I think Uli’s new label deserves its own topic for discussions.
The highlight is that Lars and I submitted liner notes for SABATA and MAN TO MAN, Simon wrote liner notes for VALDEZ
here is their catalog:
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Explosive_Media_catalog
Had recently seen that Ulrich Bruckner was helming this company and looks like some nice releases. Think I’ll pick up their release of Death Rides a Horse since I still only have the old MGM release. Anyone know what’s on the bonus disc for that one?
Regarding DRAH bonus disc, according to Amazon:
Bonus:
Looks like the release to have for this title - bluray + dvd + bonus disc + booklet… nice! Although not sure about language options on the special features. Pretty excited to get this on bluray as its one of my all time favorites, and first spaghettis I ever saw. And glad to see they are using the cooler poster for the cover art
Mouth watering stuff 
My blu ray fervor is making me pretty excited for the approaching DRAH from Explosive! Cannot wait!
I wonder if MGM plans to release on BR also?
Just got the Explosive release of DRAH. Took some photos since I haven’t seen much about this release on the web so far… I’d do some screens, but I don’t yet have a blu ray drive in my computer.
Looks fabulous. Please tell us if the PQ is much improved over the dvd.
Reports on picture quality, language options please.
The package style looks great !
Thanks, autephex.
I guess another must buy!
I got Sabata already but not Death Rides A horse… I am waiting for a review on that one since the Wild East DVD is great. Sabata I never picked up on DVD for some reason so that one I grabbed right away(haven’t checked it out yet though).
The packaging is indeed very nice. Waaay better than typical blu-ray boxes, and also much nicer than most all DVDs I’ve ever bought.
Both the outer slipcase box and the inside flip-box are thick & sturdy, with the artwork printed directly onto both. The art looks great and is printed very clearly, with excellent color. Same goes for the included booklet.
The ratings sticker is on the outside shrinkwrap, so there are no annoying stickers on the actual box.
As far as the package/cover/art goes, easily among the best I’ve collected.
I’ll probably watch this tonight or tomorrow, will report back on the other stuff.
^ Yeah looks a great package, I think these more luxurious releases are probably the way to go for companies releasing niche films like Spaghetti Westerns, especially for well known titles. I wonder if we will ever see a Spaghetti Western on Blu-ray that has never been released on DVD?
Personally I was disappointed with Explosive’s Face To Face 2 DVD release, the booklet and second disc had little to do with the actual film (booklet about Morricone’s music in general, interviews on the second disc mostly about The Big Gundown). Also the English Audio keeps reverting to Italian with English Subs in places, presumably where the English audio track used was compromised. I realise this is primarily a German release but still, it’s rather annoying. The picture quality is great however, a big upgrade over the original Japanese SPO release.
There’s a review of the Sabata disc here Sabata Blu-ray (DigiPack) (Germany)
And a comparison of the Death Rides a Horse disc with a DVD here http://www.caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleiche/multi_comparison.php?disc1=3427&disc2=3428&hd_multiID=1429#auswahl
They look pretty much how I expected them to. Like Navajo Joe, like a HD version of the same old scan that was used for the 2005 DVDs.
Unfortunately at least the Death Rides A Horse disc seems to suffer from some really bad compression at spots (based on the German comment and the last screenshot comparison which looks horrible).
I have the Dutch DVD that is used. It’s an okay disc, not too bad, watchable, etc. but it’s a DVD5 so it has its limitations. There’s some posterisation and macro blokking (especially in scenes with fire).
Don’t know about the BR, judging from screenshots is tricky. That last screenshot looks indeed bad, but it’s a shot from a ‘scene in motion’, hard to say how it looks when actually watching the disc.
The feature size is less than 17 gigs and the bitrate averages under 19 kbps. I’m pretty sure there is a compression issue. Would’ve been nice if it was dual layer.
I have the wildeast dvd and used to own the mgm pal dvd. I’m on the fence whether or not to get this. I’m probably going to get the Sabata disc though.
Didn’t get around to watching the disc yet, plan on doing so today…
It does look like its an HD version of the same transfer, but at least it is that- an HD version which shows a lot more detail than the DVD. Based on those screencaps, everything shows more detail just like TBG screenshots.
This is most noticeable in the 5th screencap in the saloon. Everything and everyone’s faces are blurred on the DVD, where on the blu ray you can see it all clearly.
Obviously I’m biased as I’ve already bought the release, but so long as the video looks good in motion, I’m happy just to have DRAH in HD.
I’ve got the MGM DVD to compare it with, never got the WE release.
Yeah the first MGM discs did have some problems, and like you say especially the fire scenes. I think the later releases in some countries, like Japan, probably had the compression handled better. The Wild East disc also has no problems with the fire as far as I can remember (and it is definitely the MGM print, taken from…?).
Eh, didn’t even check the sizes and bitrates. !7 gigs is ridiculous no wonder there are problems. 
What about the audio, all tracks are Dolby Digital 2.0 128bit rate… that is lossy DVD quality and not HD? (Yeah I know nothing about audio…)
[quote=“autephex, post:17, topic:3255”]It does look like its an HD version of the same transfer, but at least it is that- an HD version which shows a lot more detail than the DVD. Based on those screencaps, everything shows more detail just like TBG screenshots.
Obviously I’m biased as I’ve already bought the release, but so long as the video looks good in motion, I’m happy just to have DRAH in HD.[/quote]
Yeah, it is clearly much better than the DVD.
I will probably get this in a month or two if I have the cash, unless some other company announces it in the mean time (I would hope with better compression since that kinda thing does bother me 
).
2005 is ancient though as far as HD transfers go so I think simply making a new scan with newer equipment would be superior. But I don’t think MGM really cares that much and I guess would be too expensive for EM (or other smaller companies) to pay for.
Yeah, I hadn’t yet seen any technical specs or reviews on DRAH prior to purchase.
Disappointed to see such a small size/bitrate and not a new transfer.
But I don’t really expect to see this title released on BluRay by anyone else for quite some time. MGM never even released a DVD here in the US, so I’d be surprised to see a Blu from them.
If someone does release a better version at some point, will be a repurchase for me as this is a personal favorite spagh.
Watched DRAH today and basically I thought it looked incredible compared to SD.
I’m not sure what kind of digital cleaning was done on the transfer, but it doesn’t look like much as grain & print damage are noticeable throughout and sometimes very noticeable.
I do see what looks like possible over-sharpening in some scenes. Its most noticeable during the brighter daytime scenes. It could also be compression issues or a combination of both.
I viewed with English audio and the track is clear and without level problems. Dialogue is loud and crisp, music is loud and present, and gunshots/fx sound good. There is a bit of distortion on the audio at points, as well as occasional crackle and whatnot, but nothing unexpected. Actually the pops and short crackles, like the grain & print damage, never become excessive or in the way, and add to the feel of watching a film.
I gotta say its a pleasure to view in HD and despite some issues, it still looks excellent. Like I’ve said about some other blu-rays, it was almost like watching it for the first time again. It really explodes on the screen with the opening scenes, and the fast cuts with Bill’s target-shooting & flashbacks just carry a lot of energy in HD.
I’d say there’s room for improvement on a larger sized encoding with higher bitrate, and if possible a fresh transfer, but I’m definitely pleased with this release.
I put the MGM DVD in right after viewing to compare, and it is obviously the same print because the same print damage can be seen, but the BluRay looks waaaayyyyyy better PQ wise. The audio is also much better on the Blu. Its a huge step up from the MGM DVD in my opinion, and the screenshot comparisons just don’t do it justice. There really is a substantial difference.
Has German/English/Italian options for both audio and subtitle tracks.
The extra featurette is a 36min interview segment with screenwriter Giulio Petroni and assistant director Enrico Bergier, in Italian w/ English or German subtitles, and English audio for a couple of audio only segments with JPL. Its almost a bit overlong but does give some interesting info on the film title, LVC, JPL, and the rest of the crew.
