Crawdaddy's "Random Thoughts" about Home Video, Film & TV (4 Viewers)

[DavidJ]

I forgot "Elementary" the TV series started back up this month and forgot to program my new 4K/UHD DirecTV receiver to record it Anyhow, I just got done with the two "Kitty" episodes from On Demand. I'll try to watch the other two March episodes this week.

However, I just got 12 new discs from Target and Amazon with eight of them being 4K/UHD releases. One of them is Planet Earth II so I'll be watching some of that today. Needless to say, I'll be quite busy this week.

Elementary has been quite good this season, but it's easy to forget about. It's on for a couple of weeks and then it's not. Then it's back. It's hard to keep up. Which is a shame because this may be it's best season.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I watched the first episode of Planet Earth II. Wow, the video and audio presentations are spectacular! More to follow in the coming days. I'm going to try to watch one episode a day. Good luck with that.

 

[Robert Crawford]

For those of us that own the OLED65E6P which video settings do use? Value Electronics calibrated the following settings for me:

HDR Effect Medium
ISF Expert (Bright Room)
ISF Expert (Dark Room)

Up until today, I used the HDR Effect Medium to view any 4K/UHD presentations, whether on 4K/UHD discs or 4K/UHD showings on DriecTV. For Blu-rays and DirecTV 720p or 1080i/p viewings, I've used ISF Expert (Bright Room) for daylight viewings and for night time viewings, I'd used ISF Expert (Dark Room) setting. I have a great deal of ambient light in my HT room during daylight hours.

So today, I was watching some "Sherlock" TV episodes during the daytime that I recorded beforehand and decided for kicks to watch them with the HDR Effect Medium setting. After some comparisons between that setting and ISF Expert (Bright Room) setting, I preferred to watch those recorded episodes with the HDR Effect Medium even though it was only displayiing 1080i instead of the normal 2160p you get with 4K/UHD programming. The HDR effect made it a more pleasurable picture to my eyes.

Have any other 65E6P or other 4K/UHD model owners experimented with the same settings?

 

[Matt Hough]

Elementary has been quite good this season, but it's easy to forget about. It's on for a couple of weeks and then it's not. Then it's back. It's hard to keep up. Which is a shame because this may be it's best season.

And in the East, it's been at the mercy of lengthy football, basketball (the last two weeks), or golf overruns which sometimes push it practically out of primetime. I know CBS is seriously considering canceling it, but I'll be interested to see what show it thinks is going to draw any better on Sunday night with that kind of treatment.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Samsung is releasing a new 4K/UHD player next month, the UBD-M9500, here is the link.

That Samsung allows watching live tv and streaming a blu ray to a portable device. I'm trying to imagine when I'd want to do that.

And in the East, it's been at the mercy of lengthy football, basketball (the last two weeks), or golf overruns which sometimes push it practically out of primetime. I know CBS is seriously considering canceling it, but I'll be interested to see what show it thinks is going to draw any better on Sunday night with that kind of treatment.

I have elementary padded with 3 extra hours. I always get my show, if it's on. I sometimes get repeats of Elementary too.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

I have Elementary set up for a two hour window on my DVR ever since the move to Sunday nights. This has been "good enough" for all but two eps this season. I ended up purchasing those two off VUDU in order to view the endings.

If the series is renewed for another season I sure wish they would consider moving it back to Thursday night!

 

[WilliamHg]

By the way, Robert, thanks for putting down the banjo long enough to let us know about Noir Alley that sounds great!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Hee Haw...those were the days of good clean family entertainment...long gone...hard to find anything like that now. Today children have to be supervised...there's nothing family about it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

A couple to TV programs I'll be checking out. First one is "The Son" on AMC starting on April 8th:

http://www.amc.com/shows/the-son?gclid=CLqiwuP6_tICFQ62wAodJMkKFA

The second one is "The Great War" on PBS starting on April 10th:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/great-war/

 

[Walter Kittel]

I've been seeing Hank Azaria promote Brockmire which is starting up on IFC. The baseball announcer angle kind of intrigues me.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I've been seeing Hank Azaria promote Brockmire which is starting up on IFC. The baseball announcer angle kind of intrigues me.

- Walter.

Yeah, I saw that too, but I've been trying to cut down on my TV programming viewings and concentrate more on watching films on disc.

 

[WilliamHg]

Robert I dropped Comcast a few days ago and bought an HD Antenna....got tired of paying for channels I don't watch....I'm happy.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Robert I dropped Comcast a few days ago and bought an HD Antenna....got tired of paying for channels I don't watch....I'm happy.

I watch a lot of sports so that option isn't one for me right now. However, I've grown tired of TV series programming, especially, network TV series.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I watch a lot of sports so that option isn't one for me right now. However, I've grown tired of TV series programming, especially, network TV series.

That's pretty much my situation -- although my wife watches a few network shows (and she's addicted to HGTV). If I could get all the professional golf, NFL and NCAA football, and NHL hockey without cable, I would be happy.

 

[Robert Crawford]

That's pretty much my situation -- although my wife watches a few network shows (and she's addicted to HGTV). If I could get all the professional golf, NFL and NCAA football, and NHL hockey without cable, I would be happy.

I'm in deeper because I love college football, college basketball & pro basketball.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I'm in deeper because I love college football, college basketball & pro basketball.

College football alone makes it tough without cable or DirecTV. Most weekends I am tuning into one or more ESPNs, plus the Big Ten Network. For NHL hockey, the NHL.tv streaming service I pay for blacks out any games which are broadcast locally, so I cannot access any games shown on NBC Sports or the NHL Network without cable -- plus all the playoff games are on either NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC or MSNBC. So that's pretty similar to your situation with the NBA.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Today, I watched the HD showing of "Humoresque" on TCM. A 1946 Melodrama starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield. This film probably has my favorite Joan Crawford performance in it. John Garfield, an all-time favorite actor of mine, plays a young violinist from a poor background that meets a rich and married patron played by Joan Crawford. Of course, they fall in love, but with some consequences. Clifford Odets co-wrote the screen play and the film was directed by Jean Negulesco. A fine film that has been a favorite of mine for its sharp dialogue and great acting by the two stars and support cast members, especially, Oscar Levant as a fellow musician and Garfield's best friend in the film. The great Isaac Stern was involved in the film and his hands are shown in closeups as stand-in for Garfield's hands. Stern also played on the soundtrack along with Levant.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I really like Joan Crawford's performance in HUMORESQUE. When she has solid material to work with, she's a good actress. And she has it here.

"Bad manners, Mr. Boray. The infallible sign of talent!"

 

[Jeff Flugel]

I watched the first episode of Planet Earth II. Wow, the video and audio presentations are spectacular! More to follow in the coming days. I'm going to try to watch one episode a day. Good luck with that.

I love these BBC nature programs, they are the best of that particular genre IMO, and David Attenborough (excuse me, Sir David Attenborough!) with his warm, soothing voice, seals the deal. I've got most of their releases on blu-ray, but haven't yet picked up PLANET EARTH II. Don't have a 4K/UHD system, so the regular blu will have to suffice for me, but I'm sure it'll look very nice.

 

[Robin9]

Today, I watched the HD showing of "Humoresque" on TCM. A 1946 Melodrama starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield. This film probably has my favorite Joan Crawford performance in it. John Garfield, an all-time favorite actor of mine, plays a young violinist from a poor background that meets a rich and married patron played by Joan Crawford. Of course, they fall in love, but with some consequences. Clifford Odets co-wrote the screen play and the film was directed by Jean Negulesco. A fine film that has been a favorite of mine for its sharp dialogue and great acting by the two stars and support cast members, especially, Oscar Levant as a fellow musician and Garfield's best friend in the film. The great Isaac Stern was involved in the film and his hands are shown in closeups as stand-in for Garfield's hands. Stern also played on the soundtrack along with Levant.

I so much want this film on Blu-ray disc! I haven't watched the DVD for some time but going from memory, the elements seemed to need a lot of work. What was the picture quality of the TCM showing? Good enough to prompt Warner Archive to consider a Blu-ray release?

 

[Mike Frezon]

and David Attenborough (excuse me, Sir David Attenborough!) with his warm, soothing voice, seals the deal.

For my wife, Sir David's voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard! Personally, I just find it distinctive.