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Weekly RoundUp 11-17-2009 - Page 2

post #31 of 62
11/16/09 at 8:36am
 Regarding the Star Trek Blu+DVD combo question, any chance the "digital copy" comes in such a way that you could just pop it into a DVD player that handles multiple formats (WMV, AVI-divx, etc.) and use that as a temporary solution until a Blu-ray player is purchased?  (I'm in this situation myself and am loving the recent Disney combo releases with $10 coupons).
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post #32 of 62
11/16/09 at 10:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon View Post

Thanks for the remarks on the Smith films.  I was actually given a copy of Dogma recently.  Maybe THAT'S where I'll start after all. 

 


I think Dogma is probably the most accessible to a non-Kevin Smith fan (though I'll echo Man's 'warnings' about it). Clerks seems like a logical starting point but it might scare you off since it's a very inexpensively made movie ($27,000) by kids who didn't know what they were really doing.
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post #33 of 62
11/16/09 at 11:54am
Some nice unadvertised specials at Target this week. I stopped in to pick up "Dexter" S3, advertised at $18.99, and picked up "Castle" S1 for $14.99 and "The Closer" S4 for $12.99.
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post #34 of 62
11/16/09 at 12:56pm

BB was offering $10 off if you bought the new Trek and any of the old ones.  (Who knows -- maybe they still are!)

 

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post #35 of 62
11/16/09 at 1:30pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, that's right.

I don't really think I want any of the old ones though...
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post #36 of 62
11/16/09 at 4:10pm
I'll be picking up Star Trek blu ray at our brand new Best Buy b&m at the doorbuster price of $20.99 (using a $10 gift card I got from purchasing my first blu ray player there on Friday).   Got a $20 gift card Friday towards the blu ray player purchase (first 50 reward zone members with postal invite got one) & got another $20 gift card as one of the first 50 "regular" customers on their official Saturday opening too.  Didn't make out as well though as our Roundup author Mike with his $200 HTF contest prize.  Congrats Mike.
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post #37 of 62
11/16/09 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, Bill. 

It's burning a hole in my pocket.  My wife is insisting that I spend it on something HT related.  No wonder we've been married 27+ years! 
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post #38 of 62
11/16/09 at 9:37pm
has anyone mentioned the amazon links don't work.
or is that old news and I missed it.

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post #39 of 62
11/16/09 at 9:45pm
Thread Starter 
Nope.

[hobson]I will alert the authorities.[/hobson]

Thanks, Tony.
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post #40 of 62
11/17/09 at 7:50am
 FYI, and very much YMMV, my local Target (McKee Rd in Fitchburg, WI) had the BD Star Trek in model for 24.99.  That was at 8:45am.
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post #41 of 62
11/17/09 at 7:57am

The regular Star Trek Blu-ray was $19.99 at the Target in my area (suburban Philadelphia).

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post #42 of 62
11/17/09 at 10:17am
Just noticed that Amazon dropped the price of Fight Club down to $15.99. 
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post #43 of 62
11/17/09 at 10:19am


Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR View Post

The regular Star Trek Blu-ray was $19.99 at the Target in my area (suburban Philadelphia).


And the "Enterprise" version was $24.99. (Richmond, VA)
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post #44 of 62
11/17/09 at 11:30am
Thread Starter 


Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR View Post

The regular Star Trek Blu-ray was $19.99 at the Target in my area (suburban Philadelphia).


Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe we have a winner! 

I'm beginning to think the big box retailers are trying to find a way to strike back at amazon for undercutting them (or at least meeting their weekly sales prices) every time they turn around. 

Not a bad thing at all for us consumers. 

In the back of my mind I was kinda hoping something like this might happen (especially after seeing some other recent surprise in-store maneuvering--such as the Pixar Up/Monster's Inc. deals found in Target). 

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post #45 of 62
11/17/09 at 11:36am
I guess the $9.99 Star Trek 1-disc @ Amazon must have been fleeting.  It's gone now.  I thought about grabbing one to take to friends' houses, but may have to take my PS3 instead.
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post #46 of 62
11/17/09 at 12:00pm
Anyone know if Target's Gone With the Wind is a one or two discer?
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post #47 of 62
11/17/09 at 12:32pm
Ric:

It's a 1 discer, sorry to say!  Looks like the first disc of the big set as it only had the commentary listed on the back of the package.

I picked up the Blu-ray Enterprise ship exclusive at Target for the $24.99 price, even though the shelf tag said $29.99 (scanned it to be sure).  For those of you wondering, the discs are in the saucer section, but the digital copy is inside the box in a paper sleeve.

Also, Farscape is $69.99 at BB this week.  It includes the Peacekeeper Wars movie as an exclusive.  I have the Starburst sets, but have always had issues with the DVD-18's in the early seasons, so i will probably pick this up.

--John
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post #48 of 62
11/17/09 at 1:19pm
Thread Starter 
So while it has dropped the price of it's 3-disc BD of Star Trek (2009) to $19.99, Target is also selling a one-disc movie-only version of GWTW for $34.99? 

Seems a little crazy, don't it? 


Any word yet on if Wal-Mart's got anything to add in the GWTW sweepstakes?

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post #49 of 62
11/17/09 at 7:37pm
I just picked up the "Farscape" set at Best Buy. It rang up $99.99, but they were able to match the website price of $69.99. I already had a few of the Starburst releases, but I think it actually cost me less to buy the whole series than it would have to fill in what I was missing.
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post #50 of 62
11/17/09 at 7:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary_P View Post

I just picked up the "Farscape" set at Best Buy. It rang up $99.99, but they were able to match the website price of $69.99. I already had a few of the Starburst releases, but I think it actually cost me less to buy the whole series than it would have to fill in what I was missing.

Either way, that's one heck of a deal!  88 episodes, 26 discs, four seasons, tons of extras and a quality show to boot!

I started going through the set tonight, checking audio and video and the extras on the first two seasons.  I even grabbed Peacekeeper Wars for $10 on vacation last week.  So far, a very solid set. 
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post #51 of 62
11/17/09 at 9:56pm
In the category of "Caveat Emptor", note that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas was not shot in high definition (or on film).  The BD is simply an upconversion of standard definition video, and not a great one at that.  There is even a short "Producer's Blu-Ray Introduction" where David "Rickety Cricket" Hornsby and Rob McElhenney explain this. The price difference is only a few bucks, but it is money wasted nonetheless.  

And no, the lossless audio is not especially impressive either.

Regards,
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post #52 of 62
11/17/09 at 11:12pm


Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason_V View Post

Quote:


Either way, that's one heck of a deal!  88 episodes, 26 discs, four seasons, tons of extras and a quality show to boot!

I started going through the set tonight, checking audio and video and the extras on the first two seasons.  I even grabbed Peacekeeper Wars for $10 on vacation last week.  So far, a very solid set. 

Jason, most curious about the last season video quality. The Starburst editions' fourth season had terrible ringing around any high-contrast edges, really noticeable -- as if they'd only remastered the first 3 seasons but just used whatever was handy for the 4th season. I had a screenshot of it....but I can't find it. But essentially any scene in which Aeryn walked around the ship wearing her black tank top, the straps of her tank top would have nearly white highlights on the edges. Hopefully the new edition fixed that.
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post #53 of 62
11/18/09 at 6:49am

Quote:
Originally Posted by Will_B View Post


Jason, most curious about the last season video quality. The Starburst editions' fourth season had terrible ringing around any high-contrast edges, really noticeable -- as if they'd only remastered the first 3 seasons but just used whatever was handy for the 4th season. I had a screenshot of it....but I can't find it. But essentially any scene in which Aeryn walked around the ship wearing her black tank top, the straps of her tank top would have nearly white highlights on the edges. Hopefully the new edition fixed that.

I plan on getting to the third and fourth seasons tonight and I'll specifically look for the ringing.  I am noticing a step up in video quality from S1 to S2.  Season 1 is rather ugly with pixelation, blocking and general softness.  Season 2 looks a bit more polished with a more defined look.

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post #54 of 62
11/18/09 at 10:24am


Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryH View Post

I guess the $9.99 Star Trek 1-disc @ Amazon must have been fleeting.  It's gone now. 

I think they're only offering those prices for pre-orders.  Once the release day arrives, it's back to a  more traditional price.

It was the same for their hardcover books specials.  Stephen King's new book was only $9 if pre-ordered, but once the release day arrived it was back up to around $17.

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post #55 of 62
11/18/09 at 12:04pm
What's missing on the Target Blu-ray of GWTW?  I'm fine doing without When the Lion Roars since I have that twice already on various other discs, and I certainly don't need the Big Box O Junk, but I would hope all the other bonus material was there a la the Wizard of Oz Target exclusive.
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post #56 of 62
11/18/09 at 12:14pm
Thread Starter 
Mark:  The impression I'm getting from people (I haven't seen the release myself in Target) is that it's just one disc--the first disc from the bigger, wider release.  So, it's basically just the film with the only extra being the commentary.

...which is crazy for $35.  But I guess some people are reporting that it drops to $12.99 on Black Friday. 

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post #57 of 62
11/18/09 at 1:31pm
I was in Target today -- GWTW is indeed just the movie and commentary.  Also, the Trek edition in the fancy Enterprise case rang up at $25 even though the sign said $30.  I was tempted, but I just don't have any place to put it!

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post #58 of 62
11/18/09 at 6:24pm
I got the Enterprise set of Star Trek. I wasn't expecting the model to look anywhere near as nice as it does ! I was ready to see something more like the Target Transformers Optimus Prime set.

Also, anyone who bought the FarScape set that has a 4 disc version of the Starburst sets 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, or 2.2 and wants to let them go really cheaply, please let me know! 

Jimmy!

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post #59 of 62
11/18/09 at 6:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Will_B View Post

Jason, most curious about the last season video quality. The Starburst editions' fourth season had terrible ringing around any high-contrast edges, really noticeable -- as if they'd only remastered the first 3 seasons but just used whatever was handy for the 4th season. I had a screenshot of it....but I can't find it. But essentially any scene in which Aeryn walked around the ship wearing her black tank top, the straps of her tank top would have nearly white highlights on the edges. Hopefully the new edition fixed that.

Alright, here's the bad news.  While I don't have any of the previous versions to check against, my best guess is that nothing at all was done in the way of remastering or fixing the video.  Season 4 is on par with the first: haze, pixelation, halos, blocking...general crudiness.  The 16:9 format doesn't help in this regard, magnifying all the problems.  S3 looks to be the best season of the series from a video perspective.  Problematic, but best.  

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post #60 of 62
11/19/09 at 10:14am
Thread Starter 
Looks like Amazon may be thinking it's stumbled onto a good idea.

As I look ahead to next week's RoundUp, pre-order prices on the DVDs of Angels & Demons, Four Christmases and Santa Buddies are all coming in @ $9.99. 

They must have found a good response to that pricing technique.  In fact, those three titles are at the top in popularity for next week's releases. 

But, BEWARE, they are removing the $9.99 price on release day.  It seems like this new trend is pre-order only. 

Hope they transfer that strategy onto new release Blu-ray discs. 
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