Region 4 Winners and Losers

    The Collector's Edition Region 1 version of this movie was released some time ago. It was 16x9 enhanced, unlike the original Region 4 disc, but it was quite dark. At the time, I recommended getting the R4, despite it not being 16x9 enhanced, because of the darkness of the R1. Now there's a Double Secret Probation version out in Region 1, and apparently it has a slightly better transfer, plus a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix.

    As far as I can ascertain, the Double Secret Probation Edition has exactly the same extras as the R4 Special Edition. I also get the impression that the two discs have fairly similar transfers (there are complaints about the darkness).

    I have compared the two R4 discs, and I have to say that the new one is definitely better, albeit a bit darker. There are significantly fewer artefacts, and the 16x9 enhancement has a real effect on the resolution. If you have the previous version, you'll see the difference.

    For now, I'm going to recommend this new R4 Special Edition, but there's definitely still plenty of scope for a better transfer some time in the future.