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What titles are available on Blu-ray and DVD? |
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See our list of current titles.
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How can I find out about upcoming releases? |
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Sign up for our newsletter or check our Facebook pages.
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How do I contact the NBC Universal Online Store about my order? |
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Visit the website at http://nbcuniversalstore.com or call 1-877-841-2128 (every day of the week, 4am to 10pm Pacific time.) You can also check the Online Store FAQ page.
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What is a Blu-ray disc? |
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As the most innovative home entertainment technology since the DVD and DVR, Blu-ray discs offer an unparalleled audio/visual experience. Blu-ray discs offer a significantly improved picture quality because they can contain more than five times the amount of data a standard DVD does.
For further details about the Blu-ray format, please visit http://universalhidef.com.
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What is BD LIVE? |
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With an Internet-connected Blu-ray player, BD Live gives you access to an entire world of interactive online possibilities. Simply use your remote control to connect to the BD-Live Center and download even more bonus content, the latest trailers and more. On selected Universal titles, BD Live is the platform for even more innovative, next generation features. Click here for more information.
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What is a Digital Copy? |
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A digital copy is a duplicate of a Blu-ray or DVD movie that can be transferred to your computer quickly and legally. For details, please visit our Digital Copy website.
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What is On Demand? |
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On Demand offers access to hundreds of movies instantly - new releases, hit movies and your favorite classics. Make your movie choice in the comfort of your own home anytime, and watch it any time within 24 hours. This is your choice for spontaneous home movie entertainment. Pause, rewind and fast-forward as you watch - it works like a VCR or DVD player, without buying any extra equipment. It's the best value in home movie entertainment - watch the movies you want, when you want them. There are no returns and associated late fees to worry about.
For more info, go to http://www.universalvod.net/about.php.
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What is Digital Download? |
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Digital Download lets you purchase the movies and TV shows you want through the Internet -- delivered directly to your computer, TV, game console, or set-top box, however you want it. Many services allow you to transfer your content to a laptop or portable media player and enjoy it wherever you want it.
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What is Pay-Per-View? |
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Available through your cable or satellite provider, Pay-Per-View allows you to order films/events on a per view basis paying only for the program you want to see. Pay-Per-View programming includes the latest Hollywood movie releases as well as uncensored TV specials and a variety of sporting events.
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The black bars are part of the letterbox process, and in many cases you
can't get rid of them. If you set the display option in your player to pan
& scan (sometimes called fullscreen or 4:3) instead of letterbox, it
won't do you much good since no DVD movies have been released with this
feature enabled. If you set the player to 16:9 Widescreen output it will
make the bars smaller, but you will get a tall, stretched picture unless
you have a Widescreen TV.
There are a few ways to get to the fullscreen version (usually only one
works, so you may have to try both):
- Look for a fullscreen choice in the main menu of the DVD
- Use the "aspect" button on the remote control
DVD was designed to make movies look as good as possible on TV. Since
most movies are wider than most TVs, letterboxing preserves the format of
the theatrical presentation. DVD is ready for TVs of the future, which are
Widescreen. For these and other reasons, many movies on DVD are only
available in Widescreen.
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You are watching an anamorphic picture intended for display only on a
Widescreen TV. You need to go into the player's setup menu and tell it you
have a standard 4:3 TV, not a Widescreen 16:9 TV. It will then
automatically letterbox the picture so you can see the full width at the
proper proportions.
In some cases you can change the aspect ratio as the disc is playing
(by pressing the "aspect" button on the remote control). On most players
you have to stop the disc before you can change aspect.
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Some movies, especially those over two hours long or
encoded at a high data rate, are spread across two layers on one side of
the disc. When the player changes to the second layer, the video and audio
may freeze for a moment. The length of the pause depends on the player and
on the layout of the disc. The pause is not a defect in the player or the
disc.
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If you have damaged a DVD and would like to replace it,
please click here: Universal Studios Home Entertainment Consumer Damaged DVD
Replacement Program.
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Most DVD players allow you to lock out discs above a
certain rating. The rating level is protected by a password so that
children can't change it. If you don't know the password you won't be able
to play some discs. You might be able to clear the password by resetting
the player (see the user manual) or unplugging it for a few days.
Otherwise, you'll have to call the Customer Service number of the
manufacturer and see if they can help you.
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What are DVD and Blu-ray "region codes"? |
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Each DVD player is given a code for the region in which it's sold. The player will refuse to play discs that are not allowed in that region. This means that discs bought in one country may not play on players bought in another country. Regional coding is not an encryption system, it's just one byte of information on the disc that the player checks. Region codes are a permanent part of the disc, they won't "unlock" after a period of time. There are 8 DVD regions (also called "locales"). Players and discs are identified by the region number superimposed on a world globe. If a disc plays in more than one region it will have more than one number on the globe.
- U.S., Canada, U.S. Territories
- Japan, Europe, South Africa, and Middle East (including Egypt)
- Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Hong Kong)
- Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico,
South America, and the Caribbean
- Eastern Europe (Former Soviet Union), Indian subcontinent, Africa,
North Korea, and Mongolia
- China
- Reserved
- Special international venues (airplanes, cruise ships, etc.)
Technically, there is no such thing as a region 0 disc or a region 0
player. There are, however, all-region discs. There are also all-region
players. That is, some players can be modified to play discs regardless of
the regional codes on the disc. The main reasons for regional coding are
to prevent the theatrical release of a title in one region being
jeopardized by imports of DVDs from other regions, and to protect the
interests of foreign distributors.
Blu-ray Regions are somewhat different:
REGION A: East Asia (except Mainland China and Mongolia), Southeast Asia, the Americas and their Territories.
REGION B: Africa, Southwest Asia, Europe (except Russia), Oceania and their dependencies.
REGION C: Central Asia, East Asia (Mainland China and Mongolia only), South Asia, Central Eurasia and their Territories.
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One way to determine if a copy is legitimate is to check the Universal
catalog listing here,
http://www.universalstudioshomeentertainment.com/home_ent_content.html.
If a recent Universal film is not listed, it probably has not been
released on DVD in the U.S. or in Canada. If a "complete" television
series is offered and our website lists only a few seasons of the series,
the "complete" series could be an illegal copy.
All authentic Universal releases include bar codes on the back of the
package and selection numbers at the base of the package spine. Bootleg
packages often do not include these items.
Another indicator of illegal copies is poor quality printing and
misspellings on the packaging or the DVD itself.
Finally, if you're not sure, please ask us. Contact
Us and we will research and get back to you as quickly as
possible.
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If you have information about bootleg copies of our
movies or TV series, please click here to
Contact
Us.
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