Need help ordering from Brazil

[GenPion]

Is it possible to get some help getting the Brazil Blu-ray of Cloud Atlas? It has a much better video bit-rate than the US one (which is fairly low) and I want to try and get a copy of this import edition.

Thanks for any help that can be offered.

[ThiagoPE]

I will look for it

[ThiagoPE]

is this? http://www.livrariasaraiva.com.br/pr...FY3m7AodfX8AiA

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Originally Posted by GenPion

Is it possible to get some help getting the Brazil Blu-ray of Cloud Atlas? It has a much better video bit-rate than the US one (which is fairly low) and I want to try and get a copy of this import edition.

That's interesting about the bit-rate. Where did you learn that?

I have it on US Blu-ray, and even on my 133" scope screen I didn't notice any particular problems with low bitrates. Not that I was looking for it specifically, but I thought the movie looked great.

[knifethrower]

Originally Posted by Edgar_in_Indy

That's interesting about the bit-rate. Where did you learn that?

I have it on US Blu-ray, and even on my 133" scope screen I didn't notice any particular problems with low bitrates. Not that I was looking for it specifically, but I thought the movie looked great.

I have seen screenshot comparisons of both, the US release is fine. The US disc has a darker color scheme and less blocking if you zoom in like a screenshot scientist. Between the two the Brazilian release looks like straight encode off the master they were given at a higher bit-rate whereas the US disc has the lower bit-rate because a compressionist worked on it (if that makes sense).

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by ThiagoPE

is this? http://www.livrariasaraiva.com.br/pr...FY3m7AodfX8AiA

Yes, that is the Cloud Atlas Brazil Blu-ray. Thank you for checking.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Originally Posted by knifethrower

I have seen screenshot comparisons of both, the US release is fine. The US disc has a darker color scheme and less blocking if you zoom in like a screenshot scientist. Between the two the Brazilian release looks like straight encode off the master they were given at a higher bit-rate whereas the US disc has the lower bit-rate because a compressionist worked on it (if that makes sense).

It sounds like there must have been a thread where this is discussed. Do you have the link? Not that I'm worried about my US version...I'm just curious.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by Edgar_in_Indy

That's interesting about the bit-rate. Where did you learn that?

I have it on US Blu-ray, and even on my 133" scope screen I didn't notice any particular problems with low bitrates. Not that I was looking for it specifically, but I thought the movie looked great.

It's listed in the International Blu-ray's with better PQ/AQ. It has a 30mbps bit-rate versus around 22mbps for the US disc. Big difference.

Considering it's a three hour movie and they put extras and a massive audio 24 bit track on the one disc, that's part of the reason why... what I want to do is extract the Brazil disc and match it with the US audio track to burn a copy that is definitive (or as close to definitive as we are going to see).

Bit-rates can strongly affect viewing quality on larger screens. In my case, I noticed the lower bit-rate encoding on Cloud Atlas on my 50" HDTV. Too much compression.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by knifethrower

I have seen screenshot comparisons of both, the US release is fine. The US disc has a darker color scheme and less blocking if you zoom in like a screenshot scientist. Between the two the Brazilian release looks like straight encode off the master they were given at a higher bit-rate whereas the US disc has the lower bit-rate because a compressionist worked on it (if that makes sense).

What do you mean by a 'darker' color scheme? I am curious about that. I'm not sure which one would be more accurate or not.

I do know that I saw a digitally projected version of Cloud Atlas in the cinema and it was much more vibrant, detailed, and clean than the version on Blu-ray. I'm positive this is because of the low bit-rates.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Originally Posted by GenPion

I do know that I saw a digitally projected version of Cloud Atlas in the cinema and it was much more vibrant, detailed, and clean than the version on Blu-ray. I'm positive this is because of the low bit-rates.

Aren't a lot of digital theaters using a 4K source? That would certainly look better than any Blu-ray.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by Edgar_in_Indy

Aren't a lot of digital theaters using a 4K source? That would certainly look better than any Blu-ray.

I don't expect the Blu-ray to be better but I do want as good a copy as possible. So if the Brazil release truly offers the best video presentation, I'm in. This is an amazing movie.

If only Warner Bros would start their own kind of 'Mastered in 4K' Blu-ray line with better presentations of their films, especially the ones that were put on Blu-ray years ago before the process has become better -- I'd love so many Warner titles to be re-issued with new encodes.

[ThiagoPE]

Well, tell me when if you will get the movie, I only charge the movie price 40BRL plus shipping to you 22 BRL plus PayPal fees 6BRL.

[GenPion]

Thanks so much for your help. I will certainly want it but may need a week or two to figure out putting some aside for ordering it. But will let you know when I can so that it can be ordered and arranged. Should I send a PM then or just update this thread? Thanks!

[ThiagoPE]

You may update here or send pm. I will always be visiting here

[knifethrower]

Sorry to post before and not show anything for it. Here is a gallery with shots from the Brazilian disc first followed by the matching shot from the US. I hope the Brazilian disc has the look you are after.

(For my money I would stick with the US disc and save the importin' funds for another title but that's just what I would do)

[GenPion]

Thanks for posting the comparisons. In some shots it looks like the US Blu-ray has better color and contrast, but I think it's actually just because some black crush is being applied. Some of the shots look like they lack the same amount of clarity as the Brazil disc. I don't remember how dark it was when I saw it originally but I remember the clarity being better, so perhaps this release will turn out more to my liking. Combined with better bit-rates, of course. I'm glad to see from this that at least there is a definite difference. Once I get the release and can compare based on viewing the actual Blu-ray I will post my thoughts.

Come to think of it... I wouldn't be surprised in Warner made the image a bit darker because of the lower bit-rates to try and make the image look more vivid. Also, WB of course released The Dark Knight Blu-ray infamously with lots of edge enhancement and artificial tinkering that was never present during the theatrical run so it might be a similar case of them doing some post-processing (even if it is less noticeable here).

[Edgar_in_Indy]

I looked at the screen shots, and I noticed that whichever one I clicked on 1st, the 2nd one would seem better.

So if I clicked on the BR first, then the US, I would think the US was better because it had a more contrasty look. But if I clicked on the US first, then the BR, I would think the BR looked better because it gave a brighter picture with more shadow detail.

So I think in terms of overall picture, it may be more of a personal preference. Do you like a more dramatic picture with deeper shadows, or do you prefer a brighter picture with more shadow detail?

I guess the question would be whether the higher-bitrate transfer looks better during fast motion than the US version. The screen shots don't really answer that since they don't seem to be screen grabs from action shots.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Originally Posted by ThiagoPE

Do you know how much is the shipping fee to here? Do the mail there offer tracking number?

Thiago, have you ever looked at mixup.com.mx? That's where I order my Mexican Blu-rays from. Their prices are very good (often a little cheaper than US), and their shipping to US is very reasonable as long as you aren't just ordering one.

I think last time I checked, shipping to US for one movie was $17, but you could order several movies and the shipping would be the same. So that's what I do. I wait until there are at least five or more titles I want, and that way the shipping averages out to be fairly cheap per movie. The package usually takes 1-2 weeks to arrive.

I'm just not sure if they ship to Brazil, but it would be worth looking into if you haven't already.

[ThiagoPE]

Particularly it's not interesting to us buy in stores because the high aggressive duties Brazilian govern charge from us when the movies arrive here. When you have the option to someone send the movie as gift is much better and quicker.

In Brazil, the duty charged is now 110% of the product value plus the shipping, in other words, if I buy a 30 dollar bd with 10 dollar of shipping, I need to pay 44 dollars of duty.

This is what happen when you live in an so protectionist country...

[ThiagoPE]

I made a simulation if I was going to buy frozen in Amazon.com and shipping to here. (Amazon collect duties to pay Brazilian govern when item arrive here)

So, note the values before and after tax...

They really don't want us importing....