A Few Words About While we wait for A few words about...™ Lawrence of Arabia -- in 4k/UHD Blu-ray (4 Viewers)

[Dennis Nicholls]

And I always imagined someone else altogether in the role of the enigmatic TE Lawrence:

Actually Duke the cat is named for John Wayne: a tough angular old ginger tom......

Some of the dialog would have to be re-written though....

Jackson Bently: What attracts you pussycat to the desert?

"Duke" as LOA: It's clean....at least until I get finished with the sand.

 

[Robert Harris]

DP Shane Hurlbut has a great site. Here's his comparison between two data cameras...

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2013/10/arri-alexa-vs-canon-c500/

 

[Robert Harris]

http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/2013/10/en131031-8/en131031-8.pdf

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Interesting - are they the last doing Plasma?Personally I've always found something about Plasma that I didn't like. I'm going to keep my DLP set going as long as I can as for me it's the best option for my taste. The only way we'll get back to the quality of the CRT sets though is if they can ever get FED working, or maybe OLED at good size and price.

 

[Reed Grele]

http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/2013/10/en131031-8/en131031-8.pdf

I own 4 Panasonic Plasma TV's. While this news was not unexpected, it is sad nevertheless.

I'm still extremely happy with them, and I'm sure that they'll be putting out an acceptable quality picture for the foreseeable future.

By the time they're at the end of their useful life, we'll probably all have 90" OLED displays that roll up like a window shade when not in use.

 

[Charles Smith]

While this news was not unexpected, it is sad nevertheless.

Not unexpected, but damning nonetheless. I don't usually fling the term about, but -- thanks, Joe Sixpack, for caring nothing about quality -- only screen size and thinness at the lowest possible dollar amount.

Well, we all care to varying degrees about dollar amount. But Panasonic's decision comes at an inconvenient time, as I have money flying out the window in all directions on various and sundry worthy and/or necessary projects -- because grabbing one of the last higher-end 65" Pannys is something I'd jump on otherwise. My smaller VT25 is, quite simply, one of my most prized things. For the past three years it (along with the expert guidance available right here) has opened up my view onto great film like nothing before.

So, the news inspires thought and reflection. On the one hand, my music/movie room would be PERFECTLY served with an upgrade to the latest 65" screen. On the other hand, as much as I've protested that going to projection in that room would be a major challenge due to everything the room houses, maybe -- just maybe -- this sea change in plasma production should be taken more as a sign that it's time to think about making that happen and thereby "future-proof" the whole thing. Because, while I can unhesitatingly make the above statement about what the plasma has given me, I've known since I first laid eyes on what's possible with projection -- from last year's HTF meet to Reed's DIY screen -- that THAT is the ultimate answer to my love of film.

It's a lot to think about.

 

[PaulDA]

Not unexpected, but damning nonetheless. I don't usually fling the term about, but -- thanks, Joe Sixpack, for caring nothing about quality -- only screen size and thinness at the lowest possible dollar amount.

Well, we all care to varying degrees about dollar amount. But Panasonic's decision comes at an inconvenient time, as I have money flying out the window in all directions on various and sundry worthy and/or necessary projects -- because grabbing one of the last higher-end 65" Pannys is something I'd jump on otherwise. My smaller VT25 is, quite simply, one of my most prized things. For the past three years it (along with the expert guidance available right here) has opened up my view onto great film like nothing before.

So, the news inspires thought and reflection. On the one hand, my music/movie room would be PERFECTLY served with an upgrade to the latest 65" screen. On the other hand, as much as I've protested that going to projection in that room would be a major challenge due to everything the room houses, maybe -- just maybe -- this sea change in plasma production should be taken more as a sign that it's time to think about making that happen and thereby "future-proof" the whole thing. Because, while I can unhesitatingly make the above statement about what the plasma has given me, I've known since I first laid eyes on what's possible with projection -- from last year's HTF meet to Reed's DIY screen -- that THAT is the ultimate answer to my love of film.

It's a lot to think about.

If your concern is about not having sufficient projection screen space in your room (and if not, forgive my misinterpretation), perhaps my experience can be useful. I have a dedicated room, but it is small, and I have arranged my gear in order to privilege sound ahead of visuals. When I was looking to replace my 32" SD CRT (which is now doing service in the living room), I looked at flat panels. At that time, I had room for something in the 65" range and there were some options on the market--quite closer to 8000$ than 2000$. So, instead, I built a 64" screen and mounted it to my wall and purchased a projector instead (giving me a 64" image for 1200$). As far as projectors go, my screen is rather small, but I am still very satisfied with the image I get from my projector and even today, a flat panel that would outperform my projector at that size remains a more expensive option. If I were willing to compromise with the position of my centre speaker, I could go even larger (thus making the savings even bigger when comparing projectors with flat panels). I had given thought to a plasma as a replacement for my projector, primarily because prices have come down and plasmas don't need replacement bulbs, but I've recently concluded (aided, in part, by this news--in three years [the remaining time I hope to coax out of my PJ with its second bulb] I suspect no one will still be making plasmas) that I will get another projector. Even standard bulb life has improved since I bought my PJ and perhaps LED lighting will be available at reasonable cost to me.

(the other advantage of a PJ is for Super Bowl parties--I can haul it into the larger family room, hang a sheet and we have a GIANT screen for the game--but that's me)

 

[DavidJ]

DP Shane Hurlbut has a great site. Here's his comparison between two data cameras...

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2013/10/arri-alexa-vs-canon-c500/

His content is really good, but I detest his new sideways layout.

 

[Reed Grele]

It's a lot to think about.

Don't think....Do!

My motto is:There is no wall in my house that is too small for a decent size projection screen (well, maybe the bathrooms, and laundry room.)

Also, I decided to splurge on a 5' x 12' sheet of Wilsonart Designer White laminate to replace the blackout cloth on the new 2.76x1 frame. The cloth was fine, even with a bit of sagging and rippling here and there. But laminate is forever!

 

[Persianimmortal]

I own 4 Panasonic Plasma TV's. While this news was not unexpected, it is sad nevertheless.

I'm still extremely happy with them, and I'm sure that they'll be putting out an acceptable quality picture for the foreseeable future.

By the time they're at the end of their useful life, we'll probably all have 90" OLED displays that roll up like a window shade when not in use.

It's definitely sad news, as I have always been a big fan of plasma's image quality over LCD/LED. Worse still, I highly doubt OLED will be affordable and problem-free for quite a while yet, so it creates a huge gap.

Interestingly, a Panasonic employee/insider known as "avjunkie" who is involved in TV design and posts regularly on another AV forum had this to say about Panasonic's decision:

At a cross roads guys. I'm a part of a company that after the massive layoffs I can no longer respect. The inhumanity shown for the sake of covering up poor business decisions and mistakes has lead me to this point. Where I no longer wish to be part of this company that for many years has been my home. I'll actively be looking for new employment in the coming months as I cannot get behind products such as led knowing it's inferior to the zt [plasma].

 

[Lromero1396]

I share the dismay at this announcement. However, my next big HT investment will probably be a projector, most likely several years down the road once my last television dies. Since projection outclasses plasma in quality, this isn't the worst news in the world, not by a long shot.

 

[owen35]

Saw this on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." This was a $100,000.00 question. The contestant really struggled with the answer with the classic moment being when he said "I'm not sure if Lawrence was in color or black-n-white." This would have been the easiest $100,000 I'd ever earn!

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Wow that is stupidly easy. At least put some other B&W films up as choices!

 

[PaulDA]

American game show questions are ridiculously easy compared to the money at stake (a quick perusal of game shows from other countries will reveal this) and this is deliberate. It is a consequence of the quiz shows scandals in the late 50s (remember the Redford directed film Quiz Show?). The sponsors and show runners figured out early on that audiences tuned in to watch people win something, not lose (schadenfreude was less prevalent back then I suppose). This was especially true if the winner was somehow attractive (looks, demeanour, etc.). Hence the cheating. When the scandal and its aftermath made it illegal to cheat by giving out answers in advance, the bulk of the shows took a different tack to achieve the same result--make the games a LOT easier. Jeopardy stands as something of an exception, but even then, it is easier to play and win at Jeopardy than it was to try to win at game shows like 21 without cheating.

 

[Robert Harris]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationscoop/eric-goldberg-talks-mickey-mouse-and-get-a-horse?utm_source=immersed_newsletter&utm_medium=sailthru_newsletter

 

[Charles Smith]

Had to read that a couple of times to fully absorb it. My fault, not theirs.

Amazing. I'll be there.

 

[AdrianTurner]

Peter O'Toole 1932-2013. Marvellous looking beggar.

 

[Robert Harris]

And a superb actor. Very, very sad, but not unexpected.

 

[Mike Frezon]

One of those "larger than life" fellows with the personality to match.

 

[Charles Smith]

Oh no! So sad to hear this.Too damned soon to hear it.