Blu-rays with hidden languages and bi/multi-lingual menu implementation

[lgans316]

To see this in action, please set the BD menu language in your player to a language of your choice. If the desired language ain't available on the BD then the player will display the menu in default language (English). Examples of titles with such implementation are listed below.

Warner

Zodiac (Import)
Sweeney Todd (Import)
Harry Potter 1 ~ 5
Natural Born Killers
Dirty Harry
Ocean's Trilogy
Batman Begins
V for Vendetta
Gotham Knight
Perfect Storm
Once flew over the cuckoo's nest
Beetlejuice (??)
How the west was won
Interview with the vampire
Outbreak
Eraser
L.A Confidential (??)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Gigi
An American in Paris
Pale Rider
The Matrix
Matrix Reloaded
Matrix Revolutions

BVHE

National Treasure 1 & 2
Enchanted
Shall we dance
Signs
Unbreakable

FOX

Day and Night Watch (JP / E.U / U.K Import)
Juno (NL Import)

I think most of the BVHE and Warner BD titles released in the past 6~8 months feature this hidden multi-lingual menu implementation.

One strange thing you will notice is the limiting of audio and subtitles. For example, the Japanese menu in Sweeney Todd (Import) doesn't list spoken languages/subs other than English & Japanese.

Special thanks to member Sky_Captain@HDD and Kannisto@HDD for being the curtain raisers on this unknown topic.

[alexakajeff]

Yeah. I noticed it on Sweeney Todd.

[Mermen79]

em, is anyone actually going to list which hidden languages are on the films? It would be very nice if German was one of them.

[thefilmwall]

I think most of the BVHE and Warner BD titles released in the past 6~8 months feature this hidden multi-lingual menu implementation.
BVHE

National Treasure 1 & 2
Enchanted
Shall we dance
Signs.

[Giyomu]

yep, my players are set in japanese and I noticed it on few ones
just watched batman begins yesterday

[cgmiki]

So, is there a way to list those hidden languages, or is it restricted to settings of a player that we use to watch BD?

[Stephan.klose]

I noticed that the UK Release of "Taken" had German as a language on it aswell. Even though it didn't say so on the package

[loahiod]

okay, Even though it didn't say so on the package

[Jojos]

I just found hidden Japanese menus, audio (DTS 5.1) and subtitles in a few Fox region free titles from region B territories :

- Prison Break, Season 2 (French release)
- 24, Season 7 (Dutch release)
- Big Trouble in Little China (Dutch release)

[manicsounds]

Japanese seems to be the only language that is "hidden" for some reason. For many discs that have Japanese encoded, Japanese is mostly inaccessible on any other language option.

I really have no idea why they do this just for Japanese, as it never happens for any other language options. The only ways to check are either checking the disc with BDinfo, or by checking it manually on a Japanese-set player.

I'm updating a lot of the Blu-ray.com disc info, including Japanese where it is hidden.

These are the main studios who like to hide Japanese:

Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox

These are the main studios who don't hide Japanese options:
Universal, Paramount, Sony, Disney

These are the studios who never put Japanese on their non-Japanese releases:
Almost every smaller studio

If you happen to find some on Warner/Fox titles, let us know!
I'm especially wondering about the EU/UK "Tora Tora Tora"

[jd213]

Originally Posted by manicsounds

Japanese seems to be the only language that is "hidden" for some reason. For many discs that have Japanese encoded, Japanese is mostly inaccessible on any other language option.

I really have no idea why they do this just for Japanese, as it never happens for any other language options.

I imagine it's because Warner and Fox don't want to allow Japanese people to easily find out if Japanese is included on a disc by looking at online reviews, etc.
Otherwise their Japanese divisions might lose more money to Japanese people importing US discs that will function just like the much more expensive Japanese release.

[manicsounds]

It seems silly to hide them, as no other countries do such a thing. And with BD prices going down in Japan, it just doesn't make sense anymore.

If they didn't want Japanese people to be importing, they shouldn't have put Japanese options on the discs in the first place. Oh well...

[jd213]

Originally Posted by manicsounds

It seems silly to hide them, as no other countries do such a thing.

Most countries don't charge quite as much as Japan. Especially with the current exchange rate with the yen.

And with BD prices going down in Japan, it just doesn't make sense anymore.

The only BD prices I've seen going down are for discs that have been out a long time. New releases are still expensive.

If they didn't want Japanese people to be importing, they shouldn't have put Japanese options on the discs in the first place. Oh well...

The reason why they put it on in the first place is most likely so they can save on authoring costs. I guess they have to choose whichever is more important to them, authoring costs or anticipated losses due to importing.

[ImportFanatic]

Hell only thing I'm interested in is what imports (non English speaking countries) have English menu's!

[Fingerhuto]

Batman the music I like

[wallsakaka]

Support the United States economy

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Why does WB hide the Japanese menu?

[moviefan1234]

Both the Batman 1989 and Batman and Robin Blu rays claim they have Japanese but it still doesen't work?