David Galindo
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2003
- Messages
- 1,264
[c]The DC Video (UMD)
Region 1 • NR • Dolby Digital • Available Soon
[/c]
Silver Platter is the first indie UMD company to start making specialized UMDs for the PSP...and they have quite an excellent start so far.
Thoughts on the Movie
The DC Video is a skateboarding film showcasing a bunch of people I’ve never heard of doing some fantastic skateboarding around cities and parking lots.
That’s the summary. Take it or leave it folks...but as a person who has never skateboarded in his life, I can honestly say there’s much to be enjoyed here.
In between all the skate action (of which there are some amazing tricks and nasty spills) there’s a small segment on Dyrdek Security which features Christopher "Big Black" Boykin who basically gets paid for being an intimidating black man (and rightly so) who helps skaters with the police, as well as a quick segment on the pain and obstacles of skateboard as a pro sport. One Canadian gets injured so bad that his work license visa is taken away, and he’s forced to stay in Canada for a couple of months with virtually no other income available for him. Not only that, but it’s his fifth shoulder surgery he’s had in a YEAR thanks to his skateboard.
What drives a person to hop back onto the skateboard after so much pain and injury? It’s not him I wonder about, but the rest of the people I saw in the film...after all the bad spills, what gets them back onto the board? The glory of it all? Certainly if I took a face spill on cement ground I’d think twice about trying the same trick again...but these people don’t give it a moment’s hesitation.
[c]
[/c]
While writing this review I’m realizing...who wants to listen to a guy who knows virtually nothing about skateboarding hypothesizing and asking questions that don’t get answered? So I asked in the IGN boards what drives a person to skateboard, and got some interesting responses. Here are a few:
“What motivated and still motivates me to some extent to skateboard is the risk that is involved when skateboarding. Also there are unlimited possibilities on things you can accomplish with a skateboard.
Basic grinds and jumps aren't that hard but as things get more advanced, you're most likely to encounter more injuries and such. It takes a good amount of practice to hone your skills.
The skateboard community in my area is pretty large. I have a group of friends that hang out and skate all day, everywhere for fun. I only join them on the weekends but they do it everyday after school. We infact made a skateboard movie that was pretty darn good. We sold about 50 copies to the local skateshop and made a little profit.” – Handicapable
“The main motivation when I skated was just because it was fun, It's all I did for about 5 or 6 years. I couldn't think to do anything else, I would go out, skate, try some new tricks, most likely get hurt, then go in and watch skate videos.
When I first started, learning tricks took forever, but once you get used to it, it was simple. Most tricks are just variants of others, so learning one pretty much sets you up to learn others. As for grinds, alls that takes is some balls, once you get over the fear of getting hurt, you just jump up onto a ledge or rail and try to keep your balance, it's fairly simple.” – Phil Murphy
Ok, but what kind of skill does it take to become a skateboarder? My hypothesis: it would be hard at first, but be fairly easy to get the hang of.
Talk about being flat out wrong.
“I don't skateboard, but I know that when my brother was starting to do it, he couldn't solidly do a kickflip for about a month, all of his firends took about the same amount of time, also. Only took like a week to do an ollie (most basic jump), and after that they started doing very basic grinds, pretty soon. No rails though, apparently rails are pretty hard to do much of anything on.” –Nate Perkins
“It's a lot harder to do the basic jumps and grinds than one might think. It takes lots and lots of practice (not to mention pain) just to learn how to ollie let alone kickflip, heelflip, 360 flip etc... In the end however, all the hard work and dedication that goes into skating is well worth it, as once you start to get the hang of it, skating can become one of the best and most liberating feelings you can experience.
To be honest, I would suggest borrowing a board from someone and just crusing down the street for a day or two with them so they can teach you a bit about the basics (i.e. how to push and the best ways to fall and not hurt yourself, because you will fall) After a day or two of just cruising around, you'll start to understand the feeling, and you'll gain a much larger appreciation for what the DC guys are doing in the video.” –antihero510
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to try out skateboarding for myself, but I’m just content in knowing that what these guys do in the video requires immense precision and technique. The life of a skateboarder must be thirty percent pain, and seventy percent bliss.
[c]
[/c]
“The skateboard community where I live is huge. Always making videos, skating every day, and even a few have been sponsored. Nick Trapasso (sponsored by Cowtown, Vans, and Bootleg before Bootleg went out of business) is amazing, I've known him for probably a year. Kids like that are what keep me skating and motivated, and it's just the most fun thing I've ever experienced.” – ScreechSkater
Video Quality
The movie is in a 4:3 ratio, which means you can zoom in or fill the PSP screen if you so desire. Considering the source material, the DC Video can look amazing at times on the PSP. There’s some washed out sunsets hitting the streets and suburbs that looked sharp and gorgeous. The black levels are spot on perfect. This movie looks better then it should, and that’s just amazing.
4.5/5
Audio Quality
Well, it seems Silver Platter did their homework before putting out these UMDs, because the volume is very, VERY loud. So loud that you will absolutely not need headphones unless you need to. This is probably the loudest I’ve heard the PSP sound, and that’s really saying something. Good thing too, since there aren’t any subtitles.
4.5/5
Extras
There are two versions of the DC video: the regular bare-bones version and the deluxe DVD. In a pretty stunning move, Silver Platter chose the deluxe DVD to bring over to the UMD, and we get nearly an hour of bonus features.
First off, the menus are good, but lack organization. The chapters, bonuses and trailers are all located on the same scroll page, so it can be a bit confusing at first. Once you understand that the words in a [square] bracket are chapters, you can easily maneuver through the UMD.
Because this is a UMD video presented by DC shoes, we get a lot of commercials from them. Thankfully they’re pretty entertaining, starting with the Hoops Commercial (1:01) that is pretty amazing. I have no doubt you’ll be showing that commercial to friends when you see it. Next are some quick quips from Smith & Calloway (1:16) as well as some Aerotech Commercials (:38) and Outtake Commercial (:59). You also get some trailers, including the Silver Platter Lineup (7:39) and Image Entertainment Trailers (5:59).
Enough of the promo features, how about the real bonus stuff? Exclusive to the UMD...yes, that’s right. Exclusive. To. The. UMD. I never thought that day would come...but anyways, the Great Wall Jump (4:00) shows Danny Way making the jump over the Great Wall of China on a sprained ankle. Unbelievable.
The stuff from the DC DVD Deluxe includes some more Dydrek Security Footage (:31, 4:52 and 1:46) which is pretty funny, as well as some Outtakes (5:13) and some pretty interesting looks at the mega ramp used in the video, which is separated into Behind the Mega Ramp (5:13) and Mega Ramp: Part 2 (5:03). Also included are some more Interviews (5:29) and a Ryan Smith Animation (1:10) that’s pretty bland. Finally you get even more skating with a Bonus Skate Montage (6:22).
Whew, that’s a ton of stuff...and yet there are a few things I left out simply because I don’t have the space to list anything else. Trust me when I say this UMD is quite amazing, with an excellent video & audio presentation with a fantastic lineup of bonus features to boot. Silver Platter has really set the standards with their first attempt at UMDs, and that’s just incredible.
Oh, and these UMDs are region 0...meaning any PSP can play them, whether it be a Japanese PSP or American PSP. Woo!
5/5
Overall…
For all you skateboarding fans out there, BUY THIS UMD! Those even mildly interested will find that this UMD has plenty of entertainment to keep you plenty busy. Highly recommended.
4.5/5
IGN CONVERSION:
Movie: 9
Video: 9
Audio: 9.5
Extras: 9.5
Overall: 9.5
Editor’s Choice? Yes.
Region 1 • NR • Dolby Digital • Available Soon
[/c]Silver Platter is the first indie UMD company to start making specialized UMDs for the PSP...and they have quite an excellent start so far.
Thoughts on the Movie
The DC Video is a skateboarding film showcasing a bunch of people I’ve never heard of doing some fantastic skateboarding around cities and parking lots.
That’s the summary. Take it or leave it folks...but as a person who has never skateboarded in his life, I can honestly say there’s much to be enjoyed here.
In between all the skate action (of which there are some amazing tricks and nasty spills) there’s a small segment on Dyrdek Security which features Christopher "Big Black" Boykin who basically gets paid for being an intimidating black man (and rightly so) who helps skaters with the police, as well as a quick segment on the pain and obstacles of skateboard as a pro sport. One Canadian gets injured so bad that his work license visa is taken away, and he’s forced to stay in Canada for a couple of months with virtually no other income available for him. Not only that, but it’s his fifth shoulder surgery he’s had in a YEAR thanks to his skateboard.
What drives a person to hop back onto the skateboard after so much pain and injury? It’s not him I wonder about, but the rest of the people I saw in the film...after all the bad spills, what gets them back onto the board? The glory of it all? Certainly if I took a face spill on cement ground I’d think twice about trying the same trick again...but these people don’t give it a moment’s hesitation.
[c]
[/c]
While writing this review I’m realizing...who wants to listen to a guy who knows virtually nothing about skateboarding hypothesizing and asking questions that don’t get answered? So I asked in the IGN boards what drives a person to skateboard, and got some interesting responses. Here are a few:
“What motivated and still motivates me to some extent to skateboard is the risk that is involved when skateboarding. Also there are unlimited possibilities on things you can accomplish with a skateboard.
Basic grinds and jumps aren't that hard but as things get more advanced, you're most likely to encounter more injuries and such. It takes a good amount of practice to hone your skills.
The skateboard community in my area is pretty large. I have a group of friends that hang out and skate all day, everywhere for fun. I only join them on the weekends but they do it everyday after school. We infact made a skateboard movie that was pretty darn good. We sold about 50 copies to the local skateshop and made a little profit.” – Handicapable
“The main motivation when I skated was just because it was fun, It's all I did for about 5 or 6 years. I couldn't think to do anything else, I would go out, skate, try some new tricks, most likely get hurt, then go in and watch skate videos.
When I first started, learning tricks took forever, but once you get used to it, it was simple. Most tricks are just variants of others, so learning one pretty much sets you up to learn others. As for grinds, alls that takes is some balls, once you get over the fear of getting hurt, you just jump up onto a ledge or rail and try to keep your balance, it's fairly simple.” – Phil Murphy
Ok, but what kind of skill does it take to become a skateboarder? My hypothesis: it would be hard at first, but be fairly easy to get the hang of.
Talk about being flat out wrong.
“I don't skateboard, but I know that when my brother was starting to do it, he couldn't solidly do a kickflip for about a month, all of his firends took about the same amount of time, also. Only took like a week to do an ollie (most basic jump), and after that they started doing very basic grinds, pretty soon. No rails though, apparently rails are pretty hard to do much of anything on.” –Nate Perkins
“It's a lot harder to do the basic jumps and grinds than one might think. It takes lots and lots of practice (not to mention pain) just to learn how to ollie let alone kickflip, heelflip, 360 flip etc... In the end however, all the hard work and dedication that goes into skating is well worth it, as once you start to get the hang of it, skating can become one of the best and most liberating feelings you can experience.
To be honest, I would suggest borrowing a board from someone and just crusing down the street for a day or two with them so they can teach you a bit about the basics (i.e. how to push and the best ways to fall and not hurt yourself, because you will fall) After a day or two of just cruising around, you'll start to understand the feeling, and you'll gain a much larger appreciation for what the DC guys are doing in the video.” –antihero510
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to try out skateboarding for myself, but I’m just content in knowing that what these guys do in the video requires immense precision and technique. The life of a skateboarder must be thirty percent pain, and seventy percent bliss.
[c]
[/c]
“The skateboard community where I live is huge. Always making videos, skating every day, and even a few have been sponsored. Nick Trapasso (sponsored by Cowtown, Vans, and Bootleg before Bootleg went out of business) is amazing, I've known him for probably a year. Kids like that are what keep me skating and motivated, and it's just the most fun thing I've ever experienced.” – ScreechSkater
Video Quality
The movie is in a 4:3 ratio, which means you can zoom in or fill the PSP screen if you so desire. Considering the source material, the DC Video can look amazing at times on the PSP. There’s some washed out sunsets hitting the streets and suburbs that looked sharp and gorgeous. The black levels are spot on perfect. This movie looks better then it should, and that’s just amazing.
4.5/5
Audio Quality
Well, it seems Silver Platter did their homework before putting out these UMDs, because the volume is very, VERY loud. So loud that you will absolutely not need headphones unless you need to. This is probably the loudest I’ve heard the PSP sound, and that’s really saying something. Good thing too, since there aren’t any subtitles.
4.5/5
Extras
There are two versions of the DC video: the regular bare-bones version and the deluxe DVD. In a pretty stunning move, Silver Platter chose the deluxe DVD to bring over to the UMD, and we get nearly an hour of bonus features.
First off, the menus are good, but lack organization. The chapters, bonuses and trailers are all located on the same scroll page, so it can be a bit confusing at first. Once you understand that the words in a [square] bracket are chapters, you can easily maneuver through the UMD.
Because this is a UMD video presented by DC shoes, we get a lot of commercials from them. Thankfully they’re pretty entertaining, starting with the Hoops Commercial (1:01) that is pretty amazing. I have no doubt you’ll be showing that commercial to friends when you see it. Next are some quick quips from Smith & Calloway (1:16) as well as some Aerotech Commercials (:38) and Outtake Commercial (:59). You also get some trailers, including the Silver Platter Lineup (7:39) and Image Entertainment Trailers (5:59).
Enough of the promo features, how about the real bonus stuff? Exclusive to the UMD...yes, that’s right. Exclusive. To. The. UMD. I never thought that day would come...but anyways, the Great Wall Jump (4:00) shows Danny Way making the jump over the Great Wall of China on a sprained ankle. Unbelievable.
The stuff from the DC DVD Deluxe includes some more Dydrek Security Footage (:31, 4:52 and 1:46) which is pretty funny, as well as some Outtakes (5:13) and some pretty interesting looks at the mega ramp used in the video, which is separated into Behind the Mega Ramp (5:13) and Mega Ramp: Part 2 (5:03). Also included are some more Interviews (5:29) and a Ryan Smith Animation (1:10) that’s pretty bland. Finally you get even more skating with a Bonus Skate Montage (6:22).
Whew, that’s a ton of stuff...and yet there are a few things I left out simply because I don’t have the space to list anything else. Trust me when I say this UMD is quite amazing, with an excellent video & audio presentation with a fantastic lineup of bonus features to boot. Silver Platter has really set the standards with their first attempt at UMDs, and that’s just incredible.
Oh, and these UMDs are region 0...meaning any PSP can play them, whether it be a Japanese PSP or American PSP. Woo!
5/5
Overall…
For all you skateboarding fans out there, BUY THIS UMD! Those even mildly interested will find that this UMD has plenty of entertainment to keep you plenty busy. Highly recommended.
4.5/5
IGN CONVERSION:
Movie: 9
Video: 9
Audio: 9.5
Extras: 9.5
Overall: 9.5
Editor’s Choice? Yes.
