Why are movie runtimes longer on US movies compared to UK

.Lethal

.Lethal

.Lethal

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Example, the Dark Knight on Amazon.com shows 152 minutes and on the UK website it is less.

The same goes for HEAT and other movies.

I believe I red somewhere that movies are played somewhat faster in the UK compared to the US but this was a while ago so I am wondering what is the techno babble behind it.

I'm sure someone here will know and perhaps it will enlighten others around here.
 
But if they're films then they're both shot at 24fps. Unless they're shot digitally, but you'd assume they'd be projected at 24fps regardless. ...This could get very complicated :p

EDIT: I just realised you said on Amazon. So yes it's probably just the difference between PAL and NTSC.
 
Ah, better we all agree not to make this to complicated.

Regarding the NTSC and PAL thing that is what I knew of before, I just don't remember the technical side behind it that effects the time difference.

EDIT:

Using frakker's 4% difference it does indeed seem accurate.

Heat UK edition: 163 mins
Heat US edition: 170 mins

4% from 170 = 163.2

The Dark Knight UK edition: 146 mins
The Dark Knight US edition: 152 mins

4% from 152 = 145.92
 
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weringo said:
So they speak faster in the Uk editions? :confused:
Click to expand...

Yeah, Keanu Reeves noted his voice sounded a touch higher in the PAL version of The Matrix.

At least most Blu-Ray's are region free, so I can buy something like Heat in its original form, although that's not cheap.
 
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.Lethal said:
Example, the Dark Knight on Amazon.com shows 152 minutes and on the UK website it is less.

The same goes for HEAT and other movies.

I believe I red somewhere that movies are played somewhat faster in the UK compared to the US but this was a while ago so I am wondering what is the techno babble behind it.

I'm sure someone here will know and perhaps it will enlighten others around here.
Click to expand...

It's because they have to keep stopping the movie to explain the plot to the audience.

Outside the USA, this feature is not required.
 
Watchmen Director's Cut PAL Blu-Ray is listed as 186min on Amazon yet the American NTSC Director's Cut Blu-Ray (on DVD Box Office) is also listed as 186min?

So on that there is no difference :confused:
 
Chimerical said:
Watchmen Director's Cut PAL Blu-Ray is listed as 186min on Amazon yet the American NTSC Director's Cut Blu-Ray (on DVD Box Office) is also listed as 186min?

So on that there is no difference :confused:
Click to expand...

Amazon isn't the most reliable for this sort of information, but in this case the above is correct.

The differences is down to NTSC/PAL DVDs where the minutes are different due to the frames per second.

BluRay are played at 24 frames per second in the US/UK so the minutes should be the same but unfortunately Amazon have just copy/pasted information from the DVD (in Heats case on bluray).

I found some good websites for detailed information.

http://movie-censorship.com/
http://www.dvdcompare.net/index.php

Might be of some help.
 
.Lethal said:
Amazon isn't the most reliable for this sort of information, but in this case the above is correct.

The differences is down to NTSC/PAL DVDs where the minutes are different due to the frames per second.

BluRay are played at 24 frames per second in the US/UK so the minutes should be the same but unfortunately Amazon have just copy/pasted information from the DVD (in Heats case on bluray).

I found some good websites for detailed information.

http://movie-censorship.com/
http://www.dvdcompare.net/index.php

Might be of some help.
Click to expand...

Ah so despite UK Blu-Ray's being PAL they are essentially the same as the NTSC American versions?

That's good if true.
 
Don't be silly guys. no one is speeding up NTSC movies for PAL conversions since Humprey Bogart times. NTSC to PAL conversions are now done on the fly by digital standards converters, like Alchemist, without any speedig up. In the older pre DVD days they used simple frame blending or frame discarding or if fast scenes created judder/visual issues they would go all the way to film 24fps via motion estimated reverse telecine and then up it to 25 for PAL VHS. In any case, regardless of frames per second, the 3:14 of US Guns'N'Roses video remains 3:14 of Guns'N'Roses in Europe, without Axel sounding 5% more like a chipmunk. If you think about it - if speeding up for PAL was true, then any UK concert on NTSC DVD would have to be slowed down and contain 5 frames without any sound. See? It just ain't happening any more in this day and age.

If Keanu noticed his voice sounded a pitch higher on PAL Matrix DVD it's only because he's a muppet.

Running time differences, if not a simple mistake of a listing site, must be purely down to age certification editing or additional credits.
 
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Chimerical said:
Watchmen Director's Cut PAL Blu-Ray is listed as 186min on Amazon yet the American NTSC Director's Cut Blu-Ray (on DVD Box Office) is also listed as 186min?

So on that there is no difference :confused:
Click to expand...

Yea its crap no matter which format :p
 
v0n said:
Don't be silly guys. no one is speeding up NTSC movies for PAL conversions since Humprey Bogart times. NTSC to PAL conversions are now done on the fly by digital standards converters, like Alchemist, without any speedig up. In the older pre DVD days they used simple frame blending or frame discarding or if fast scenes created judder/visual issues they would go all the way to film 24fps via motion estimated reverse telecine and then up it to 25 for PAL VHS. In any case, regardless of frames per second, the 3:14 of US Guns'N'Roses video remains 3:14 of Guns'N'Roses in Europe, without Axel sounding 5% more like a chipmunk. If you think about it - if speeding up for PAL was true, then any UK concert on NTSC DVD would have to be slowed down and contain 5 frames without any sound. See? It just ain't happening any more in this day and age.

If Keanu noticed his voice sounded a pitch higher on PAL Matrix DVD it's only because he's a muppet.

Running time differences, if not a simple mistake of a listing site, must be purely down to age certification editing or additional credits.
Click to expand...

You are wrong, it does happen.
 
Clarkey said:
You are wrong, it does happen.
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Yeah, when you have no other source left for digital conversion but projector film. We are talking Casablanca or oldest Star Trek series with Shatner. Those were sped up for PAL releases. Not NTSC sources.

I would be really surprised if anyone was speeding up Dark Knight. Digital source is surely available, it's not like you would have to do 576i speed up, not to mention if the digital source had to absolutely be shot for whatever reason at 23.97 then any PAL DVD or Blueray player could actually just play it at native frame rate without any problem...
 
v0n said:
I would be really surprised if anyone was speeding up Dark Knight. Digital source is surely available, it's not like you would have to do 576i speed up, not to mention if the digital source had to absolutely be shot for whatever reason at 23.97 then any PAL DVD or Blueray player could actually just play it at native frame rate without any problem...
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Nearly all films are shot on film, and this is 24fps. This still doesn't go into 50, so it surely has to be sped up to get to something PAL compatible?
 
When spiderman was on TV recently I played the hd version into another TV input and switched between them (mainly to compare quality difference)


But it only takes about a minute to start to notice the difference in speed between them before they start to go out of sync.
 
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