Ziz said:Just to drag this a bit back on topic to the thread title, I've been seeing more and more players in the $199 range. I'm hoping they'll be down to $150 by the summer.
Vizio is introducing the first Profile 2.0 compatible player for $150 next month.
EDIT: Most of the sub $200 players on the market right now are profile 1.1 compatible, not 2.0.
Octorox said:The 2D Clone Wars shows a lightsaber actually boiling the water around it underwater but again that isn't canon.
If I'm not mistaken, that lightsaber was made special to be able to operate underwater. Isn't there a cut scene from TPM where Qui-Gon berates Obi-Wan for getting his lightsaber wet, causing it to "short out"? That's the reason he was running from the STAP.
To be fair, I've always been willing to help people out that ask in the forums. I've even reseeded at times when I see people making requests. What it sounds like is that Troy PMed certain people asking if they could help and they either didn't respond or they said no. Something tells me that if he had asked in the forums like he did with this thread, he would've received overwhelming responses offering to send discs.
I've personally been amazed at the patience of some of the people here. It once took me two weeks just to get to the post office in order to mail something to a member here and every time I sent an update about the situation, the response was always "No problem, take your time". That was back when I actually had time to go to the post office ;)
Anyway, it seems like the situation has been resolved, so this thread can just be locked.
DarkFather said:Sometimes if you want something you have to aggressively go after it, even when nobody else is willing to lift a finger for you.
This.
I once sat on a torrent for two months in order to get it completed and that was with broadband. Hell, I remember a torrent on MySpleen that had been dead for nearly 6 months before a seeding request was fulfilled, allowing me and another person to complete it.
Back in the 90's, before I had broadband, I dialed into my ISP for a weekend in order to download OpenBSD (1.5 GB). I stayed online the whole weekend (there was no way to do partial downloads back then). Even if you have a bandwidth cap, you should still be able to get it if you give it enough time. Download half your bandwidth cap each month and eventually you'll get the whole thing. I know 8.5 gig is a lot and the waiting will be a pain, but you'd get it eventually.
Nanner Split said:Just completely disconnect yourself from anything new and Star Wars-related. It worked for me. The last new Star Wars thing I absorbed was Revenge of the Sith in theatres, which was nearly four years ago. Other than TMBTM's Star Wars Silent Film Edition edit, I haven't watched any of the prequels since then, just the OT. It's worked brilliantly for me, especially since I've only seen RotS once (seen the other two a handful of times each). I barely remember anything about them.
This. Though, I don't know how you can wipe the memory from your mind. It's like the Holiday Special. Once you've seen it, the crappiness is burned into your brain forever.
Jay said:C3PX said:Pretty sure you didn't even read my post.
Bingo.
I put you, lordjedi, ferris, and Tiptup on my skim list. It's too exhausting otherwise.
Real thought requires real explanation. All to often, conservative ideals don't fit into a 30 second sound bite. I'm sorry that our explanations are to much for you to handle.
I'm also sorry to hear that other members have chosen not to participate in the politics discussion simply because a reply to a one sentence opinion takes up a couple of paragraphs. I've encountered the same attitude on other forums and the only option (from my pov) was to simply either not post or make my posts brief and comical. For someone like me, with very strong opinions on things, making brief posts that aren't simply asking questions is nearly impossible. I don't visit those places much anymore.
Jay said:
lordjedi said:
I'm 34You sound 104.
Kids are supposed to have their own style and do stupid shit. If they didn't, they wouldn't be kids--and they'd never learn. You can fantasize all you want about telling children this and that and expecting them to follow your lead, but if you think kids do anything other than what they want to do, you're naive.
I don't expect them to follow my lead 100%. They just better be ready for the consequences when they fuck up. Most "kids" (read: teens) these days are not ready for the consequences. Oh, that's right, they have no consequences when they screw up because mom and dad fix everything so they learn nothing.
Any kid who does exactly what he's told is either too stupid to think for himself or too scared to incur the wrath of mommy and daddy.
Or C, figures, on some things, that maybe his/her parents, who are a lot older than him/her, know more than him/her and can give far better advice than experimenting will provide. I didn't listen to my parents 100%, but I also wasn't out partying until all hours of the night getting into trouble. The worst thing I did was stay out late with some friends, after I graduated high school, playing roleplaying games (think Rifts and AD&D). But during high school, I kept my nose clean.
And I wouldn't say YIYF is immature because he's saddened by the sounds of friends turning into weak, scared old men. Face it, not everyone is meant to fall in line like you have.
Weak and scared? Who's weak and scared? I've never been more confident in my life. I don't "fall in line" either. When I see something wrong, either in my family or at work, I speak my mind. If I "fell in line" then I'd be just another drone.
I may have more responsibilities now, but that's what happens when you get married, buy a house, and start a family. There are more people than myself to think about, but none of that makes me "weak and scared". Being a responsible adult doesn't mean you're "weak and scared". I know far more "adults" that are weak and scared because they aren't responsible than I do the ones that are responsible.
I have a friend that's 32. He still parties like he did when he was 22. That's all fine and dandy, except that he actually called me up one night to see if I'd be able to pick him up if he got to drunk to drive. Being a good friend, I simply asked him where he was and how far it was from my house. It was relatively close by (20 freeway mins) so I agreed to do it (if necessary). Another friend ended up taking him home. If the drive had been further, he would've been out of luck.
The point is, and the other friend talked to him about it, he knows he really shouldn't be out partying all night like he does. He does it because the only responsibility he has is an 8-5 job and paying rent. As long as he does both on time, he's good to go. But when that lifestyle starts to conflict with others responsibilities, that's when trouble starts.
BTW: YIYF mentioned that he and his friends are 28. Maybe his friends look back on some of the things they did and realize that those things were pretty stupid. Now they see other kids doing the same things and think it's stupid. How does that make them weak and scared? Their parents probably thought what they were doing was stupid too. I look back on some of the shit I did as really stupid, even though it was TOTALLY mild compared to what other kids my age were doing.
Yoda Is Your Father said:Some people are just extremely narrow-minded, and the worst thing is I am starting to hear my own friends (who are the same age as me and got up to all sorts of things with me when we were kids) making comments not dissimilar to the ones in the article Sean posted. Not only is it hippocritical but it's also sad to see people lose their sense of humour and understanding as they grow older and become boring, paranoid conformists.
You mean they grew up and matured and you've decided not to.
I did some pretty stupid shit when I was younger (I'm 34), but I wouldn't do those same things today and I'd actively discourage people from doing them as well. That doesn't make me hypocritical. It would be stupid for me to not try to warn someone about possible dangers when I've already had the same experience.
vaderios said:More Menacing Teeth? like a cave maybe?
-Angel
After seeing this it actually makes more sense and I actually like it now.
DF Shadow said:
^^ Yes, yes yes.................iMo this would be awesome.
Imagine how sinister that crooked mug would look closing from the inside PoV............great idea.
Ack! Why is this being changed? Or is it just being talked about? I haven't been keeping up, so if someone can point me to the page where it was discussed, I'll read about it there first.
IMO, this doesn't need to be changed at all. Actually, IMO, most of the changes that have been discussed don't need to be done.
sean wookie said:I am seriously considering this as well as the Peace Corps. I never actually talked to a recruiter. Can I still go if I have to take pills twice a day?
Actually, I don't know how vbangle got the feeling you talked to a recruiter. These all looked like very simple questions that a recruiter would have no problem answering (except maybe the getting to choose where you're stationed question).
I agree with Ferris, sean. There will be far more opportunities in the military. Not only for advancement, but for work experience, education, and traveling the world.
Just remember that in the military, your primary responsibility is defending the US. So if a war does break out, there's always the possibility that you'll be sent to fight. If you're not prepared for that eventuality, then it's probably not a good idea to enlist. If you're looking for the opportunity to see the world, get an education, and don't mind having to defend the country, it could be the best thing you ever do.
C3PX said:vbangle said:I'm entitled to opinion dickhead. It's one of those things we call "a right" as in the Bill of Rights? Freedom of Speech, maybe you've heard of it. I don't give a flying fuck if you were offended by my comments or not. In fact the only person(s) that have any say on whether my comments on this board are appropriate or not are Jay and Moth3r.
Yeah, and so is Ferris, thus his right to be offended at your blatant display of ignorance. You sound like a typical thirteen year old who somehow wondered onto the internet without parental supervision. Just curious, am I very far off the mark?
And he just learned about the Bill of Rights, except he didn't learn that it's not just limited to those ones, they just spelled those ones out just in case the government tried to trample on them :P
It's an article from the Onion, how can it be true?
On your second comment, what do you look like? I might be paranoid upon seeing you, depending on what you look like and where we're at at the time.
vbangle said:I can tell by your questions that you've probably talked to a military recruiter. Don't believe a word they say. They will promise you anything and everything but are not legally bound to adhire to any of it. Ever hear of the saying, "Blowing smoke up your ass"?
Which is why I said "get it in writing".
What's your IQ? If its below 80 sign up. If its above 80 do yourself a favor and don't act retarded by signing up into the military. Work your way through college and earn your future for yourself....however if you really want to flush your life down the toilet, be my guest....
Spoken like a true retard. You'd fit right in with the Marine's.
Sean:
The Air Force (or any other branch except the Navy) is a good choice if you want to see the world. My brother recently retired from the Air Force as a Chief Master Sergeant (highest enlisted rank possible). My father was in the Army too (he got out just before Vietnam). I would've joined the Air Force because I wanted to fly. Unfortunately, you either need to have 20/20 uncorrected vision or 20/40 corrected (I think that's right). Well, my vision wasn't that good, so I just decided not to do that.
Unlike what some would believe, the military is not a place for idiots. My father had a BS in Engineering from Virginia Tech (he was a EE). My brother didn't get his degree until after he retired from the AF, but that's just because he didn't want it. If there's a certain type of thing you like to do (like engine repair) see what branch can help you do that. Do not join the military for the pay. Join the military for the experience you'll get. Employers look at military experience as an excellent attribute. As long as you're not dishonorably discharged, you'll be one step ahead of everyone else when applying for a job.
I don't know if it's changed since my brother signed up (30 years ago), but here's how it worked for him.
1. You could get shipped out anywhere, including Iraq.
2. You get to choose "Overseas" or not. With the "Overseas" option, they can send you anywhere that's overseas, including Hawaii. If they decide to send you to Germany, that's where you'll have to go.
3. No idea about boot camp, but I suspect that as long as you follow orders and don't talk back, you'll be fine. If that isn't for you, then don't even bother. The military is not a democracy.
4. No idea and if they tell you there is one, make sure you get it in writing.
5. You would get shipped out fairly quickly, depending on if there's a base local to you or not.
A recruiter should be able to answer any of these questions for you.
Jay said:negative1 said: ...I think the sales numbers will tell a different story once the price drops on the PS3. Ignoring all the doom and gloom from the wannabe tech morons in major publications, while in third place, Sony still sold a respectable number of consoles over the holidays, and a price drop in the spring should help pick up sales gradually throughout the year.
I also think the huge dividends that Sony will reap thanks to Blu-ray's success will help them on their recovery. 2009 is going to be a good year for Blu-ray.
That's doubtful Jay. I'm sure Sony will get quite a bit from Blu-ray licensing, but it's not going to be nearly enough to help them. Even a price drop on the PS3, in my mind, wouldn't help them at this point. With $150 Blu-ray players coming, the PS3 would still cost twice that of a standalone player. And if you're not into gaming, then the PS3 would just be a really expensive Blu-ray player. If they had cut the price back in December, it would've helped a lot.
I'm sure Blu-ray will see great success this year, but I'm also sure that the PS3 will continue to be a flop when compared to the XBox and Wii.
Jay said:lordjedi said:Not really. Your entire iPod is usually synced to iTunes on the computer. Simply plugging your computers DVI into an available HDMI port on an HDTV is a pretty easy process. From there, you just press play within iTunes.
If anything, the "Digital Copy" that's available on many newer releases makes setting up a media server way easier than it use to be. Unfortunately, those files can only be played in either iTunes or Windows Media Player. Combine any of those setups with an XBox 360 or PS3 for doing streaming and it's very easy to set the whole thing up.
You're ignoring a lot of intermediate steps and giving consumers way too much credit. You're also projecting your technical understanding onto the market again.
There is no comparison to be drawn between the process of connecting a media center to a TV and that of syncing an iPod with iTunes. There is no application that automatically rips a DVD for you upon insertion, stores it in a way that makes it accessible to Windows Media Center, and does all this without significant input from the user or the use of additional software like AnyDVD to break the encryption.
I can't think of one person in my entire family who knows what DVI and HDMI are, let alone that they're compatible.
Maybe not, but I'm sure they know that they need a cable to connect their HDMI laptop to their HDTV and that cable probably came with their laptop.
Think about it. I'm not referring to connecting your iPod to your TV. I'm referring to connecting a laptop to an HDTV with an HDMI cable and just playing right through iTunes on the screen. It's not nearly as "technical" as you make it out to be.
You can easily setup DVD Shrink to run automatically upon insertion of a DVD. The shrank files can be setup to save directly into your Windows Media Center folders. The Window Media Center software would then automatically show the files when ready. This is in fact how a lot of the HP Media Centers work (they don't give you DVD Shrink, it's a different program). The only step the consumer really has to do is plug both ends of the little cable into the computer and the HDTV.
There are plenty of programs that do most (if not all) of this for you. I've seen them running. I personally don't like them because I want full control over the process, but the programs do exist. Just because you haven't used them doesn't mean they aren't there. They usually ship with prebuilt media center PCs that have 1 TB hard drives in them.
Jay said:Octorox said:I disagree. If say, iTunes, had a DVD ripping feature to get your movies on your ipod I think a lot of people would rather do that than rebuy them from the itunes store.
This is quite a different situation from setting up a media server and connecting it to your TV.
Not really. Your entire iPod is usually synced to iTunes on the computer. Simply plugging your computers DVI into an available HDMI port on an HDTV is a pretty easy process. From there, you just press play within iTunes.
If anything, the "Digital Copy" that's available on many newer releases makes setting up a media server way easier than it use to be. Unfortunately, those files can only be played in either iTunes or Windows Media Player. Combine any of those setups with an XBox 360 or PS3 for doing streaming and it's very easy to set the whole thing up.
Get a new hard drive and reinstall Windows. Put the bad hard drive in as a second drive. After Windows is reinstalled, copy all the stuff you need off of the second drive and onto the first. Then you can reformat the old drive and be done with it. That's probably the quickest and easiest way.
Next time have a good backup so you can just do a wipe and reinstall.
Jay said:You could remove encryption from all DVDs today and the number of discs being ripped to hard drives by tomorrow would have increased by exactly zero percent.
Anybody who has any interest whatsoever in "backing up" their DVDs or having a media server is already doing it. Not one consumer--not a single one--who doesn't understand that you can rip DVDs would be interested in ripping DVDs if they knew they could. And the same is true for Blu-ray.
We're nerds, dude. We get this stuff. We need this stuff. They don't.
Actually, I've talked to a couple of non nerds (I actually consider myself a Dork, nerds have zero social skills, I at least have some) that didn't know they could rip DVDs and asked how to do it. After telling them about DVD Shrink, they started ripping all kinds.
The reality is that people don't usually want to go to the effort of setting up a media server because 1) it sounds complicated and 2) it takes a bit of work. For the first one, companies like HP are taking the "complicated" out by giving people everything they need in a prebuilt box. It does still take a bit of work though. And most people would rather have a "media server" look like their existing equipment. Otherwise, it looks like a PC hooked up to a TV (which it is) and they don't like that.
The only reason it wouldn't make a difference to remove encryption from DVDs is because there's already plenty of programs available for breaking the encryption. Each and every one of them is free, so the only thing that would be saved is a little bit of time. It takes about 15 mins (maybe less) for me to rip a movie from the disc to the hard drive. If I had a large enough hard drive, I'd just leave it like that. I'm trying to save some space though, so I end up converting them to mp4 in an mkv container. That takes about an additional 5 hours, but I usually do it at night. They look just as good as the DVD did (unless I get really close to the screen). If it were as easy as clicking one button (MeGUI isn't that easy, but AutoGK practically is) then more people would do it.
Jay said:Where are you going to store all these Blu-ray titles anyway? A $250 Blu-ray player is too expensive, but tossing a couple terabyte drives into a media server to store a modest Blu-ray collection (in addition to the costs of the discs themselves) is somehow reasonable?
It's not necessarily anymore reasonable, but it makes the entire collection available with a single click. With my DVDs I just navigate to the folder with the remote and press play (my folder structure is very simple...genre, title, and then movie).
It's just like navigating through the DVR. With the entire collection on the drive, it becomes a matter of ease of use. It's kind of nice not having to get up to select the movie I want to watch.
I used to be in the same camp. I built several crazy HTPCs and had grand designs of a media center with all my DVDs ripped and stored. Then I realized how much easier it was to put in the damn disc and press play.
Yes, that's fairly easy to do. Unfortunately, a lot of DVDs still come with previews and bullshit that I don't want to sit through each time. By ripping the movie from the DVD, I press play on the remote and the movie starts. No FBI warning BS, no "Coming soon" that I need to skip over, nothing. Right now, that's the difference between watching "Cars" and "Wall-E" since I haven't finished my rip of Wall-E.
Geeks tend to geek out and do things for the sake of doing them and not because they really make sense. Only nerds care about this shit. DRM and media server friendliness have had zero effect on Blu-ray's adoption and will have zero effect on its future. 99.999% of consumers just don't care.
They care when it bites them in the ass. They care when they end up needing to replace a disc because their kids scratched them up. They do it and just accept it until someone shows them a better way.
With everything ripped to the hard drive, my son just hands me the remote and asks for the movie. No need to find it on the shelf, load the disc, navigate through the bs, and then watch the movie. I don't obsess over ffdshow settings though.
negative1 said:GOOD BYE, AND GOOD RIDDANCE, and hopefully this format will die the quick painful death
it deserves..
later
-1
Not now it won't. With a sub $200 profile 2.0 player coming to market in April, adoption is sure to pick up. And with Lord of the Rings coming as well, adoption will definitely kick into high gear.
I also have no doubt that at some point in the very near future, the encryption on the discs will be completely cracked and all Blu-ray movies will be easily ripped. Then we'll all have are nice hi-def media boxes at home playing all our Blu-ray titles.
Davnes007 said:I'd rather have aliens speaking English, than read subtitles all the time, like in foreign films - If I wanted to read for two hours, I wouldn't be watching a movie!
Learn to read faster. Then you can read the subtitles and enjoy the movie. I've been doing that with anime for 10 years.
C3PX said:^ I especially liked the Clockwork Orange references.
I knew amazon started selling groceries a few years ago, but I just cannot imagine anyone going through the trouble to pay postage and packing on a gallon of milk. It have to be wrapped in some thermal material to keep it within a safe temperature during its travels, and gallons of milk are fragile things, doesn't take much to bust one of those suckers open. I find it hard to believe amazon ever sold that product, and if they did it is not hard to see why they no longer carry it.
This kind can be stored in a pantry and doesn't need to be chilled until serving. It only needs to be refrigerated after opening. They also have scheduled deliveries so you aren't storing a bunch.
Low fat and non fat milk don't go bad that fast. Whole milk usually only lasts a week, so it has to be kept cold longer.
I'll be first in line in April:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2338658,00.asp
Jay said:What miracles will need to occur to convince the naysayers that everything is just fine?
I answered this question above :)
Which is more profitable for a studio: distributing films digitally to content providers and selling them for $9.99 each, or distributing physical media to retailers and selling films for $19.99 and above? I'd be willing to bet that studios will end up making more profit sticking with physical media, and that's why they're in no hurry to kill the shiny disc.
If you had asked the same thing back in 1996 about downloading music, I would've totally agreed with you. Why would any recording studio distribute singles at 99 cents each instead of the full album for $15? It just doesn't make sense. Fast forward 10 years and that's exactly what happened.
The $9.99 film wouldn't come with any extras beyond the cover art. I suppose they could include a commentary track, but you wouldn't get any behind the scenes videos. That'd be perfectly acceptable to me, but it would have to have nearly the same portability as current DVDs and it would be nice to be able to buy the behind the scenes stuff at maybe an additional $5. Bandwidth costs a lot less than shipping, printing, and packing, so they'd make a ton more money. And they wouldn't have to use any content providers other than themselves if they didn't want to. I'm more than willing to buy direct from Universal, WB, Fox, etc, etc for that price.