No Day of the Jackal blu ray for US region? Why?

I just bought my first blu ray player and I am buying Blu rays of classic movies I want and it seems there is no US region version of Day of the Jackal.

What the heck!

 

I take it you didn’t buy a region-free BD player? Shame, as the region B Arrow release of The Day of the Jackal is excellent.

 

Good to know, as all I own of this movie is a self-made recording from television. Maybe I'll buy that one, though it'll be missing german audio - I really want to own it in HD!

 

I thought about buying a region free one because I might eventually buy Department S and it isn't in region 1. Is this show worth buying? I never saw an episode of it in my life but I like Mission Impossible, The Saint, Secret Agent Man etc..... so I thought I'd give it a go.

Anyway, I was at Walmart the other day and saw a Sanyo for $44 and bought it just for the heck of it. But I do need to buy another BD player for upstairs. Can you recommend a cheap but decent one?

Still, what the heck is the reason this isn't available in the US? Seems very stupid.

 

Lots of questions here.

Department S is a popular show with the retro U.K. TV crowd. I don’t own any of the Network BDs of this series, so cannot vouch for them personally, but I do like Network as a label and have a number of their other releases. Given your stated interests, I’m sure this show would be in your wheelhouse.

I’m based in the U.K. these days, so I have no idea what multi-region BD players are available on the U.S. market. I suggest doing your research before you buy. Google is your friend in this regard. It’s possible you may be able to pick up a cheap one at somewhere like Walmart; that’s what my father-in-law, in Canada, did. Amazon is a safe, but not necessarily cheap, option. Region-free players are usually modified and sold by third-party sellers. I have one that I bought four years ago from Amazon U.K. It’s still going strong, and will play anything I put in it.

The Day of the Jackal is a Universal property. Arrow was only able to obtain region B rights. Why it hasn’t been released yet in region A, I don’t know. There’s only so much I’m in charge of. Criterion and Shout Factory are the two labels that deal with Universal. If and when it comes, it will most likely be through one of them.

Therein lies the rub with BD region-coding, but it’s a problem that’s easily solved. One thing I’m sick of on the Bu-ray.com forum is people constantly coming on threads and asking if a particular release is region-locked. If you’re a serious film fan — serious enough to know what’s being released in other territories — just buy a region-free player already. Otherwise, you’re just setting yourself up for a world of frustration.

 

I've been waiting years...

 

220 Electronics is a U.S. site offering a large number of region-free players. Anyone using 220 Electronics should carefully read the capabilities of any given player, however. The least expensive players are region-free for DVDs, but to add Blu-ray regions B and C to the already existing region A capability can involve an additional $40 (U.S.) charge. Also, the less expensive players likely don't have built-in Wi-Fi. Being a U.S. site, U.S. voltage requirements should be met, but voltage capabilities are an additional thing to keep in mind. (3D capability can be another thing.) Oh, internal Pal/NTSC/Secam conversion is more than useful.

But if a person knows what they want, and reads carefully--and is willing to pay for what they want--they ought to be able to purchase a player that meets their needs.