The Road Home DVD Comparison Columbia R1 vs. R2

The Road Home

(Wo de fu qin mu qin)

China 1999

DVD Comparison:

Columbia Tri-Star Region 1 vs. Columbia Tri-Star - Region 2

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DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Columbia Tri-Star Region 1 Region 1 (North America)	Columbia Tri-Star - Region 2 UK - PAL Also R4 Compatible Region 2 (Europe, Middle East, Japan)
Runtime	1:29:12 min	1:25:45 min ( PAL 4% speedup )
Video	2.35:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen / optional Pan and Scan (4:3) Average Bitrate: 5.43 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen Average Bitrate: 5.34 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
Bitrate: Columbia R1
Bitrate: Columbia R2
Audio	Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)	Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles	English, French and None	English, French and None
Features	Release Information: Aspect Ratio(s): Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Discographic Information: DVD Encoding: Region 1(US and Canada only) Layers: Dual Available Audio Tracks: Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1) Available subtitles: English, French Edition Details: • Region 1 encoding • Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby • Theatrical trailer(s) • Full-screen and widescreen anamorphic formats	Release Information: Edition Details: • Region 2 encoding (Europe, Middle East & Japan only) • Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1, PAL Discographic Information: DVD Encoding: Region 2 (US and Canada only) Layers: Dual Available Audio Tracks: Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1) Available subtitles: English, French No Extras
Comments:	Discs look identical to me, except that the R2 is a bit darker with better black level but less shadow detail. Both have too much edge enhancement. I've seen worse, but it's still too much to ignore. Because PAL has 20% more resolution the R2 should look a lot more detailed. Unfortunately it doesn't, which is a shame. I own a lot of PAL discs, but I can count the ones that actually show the increased resolution on one hand.
	DVD Release Date: November 27, 2001 Keep Case Chapters: 28	DVD Release Date: 16 April, 2001 Keep Case Chapters: 28

Recommended Reading in Chinese/Hong Kong/Taiwanese Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)


Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy by Zhen Ni, Chris Berry, Ni Zhen	Zhang Yimou: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers) by Frances Gateward	Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes by Chris Berry	Wong Kar-Wai: Auteur of Time (Bfi World Directors) by Stephen Teo	China into Film: Frames of Reference in Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Envisioning Asia) by Jerome Silbergeld	New Chinese Cinemas by Nick Browne	Once Upon a Time in China : A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema by Jeff Yang	Tsai Ming-Liang by Tsai Ming-Liang