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Jay

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Join date
22-Feb-2003
Last activity
2-Nov-2025
Posts
2,439

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Post
#86319
Topic
HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/86319/action/topic#86319
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: DanielB
Quote
Originally posted by: Darth Simon
I think its more than letting the market tell you what they want to buy.
Really? Well Coca-Cola has flunked products by just expecting the market to adopt them. You have to let the market tell you when they're ready for a new format. It's too soon after DVD to dive into a new format, especially if it's only really going to rivial the quality of the already-available D-VHS (which is uncompressed, and four times the resolution of DVD - so current DVD's hold one tenth the digital data that D-VHS does, which is dedicated just to the movie quality, whereas these new disc formats are just scarping 50Gig). The size increase isn't significant enough. It is for consoles to guarantee their developers they'll have more room then they'll ever need - but for a home-video format it's useless.

I mean, it's only just recently become available at a reasonable price for consumers to ger DVD-recorders. D-VHS on the other hand never faced that problem, you can record onto exactly the same High-Definition commercial quality tape straight from the D-VCR, whereas DVD only lets you record onto DVD-R/RAM which is not the same thing as a pressed disc. Consumers can go back to simply recording on tapes - where they can continue recording on the same tape, record record record - don't have to worry about damage, sure some visible damage may occur, but it's not going to pause the playback or anything like that, it'll still play-through.

No, JVC should be able to push D-VHS over the upcoming disc formats anyway.


1. D-VHS is most certainly compressed and uses the same compression method as DVD: MPEG2. Just a much higher bitrate because of the vastly superior storage space and source resolution.
2. The new codecs being used for HD-DVD and BluRay are superior to MPEG2, both in compression ratio and video quality. Particularly in the area of macroblocking.
3. HD-DVD and BluRay will both likely support native unfiltered 1080p, which will quite soundly stomp the filtered 1080i of D-VHS. Interlaced video is usually filtered during mastering to help minimize jaggies on interlaced displays. The problem is that when filtered interlaced video is deinterlaced, it doesn't have nearly the same amount of detail as native unfiltered progressive video. Would you be surprised to learn that even the best DVDs you've seen don't match the potential of the format because they're filtered 480i? Native 480p DVDs are rare and visibly superior to 480i DVDs.
4. As fixed pixel digital displays slowly but surely replace the CRTs of old, the higher resolution offered by HD will be easily discernable even on smaller displays. Most of the reasonably priced CRT-based projection "HDTVs" available today use cheap 7" guns that can barely resolve 540p. Within the next few years, I think most members here who find digital HD displays (720p/1080p) out of their reach will be shocked at the affordability they're going to see. At CES, several manufacturers introduced 720p DLP projectors with MSRPs just above $3K. That means street prices around $2500. We'll see 720p DLP projectors and projection TVs with street prices under $1K within 18 months--guaranteed. You're telling me 1080p downconverted to 720p on a 100" diagonal screen won't be visibly superior to DVD? You must not have seen HD on such a display. I have. It's beautiful.
5. BluRay will likely be recordable right out of the gate, or soon thereafter.
6. JVC can push D-VHS all they want. Consumers will not go back to tape. Ever.

Pairing HD-DVD or BluRay with projectors and large screens at attainable prices will result in what movie fans have wanted for decades: a true theater-quality presentation right in your living room.

There are three primary reasons manufacturers and studios are pushing these new formats out now, at the height of DVD's popularity:

1. The traditional manufacturers are getting killed by the Chinese with $40 DVD players. Releasing a new format means new, expensive hardware they can profit from.

2. It's a race. The HD-DVD camp and the BluRay camp are driving each other. Neither can take the chance of waiting. If one were to get a significant head start, the other might never recover.

3. The display technology is reaching mass-market pricing, and consumers will want the video playback hardware to drive these displays. Big selling opportunity.

DVD will continue to be a huge cash cow for the studios and will remain the standard video format for many consumers for the next decade. HD-DVD/BluRay will be like laserdisc for the time being, a niche format to appeal to videophiles. BUT...it will spend only a short time in the shadows. With playback hardware debuting in the $1K range and software only a little bit more expensive than DVDs, it won't take long for prices to drop--just in time for the arrival of affordable digital displays.

I'm looking forward to it. Should be lots of fun.
Post
#86093
Topic
My apologies to the members of this forum.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/86093/action/topic#86093
Time
As many of you have probably noticed, I haven't been frequenting these forums much lately.

The holidays are a busy time of year for everyone. Add in a new job and relocation, and they're even busier.

Still, as administrator of this site, it's my responsibility to maintain it, technically and socially--neither of which I've been doing.

During my lapse, it seems another troll has invaded the forum and, as a result, we may have lost a few of our members.

I offer my sincere apologies to those who have been driven away, and I would like to invite them back to a socially sound forum so they may continue to offer their valuable participation.

It appears zion has been nominated to be a moderator of the Original Trilogy Preservation forum. Since the members here would know better than anyone who is up to the task of maintaining order, I'll accept their opinions as valid and assign moderation duties to zion for the time being.

There are improvements I'd like to implement in other areas of the site too. The issue of funds must be addressed, however. I will be posting a separate topic in every forum about that. It may be time for me to make the request that every webmaster dreads asking of his visitors.

In the meantime, continue to enjoy the forum, and thanks to you for the contributions you make
Post
#82375
Topic
An option to search text within posts
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/82375/action/topic#82375
Time
Not really. The site is pretty much on autopilot right now. Just moved, started a new job, and starting a new business after the new year. Lots to do.

I think the other thing holding up the move was the lack of a final script to move everything from FuseTalk to vBulletin. They may have completed it by now though.

I need the script because I'd have to transfer everything by hand otherwise.

Not gonna happen.
Post
#81233
Topic
HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/81233/action/topic#81233
Time
I think manufacturer support is going to come into play at some point.

The vast majority of manufacturers are behind BluRay--Matsushita (Panasonic), Sony, Phillips, Pioneer, Dell, HP, etc.

HD-DVD has NEC (what have they done lately in the consumer sector?), Toshiba (makers of the world's worst DVD players), and I believe Samsung (makers of the world's second worst DVD players).

Think Toshiba, NEC, and Samsung can keep up with hardware demand? No way.

The victor will most likely be decided by the enthusiasts who purchase the first decks. The vast majority of people I've spoken with are firmly behind BluRay or plan on purchasing both.

It's the killer film arsenal brought to the table by the studios that will ultimately decide the outcome though. Both sides have strong content.
Post
#78294
Topic
ORIGINALTRILOGY.COM T-SHIRTS
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/78294/action/topic#78294
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: TheSessler
I thought another website already had a shirt that said "Han Shot First" on the front? No use in using the same line.


"Han Shoots First" was our original tagline. I like it and wouldn't mind having a shirt that uses it.

Besides, when you're talking about literature or film, it's proper to use present tense, not past tense.

Sorry. English major. Stickler.
Post
#77196
Topic
ROTJ is worse than I remember.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/77196/action/topic#77196
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Darth Justin
About Han, he was not comic relief. His character seems to be the same as it was throughout the other films (he was always funny), except when he's thawed from carbonite. But he was weird like that after torture in ESB too. Remember Han screaming while chasing the stormtroopers in ANH? How can you say he was comic relief in ROTJ?

You can't. It's not limited to the one film.


There's a big difference between a real character who says and does funny things and a character who does little more than make you laugh ("comic relief"). Han seemed more like a screwball, silly kind of funny in ROTJ. Not quite as clever and sarcastic as he was in ANH and ESB.

ANH/ESB Han = George Carlin

ROTJ Han = Carrot Top

I agree with your comments on the Emperor though. He's a creepy little smartass, and it's great watching him taunt Luke.
Post
#76777
Topic
ROTJ is worse than I remember.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/76777/action/topic#76777
Time
I refuse to buy the box set. However, I did feel the need to rent it so I could see exactly how good (or bad, depending on your point of view) the restoration is.

For the purposes of this discussion, I'm ignoring the major changes/additions included in the 97 SEs and the 2004 versions; this includes the new errors introduced as well (swapped surrounds, poorly done lightsabers, etc.). I'm looking at the films with occasional blinders in place and am pretending the changes never happened, trying to enjoy what hasn't been molested.

I watched ANH first. It was awesome to see the first film in such great shape. Thankfully, the content has held up well also. I really enjoyed the experience that is ANH--so much so that I watched it several times over the course of several days.

I watched ESB about a week later. AWESOME. I love ESB. ANH is great because it came first, but ESB has better writing, better acting, and better directing.

Earlier this week, I finally managed to squeeze in ROTJ. I was excited going in, but my excitement gave way to the same nausea I get when I watch Ep. I. Han is now comic relief, the cinematography is crap (flat and lifeless compared to the depth and richness of ESB), and for the first time it occurred to me that the Empire built several gaping holes in the new Death Star so Rebel ships could fly directly into the core and blow it up. And just as with Ep. I, the great fight at the end is satisfying, but it's the same kind of satisfaction you get from eating Chinese food. It's filling at the time, but leaves you wanting later on.

I'll continue to watch all three movies in order as I always have. I'm a completist by nature; I can't watch FOTR without following it up with TTT and ROTK either. But ROTJ will always feel like I'm watching it because I have to, not because I really want to.
Post
#74701
Topic
Info: Everyone buy this DVD before you watch Star Wars (calibration & optimization)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/74701/action/topic#74701
Time
I use this:

http://www.ovationmultimedia.com/aviapro.html

and this:

http://www.ovationmultimedia.com/opticone.html

But I'm nuts.

I would pick up both Avia and Digital Video Essentials if you can. Avia's only real flaw is that it can't pass blacker than black. Otherwise, it has more test patterns that are of higher quality than those included with DVE. DVE also has some of the most maddening, illogical user menus I've ever seen. It's a lesson in bad user interface design.
Post
#73359
Topic
an idea...Star Wars Trilogy as a SUPERBIT release
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/73359/action/topic#73359
Time
As it was noted in the second post, Superbit is a Sony/Columbia brand. It's also nothing special in terms of technology; all they do is maximize bitrate (which isn't always the case anyway) and minimize the vertical filtering found on many DVDs that destroys detail (which they don't always do either). As someone else said, it's hit-or-miss. Some Superbits are consistently held up as reference quality (The Fifth Element), but some aren't.

Basically, it's a crock. There are plenty of studios releasing reference-quality DVDs without any special fanfare or silly marketing gimmicks like Superbit.

Quote
Originally posted by: bad_karma24
What was wrong with the Royal Tanebaums?


Halos out the yingyang and, if memory serves, a very unnatural graininess--much worse than typical film grain. Both halos and excessive grain are often the consequences of excessive sharpening applied during the mastering process.

Quote
Originally posted by: GundarkHunter
I suspect that Criterion didn't have much to do with the actual mastering of Tenebaums, as it was distributed by Touchstone and carried a Touchstone-level price point.


I didn't know it was a Touchstone job. That would explain things.
Post
#72578
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/72578/action/topic#72578
Time
Cool project Mike.

The only suggestion I would make is the use of a better LD player. Lesser models like the 91 can cause a lot of the video noise that you're seeing.

Consider using something like the CLD-97, which has excellent composite output. You could send that to a capture card with a top-of-the-line comb filter. I think that would provide the best results.

The component mod you've made to the 91 is intriguing though. What kind of comb filter/transcoding solution does that employ?
Post
#72579
Topic
Line Graph For Signatures
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/72579/action/topic#72579
Time
The signatures are actually stored in a SQL database with a time/date stamp, so manipulating the numbers wouldn't be that tough.

However, the actual value of the graph wouldn't be worth the work involved. There were two big spikes: one when the site first launched, and a bit of a spike leading up to the release of the DVDs. Other than that, it's a few signatures a day. Not much of a story to tell really.
Post
#72272
Topic
In Memoriam: jimbo September 2003 - October 2004
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/72272/action/topic#72272
Time
If he were simply a disagreeable prick who loved to tweak the noses of SE haters, he'd still be around. He provided valid points at times and served as a foil to the predominantly anti-SE group we have here. That's why he was allowed to stay for so long, despite the constant calls for his removal from other members. He added flavor to our discussions, and that will be missed.

Too bad he had to spoil it with his bigotry.
Post
#72072
Topic
Lack of humanity in prequels?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/72072/action/topic#72072
Time
Take it easy with the "dead topic" declarations guys. Nobody here has the right to shut down any thread, even if it's gone wildly off topic. I don't care how many posts you've racked up. While the guidance of long-standing members is appreciated, there are no hard and fast rules regarding thread closures.

Oh, one more thing.

Jimbo, you're done. Goodbye.