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"balto: ein hund mit dem herzen eines helden!"

I've got it, yay!

Started by Aniu1983 on 25 Jan 2004, 14:19 UTC · 29 preserved posts

65-106196054225 Jan 2004, 14:19 UTC

Yesterday, I received the Region 2 German "Balto" DVD in the mail, along with the German version of the "Beauty and the Beast" soundtrack(my brother knows I love that movie, too!).

But of course, you all are interested in my review of the DVD, so I'll get straight to that.

When the first DVD menu appears, it asks you what language you want the disc's main menu and such to be in. �The four choices are English, French, German, and Dutch. �I decided to go with English first.

Then came the main menu. �After making a tour of all the menus(and taking screengrabs of them!)I headed to the "Bonus" section, which had in it the documentary, the theatrical trailer, and the trailer for E.T. �Imagine my surprise when I started the documentary and found it was in English! �Apparently, the language you choose at the very first menu ends up being the language for everything on the disc, even the bonus features. �So, I saw the "Balto" documentary(which evidently can be viewed in German, French, Dutch, AND English), and it is well worth the wait! �It shows a good deal of footage of the real Balto, there are a few comments made by people who remember the event, and it shows how Balto's legend lives on into the present. �Did you know, for instance, that all children at the schools in Cleveland are taught about Balto's story?

I'll talk about the movie itself now. �Yes, it is in anamorphic widescreen, and I tell you, I haven't been this blown away by the movie since the first time I watched it! �The disc features a sparkling transfer, unlike the American version: I could see little or no dust specks in the image at all, and the colors looked like the movie was made just yesterday!

The sheer expansiveness of the wide image is incredible. �I can see so many new details that I never saw in the fullscreen version. �To list an example, when the ship is trying to cross the ocean to deliver the antitoxin, you can actually see it leave the dock and the port behind it. �Another example: right before the white wolf scene, when the telegraph operator looks mournfully at the lantern hanging outside his office, you can see him turn it off as the camera shows Rosy's parents looking out the window. �I don't know about any of you, but I've never noticed these little details before...

And the white wolf scene, whew, I almost had a heart attack(seriously, I was paralyzed with enchantment)! �The first thing I noticed was that when Balto looks up at Aniu, I could see her whole foreleg, as opposed to just the front half of it. �And, when she turns from Balto and walks away, I could see finally the full extent of her vanishing into the blizzard. �As such, I now believe 100% that she is a spirit in this movie as well(not to start any debates here, since that's not the point ). �Thank you, 16:9 anamorphic widescreen!

I think also that the sound quality itself may be higher than our cheapskate DVD. �I don't know, maybe everything just seemed to sound better, because of the mind-blowing awe I was experiencing...

I do know, however, that the resolution is higher, since European televisions and movies have PAL signals, which are higher resolution than America's NTSC. �Trust me, it really shows on this disc! �I have a feeling I'm going to have PowerDVD set to "Region 2" for awhile.

(BTW: In regards to PowerDVD, it would appear that it doesn't like taking screengrabs of widescreen images: there are jagged edges to many of the lines in the screen captures. �For instance, look at this screenshot of the English main menu: http://www.geocities.com/istaswhitewolf/Misc.html
Do any of you computer-knowledgeables know why PowerDVD does this, and if there is anything I can do to remedy it? �If not, is there any free software floating around the net that I could use to take screenshots from widescreen movies? I know that the problem isn't because the DVD is Region 2, since my "Lion King" screengrabs suffer from the same ailment).

Disregarding my hopefully temporary issue with screengrabs, this disc, to me, is worth it's weight in gold. �I almost forgot, here's a link to the brand new page on my website: "Balto" auf Deutsch!

My parting words: Do some searching online for this disc, or the one TLW mentioned, and order it!

(LMAO, wow, that post must be my record length)!

116-106196084625 Jan 2004, 18:46 UTC

My menu looks exactally the same, with the language choice and all.

I have CyberPower DVD, and I have no problems at all with screenshots... Perhaps it is a problem with either your video card or the fact that it is in PAL format?

In regards to the quality, though, the Brazil version I have is still in the NTSC, so it probobly isn't as good looking as PAL... I can't be sure though, because even my other new and high-quality DVD's have fuzz in them. I think my video card has issues.

69-106279399526 Jan 2004, 02:56 UTC

That's cool Aniu. I also have a strong German heritage. I would get the German version but I don't know how to make my PS2 multi-regional (if it is possible at all), and I don't want mess it up. I'm just gonna get the Brazillian one. I just wanna see the extras. I've heard a lot of good stuff about 'em.

65-106196054227 Jan 2004, 09:58 UTC

Thanks to a brief stroke of luck brought on by a hunch, I have now discovered what could be the reason for the widescreen grabs appearing jagged: the files were simply too big, and well, wide.  

When I take a fullscreen grab, the file resolution is 740x540, while a widescreen grab is 1024x576, which my computer apparently doesn't agree with, for whatever reason.  However, when I change the width of the widescreen capture to match that of a fullscreen one, i.e., 740, it appears much better.  I have no idea why this is, since my screen resolution is 1024x768.  There will always be things about computers that I don't understand .

Here's a link to the same page where I have the jagged grab, but I now placed a corrected grab below it: Screenshot Comparison

As you can probably tell, the image below the first is clearer in appearance.  It's not perfect, but it works .

116-106196084627 Jan 2004, 14:14 UTC

Quote

Is the German version better than the English languaged version? I have only heard the Danish version.

Well, are you talking about voice-wise? I'm assuming that's what you meant, since you said "heard". That is really a matter of personal preference (and laguage comprehension ). I would think that since it was originally recorded in english, and the animation was designed for that language, that it would be the best. It also had a great cast, with some really good voices.

The main thing we are talking about here is image quality on the different versions. Since the german and brazilian version has multi-language selections for the audio, it seems a good choice. They both have functional features that don't work on the original version, so that's why we like them. ^^

Quote

When I take a fullscreen grab, the file resolution is 740x540, while a widescreen grab is 1024x576, which my computer apparently doesn't agree with, for whatever reason.

1024x576... Hmm, that seems a little off, are you running the widescreen in fullscreen mode? The original resolution for widescreen is 960x540. Perhaps try capping it at that setting? When you take it at 1024x756 or the 740x??? you are stretching it quite a bit, which makes it more jagged.

70-106196059227 Jan 2004, 17:06 UTC

Aniu, DVD genie is free and runs on donations last time I checked so you don't have to pay for it. It is only a small program anyway and probably worth having or at least trying to save you locking your drive.

To capture widescreen with PDVD you need to go to configure, then go to advanced on the general tab and click on "current video window size" at the bottom then ok and exit etc. That is how I have to do it anyway..it may be different with your version...

Finally heres a pic I captured from mine.. I need to get the real widescreen version.. To Germany!

65-106196054228 Jan 2004, 02:58 UTC

Oh, cool, I might look around for DVDGenie then, although I'm unaware exactly what type of DVD drive I have...

Unfortunately, my version of PDVD lacks an advanced tab, which is not fair at all . �I guess I'll just have to keep making the pics smaller after I take them. �At least it works.

Ah, about your screen capture, good news, 'tis the same as mine . �Here's a grab I just took from my disc(in a smaller size of course)!
Balto running

83-106196071628 Jan 2004, 23:49 UTC

Wow, that German DVD sounds good! �Although I did see a Brazilain region free DVD up on Ebay. �It's probably gone now, but it might come around again. �I've also seen the documentary thanks to the kindness of 27, and his ability to compress into an avi format.

Wow, thanks for letting me know about DVD Genie AC! �I found a site that allows for a DVD drive to be set to region-free. �But it sounds like the Genie program might be a better alternative.

65-106196054229 Jan 2004, 06:37 UTC

I found out last night that there isn't a thing I can do to change my DVD-ROM drive, since it's region-protected(I downloaded a free program that told me what kind of drive I have). �That site says that most DVD drives made after 2000 are region locked(can only be changed 4 times), so that no software will be able to fix it. �The only thing that would work is software which makes your DVD drive not recognize regions, but that's around fifty dollars or so, which I don't have . �Besides, I wouldn't want to hurt my computer in any way by creating an irreversible problem.

*Sighs* �I've decided that I'll just leave my DVD-ROM set to Region 2, and use my regular DVD player for all my other discs, because I wouldn't be able to survive without being able to watch "Balto" in widescreen .

65-106196054230 Jan 2004, 08:46 UTC

LOL, I just thought that now: I won't be able to take screengrabs from "Balto III: Wings of Change." �DVD regions are a pain in the arse.

By getting my DVD player chipped, you mean my DVD-ROM, right? �Our TV won't accept PAL signals, and ones that do are only found in specialty stores, or so I read online.  Unless I buy a converter, which is probably expensive.

How and where do I find out about doing this, and what is an estimate of the cost? �I'd love to be able to watch DVDs from both regions on the same player, without the worry of it freezing up on me .

65-106196054230 Jan 2004, 21:16 UTC

I had thought about that, CL, but I did some researching and I read that if you install the firmware wrong(or you install the wrong firmware ), that it can cause irreversible damage to either your DVD-ROM, your computer, or both. I love my little Toshiba laptop so much that I'd die without it, so I'm not willing to take the risk. �But, thanks for the suggestion, anyway .

Last night, I downloaded a free trial of some software that makes your DVD-ROM assume that any DVD you insert is region free. �Unfortunately, I accidentally changed my drive's region before I ran the software, so now I only have two changes left. �So, I can still watch the German "Balto" disc now while my DVD drive is set to Region 1, but once the trial period is over(30 days)I won't be able to without switching it again, which I don't want to do since "Balto III: Wings of Change" is coming. �I'm really in a pickle .

116-106196084631 Jan 2004, 21:13 UTC

Thanks for the site CL!

I just flashed my drive, and it's not as hard as you'd think. CL helped me out a bit with insisting it was safe *lol*, and I figured out what drive I had and got the bootdisk and such set up. It worked, and now I'm ready for any region. If you need a hand getting it figured out, just for the sake of seeing how hard it would be, I could help you out all ya want, contact info in my profile. If you need reassurance, ask CL, he's done it quite few times, by my guess.

65-106196054201 Feb 2004, 16:23 UTC

I'm getting pretty desperate right about now, so I think I might just go for it. �I'll contact TLW, and see about it. �If all goes well, DVD regions will not affect me anymore.

Silver, to see what type of DVD-ROM you have, go to "My Computer", click on the icon that shows your drive, and it's type should be in "Properties" somewhere. �What is your computer called? �I know mine is "Toshiba Satellite 1905-S301."

And, CL, if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears .

75-106196062903 Feb 2004, 23:56 UTC

*envyenvy*

I've wanted this for the longest time, but I can't order off of Amazon or anything 'cause I live in an apartment. I've been thinking of using my friend's address, though.

But I really want my favorite movies in the scandinavian languages and Italian. Anyone know where to get them? (besides Ebay etc)

My friend sent me a link to a site that tells you how to set your region to "0." It worked for his friend, so I'm trying to find that specific player. Except I forgot the link. XD