High-Def Movies

[Scott Harness]

No, so I can watch foreign DVDs!! Tick animated series SPOOOOOOOON!

Bart

What I meant was,Why does it have to be regional?
I realize there are different formats,but why are "stuck or placed" in different regions?
I've heard if you rent a movie on the East coast, it won't play in a player bought on the West coast.(Myth?)
ps Tick was great!

[nfpgasmask]

What I meant was,Why does it have to be regional?
I realize there are different formats,but why are "stuck or placed" in different regions?
I've heard if you rent a movie on the East coast, it won't play in a player bought on the West coast.(Myth?)
ps Tick was great!

I believe it has to do with international copyright laws. For an in depth explanation, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_code

There are region encodings and then there are video formats (NTSC and PAL). Most of Europe is PAL, whereas the US is NTSC. So the region free players will let you play both PAL and NTSC formats. 99% of all "normal" store bought DVD players will not have the hardware do decode and convert a PAL signal to NTSC.

And yes, the Tick animated is one of my all time favorite cartoons. If you liked the Tick, you will likely love the Venture Bros.

Bart

[snowtrooper1966]

So that would explain the price tags like this I keep seeing?

http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-OPPO-B...item414bfb5bb4

Are you saying that these players will be region free but yet they WILL NOT work with a non-US Blu-ray disc? Or are you just saying Oppo is "not allowed" to make it work and people have to do it on their own?

Bart

Oppo BDP-83 direct from Oppo: $499

Oppo was not allowed to implimemt the region hack. Can be done by 3rd parry.
Best,

[Cobrajet]

So, the question still remains. Which is better??? Beta or VHS?!?

[Scott Harness]

I believe it has to do with international copyright laws. For an in depth explanation, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_code

There are region encodings and then there are video formats (NTSC and PAL). Most of Europe is PAL, whereas the US is NTSC. So the region free players will let you play both PAL and NTSC formats. 99% of all "normal" store bought DVD players will not have the hardware do decode and convert a PAL signal to NTSC.

And yes, the Tick animated is one of my all time favorite cartoons. If you liked the Tick, you will likely love the Venture Bros.

Bart

Thanks for the info

[snowtrooper1966]

So, the question still remains. Which is better??? Beta or VHS?!?

Beta;-)

[Triathlete]

So, the question still remains. Which is better??? Beta or VHS?!?

Laser Disc! The original HD.

[nfpgasmask]

I sat through G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra the other day. OMFG what a travesty.

Here's what I don't understand:

1) Who the hell cares about the 1980s G.I. Joe line of toys, comics and cartoons?

2) The answer: The fans of course (I.E. the kids that played with the toys, read the comics, and watched the cartoons) and likely no one else!

3) Why does Hollywood make movies?

4) The answer: To make money.

5) Who in their right mind thought that it would be a good idea to make a G.I.Joe movie that is the cinematic equivalent of kicking all the fans in the nuts?

And here's a movie where all the nonsense going on I could deal with because it is a movie based on a really cheesey comic/cartoon/toy for kids. So I can handle the "nanomites" and some of the other crazy stuff.

What I can't handle however, is the damn near complete abandonment of the original characters. Save for Snake Eyes which looked pretty damn good and almost identical to the original toy design, everyone else in the film was completely RUINED. Storm Shadow looked like a J-rocker. The Baroness DOES NOT become a "good guy". And Cobra Commander? My nuts STILL hurt from that one.

Bart

[Hiredgoon]

I'm finding that the best thing is older movies that have been "upgraded"--I've never seen Big Trouble in Little China look so good, and Silence of the Lambs was gorgeous as well. It's no real feat to make the new Star Trek look great, but what they've done with some of those older ones is amazing.

[Triathlete]

Big Trouble in Little China

Love that movie!

[djvx]

Do any of you know if 3-D can be viewed at home with any amount of quality. I saw Avatar in 3d at an IMAX theatre and I was ducking as stuff whizzed past my head--it was "that real" Im just not much of a "going out to the movies" kinda guy so I'd love to get that experience from the comfort of my own living room

[Riff Raff]

3D-TV is right on the horizon from manufacturers like Toshiba and Sony. Check-out CES 2010 on the web, and you'll see the Toshiba #ZX900 cell series TV available in 55" & 65" that upconverts standard 2-D into "simulated" 3-D.

Visit www.SonyStyle.com and you'll find Sony is at the brink of having true 3D-TV accompanied by shutter-release eye glasses where both its new Bravia TV & 3D electronic shutter eyeglasses will accomplish "true" 3-D in the home. This year 2010 will have many technological breakthroughs in home video entertainment, and they say 3D content will be available in cable broadcast in 2011 from your local TV Cable Provider.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, the OPPO BDP-83 is quite impressive. However, Sony has two new models of a 400-Disc Changer that plays Blu-Ray, SD-DVD, and CD-Audio all in one unit carasel. Just permanently load your entire collection of discs (BD/DVD/CD) and forget it. Everything in your entire disc library is available at the touch of your remote control (no more getting up off the sofa to pick-out a single disc). Plus, they have a single "rent slot" upfront for playing a single disc without pulling out the entire carasel tray (true genious). A versatile Sony 400-Disc Changer will be one of my purchases later this year.

Years ago it was BetaMax (Sony) vs VHS (JVC) war where VHS (JVC) was the winner. Last year, it was HD-DVD (Toshiba) vs Blu-Ray (Sony) war where Blu-Ray (Sony) was the winner. Since Blu-Ray discs are so expensive, I would rather "rent" them first before buying. To my knowledge, NetFlix is the only place you can "rent" Blu-Ray movies. When you find a movie that is truly a keeper, then you can buy the Blu-Ray version for your permanent video library.

[VXR]

The Road Warrior blu-ray is very good when compared to the standard version.

X2 just watched last night for the first time in hd excellent restoration.

[don moore]

VHS

[WormGod]

Gave my new 73" DLP it's maiden power up last night. HDMI Bluray w/ District 9..... !@#!!!!!!!!!!! Best money I spent all year.

Planning on watching The Thing tonight with some friends over.

Next step is to upgrade the receiver w/ an HDMI compat one. Maybe this weekend.

Also, not exactly old flicks, but for films that look really good in 1080p, consider Wall-E, Serenity, and even Riddick. They stand out in my book as some of the best looking hi-def flicks, though not exactly the best flicks, heh.