ANNOUNCEMENT: The Future of Ron's Reviews. Please Read! (1 Viewer)

[Bob Saylor]

Keep up the good work, Ron. I enjoy reading your reviews. If cutting the bandwidth helps, go for it!

 

[John Berggren]

Much as the pictures are nice, I'm mostly concerned with the text in your reviews. I'll be happy so long as I can continue reading them.

 

[Jason Poirrier]

Ron

Here's another option for you: why not just provide links to your screenshots in your review rather than embedding them within the page. I'm sure there are many of us that seldom look at the screenshots (myself included) and are really just concerned with the meat of your excellent reviews. This should save you a substantial amount of bandwidth and still allow those who want the screenshots to view them. In fact, I suspect replacing the inline images with links will save so much bandwidth that you'd easily be able to keep the high resolution shots - just change all the images in the old reviews to links.

Another thought: if you did this, why not make the image links accessible only to registered forum members (if this is possible) - this way you can covert all those people linking from sites outside of HTF into registered members!


Although I seldom post, HTF has been a daily stop for me for many years - and your reviews are one of the biggest reasons. I hope you don't mind the suggestions, I'm just trying to help where I can. Whatever you choose to do, I'm sure it'll be fantastic. Thanks so much, and keep up the great work!


Oh, also, Image Robot found at jasc.com is an excellent bulk image resizer.

 

[Paul Bond]

Thank you, Ron.

Screen shots are/have been nice, but the meat of your review is how good the DVD presentation is, what extras are included, how easy it is to get around the menu, etc.

Keep up the good work. We can never compliment you enough on the finished product, let alone the time and effort you put into it.

Paul

 

[Steve K.H.]

Another thought: if you did this, why not make the image links accessible only to registered forum members (if this is possible) - this way you can covert all those people linking from sites outside of HTF into registered members!

Now if that ain't a great idea...

 

[JeffMuller]

Another vote for Jason's intriguing idea!

 

[Jeffrey Wiffen]

" I might even suggest that you don't do the screen captures. They have served to show how good the DVDs look, but if you're going to reduce the resolution, maybe there's not as much of a benefit to even having them. You may only want to present screens of menus for demonstration purposes. In that case, you could use an even lower resolution, since the purpose will only be to show what they look like, and not the quality of the video. "

I agree with JeffMuller here. Lose the screenshots altogether. It's a waste if you have to reduce the resolution.

All the same...you're doing a fine job Ron! Keep up the good work!

 

[Josh Dial]

I would read Ron's reviews even if they were written in crayon on toilet paper, and featured hand-drawn illustrations
Keep up the good work Ron!
cheers!
Josh

 

[SteveGon]

The screenshots are nice, and I appreciate the effort you put into presenting them, but as far as I'm concerned, they're not necessary. Your words are what count!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I think the screenshots are important at any
resolution.

Not only do ther dress up the presentation of
the review, but they sort of give an idea of what
the film is about for anyone that has never seen it.

Ever heard the expression "a picture is worth a
thousand words"?

 

[oscar_merkx]

Yes another vote for Jason's brilliant idea for converting new members
keep up the great work Ron

 

[Ted Lee]

i'm also in the "lose the screenshots" camp.

you always describe the quality of the picture in the text anyway.

also, as another suggestion, how about only putting up one or two shots (at hi or lo res)? that way you can still utilize the pictures to prove your point when necessary?

anyway, kickin' reviews ron. keep em coming!

 

[Michael Allred]

I *like* the screenshots in Ron's reviews. It really sets his stuff apart from most other web sites.

I've never had a problem reading his reviews before *until* the "Back to the Future" one. Sure, I just read DVDfile's review BUT their 2-3 pictures don't tell me anything and they don't show packaging/menus, etc.

I just wish Ron had broken up his "Back to the Future" review into 3 parts (one for each movie) so I could've read them (and so others wouldn't have to wait 30+ minutes for it to load.)

Ron, please keep the screenshots, even if you have to include fewer ones.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

wow. i said the links thing 6 posts earlier and someone else gets the credit.
anyhow, while screenshots aren't important to me, pictures of the packaging ARE. please continue with packaging pics if possible. also, could i also suggest listing MSRP with the other details?

 

[GlennH]

wow. i said the links thing 6 posts earlier and someone else gets the credit.

Don't get too excited Patrick. I mentioned linking to screencaps way back in post #26 of this thread on page 1, but mine suggested linking to "donor" websites who would host the pictures instead of HTF.

But Jason may be right -- lots of bandwidth may be saved just by not putting the pictures right in the thread. I do like the idea of restricting access to registered members, but that may have the unwanted effect of generating a lot of "junk" registrations by folks who just want to see the pictures. Or maybe that isn't a problem.

In any case, despite what others have said here about the pictures not being too important. I really think the screencaps are very important and differentiate Ron's reviews from so many others out there. As Ron said, a picture is worth a thousand words. In some cases, like his review of THIEF OF BAGDAD those gorgeous and colorful screencaps piqued my interest in that title way more than all the words could ever do. I'd hate to lose that feature.

 

[Chris S]

enlist some HTF members or sponsors who have webspace to take turns being "host" to your hi-rez screencaps

I really like this idea. Ron could still post his lower rez screens in the review and then those could link to a high-rez image hosted by some of the members. I know that through my broadband provider I get some sort of free web hosting (I think roughly 40Mb) that I would be more than happy to donate.

If not then that is fine with me as long as the words are there for me to read I am a happy camper. The screenshots are just a little more icing on the cake.

Chris S.

 

[Adam_S]

The screencaps are my favorite feature of Ron's reviews, and the reason I am always anxious to read his reviews, the only site that comes close screencap wise is IGNDVD, but they don't have enough for me.

I can sympathize though, I"m on a dialup now that I'm home for the holidays, and wasn't able to load the images in bttf, but looked forward to doing so next week.

To me Ron's screencaps are more important than any review using new or varied adjectives to describe the latest reference dvd from new line or fox. The picture quality is damn good, I get it, but I'm often so anxious for the title that I'd much rather see what it looks like than hear about five times over from DVDfile, the Digital bits (if they post a review of the title before it releases, fat chance), IGNDVD and ocasionally chud, all of these websites will be raving about the image quality and dvdfile will post absolutely crappy nonimages that have been chopped and cropped and blown up and there's only three of them. Since Ron has been reviewing almost all the titles I'm interested in, I've stopped reading almost all of DVDfiles reviews, I read the movie coverage, and then skip to the bottom to see the final dvd score, I don't care about the rest of the review, I can fill in what they'll say almost all the time. likewise for Digital bits, which doesn't even post screencaps and makes reading their reviews practically worthless to me. CHUD simply posts godawful hugely compressed caps with pert and often unfanny cpations. IGNDVD generally supplies an individual spin, and writes (as Ron does) reviews worth reading, and thank god at least one site reviews the movie with scores and screenshots.

Ron's are my favorite to read, not only are the reviews always entertaining and personable, but they have drool worthy screenshots that are unparallelled and get me hyped for a dvd more than any other review on the internet, or any amount of Ron's eloquence ever could. Like someone else mentioned, I really want THeif of Baghdad since I've seen how glorious it looks, and I've been acheing to have She wore a yellow ribbon since seeing Ron's review. The screencaps on SWAYR were so amazing that I was badgering all sorts of online friends to get a gander at this amazing dvd! The screencaps make Ron's reviews the best to read on the internet in my opinion, and with some reviews I'm more likely to view the screencaps than actually read everything, and if the screencaps catch my interest I'll read the rest of the review.

If Ron can reduce the dpi to 72 and simply redo all the caps without compression things should be okay, I certainly hope that this will be the case.

Adam

 

[Malcolm R]

Don't sell yourself short, Ron. I think your reviews are as good, and often superior, to those at other sites. I think the amount of time you dedicate to them allows for much more detail and accuracy. Lots of mistakes pop up in other sites' reviews, I seldom find any in yours.
While downloading isn't a problem for me (cable at home; T1 at the office), I very seldom look at the screen captures unless you are pointing out some specific deficiency in the transfer. I definitely wouldn't mind if you were to cut them back or lose them altogether, except to point out specific problems or features.
As long as I can still READ your reviews the screenshots are just garnish; pretty to look at but providing little additional value to me personally.

 

[Steve Christou]

Ron, great idea by some members, have a link on the review to a page of screenshots, as many as you like, for those like me who love 'em, and select some good ones for the review itself. What do you think?

 

[Brian McHale]

Even though I like the screen shots, I wouldn't really miss them. Actually, since I do most of my browsing at work, I would appreciate not having them, as it is really hard to pretend you're doing work when there's two big screen caps of Goofy on my display.
Ron, do whatever you have to do, just keep the reviews coming.