Search results

Holding out for HD isn't exactly new. I've been holding out since 1996, when I first heard that the successor to laserdisc would NOT be a high definition format, but would be just more of the same - NTSC. I did break down and buy a DVD player in 2002, but most of the handful of DVDs I own...

The one and only time I have ever attempted to purchase something at Best Buy, I presented a signed, valid Visa card for payment, and declined to show ID when asked. I was told that this was "required", even though Visa specifically prohibits their merchants from requiring ID as a condition of...

DVD trends that continue to tick me off: 1. Forced trailers 2. Forced menus. If I want a menu, I'll press the "menu" button. I'm only going to watch the extras once; why do I have to navigate around them every time I insert the disc? I want the movie to start automatically unless I press the...

It would indeed be sad not to find out if Anakin becomes Darth Vader. Charlie

Much to my surprise, my local Wal-Mart, located in rural Utah, has piles of fullscreen versions and very few widescreen versions in stock. There's lots of empty space where the widescreen versions used to be. The tide is turning, albeit very slowly. Charlie PS I didn't buy either, BTW...

I'm one who didn't care for any of the changes, including changing the title of the first film in the series. Lucas is still free to do as he wishes, and as a potential customer, I am free to ignore them. Ultimately, like everyone else who doesn't care for the changes, I can only vote with my...

I hate menus, period. I particularly hate having them forced upon me every time I insert the disc, when all I want to do is watch the film. I want to press "play" and watch the movie. If I want to see a menu, I'll press the "menu" button. Menus should be as simple and unobtrusive as possible...

My response to the question of how many DVDs I own? "I don't know." Charlie

I've never been too worked up about DVD. By the time DVD hit the shelves in 1997, it was already known that HDTV would be here in 1998, which would pretty much render DVD not good enough. It did, and it has, as anyone who watches Alias in HD when broadcast but has to watch it in 480i on DVD...

As far as I know, it's 1.33:1. I think that's how I saw it in an art house back in the 1970's. It wouldn't be chopped; it would be open matte, but given that animation costs a bundle, it would be pointless to draw at 1.33:1 while planning to crop to 1.85:1 in the theaters. There's just no...

When I saw Anything Else in the theater, there was a handmade sign placed on the door of the theater that stated that the sound would be mono. I thought it odd that they'd posted a sign for that on the door, but it was, indeed, mono. Charlie

Video Essentials. Charlie

I'm lost regarding this Apu thing. Did someone make three films about the guy who works at the Kwik-E-Mart? ;) Charlie

As far as I know, the last U.S. laserdisc releases were Martin Scorcese's [i] Bringing Out the Dead{/I] and [i] Sleepy Hollow{/I]. Charlie

If you've seen Brazil and Metropolis, you've seen Dark City. Actually, you've seen better than Dark City. It certainly looks nice, and the trailer is one of the best trailers ever made. Unfortunately, it's just not a very good movie, and the ending, with all of its revelations, is just downright...

Well, DVD did become obsolete as a format in 1998 when HDTV was introduced. Since then, any home video format that doesn't do HD isn't good enough. I could be wrong. Maybe there are people who actually like watching Alias in 480i. Charlie

If the movie would start when I pressed "play", I'd consider that a Very Special Feature. If I want a menu, I'll go to a restaurant. Charlie

I'd much rather buy a movie with no extras than one that's loaded. You watch the extras once, if that, and then they just get in the way. All subsequent viewings of the movie require navigating around the extras. If extras must be included, I'd like for the studios to set up the...

$123 is a fraction of what the LD used to bring at auction. In the last two years, demand for all laserdiscs, including rare ones, has dropped considerably. I've seen this title sell for more than $300 in the past. You can wait for years to get it for $15 on DVD, or you can buy the laserdisc...

I've got all 158 episodes on VHS, and I was still willing to pay the $799 that DVDonDVD.com was suggesting would be the price for the full set. It appears that that price point has vanished, and we're all grateful for that. If the price is $60 or so per season, that's a lot better, and fine...

I'd try buffing it out with a plastic polish called Novus #2. It's a liquid that you can rub on with a soft cloth. I've removed minor scuffs and abrasions from laserdiscs with it, and I've even cleaned up the occasional spot that won't play. I buy mine at the local pinball distributor...

It's a great movie, and a much better film than anything in the "Matrix" series. And now that the Wachowskis are directors of Box Office Blockbusters, I don't see them returning to thoughtful, character-driven films again. Open and enjoy. My laserdisc looks fine when scaled to 92" wide; I...

They can package them in envelopes, for all I care. In fact, if they did put them in envelopes, they'd be easier to remove from the packaging! All DVD packaging blows big time. Charlie

I would much prefer that movies with extras come as two disc sets, with the extras entirely on the second disc. That saves me from having to deal with menus and having to "choose" to watch the movie I paid to see. You watch the extras once, but the menus and navigation hassles are with you...

I wouldn't buy it to use exclusively for non-HD use. They haven't yet proven to be all that reliable mechanically, and you can get some terrific and mechanically sound JVC S-VHS decks for quite a bit less. Just my 2¢. Charlie

I'm OK with that, or putting the extras on a second disc, as you can go right to the movie without having to deal with extras you may or may not want to watch. DVD has become so extra-oriented now that they're actually getting in the way of the movie. Want to see the movie? You have to choose...