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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

directed by James Cameron
U.S. 1991

The Terminator is back, and he's almost human. His mission is protect the now adolescent John Connor from an even more indestructible Terminator - played by Robert Patrick with relentless intensity, though little of Arnold's menace.  If it weren't for the bodies he indiscriminately leaves in his wake, Patrick's T-1000 would have more in common with Malkovich's Mitch Leary from In the Line of Fire than with Schwarzenegger's Terminator. But that's just one of the many ways Cameron made sure the audience would not come to feel that the sequel was merely a warmed over version of the original.  Sarah Connor (again played by Linda Hamilton, now buff and brooding) is in a prison hospital for the criminally insane.  She suffers from apocalyptic delusions and wants desperately to see her son.  Dr. Silberman thinks she's too dangerous even for that, and would only try to make another escape.  He's not wrong.  Edward Furlong, at 14, certainly looked the part of Sarah's son, but I found him at times a little self-conscious (and who wouldn't be in such company in their first screen role), though in key moments he was just what Cameron and we needed.

Excerpt from Lensview's review on DVDBeaver located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: July 1st, 1991 - USA

Reviews                                                                More Reviews                                                    DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

Geneon Entertainment (2-disc Premium Edition - Japan) - Region-Free - Blu-ray vs. LionsGate - Region-Free - Blu-ray vs. Artisan (Ultimate) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Artisan (Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC

All SD-DVD screen caps courtesy of Kevin Yip ... Thanks Kevin !

1) Geneon Entertainment (Japan) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - LEFT

2) LionsGate - Region-FREE - Blu-ray - SECOND

3) Artisan (Ultimate) - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Artisan (Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT

 

Box Covers

 

 

NOTE: Cover and details on CDJapan site are presently incorrect - but this is the link I ordered from.

 

Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best...

 

 

 

 

 

DistributionGeneon Entertainment (Japan) REGION-FREE Blu-ray LionsGate - REGIONFREE - Blu-ray

Artisan

Region 1  - NTSC

Artisan 
Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime2:33:24.278 (SE)

2:16:35.395 (theatrical)

2:16:35.687 (theatrical)2:31:252:32:55
Video

Special Edition: 2.35:1

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Feature: 39,454,887,936 bytes

Disc Size (SE): 48,967,215,968 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Average Bitrate: 34.29 Mbps

 

Theatrical: 2.35:1

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Feature: 36,072,609,792 bytes

Disc Size: 48,294,646,920 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Average Bitrate: 35.21 Mbps

2.35:1

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Feature: 23,357,331,456 bytes

Disc Size: 24,458,274,734 bytes

Codec: MPEG-2

Average Bitrate: 22.80 Mbps

2.20 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.37 mb/s
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

2.20:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.72
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Geneon Special Edition (longer version)

Blu-ray

Bitrate: Geneon (theatrical)

Blu-ray

Bitrate: LionsGate (theatrical)

Blu-ray

Bitrate:

Artisan- Ultimate

 

Bitrate:

Artisan - Extreme

AudioSpecial Edition: Dolby TrueHD Audio English 3595 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3595 kbps / 24-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby TrueHD Audio Japanese 2239 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2239 kbps / 24-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Theatrical: Dolby TrueHD Audio English 3387 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3387 kbps / 24-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1-EX /
48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby TrueHD Audio Japanese 2260 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2260 kbps / 24-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1-EX /
48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / Dolby Surround

DTS-ES Audio English 1536 kbps 5.1-ES / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 24-bit
Dolby Digital EX Audio English 640 kbps 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
THX Certified

English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX)
THX Certified

SubtitlesEnglish, Japanese and noneEnglish, Spanish and noneEnglish, and noneSpanish and none
Features

Release Information:
Studio:
Geneon Entertainment

 

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Special Edition: 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Feature: 39,454,887,936 bytes

Disc Size (SE): 48,967,215,968 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Average Bitrate: 34.29 Mbps

 

Theatrical: 2.35:1

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Feature: 36,072,609,792 bytes

Disc Size: 48,294,646,920 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Average Bitrate: 35.21 Mbps

 

Edition Details:
Special Edition:

Sensory Control:

• Audio Commentary by James Cameron & William Wisher. (optional Japanese subtitles)
• Audio Commentary by 26 members of cast & crew. (optional Japanese subtitles and Japanese DUB)

THX optimization calibration and THX trailer

Ancillary Data (Play All function)

• 2003 - No Feat But What We Make featurette (24 minutes)

• 1993 - T2 More Than Meets the Eye (22 minutes)

• 2003 T2 On the Set (8 minutes) (optional Japanese subtitles)

US Trailers

• Building the Perfect Arnold

• This Time There Are 2

• Same Make, New Mission

• More Than Meets the Eye

5 Japanese teasers/trailers

 

Disc 2 - Theatrical Edition:

Ancillary Data (Play All function)

• 1991 The Making of Terminator2: Judgment Day  (30 minutes)

• 1996 The Making of T2-30 - Breaking the Screen Barrier (23 minutes) - about the Theme Park

 

Blu-ray Release Date: December 5th, 2008
Tin Blu-ray case

Chapters 41 (SE), 37 (Theatrical)

Release Information:
Studio:
LionsGate

 

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Feature: 23,357,331,456 bytess

Disc Size: 24,458,274,734 bytes

Codec: MPEG-2

Average Bitrate: 22.80 Mbps

 

Edition Details:
• Audio Commentary by James Cameron & William Wisher.
• Audio Commentary by 26 members of cast & crew.

 

Blu-ray Release Date: June 27th, 2006
Standard Blu-ray case

Chapters 36

Release Information:
Studio: Artisan

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
T2 ULTIMATE DVD
(Artisan, Region 1)

DISC 1
Main Feature:
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Theatrical Edition (72 chapters)
- Special Edition (80 chapters)
- Extended Special Edition (hidden)
- Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, DTS 5.1 ES, Dolby Surround 2.0
- Optional English subtitles
Audio Commentary by 26 members of cast & crew.
Cast & Crew Bios.
DVD-ROM Feature: film, script, and storyboard comparison.

DISC 2
50 chapters of archival material on the filmmaking process.
Original Screenplay.
Storyboards of selected scenes.
30-min featurette "The Making of T2."
22-min featurette "T2: More Than Meets the Eye."
23-min featurette "The Making of T2 3D."
Trailers & teasers.
Japanese trailers (hidden).

DVD Release Date: January 1st, 2001
Keep Case

Chapters 36

Release Information:
Studio: Artisan

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
T2 EXTREME DVD
(Artisan, Region 1)


DISC 1
Main Feature:
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Special Edition (80 chapters)
- Theatrical Edition (hidden, 72 chapters)
- Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Dolby Headphone
- Optional English and Spanish subtitles
- English closed captioning
Audio Commentary by James Cameron & William Wisher.
"Interactive Mode": graphic commentary and behind-the-scene footage.

DISC 2
DVD-ROM Features:
- High-def version of film in Windows Media 9 format.
- Games.
24-min featurette "No Feat But What We Make."
8-min featurette "T2: On the Set."
 

DVD Release Date: June 3rd, 2003
Keep Case

Chapters 32

 

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Geneon Entertainment Premium Blu-ray December 08': - I suppose it is possible that my computer equipment is not capable of visually discerning the differences between these Blu-ray releases - beyond the technical aspects. I'm not sure. What I usually do in a comparison is watch both (or more) on my system, make notes and go about seeing if what I saw is supported using the computer generated screen captures. Well... here I cannot. It may be a matter of the moving image representing itself differently than stills, or it could possibly be the stills that both Kevin and I have chosen are not the most indicative of improvement. OR I could have even have made some gross, fatal error with multiple copies and dual-versions of this film sitting in front of me. I'm going to have to rely more on the technical results and my own visual observations than the screen captures this time around.

The new Japanese Geneon Blu-ray Premium Edition contains 2 Blu-ray discs - a dual-layered Special Edition (longer version) Blu-ray and dual-layered Theatrical edition Blu-ray. It comes in a sturdy tin case about the size of a standard Blu-ray box. Both discs are over 48 Gig and use the MPEG4 AVC codec. Both have bitrates in the mid 30's. This alone indicates that the image quality should exceed the MPEG2, LionsGate, single-layered theatrical Blu-ray, which we saw was only a marginal improvement (but still an improvement) over the best SD-DVD rendition. The Japanese Geneon transfers are smooth and tight with less artefacts. It is the closest I have seen to replicating my, overwhelming, theatrical experience 17 years ago.

This package is what fans in North America hoped for when it was first rushed to Blu-ray in 2006 by LionsGate with only the theatrical. With the extensive extras and commentaries (repeated) on the Geneon plus the stellar image and TrueHD sound for both editions it makes for the best T2 release ever. Menus have both English and Japanese (when selected.)

I can endorse this as a fine, complete and competent Blu-ray package which patient fans can finally obtain. It's still not like viewing in the cinema but its not far off.  

Gary Tooze   

***

ADDITION: LionsGate Blu-ray August 07': - The SD editions contain both the, 15-minute longer, 'Special Edition' and shorter theatrical versions of the film where the Blu-ray has only the 'cut' theatrical.  It's a single-layered Blu-ray and the MPEG-2 encode T2 film takes up 22.8 Gig on the disc.

I've done my best to match and frame the exact scenes that Kevin meticulously did in his comparison of the SD renditions a couple of years ago... but I am surprised in that I don't see a dramatic improvement. I mean, the Blu-ray looks fair, but not great and so does the 1440x816 HD/SD Extreme edition. Obviously, those resized captures don't tell the whole story (when expanded on most systems the Blu-ray will retain more of its detail) and we've added a few larger resolution (clickable) captures at the bottom that may emphasize that.

As an experiment, I did some toggling back and forth on 2 different players and I could see the slight visual improvement of the Blu-ray, but I don't think it was as vast as most fans would hope. Skin tones are definitely redder and detail is only a moderate notch higher on my system and the Extreme edition had a minor greenish cast to it. This was an early 1080P offering from LionsGate and I suspect it could definitely be improved in many areas with dual-layering, addition of an upgraded soundtrack (and further supplements) - plus inclusion of the longer version. In overall terms this Blu-ray is weak.

This Blu-ray contains only the two commentaries as found on many of the SD counterparts - as supplements.

 

This minor comparison was just a short footnote to signify that fans may wish to hold off on the purchase of this Blu-ray despite how reasonable it is being offered ($12.95 at the writing of this comparison). We hope a more competent and complete 1080P version will come along soon - and I anticipate it will with the extensive fan-base expecting a much better job.

Gary Tooze   

******

ON THE SD EDITIONS: Three video transfers are involved in this comparison: the transfer for the T2 Ultimate DVD edition, the non-high-def video transfer of the new T2 Extreme DVD edition, and the high-def video transfer of the T2 Extreme DVD edition.

The high-def (HD) transfer on T2 Extreme is viewable only on a Windows PC, as the video is stored in WMV files, not VOB files. These WMV files have a video resolution of 1440x816 (as reported by Windows Media Player 9). All my screenshots were captured at a monitor resolution of 1600x1200. In order to provide proper comparisons, the screenshots of T2 Ultimate and T2 Extreme non-HD transfers were also captured at 1600x1200. No re-scaling of the images was done after capture. To help Gary conserve webspace, I chose not to show the full-size images, but only a smaller area within each image. The dotted rectangle on the first image of each comparison shows the area that is being compared.

A note about system performance while playing the HD version. My PC (Windows Me, Intel P4 2.4GHz, 256MB DDR RAM, 128MB GeForce4 AGP card) is significantly below the recommended spec, and yet, I got smooth playback at 1600x1200 and 32-bit color depth. The CPU utilization was near 100%, however. Only when I time-searched or skipped chapters did I notice momentary choppiness. If I copied the WMV files to the hard disk and played them there directly, it would not be as choppy.

In order to capture the screenshots for the HD version, I had to lower the video acceleration setting in Windows Media Player 9, thereby disabling video overlay, in order to use the Print Screen button to capture screen images, since the Windows 9x/Me version of WMP9 has no DVD capture ability (the XP version does, however). Screenshots for T2 Ultimate and T2 Extreme's non-HD version were captured using PowerDVD 4.0.

The screenshots below clearly show that both T2 Extreme transfers are a vast improvement over that of T2 Ultimate. The HD version clearly looks the best. But one should keep in mind that the primary reason for the HD version's much-improved quality is due to the fact that it was made from a restored high-def video master, the same master that was used to make T2 Extreme's non-HD transfer. Over at the Home Theater Forum (which received a thank-you from Van Ling in the Extreme DVD's credits), someone posted screenshot comparisons between T2 Ultimate and T2 Extreme's HD version. But such comparisons do not answer two questions. How much of the improvement is due to the re-mastered video source? And how much of it is due to the HD presentation? To answer the first, we should really compare T2 Ultimate with T2 Extreme's non-HD version, since they have same resolution of 720x480. To answer the second question, we should compare T2 Extreme's non-HD version with the HD version, since they came from the same video master. After looking at dozens of screenshots (only a few are shown here for web space consideration), I observed that the difference between T2 Ultimate and T2 Extreme non-HD is much more dramatic than that between T2 Extreme non-HD and T2 Extreme HD. Therefore, to me, the re-mastered source material is the primary reason for the improvement that we see.

The first set of captures below are typical of most deep-focus shots in the film. The HD image shows the greatest clarity in the distant objects (cars, sprinklers, child, etc.). On the non-HD image, they are less sharp, but still recognizable. On the Ultimate image, the child and the sprinkler are hardly recognizable.

In the second set of captures, the expression of the girl (a young Nikki Cox) and the word "Subway" on the soft drink cup are much clearer on the HD image, slightly less clear on the non-HD image, and downright blurry on the Ultimate image.

 - Kevin Yip



DVD Menus

 

LionsGate Blu-ray Menus

 



(Artisan (Ultimate) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Artisan (Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)


 


Screen Captures

 

Comparison # 1: The area in white rectangle below is
being compared:

 


 

1) Geneon Entertainment (Japan SE) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - TOP

2) LionsGate REGION-FREE Blu-ray - SECOND

3) Artisan (Extreme - HD) - THIRD

4) Artisan (Extreme - NON HD) - FOURTH

5) Artisan (Ultimate) - BOTTOM

 

 


Comparison # 2: The area in white rectangle below is

being compared:

 

 

1) Geneon Entertainment (Japan SE) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - TOP

2) LionsGate REGION-FREE Blu-ray - SECOND

3) Artisan (Extreme - HD) - THIRD

4) Artisan (Extreme - NON HD) - FOURTH

5) Artisan (Ultimate) - BOTTOM

 

 


 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE BELOW TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) Geneon Entertainment (Japan SE) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - TOP

2) Geneon Entertainment (Japan Theatrical) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - SECOND

3) LionsGate REGION-FREE Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Artisan (Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

 

1) Geneon Entertainment (Japan SE) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - TOP

2) Geneon Entertainment (Japan Theatrical) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - SECOND

3) LionsGate REGION-FREE Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Artisan (Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

 

1) Geneon Entertainment (Japan SE) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - TOP

2) Geneon Entertainment (Japan Theatrical) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - SECOND

3) LionsGate REGION-FREE Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Artisan (Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

 

1) Geneon Entertainment (Japan SE) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - TOP

2) Geneon Entertainment (Japan Theatrical) REGION-FREE Blu-ray - SECOND

3) LionsGate REGION-FREE Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Artisan (Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

 

Not in the Theatrical version (but available on the SE Japanese Blu-ray) - Terminator learning to smile...

 

 

 

Box Covers

 

 

NOTE: Cover and details on CDJapan site are presently incorrect - but this is the link I ordered from.

 

Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best...

 

 

 

 

 

DistributionGeneon Entertainment (Japan) REGION-FREE Blu-ray LionsGate - REGIONFREE - Blu-ray

Artisan

Region 1  - NTSC

Artisan 
Region 1 - NTSC

Hit Counter


Report Card:

 

Image:

Blu-ray Premium Edition

Sound:

Blu-ray Premium Edition

Extras: Blu-ray Premium Edition




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Gary Tooze