Region locked UHDs

[rdodolak]

LMAO. So SF is using the Blu-ray region code to try and lock UHD Blu-ray releases. Sounds like a recall and replacement is due from SF.

[RoxanneTheThiccWolf]

I thought 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs were suppose to have no region locking unlike DVDs and 1080p Blu-ray Discs?

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by RoxanneTheThiccWolf

I thought 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs were suppose to have no region locking unlike DVDs and 1080p Blu-ray Discs?

There is no region code with UHD Blu-ray discs, it appears SF is using BD-Java to determine and use the Blu-ray region code to restrict access thus the disc is out of compliance.

[johnpaul2]

Originally Posted by professorwho

Seeing that Criterion has released some Region Free titles (ones they could clear international rights for), I don't think they will. They may make some questionable choices (as does everyone), but I don't think they'd want to do that. It would ruin their reputation.

It's probably rather the other way around : not only Criterion have released a handful of region-free BDs and have now released a few region AB BDs when they got a UK release, but they've quite certainly be region-locking A many movies it's now clear they could have made region-free but didn't because their work is THAT routine-based.

So it's unlikely they're going to try and spend a few hours looking at this considering how "lazy" they can be in their structural work.

[moreorless]

Originally Posted by professorwho

Seeing that Criterion has released some Region Free titles (ones they could clear international rights for), I don't think they will. They may make some questionable choices (as does everyone), but I don't think they'd want to do that. It would ruin their reputation. Even if casuals can't notice things like video compression issues or audio noise reduction, region locking a region free format is a scummy move, regardless of who does it, so people would notice.

(Plus, I think that's why they haven't entered the UHD game yet- international rights- they want a title they can secure international rights for that isn't already on UHD somewhere else in the world. They're aware they have competition and probably didn't release Crash or Elephant Man on 4K for that reason. I still think they should've, as they would be fantastic discs, but I can see why they might not have.)

Arent the rights to Crash and the Elephant Man owned by studios who aren't licencing UHD rights to third parties at the moment?

Generally this seems like something that would be driven by the rights holder not the 3rd party lable releasing the disk.

The only situation I can think of where it might make sense for Criterion(or Arrow) to do this under their own steam is actually when they put out the same title in the US and the UK but want each market to stick to their own release. So maybe a UK release is latter but they don't want demand specifically for that release hurt via imports because it might hold back buyers like Amazon, HMV< etc from picking up as much local stock.

[johnpaul2]

Originally Posted by moreorless

Arent the rights to Crash and the Elephant Man owned by studios who aren't licencing UHD rights to third parties at the moment?

There are the issues with the things they're licencing from Paramount that aren't available for UHD licencing (like, indeed, The Elephant Man) or that Universal prefer to do themselves (like Parasite) but I'm unsure they couldn't have done a UHD for Crash, and they certainly could have done UHDs for Roma and The Irishman. They most likely could have done UHDs for other releases but didn't. As a whole anyway, and this has been discussed many times already here and there, Criterion have become quite conservative regarding the physical formats evolution, so it's clealy not just a question of what they CAN do, but what they're CHOOSING to do.

[Alopex]

Well this worries the hell out of me, half the reason I got a UHD player was to avoid region locked content.

I hope there's a vocal enough backlash to this to give SF pause.

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by Alopex

Well this worries the hell out of me, half the reason I got a UHD player was to avoid region locked content.

I hope there's a vocal enough backlash to this to give SF pause.

It’s most likely not their decision.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by moreorless

Arent the rights to Crash and the Elephant Man owned by studios who aren't licencing UHD rights to third parties at the moment?

Generally this seems like something that would be driven by the rights holder not the 3rd party lable releasing the disk.

The only situation I can think of where it might make sense for Criterion(or Arrow) to do this under their own steam is actually when they put out the same title in the US and the UK but want each market to stick to their own release. So maybe a UK release is latter but they don't want demand specifically for that release hurt via imports because it might hold back buyers like Amazon, HMV< etc from picking up as much local stock.

WB has Crash and Paramount has Elephant Man. Paramount isn't licensing out UHD rights but I'm not sure about WB.

[BerryTheMusicMan]

I don't give a rat's ass if it was Shout's decision or not , F'em for pulling this bullshit !
Nothing exceeds like greed , this has me fuming cause I know once one label starts this shit others will follow .
Shout might very well lose my business for pulling this .

[Nothing371]

Don't buy it; and blast them on social media. Unfortunately that's the only way that these companies get the message.

[Kubrick0730]

Now I’m starting to rethink ordering Arrow’s Demons 1&2 import. Especially if Synapse has a US set on the way Arrow may lock it.

[jayembee]

There seem to be two concerns here.

(1) Shout Factory is issuing a UHD that is region-locked -- perhaps "geo-blocked" would be a better term -- and it might be something that they don't necessarily want to do, but are required to do by contract with the studio in question.

(2) Unless I missed a mention somewhere, Shout Factory has not made it clear on their packaging (or in any press release) that the UHD is geo-blocked. If so, that is definitely something that's on them.

[leoganzi]

Originally Posted by Kubrick0730

Now I’m starting to rethink ordering Arrow’s Demons 1&2 import. Especially if Synapse has a US set on the way Arrow may lock it.

On the Arrow site, it states Region free though.

https://arrowfilms.com/product-detai...2&tmcs=rj081ue

[Kubrick0730]

Originally Posted by leoganzi

On the Arrow site, it states Region free though.

https://arrowfilms.com/product-detai...2&tmcs=rj081ue

Thank goodness.time will tell hopefully Weathering is just a one off.

[Kyle15]

If this is indeed a BDA no-no, let em find out and we will see what happens.

[johnpaul2]

Originally Posted by Kyle15

If this is indeed a BDA no-no, let em find out and we will see what happens.

Yes, that's what I'm most interested with right now. I understand people saying "it's probably not Shout's decision" (which is indeed likely not to be), but the issue is that they complied with a request that shouldn't have been requested in the first place.

It's also very interesting that it's appearing at the end of 2020, 4 and a half years into UHD. It might just be because the combination of this right-holder with a US label willing to try and comply with such a request never happened before, but you'd think that everyone involved in UHD right now have understood its basic specs such as region-locking.

But I guess there'll always be some people to try and bend the specs to their advantage (though the efficiency of region locking and the weight of import-export in sales are quite arguable).

[tangerinewolf]

So what's next? Region free 4K UHD players? The industry is going backwards if region locking keeps up.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by tangerinewolf

So what's next? Region free 4K UHD players? The industry is going backwards if region locking keeps up.

If it's locking thru the regular BD protocol, yes and no. Region free for regular BD discs would then by virtue let one of these "locked" discs play. For now, it's best to wait and see.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by johnpaul2

Yes, that's what I'm most interested with right now. I understand people saying "it's probably not Shout's decision" (which is indeed likely not to be), but the issue is that they complied with a request that shouldn't have been requested in the first place.

It's also very interesting that it's appearing at the end of 2020, 4 and a half years into UHD. It might just be because the combination of this right-holder with a US label willing to try and comply with such a request never happened before, but you'd think that everyone involved in UHD right now have understood its basic specs such as region-locking.

But I guess there'll always be some people to try and bend the specs to their advantage (though the efficiency of region locking and the weight of import-export in sales are quite arguable).

Absolutely.

It's also worth noting all region lock language is generally stated on packaging in one form or another. As far as I know this was done completely under the table without any notice. SO you've got a format that customers have been assured by its production committee is "region free" and then a disc which quietly goes against that.

Either a big no-no or a huge boo boo. To be frank I'm betting on the former.