The delightful "Hairspray" is the first New Line film to be released on HD, with both Blu-Ray and HD DVD versions announced. Well, sort of. The BD is being released day and date with SD DVD on November 20. The HD DVD is not due until 2008. Why? Because, apparently, New Line are concerned about the region free status of HD DVD.

"Lasorsa said the HD DVD version of Hairspray will most likely be released some time in the first half of next year. He attributes the delay to region coding issues. Blu-ray has region coding, but HD DVD does not. “And since we sell to independent international distributors,” Lasorsa said, “we have to be more sensitive to their release dates than a major studio.

Even after Hairspray, most New Line titles will be released the same day on both standard DVD and Blu-ray Disc, with a lag for the HD DVD version. “But for second-party acquisitions to which we don’t have international rights,” Lasorsa said, “we will be day-and-date on all three formats.” ”

New Line Release of Hairspray

Bad news for HD DVD owners.
Good news for Blu-ray owners with Region A machines.
Bad news for Blu-ray owners with Region B machines.
Bad news for people who were hoping studios were getting over this idiotic concept of dividing the world up into haves and have nots.

Word

Amen brother!

Just reinforces what I keep saying

Which thing is that?

Region coding does not bother me at all. I dont know what all the fuss is about.

*sniff* anyone else smell something burning?

This thread seemed to go off on one of those pesky side roads pretty quickly.

So is it confirmed that the BD release on Nov 20 will be Region A only? What about the DVD version, will it be Region 1 only? Or is it an international release and there will be Region B and Region 4 versions released around the same time as well?

It should give an indication of other New Line releases.

And for those of us it does bother, there's HD DVD an affordable alternative, rather than DRM and their like minded "greed is good" folk


Can always tell when the single, yuppies or Dinks are posting generally

Yes and that would be very unfortunate, I think most would agree

So australian people who own a Region A player and buy Region A discs are labelled as yuppies? Nice.....

It seems to me that most people who complain about region coding are the people that got burnt buying a local player and can't wait for a local release of the same film.

Sean

Hey, not complaining about buying your machine - I made the decision that I would grab a bargain and have access to the local rental market and a local warranty rather than spend more on an import. I don't regret that decision.

When sh!tty news like this bobs up it only reinforces how anti-consumer region coding is. i know you yourself went from a region B machine to a region A machine for reasons that revolved around access to region coded content. There's no denying that buying only one Blu-ray machine means compromise of one sort or another.

Read it Sean I said generally, my point being that those who can afford not to care don't, I own an XE1, a PS3 region A, and had a 360 add on, I complain about region coding because it is a farce be it on DVD, HD DVD or BR it is not about delaying releases which was allegedly the quoted intention at the start of DVD, if that were the case we would get the same films, features,soundtracks, etc, New LIne have now stated they prefer it, but I guess if you had the most awaited Hi Def release (LOTR) then you'd want to milk that cow again and again and again, just ask George Lucas,it's just a case of screw the people who made you rich time and time again...

You might try reading more than one post from someone before pointing fingers in future

You have to admit though Andrew that there's not much point dissing region coding because of your choice to support the local market. I'm sure "Hairspray" or whatever other release New Line decides to delay due to region coding issues will be come out in Australia in due course so what's the issue with waiting a few extra months for the Aussie disc? If people are in this HD game to support the Australian market with their hardware purchase then why not support the local software market aswell?

I can see why region coding pisses some people off but it also serves a purpose aswell. Look at Bridge To Terabithia or Black Snake Moan as a recent examples . Those discs were released in the US in June but didn't get a cinema release here until after that time....... don't you think its fair that studios have a chance to make money from a theatrical release first here in Australia before releasing a title to home video?

Sean

Gotta comment on this.

Um hello? Anyone owning a BD or HD DVD machine right now is an early adaptor. This means we paid good money to have this format NOW. Not in 5 years when it is $50 in an Aldi. What makes you think we are patient people! Early adaptors are the most impatient critical bunch on the planet, so yes, waiting a few months is a big deal to 99% of the core HD audience at the moment.



Nice examples, except they are both region free releases opps. And Bridge to Terrabithia was released by one of the studios utilizing region coding

Disclaimer: Wouldn't touch this title with an 80 foot bare pole that belonged to chesty

Is that really surprising. Simultaneous worldwide cinema releases for every film is about the only way to solve the problem.

2 bad example i agree Momaw, but you get my point that those should have been 2 prime candidates for region coding and it was just our luck that Paramount and Disney didn't restrict those discs to Region A only.

And your comment regarding early adoption i have to disagree with. I am an early adopter also but i researched ahead of time and chose to purchase a machine from the region where i would be buying my software from also. If you paid good money for a region B player then support the software from that market, plain and simple.

Sean

You're the 1% I excluded from the other early adoptors. hmmm a Poll anyone

Got to just pop this in, Region coding only help Hollywood and the MPAA no one else, the MPAA bitch about piracy and then announce 6 billion profit, bit like the banks crying wolf isn't it, it allows them to control the dollar flow to their own market, that being the only market they give a sh!t about.

Worldwide releases will quell some of the problems but price is still the major obstacle to stopping pirates be it games, movies or software.

I would rather in every case support my local market but even I cannot justify spending double on a BR/HD DVD disc or worse still double on a 15yo movie just cause it's now hi def.

New Line has drawn a line, but outside of LOTR what do they have that is going to justify the long term consequence of that decision.


BTW it's Neill not Andrew......


only worse thing you could have called me was Russell

I am sure there are more than 1% of us

It looks like i am the only one stupid enough to give an opinion that opposes the general consensus though. Bring on intelligent discussion i say.

Sean

And i wasn't refferring to YOU as Andrew, it was directed toward ajm

Not or never stupid to give an opinion, it is nice to have debate on things and it is interesting to hear perspectives of others, your intentions are to give your opinion and I for one welcome that, whether it contrast with my opinion or not.

And certainly Sean a change from the baiting that goes on all too constantly here.

Mind if I still use it to insult Chesty :ph34r:

Ha ha. Just popped into AVS and there are some there claiming that having to wait a few extra months for hairspray on HD DVD totally negates the Paramount going exclusive decision!!!

And you think no intelligent discussion goes on here wadeshaqfu!

Aren't New Line a subsidiary of Warner? I'm sure papa bear will have something to say about this.

Hey guys thats why i come here. Most of the time i choose not to post because of the countless "Format War" type threads that are all too common here that destroy any type of enthusiasm we may have for this hobby.

Yorac, you can call Chesty whatever you want mate

Sean

Well we are glad to have cleaned up the place enough to get you posting.

Few licks of paint here, a bit of carpeting over the congealed blood pool there....

Cheers Momaw

I am here to discuss the format i have chosen to support which as you all are aware is Blu-ray. That doesn't mean for a second that i am going to take aim at anyone that supports HD DVD, i havn't yet and don't plan to. Whatever format we choose to invest in, this should be a place to show our support for our preferences and not slag the other side any chance we get because as we all know both these formats could go belly up at any time.... (shhh i didn't mean to start anything there)

That's all i'm after each time i come here.

Sean

this a backslapping competition or a format war?

Backslapping atm and Sean has said we can take the piss out of Chesty, so all is very good

Sean,

Just to clear up one point. I didn't choose a region B machine to support the local market. I chose it because you were selling it cheap, because it was covered by warranty and because I could rent discs through QuickFlix - in that order. Had you not offered it for sale I would have bought one from YesAsia and still have been p!ssed off by region coding because, even though I could buy anything from Amazon, I couldn't rent all the BD titles from QuickFlix. I made a compromise.

I bitch about region coding because without it the last point wouldn't even need to be a consideration.
I bitch about it because its implemented to support the studios desire to cut costs by limiting the number of prints in circulation.
I bitch about it because it is inconvenient to the consumer who ultimately pays for its implementation.
I bitch because I had to make a compromise, not for my own sake, but because it suited the studios to make it that way.
But mainly I bitch because for the consumer there's nothing fair and reasonable about it.

And FWIW if it were HD DVD doing it I'd be every bit as p!ssed off about it.

ajm

Same, in fact most likely would not be in to hi def formats as an early adopter and possibly at all

It is the reason that I entered the Hi Def market with HD DVD.

I will also be getting BD later this year however it will be a region A player so that I can access the much larger catalogue in region A, this is as AJM said a pain as it makes it difficult for a spur of the moment rental or purchase over here.

Region coding helps no one but the studios.

Cheers,

Karen

nup, not even them. As you say, no "impulse" buys from us importers and lets face it, the only way someone would buy something like Hairspray is an impulse buy.

Got to agree.

So it is confirmed there is no region B BD or region 4 DVD of this new release of Hairspray and we will have to wait instead for the HD-DVD version for an unlocked version to be available for impulse buying?

Everyone complains about Region Coding on BD.

Its really a non issue anymore, you either buy Region A machine and have the best of all Region A movies and most of Region B movies, or you get a local player and enjoy all Region B movies and most of Region A movies.

Simple. We all know or knew this when we bought our machines.

And we all know the wanker politicians when we go into an election booth. Doesn't make the outcome right though does it?

Well if you find this situation acceptable good luck to you. I don't and am sick of being the poor cousin just because I don't live in the almighty U.S.

Cheers,

Karen