Region 4 Winners and Losers

    This is another complicated comparison. This is the second R4 version of the disc (the first was a flipper, so it is very definitely inferior). There are at least two Region 1 versions too. The Region 1 version I have is the Superbit version. Superbit is a new thing: it is intended for purists, and has only one soundtrack (the dialogue in the original language, presented in Dolby Digital and dts), and a few subtitle tracks. The rest of the data space is devoted to the video, and the intention is to produce the highest quality video possible. So the comparison is between a Region 4 disc with extras with a Region 1 that has no extras.

    The Superbit disc does exactly what you would expect - it provides superb quality video. It is noticeably better than the Region 4, but the difference is not large enough to make it a simple choice. On a television (rather than a projector) you might well judge the two as having equivalent video. Under those conditions, I suggest that the extras, and the price, make a difference - the Region 4 disc is attractive.

    Oh, there is one other difference: the layer change is utterly invisible on the Superbit disc. I don't know how they did it, because the layer change occurs in the middle of a scene, but it is completely invisible.