as well, as I've managed to import a fair bit affordably from them, and thanks to those European labels/studios who place removable subs on their discs.

[andreasy969]

I live in Germany and import for the following reasons:
- availability (earlier/at all)
- better quality (sound and video)
- price - especially UK imports are (at the moment) very cheap for German import fans
- uncut versions (many movies are cut in Germany )
- our awful German new rating logo on the front destroys the whole cover (the small UK logos look great compared to our German logo IMHO)
- the original (English) video master - often we only get simple and cheap looking multi-lingual subtitles on German releases instead of the original text blocks/animations that originally were integrated in the video master ('Bourne Ultimatum' and 'Iron Man' blu-ray for example)
- packaging (I prefer simple and robust cases)
(- I prefer an English cover with the original (English) title)

I think that's it. I really don't care for extras at all.

[tilapiah6]

American Psycho because it received such a great transfer in Australia, and Batman and Batman Returns because I don't acknowledge the second two films and didn't want to buy the box set here in the states.

[Stephan.klose]

I live in Austria and I have been importing movies ever since the good old days of Laserdisc. Back then because the German Version was 1.) dubbed 2.) cut 3.) coming out months later..

Now they don't cut movies that much in Germany anymore.. (Sadly as their small neighbor we get stuck with the cut german crap) but I import almost all my Blu Ray's from the UK. First, because even with shipping they are half price of what I pay at amazon.de (Germany) and also because most stuff still comes out earlier there. Only the things not released in the UK I get from the states. Which is way more expensive due to shipping. I also buy a Movie over here now and then. Mostly when they are on sale. Luckily the English Tracks are almost always presented in lossless audio. Who cares if the German Version is just DD? The movie was made in English, so I watch it in English..

In all the years I've been importing movies.. Which are now 17 years there was only 1 shipment lost.. 1 in a few thousand is not such a bad average..
And now I am gonna watch a movie that's not coming out over here yet for another 4 months..

[Stephan.klose]

I live in Austria and I have been importing movies ever since the good old days of Laserdisc. Back then because the German Version was 1.) dubbed 2.) cut 3.) coming out months later..

Now they don't cut movies that much in Germany anymore.. (Sadly as their small neighbor we get stuck with the cut german crap) but I import almost all my Blu Ray's from the UK. First, because even with shipping they are half price of what I pay at amazon.de (Germany) and also because most stuff still comes out earlier there. Only the things not released in the UK I get from the states. Which is way more expensive due to shipping. I also buy a Movie over here now and then. Mostly when they are on sale. Luckily the English Tracks are almost always presented in lossless audio. Who cares if the German Version is just DD? The movie was made in English, so I watch it in English..

In all the years I've been importing movies.. Which are now 17 years there was only 1 shipment lost.. 1 in a few thousand is not such a bad average..
And now I am gonna watch a movie that's not coming out over here yet for another 4 months..

[koontz1973]

I live in Hungary and Blu has not even started here yet, so for me it is essential to import. Do not care from where as long as the menus and bonuses are in English.

[quexos]

Cause some prices are really good over at Amazon.

[Lucy Diamond]

Steelbooks

Latest Acquisition: Pulp Fiction steelbook.

Gotta love amazon.fr


Oddly enough...my debit card's fraud department kept shutting down my foreign order and then later that day, they shut down my ability to shop on PSN with the same debit card I've been using since September.

All of a sudden, they pick NOW to think my habits are fishy.
So it only took a phone call, but they kept asking me crazy secret questions.

Odd....the point...just be careful when you import and let your bank know you do it. If it happens on a holiday, it might not be so easy to fix.

[Stephan.klose]

Originally Posted by koontz1973

I live in Hungary and Blu has not even started here yet, so for me it is essential to import. Do not care from where as long as the menus and bonuses are in English.

You said Blu hasn't started in Hungary? I am just wondering because I work at an electronics retailer and we have a lot of "international" customers who get their movies in Austria. Mostly BD's because DVD's are cheaper to get in their own countries.
Are there no BD Releases in Hungary as of yet or just very few?
Because here in Austria it's currently booming.. And the prices are dropping all around.. You can find a lot of great titles for 15€ and a lot of new titles are shot out at 17.99€

[typ44q]

I have imported a few from the UK and Canada (I am in the US) 1 was because it was not available here and all the rest were because of cost.

[Michael Blanton]

If a title is region free and not available in the US, I'll pick it up. I've also picked up quite a few titles from amazon.co.uk with cheaper prices than their US counterparts.

[Lunar_Chaos]

Title not released locally.

[iori]

Steelbooks and movies not available locally.

[xradman]

I have imported ~200-300 Blu-ray titles for the following reasons:

1. Big fan of Asian cinema, so I import almost all HK Blu-ray releases and Korean/Japan movies from France/Germany/UK.
2. Big collector of Blu-ray SteelBooks, so I import almost all Blu-ray SteelBooks from all over Europe and Japan
3. Bargain hunter. Amazon.co.uk has been incredibly cheap to buy Blu-rays. Even with shipping fees, I have been able to buy many US titles for $10 to $15 each (much cheaper than buying from Amazon.com).

For US films not yet released in the US, I tend to wait for the US release, unless it falls into reasons 2 or 3 above.

[DetroitSportsFan]

I voted for the first 3 choices.