Home Theater Forum Newsletter
With many of our members in the midst of a rather harsh winter everyone has been spending more quality time with their home theaters. Our forums are bursting with discussions regarding the latest Blu-ray and DVD releases, favorite television programming and even predictions of which Academy nominated films will win the prestigious awards.
For those of you watching the Academy Awards, we invite you to join us online as we watch, predict and discuss the show "as it happens." The chat begins on Sunday March 7th at 8pm EST/5pm PST. You can access the chat room here.
Speaking of awards, we are proud to announce the results of Home Theater Forum's BEST AND WORST OF 2009. This is the very best and worst of DVD, Blu-ray and the studios themselves as nominated and voted upon by YOU, the consumer. Click Here to see this year's results. 
We have some big news to announce to all of you. Warner Bros. will be returning to Home Theater Forum to participate in a live chat with our membership on the evening of Monday, April 5th. The chat will focus solely on Television and Animation. This will be your opportunity to ask studio reps about current and upcoming product releases. You can find all the details and procedures regarding the chat by clicking here.MARCH'S FEATURED CONTEST
Win one of ten copies of The African Queen from Paramount Home Entertainment. The African Queen is finally being released for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray on March 23rd. To celebrate Paramount is giving away 10 copies on Blu-ray or DVD to Home Theater Forum members. We will be running three week long contests, and entering is easy. Depending on the week share your favorite Paramount character, moment or quote in the designated contest thread on the forum. Winners will be drawn at random weekly. See the contest wiki for complete details.
URGENT NEWS FOR PS3 OWNERS
From IGN: "March 1, 2010 - It should have been a calm, simple Sunday night, but on Feb. 28, 2010, all hell broke loose. In the blink of an eye everyone went from happily gaming on their PlayStation 3s to being totally screwed by the biggest system blackout in the history of the videogame industry.
This is the curse of Error 8001050F.
Yes, an error in the internal settings of the PlayStation 3 is crippling certain consoles. The affected PS3s can't play games or connect to the PlayStation Network, and their system clocks have been automatically reset to 12/31/99.Worse yet, Trophies earned before syncing the system appear to be lost and in some cases "corrupted", which would make it seem like you'll never get them back again."
Read all about it.
SCARE KIT CONTEST
We would like to congratulate Sidney, the winner of our Paranormal Activity Scare Kit contest. Sidney receives a kit that includes Baby Powder Planchette, Ouija Board, Satin Sleep Mask and Barrel Sling Duffel bag.
We would like to thank Paramount Home Entertainment for providing us with the prize package.
BOX OFFICE WEEKEND
Picking up an additional $21M over the weekend, Shutter Island remains the #1 box-office draw and Scorsese's biggest film debut.
You can join discussion with our members over some of the current theatrical films that includeCop Out, The Ghost Writer, The Crazies and The Wolfman by clicking here.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT......
Robert A. Harris is a film historian and preservationist who specializes in restoring the large-format widescreen films of the 1950s. This week Robert has a few words about 2012 on Blu-ray. We could simply tell you that Robert feels "2012 is fun entertainment all packed into a beautifully crafted Blu-ray," but that's only a sampling of his opinion. You can read his complete thoughts as well as those of our membership by clicking here.
Robert also has a few words about....The New World, which he feels. "the representation of the film on Blu is very, very satisfying." You can read his complete thoughts here.
Finally, Robert has a Few Words About....Days of Heaven which he emphatically notes, "If one only purchases five Blu-ray discs in 2010, this should be one of them." You can find it all right here.
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
Todd Erwin takes a look at Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, RAN, recently released to Blu-ray by Studio Canal. Fans should be rather pleased with Todd's assessment that "The film has never looked or sounded better in a home environment, and the features are quite interesting." You can read his entire review by clicking here.
Those looking for lighter viewing may enjoy reading Kevin Koster's reviews of the latest Universal comedies, Couples Retreat and Love Happens.
Michael Osadciw takes a look at Warner's Blu-ray double feature release of Funny Farm and Spies Like Us.
Matt Hough is our resident reviewer of Criterion releases. This month Matt reviews three new Criterion Blu-ray releases,Revanche, Hunger and Lola Montès. If that weren't enough Matt offers sDVD reviews of Criterion's Howard's End, Make Way for Tomorrow and George Bernard Shaw on Film: Eclipse Series 20.
Timothy Ewanyshyn reviews the cult classic, The Ladykillers, new to Blu-ray. Though Tim has issues with the restoration he does feel that the "wealth of special features alone may make this one worth the upgrade." You can read Tim's review by clicking here.
As usual, we have a wealth of television on DVD reviews available for you to browse through. This month's reviews include Mary Tyler Moore: The Complete Sixth Season, Barnaby Jones The First Season, Jag : The Final Season andDynasty: The Fourth Season, Volume Two and Army Wives: The Complete Third Season
Be sure to check out our official review archive filled with thousands of Blu-ray and DVD titles.
SUPPORT HTF WHEN YOU SHOP
When you click on a link on HTF to Amazon, Newegg, or to a variety of other retailers and make a purchase, you're supporting HTF. We now have a dedicated display of all our affiliate stores.
There are over 70 on-line retailers including some for our members overseas. Check it out next time you are planning on making a purchase -- It's an easy way to help us keep HTF going and growing.
TV SHOWS ON DVD
Home Theater Forum is the official chat forum for our friends (Gord and Dave) over at TVSHOWSONDVD.COM. We are honored to have their readers participating in discussions within our forum. Here are some of the latest TVSHOWSONDVD discussions in progress:
DISCUSS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOWS!
The winter television season is fully underway and members are congregating in our TV Shows and TV Movies area to talk about their favorite programs. Whatever show you find yourself addicted to, there is a group of fellow enthusiasts talking about what just happened on this week's episode.
HTF Moderator Robert Fowkes has announced that the American Idol #9 HTF Top Ten Challenge has begun! This is your opportunity to take part in picking your top 10 favorites and competing against other member picks. The winner will receive a DVD/Blu-ray prize package. The official contest thread with rules and particulars can be found here. HARDWARE REVIEWS AND DISCUSSION
Here are the latest discussions happening in our various Hardware forums. If you think you can add to the dialogue by offering advice we always welcome such participation.
- Recommend a good region free Blu-ray player?
- Is Plasma break-in a myth?
- Replacing home windows with projectors/screens
- Receiver dilemna
- HTPC out of the box
- Can't whip up enthusiasm for Blu-ray
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