bensilverstone.net: The Official Fansite of Ben Silverstone and Get Real
Quick Links
 · Home
 · Fan Fiction
 · FAQs
 · Links

 

Ben's Journal


Login
News
Get Real is now available in DVD format in many regions of the world. I've been snapping up copies of different versions of the discs as I find them, and note that there can be a big difference in the quality of the movie, depending on which version you have. This page lists some of my observations so far. If you spot a disc I haven't seen yet, let me know at pete@bensilverstone.net

USA
Region 1
Audio English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround
Subtitles English
Picture Format 4:3 Letterboxed Widescreen / NTSC
Picture Quality The image quality can best be described as 'reasonable'. The widescreen appears to be letterboxed in a 4:3 image, so with large black bars above and below the picture area. This means there are physically less pixels available for the image itself, and when zooming on a true widescreen television, there is an unavoidable loss in quality.
Extras Chapter Selection

Dutch/French
Region 2
Audio English Dolby Surround
Subtitles Dutch, French
Picture Format 4:3 Letterboxed Widescreen / PAL
Picture Quality As with the USA release, the widescreen appears to be letterboxed in a 4:3 image, so with large black bars above and below the picture area. However the PAL format does give this disc a slight edge since there are more lines in the PAL format (720) over NTSC (640), so although the 4:3 Letterbox isn't ideal, the picture quality is marginally better.
Extras Chapter Selection, Original Get Real Trailer, Trailers for other films

German
Region 2
Audio German Dolby Surround, English Dolby Stereo
Subtitles German
Picture Format 16:9 Letterboxed Widescreen / PAL
Picture Quality Probably one of the best transfers available. A true 16:9 widscreen image, no MPEG artifacts and probably a completely digital transfer from film to DVD format. With the addition of the (rare!) extras on this disc, it's the one to own if you're in Europe.
Extras Chapter Selection, Interview with Simon Shore, Original German Get Real Trailer, Trailers for other films

Spanish
Region 2
Audio Spanish Dolby Stereo, English Dolby Stereo
Subtitles Spanish
Picture Format 16:9 Letterboxed Widescreen / PAL
Picture Quality Although it's a 16:9 Letterbox rather than 4:3, this transfer has clearly been via analogue tape format (there are noticable tape dropouts in the film), and the MPEG artifacting is noticable. Generally, it's better than VHS - but one of the poorest picture qualities out there.
Extras Chapter Selection, Static Pages for Cast & Crew Biographies (Note, Patrick Wilde's name is spelt incorrectly!), Trailers for other films

Australia
Region ALL
Audio English Dolby Stereo
Subtitles English
Picture Format 4:3 Letterboxed Widescreen / PAL
Picture Quality A reasonable picture, but sadly it's within the 4:3 frame again. Combined with the fact this only offers a Stereo audio channel rather than the full richness of 5.1 surround, it marks it down considerably.
Extras Chapter Selection, Trailers for other films

Taiwan
Region 3
Audio English Dolby Stereo
Subtitles Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English
Picture Format 4:3 / NTSC
Picture Quality The quality of the MPEG transfer is so-so, with some artifacting noticeable, but the real crime here is that the 4:3 format cuts a lot of the edge of the picture off, so in some scenes, actors are cut completely out of the frame.
Extras Chapter Selection, Static pages for biogs of Ben & Brad, Trailers for other films

Japan
Region 2
Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles Japanese
Picture Format 4:3 Letterboxed / NTSC
Picture Quality Even though the format is 4:3 letterboxed, this is an excellent quality transfer. No signs of any MPEG artifacts. All in all, a nicely put together disc.
Extras Chapter Selection, Static pages for biogs of Ben, Brad, Charlotte, Stacy and Simon Shore (in Japanese), Original English Get Real Trailer, Original Japanese Get Real Trailer

Chinese
Region ALL
Audio English Dolby Stereo
Subtitles Chinese Traditional, Chinese Simplified
Picture Format 4:3 / NTSC
Picture Quality MPEG artifacts not really noticiable, but some 'streaming' on fast moving scenes. Since this is 4:3 and not letterboxed, it does suffer from the problem of cutting half the action from the sides of the screen.
Extras Chapter Selection

  The Lute. The Lover. The Legend. At Pleasance Islington this Christmas season.
1999-2008 Pete Shaw. All rights reserved.
Certain images on this site are the copyright of others as acknowledged.
Do not reproduce or republish any contents of this site without express written permission.
If you like it here, click here to vote for this site.