US Blu-Ray Titles On HD DVD overseas

If this catches on, I can smell a lawsuit coming from the Blu-ray Association. Distribution is supposed to be limited to the areas granted, and re-importation to the U.S. is not allowed, and is possibly illegal (like prescription drugs). Exploitedcinema is just hanging out there as a target.

Well first of all, importing prescription drugs is a bad analogy - completely separate issue. It's illegal to be in the possession of controlled substances in the U.S. unless prescribed by a U.S. licensed Physician.

But you hit in on the head with "Distribution is supposed to be limited to the areas granted". Take "The Presitge" as an example -

- Released in the U.S. on blu-ray by Buena Vista
- Warner owns the distribution rights for the U.K. and choses to release it on HD DVD.
All perfectly legal, assuming nothing in the Distribution Agreement specified anything about format, which apparently was not.

IF Warner intentionally distributed copies of their U.K. HD DVD version outside the U.K., they would be in violation of the Agreement and could be sued. But they don't. They distribute to wholesalers and retailers in the U.K. If they in turn sell to U.S. residents and Exploited Cinema, it's not with Warner's knowledge and the wholesalers/retailers are not part of the Distribution Agreement between B.V & Warner, so aren't breaking any law. As long as the imported item is declared and any duties paid at port of entry, all perfectly legal. Not any different than me ordering a bunch of Brioni suites from an Italian retailer and importing them. :)
 
So I went to the amazon.uk website to look at titles. I noticed that some are saying the HDDVD is region 2. Is that so if they decide to install the region code later (via firmware?) that the HDDVD's would no longer work?
 
So I went to the amazon.uk website to look at titles. I noticed that some are saying the HDDVD is region 2. Is that so if they decide to install the region code later (via firmware?) that the HDDVD's would no longer work?

No, it's just Amazon carrying over the info from the standard DVD, and being clueless about high def discs. Look at their listing for Harry Potter HD DVD:

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [HD DVD] [2005]
Actors: Daniel Radcliffe
Format: PAL
Language English
Region: Region 2

First, the format: PAL is the television standard in Europe; NTSC is used in North America. Among other differences, PAL is 25 fps (frames per second) while NTSC is 30 fps. A PAL format DVD will not play on any NTSC DVD player. However, for both HD DVD & Blu-ray, the video is encoded a 24 fps - the speed of movie film, so PAL /NTSC is no longer relevant for HD DVD & BR.

Then the region: 2 is Europe - for DVD; there is no region coding for HD DVD, and according to "Amir", a Microsoft VP & 'Insider' who posts frequently on AVS, it can not be implemented on currently players if they wanted to, and the time has passed to add region coding as a spec. I own this Harry Potter HD DVD and it plays perfectly on my 1st gen XA1 HD DVD player.

Another example of Amazon not being up to date on high def - "The Fountain" a Fox Blu-ray release in the U.K. -

The Fountain [Blu-ray] [2006]
Format: Anamorphic, PAL
Language English
Region: All Regions

Blu-ray DOES have region coding, although optional. Fox DOES use region coding and a U.K. friend on another forum bought this blu-ray and said it is region coded for region "B" - Europe on Blu-ray.

I guess the summary is - 1) research the title before going to Amazon, and 2) be assured HD DVD has no region coding. :)

P.S. Don't the let the European prices scare you away. They include the Euro version of Sales Tax - V.A.T., around 15%. When you get to the checkout stage (before paying) it recognizes it is being shipped out of the E.U. and removes the tax.
 
Cochise, Thanks for the reply. I noticed it was PAL and knew that DVD's wouldn't work in the US. I didn't realize that HDDVD PAL disks would work here in the US.

I also looked at a currency calulator to see what the US price would be and thought it was a good price for HP-GOF. Now that you said PAL HDDVD's will work fine I think I will order it and see what else is out there. What other sites do you use to order.

Thanks
Shawn
 
A question to those who purchased HD DVD's from Europe:
I understand the HD content is playable on US HD DVD players (there is no such thing as PAL HD: PAL and NTSC are SD-only formats), but how about the bonus material? Do these discs have any bonus content in SD? Is it formatted for PAL or NTSC? Is it playable on US players? Just curios.
 
:haha:haha:haha

That was a good one! :p

I'd almost forgotten about this Import thread here. I've also bought the French Terminator 2 since last posting. It's a 2 disc release - Extended Director's Cut with English DTS MA audio and optional subtitles, and the Theatrical Version disc with English DTS MA audio but forced French subtitles that can't be removed - you make the font really small and push the subtitles down into the black bars. It's $32.95 from Xploited Cinema. If you're frugal (like moi), I sold the Theatrical Version on eBay and got $17 for it, making the cost of ownership of the Director's Cut pretty reasonable.

BTW - If the need ever arises, you can buy blank red HD DVD cases at for .65 cents ea. in lots of 10 at Sleevetown.com.
 

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