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Jay

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Join date
22-Feb-2003
Last activity
1-Jul-2025
Posts
2,437

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Post
#178828
Topic
How Did You Find OT.com?
Time
Originally posted by: Knightmessenger
By the way, why has the signature count been frozen at 72,000? And why won't Bill Hunt include a link from the bits when they sponsored a petition just to get the prequel movies on dvd before '06? Does he have to kiss up to Lucasfilm?


I moved a good portion of the signatures off-site because the database was packed. In doing so, the signature count was made inaccurate because it resets itself whenever a new signature is added. It was easier at the time to replace the realtime count with "72,000+" than to rebuild the counting engine (simple really, but not when you have no free time). I'm considering different solutions to the problem.

I didn't hear anything from Bill Hunt after the initial publicity push.

I went back into my old e-mails and read all the back-and-forthing I did with Bill. It's not really as bad as I remember it, but his lack of support over the long-term is what really pissed me off. My impression was that he disappeared once the petition's popularity waned. One other site kept pushing me to let them host it so they could attach their name to it--for the good of the petition, of course. Because it's impossible to publicize something unless it resides on your server under your domain name.

Will you guys do me a favor and let me know if I turn into a capitalist asshole? I want to make money from the site, but not at the expense of my soul.
Post
#178822
Topic
Inserting deleted scene of Yoda's exile into ANH??
Time
All these ideas about incorporating things into the OT come from viewers seeing the two trilogies as a series of chronological events instead of films that are trying to tell a story. This is made evident by the many fans who say the films should be watched in chronological order because that obeys the timeline in which the events occurred. That's so backward from a storytelling standpoint I simply don't understand the appeal of it.

Could you sit a Star Wars virgin down and show him the films in chronological order without ruining the dramatic tension of IV, V, and VI? The answer is no. The impact of "I...am your father!" is reduced from a revelation to a "Well, duh!" moment for the audience.

The original Star Wars trilogy has nothing to do with the prequels from a narrative standpoint. IV, V, and VI tell a story on their own--the story of the rise of the Rebellion and the fall of the Empire. The prequels tell their own story also: the fall of the Republic/Annakin and the rise of the Empire/Vader.

The two trilogies present two completely different narratives, and the actions and events in each shouldn't be intermingled in a lame attempt to tie them together. The prequels would've been much better had they been treated as a distinct story without so many homages to IV, V, and VI. Natural connections between the two stories would've developed instead of the manufactured connections we had thrown in our faces like Vader building 3PO. Could it be any more contrived?

The prequels don't stand well on their own, and the same forced connections that make the prequels lame are poisoning the original trilogy. Hayden in ROTJ? Yoda in ANH? Just stop it already!
Post
#178272
Topic
How Did You Find OT.com?
Time
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
I was so ready to be one of the first people to sign Jay's, but things got really busy, and so I had to settle for being in the first thousand. It went very quick in the beginning!


There were literally like 9,000 signatures in the first couple days. The site was buggy as hell too when I launched it because the signature database filled up within hours. No idea it would be so popular. Bill Hunt was such a fucking pain in the ass about getting the site up. Impatient, opportunistic asshole. As soon as the petition lost its steam and we needed support like his the most, he bolted. Guess there wasn't anything in it for him at that point. He had the nerve to criticize the design too. Has he even seen his own site?

Do I sound bitter?
Post
#178185
Topic
Info: Where do you draw the line?
Time
Originally posted by: DarkFox
But isn't this the case all the time with torrents? I wouldn't consider it the same as leaving the cinema and being copied immediately, NeilB, I consider it the same as sharing a torrent of the retail disc. What bothers me so much is that you really give preservation a bad name by copying anything you can at all under that title.

I don't recall ever referring to the Blade Runner downconversion as preservation, nor is it considered a fan edit. I'd never defend our actions revolving around Blade Runner as "preservation". I think we've all fully acknowledged that it's meant to be a replacement for the horrendous retail DVD until Warner gets around to releasing a new transfer, at which point I bet almost everyone here (and hope absolutely everyone here) will purchase a copy.


Originally posted by: DarkFox
Here's an interesting thing, NeilB and Jay - and this kind of explains why Jay and the others hold their view that sharing TV rips is different from sharing DVD rips. Us humans have a rather dull habit of always assuming we are right. What we'll do is decide on something - that is form a conclusion. That conclusion might be that "copying something off TV that's available on DVD isn't piracy because TV is a public broadcast". What that person would then do is look for evidence to support his conclusion, while ignoring evidence that contradicts it. This is a biased view, yes, but by habit we will all do it unless we are aware of it and choose to look at both sides carefully before reaching a solid conclusion.

What an arrogant ass! How nice it must be to wander through life with a purely black and white view of the universe. If you can't re-read that paragraph and understand why this entire forum sees you as a know-it-all prick and dismisses your posts as soapbox pronouncements, you're hopeless.


Originally posted by: DarkFox
I loosely work with the TV industry, and if someone abuses TV broadcasts it's not that different to abusing retail DVD's - except that there is no encryption put in place to prevent people from doing so. It would be really similar if DVD's didn't have encryption in the first place. If you copy something off TV, that's fine - no one has ever been successfully sued over that in Australia... you don't have a legal right to do so without first obtaining written permission, although so many people believe they do, and if you do record without that permission you are breaking copyright law - but as most recording (95%+) is done to "watch later" rather then to "keep", it's no bother. But what is a bother is when that copy you made is shared with others. Because that is taking works you don't own and sharing them with people who don't own them either. One of the ways TV has to try and compete with DVD is to offer people things they can't get on DVD - at least not yet. Copying and sharing this is not preservation, it's piracy. Aussies have the largest rate of TV piracy in the world, not something we should be proud of.


I don't live in Australia, and neither do most of the other members here. Mostly because our ancestors weren't criminals deported to an island prison.

Again, Blade Runner isn't about preservation. Here's what it's about: some guys on a Star Wars forum who love Blade Runner, own the retail DVD, and are disatisfied with its quality. So one of them took an HD broadcast that's been floating around the web for who knows how long and created a kickass DVD out of it. Hopefully, these guys will buy the retail release when it comes. I know I will. I'll certainly be the first in line for the HD-DVD or BluRay release.

When I read that description of what it's about, I see gray. I see some behavior that, while illegal, is not performed with malice. I see a bunch of fans who love a film and want to own the best possible version of it. I alse see a bunch of future buyers of the 25th anniversary edition (or whatever anniversary it is by the time it gets released).


Originally posted by: DarkFox
Because something has not been released on DVD or home video is not a ticket to copy, share and distribute it. Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was not released on home video until 57 years after the first theatrical release. Until then it was only ever seen in theatres. Now if a movie was to come out only in theatres today, and then do that for another 57 years before being released on home video (where you will have the opportunity to watch the film in theatres) - would you call ripping that and sharing it "preservation" or "piracy"? It may count as preservation if they change the film, but if they don't then you've still got the film to enjoy, in the environment it was designed to be enjoyed in.


Absurd hyperbole. Disney is known for holding out, so they're the perfect studio to prove your point. Name one other studio that has a release schedule like this. It was also a very different landscape in Disney's time (which was pretty much over until they bought Pixar, btw). Also, name the studio who would release a film to theaters for 57 years without providing a retail release in this day and age. You could at least set up a hypothetical situation that had a chance of actually happening.

What if Jenna Jameson magically materialized in my living room naked with three other naked female porn stars? Would I feed them peanut butter and jelly and discuss CGI in the SEs or would I destroy my marriage? What a conundrum!

Ridiculous hypotheticals are dumb.
Post
#177969
Topic
Info Wanted: What preservation versions have Duel Layer and PCM? Will be making my own after seeing what works/doesn't work
Time
I'm inclined to agree with Matt on this. The quality differences between PCM and Dolby Digital are audible on good equipment (not even great equipment). If the format of the original soundtrack is stereo PCM with Dolby Surround and there's ample space on the disc, I don't see a reason to re-encode it as Dolby Digital. The Dolby Surround mix in PCM format with a Pro Logic IIx decoder is definitely superior to the 5.1 mix on the 2004 DVDs.

I think my dream homebrew trilogy would be ocpmovie's video with PCM audio from the laserdiscs.
Post
#177967
Topic
Blade Runner HDTV (Released)
Time
I didn't have time to watch the whole movie yet, but I did do a quick comparison between the retail DVD and digitalfreaknyc's DVD. Huge difference. So much more detail and none of the ringing or graininess present on the retail release. The color temperature is very different, but after viewing both, I'm inclined to say the retail release is far too hot. Flesh tones look sunburned and fire is oversaturated. The color temp of the HD version (and digitalfreaknyc's DVD) is probably closer to correct.

I'd kill to have a 1080p version in WMV or QuickTime format.
Post
#177795
Topic
Info: Where do you draw the line?
Time
Originally posted by: NeilBEven still, the guy has a point - If you were to share a film that was not yet available as in this case, wouldnt that be considered the same as sharing a film that has left the cinema and not yet hit DVD?


The difference is that Blade Runner is available at retail, has been for years, and it's my expectation that anyone downloading this fan-made DVD also own a retail copy. If they don't own a retail copy, they shouldn't be downloading it.

A film that is recently out of theaters and awaiting DVD release has no retail availability. Also, it's a much more sensitive issue for studios than a 20-year-old film that has had multiple retail releases, particularly when what is being passed around is a downconversion of an HD broadcast.

And before you defend this pompous ass, check out his remarks in a completely unrelated thread where he stands on his soapbox and proceeds to tell us how uncomfortable he is with the forum as a whole.

Know, however, that these two threads have caused me to review the forum rules and clarify my expectations regarding file sharing in order to crack down on any inappropriate behavior.
Post
#177699
Topic
Blade Runner HDTV (Released)
Time
So I finally downloaded it, but when I try to burn it, Toast is telling me I need to use compression to fit disc 1 on one disc. Removing the extras and leaving only the main feature lets me burn the disc without any compression. Any idea why this is so?

Sorry, DVD burning n00b. I never bothered because my Power Mac had a single layer burner, but I just downloaded new firmware that enables dual layer capability.
Post
#177242
Topic
Does anyone here like Rap music?
Time
I'm a hip hop fan, but what gets gobbled up by consumers today doesn't qualify. Hip hop died when Puffy came on the scene.

Give me NWA, PE, Onyx, Black Sheep, Eric B. and Rakim...leave today's shit on the shelves so it ends up in a landfill where it belongs.


Originally posted by: Hot.like.fire
yeah i love it. and as bad as it sounds, the dirtier it is the more i like it. i'm not sure why cuz half the time they are degrading women


This doesn't surprise me.
Post
#177133
Topic
Dune Extended Cut
Time
Yeah, Smithee cut is 2.35:1. Live action shots are true scope, but the illustrations during the prologue are matted, so quite a bit is cut off.

Unfortunately, there are already frequent reports of technical problems with these discs. Apparently Universal has had problems in the past with DVD-18 discs. My Panasonic DVD player choked on chapter 4 of the theatrical cut, but the cheapass $45 KLH player I bought at Best Buy two years ago for our bedroom plays it just fine. I'll probably take it back and request a replacement anyway.

Watched the theatrical cut tonight. I'll give the extended cut a spin tomorrow.
Post
#177041
Topic
Dune Extended Cut
Time
Damn. I really want to hold out for the HD release, but everyone keeps talking about it and it's driving me crazy. I haven't seen the movie in years because I refused to buy the shitty non-anamorphic release for so long and I'm dying to see it again.

I still have some Best Buy gift certificates and a $5 coupon from their rewards program that expires at the end of the month.

Fuck it. I'm buying it and watching it tonight. Damn you, dark_jedi!

Post
#177039
Topic
Alan Smithee Cut of Superman 2? or not at all?
Time
Not sure where you got that quotation, but it doesn't match the text in the IGN interview, which is the big interview that's been floating around the web.

The guy doing the editing is one of Donner's old assistants and he seems to be excited at the prospect of seeing this new cut, even though he's not directly involved. I can't wait to see it myself.
Post
#176870
Topic
Idea: An unofficial Original Trilogy Bittorrent tracker? (The PIF Tracker?)
Time
You can keep talking about it here until the new rules are finalized.

My problem, which is a problem I'm relying upon Moth3r and zion to help me work out, is balancing the needs of the community with social responsibility. I have no problems with people downloading fan edits--as long as they own the official release in retail form. No way to verify that, however. I also have no problems with people downloading preservation efforts, but what about projects like ocpmovie's, which are a hybrid of an old release and a current retail release? How granular do we need to get with the rules?

I want the preservation forums to thrive, and my fear is that new restrictions will send people running to other places in order to avoid the requirements set forth in the rules.
Post
#176541
Topic
Idea: An unofficial Original Trilogy Bittorrent tracker? (The PIF Tracker?)
Time
I'd prefer to keep things very open here, but some of the swap-shop talk I'm seeing is very much against my personal beliefs regarding piracy and the spirit of the forums as a whole. DarkFox is a dick, but he made some good points.

The mods and I are finalizing new, stricter rules to rein in the questionable activity that has become fairly prevalent in the preservation forums. Some people are not going to like the changes, but if these forums are really about preservation and creativity through fan edits, they also need to be about film appreciation and respect for the content owners.

I want this site to be a fan edit hub, but I don't want it to be a file sharing hub. It has no future if that happens.