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lordjedi

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8-Jun-2005
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9-Apr-2015
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Post
#297069
Topic
Indiana Jones IV
Time
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
IJ and the KOCS. It's much easier and much, MUCH funnier.

Chalk it to more of Lucas' hit-you-over-the-head exposition. If the Lucas of today made the original three, they would have been titled:

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark of the Covenant
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Sankara Stone-Worshipping Khali Cult
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to Recover The Holy Grail of Christ's Last Supper

Aside from ToD, I'd bet anybody with just a little knowledge of Christianity would've got the other two references just fine (Ark and Crusade being pretty clear references).

FYI, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull does sound cooler, but it makes me think of House 2 where they found the crystal skull. And I think Indiana Jone and the Lost Kingdom sounds like it's missing something.

Originally posted by: CO
If you watch movies like Armageddon, Independence Day, Transformers, etc, they all have one dimensional lame characters that crack goofy jokes throughout the movie, and when you watch that movie years later, it comes off as laughable. Now watch a movie like Star Wars, Terminator, Raiders, Back to the Future, the characters stand the test of time, Marty McFly is still cool today, Han Solo is still cool today. Those movies hold up so much more better then the summer blockbuster of the present day.


While I agree with everything else you said, IMO John McClane (sp?) is still cool today.

You can't really blame Hollywood though. They wouldn't be doing it if it didn't make money. Blame the people that go to these movies. I'm pretty sure everybody knew Transformers would be nothing but an effects feast, yet they still went and saw it.
Post
#297012
Topic
Indiana Jones IV
Time
Originally posted by: Marvolo
In that video, the crowds reaction is funny. When he says he is going to tell the title the crowd gets really loud, but when he reveals the title the crowd doesn't get near as loud. That title is too long. It needs to be something simple and interesting. Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls sounds like it could be the name of a jewlery shop in New York.


Seeing as how the crowd was at the VMAs, I don't put to much weight into their reaction. They are not the Indiana Jones crowd. They're the MTV crowd. They haven't been waiting years for a fourth movie and could probably care less.

Now if that had been the reaction at Comic-Con, I'd be in agreement with you. Since it was the VMAs, I could care less what kind of reaction those people had. More than likely, they won't be in line for the first showing and they may not even be in line for the opening weekend. They most definitely won't see it more than once, even if it is a really good movie. They'll probably rent it from Netflix after it comes out on DVD and burn themselves a single layer copy with no extras. To put it simply, they do not care and I hope the movie isn't targeting them. They are the "Jack Ass" crowd that isn't interested in a good movie, merely in throwing their money at Hollywood for their next fix.

So let's not judge the movie based on that crowds reaction to the title.
Post
#296989
Topic
Windows Vista
Time
Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
I don't use it except at school, where all the computers were upgraded from 2000 to Vista over the summer.

Was the hardware upgraded as well or did they just upgrade the OS? I would assume they upgraded the hardware. What are the specs? We just got three new machines at work. Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz with 2 GB of RAM. I installed Vista on one of them and it's the snappiest computer we have now. I also found out about a month ago that all of our software is fully compatible. So we're ready to upgrade to Vista, I just don't know if we will anytime soon or not.

Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
vista is absolute rubbish 90% of software and programs will not run on it.

Care to backup that claim with a list of examples? I can backup my example of 100% compatibility with a full list.

Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
mircrosoft should not have released it until all the bugs were worked out.

Uh, yeah, because no OS has ever had bugs in it. Oh wait, OS X, Linux, Solaris, etc, etc have all been released and found to have bugs. It simply isn't possible to release a completely bug free piece of software. Even some things that they consider features, others considers bugs.

Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
they expect companies to redo all their software to be vista compliant rather than the other way around.


No, they expect companies to start writing their programs to not need full admin rights for anything except maybe during installation. For years MS has been telling developers that applications should only need admin when installing. For years, developers haven't really been listening and haven't been forced to make a change. With Vista, they're finally forcing them to do it right. This can be seen plainly on Vista by all the programs that have to be run "As administrator".

Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
windows 2000 was the last so called stable os in terms of testing the damn thing before they shipped it. had way less errors than XP or vista.


Ah yes, the OS that "It'll ship before 2000!" And then it shipped late December 1999, just before 2000. Even though it wasn't available until January. XP is far more stable than 2000. I haven't been able to do any extensive testing on Vista yet, but it's probably even more stable than XP was. The largest problem people have had with Win2k and XP was bad hardware and/or bad drivers. I've seen it myself. A bad network or video driver could take down Win2k pretty easily if it was pushed just a little. XP was less so, but still had problems. Bad hardware was the next greatest problem. Bad memory will take out your whole system. So the problem isn't usually the OS, it's usually some kind of faulty hardware somewhere.

Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
security on the XP os can be so easily compromised i swear microsoft has patches and updates all the time.


Again, everyone releases patches for their OS all the time. OS X, Linux, Solaris, Windows, etc, etc. In fact, I think you'll find that Linux releases the most updates of the big three. OS X, to my knowledge, doesn't release very many, then again, I don't have many OS X machines to admin (just one).

The reason XP and 2k are so easily compromised is because people run as administrator. With Vista, MS is attempting to put a stop to that. Personally, once I've got a system setup, I don't see the "Cancel or Allow" dialog. The only people I know that see that message a lot are the ones that are constantly tweaking system settings. If you're seeing the cancel or allow dialog in normal day to day use, then you're either tweaking your system to much or you've already got some kind of virus on your system.

Originally posted by: miker71
any OS that displays a progress indicator for showing the contents of a folder has serious underlying issues IMO.


How large is the folder? I've only ever seen this happen when Vista was populating the Network area with machines or when it was reading a network share. Since that's going to be slower than local disk access, it seems pretty understandable. I'd rather see that than see nothing and not know what's going on.
Post
#296710
Topic
Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD?
Time
Originally posted by: Arnie.d
I didn't even know you could use an mpeg2 coder for material with a resolution greater than 720 x 576.


Yep, you sure can. But why would you? I think that article over on Doom9 makes it pretty clear. The studios don't want to give people something that looks good or is better. They want to give people just enough to make them happy. Putting mpeg2 video on a Blu-ray disc is "good enough". I'm honestly surprised we don't hear more outrage over this.

On a slightly related topic, does anyone know what the disc layout of a Blu-ray or HD-DVD disc is like? I would assume that an HD-DVD disc has the same layout as a DVD, but what about a Blu-ray disc? Are they completely different or just the same layout (VIDEO and AUDIO_TS folders with VOBs within)?
Post
#296667
Topic
Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD?
Time
Originally posted by: Moth3r
Even stupider are the people who buy an HD DVD player because their displays are labelled "HD ready" and not "Blu-ray ready". (LINK)

BTW in case you haven't seen it: Doom9's article on the "format war".


To sum up the first story "The Industry is causing consumer confusion".

The second article was really informative. There's a lot about Blu-ray that I didn't know. I can't believe all the titles they've released with mpeg2 encoding. They've got a ton of space to use and all they're doing is wasting it.
Post
#296636
Topic
Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD?
Time
Spoken like a true video/audiophile.

I have an HDTV. I do not have a hi-def DVD player. Why? Competing formats. I got my HDTV and hooked it up to digital cable with some HD channels. I watch HD anytime it's available. I can take my TV and hook it up to any cable or satellite provider and the HD channels will look the same. If I want to watch hi-def DVD, I have to buy two different players. IMO, that would be stupid. What's even more stupid is that the industry couldn't come to an agreement on a single format before releasing hi-def. So, if you want to call someone stupid, don't call the people buying HDTVs and hooking them up to standard DVD players stupid. Most of those people are realizing that they'll get a better picture with a hi-def player, but no one wants to buy a player that might end up being obsolete. They watch HD channels on their HDTV and that's good enough.

People aren't stupid for getting an HDTV to go with a standard DVD player. The people who are stupid are the ones that hook up an HDTV to standard (or even digital) cable or a standard DVD player and think they're getting the full HD experience. Some people will ask those of us that know better why their DVDs look like crap on their giant HDTV. Our job is to educate them. Just tell that it's not an HD source and that they'll have to get either a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player. When they start asking about that, just tell them about the format war. I've seen plenty of people stop asking questions and just respond with "I think I'll wait". The people who think they're getting HD off their SD DVDs are not generally the same type of people that will ask why their SD DVDs look like crap unless they're also using an upconverting DVD player. I blame the industry for those too.
Post
#296498
Topic
Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD?
Time
Originally posted by: Knightmessenger
Yesterday the digital bits just posted that the most reliable sources say the 150 million payoff didn't come from Microsoft. It came from Toshiba. Either way, I just saw a Sony blu-ray disc player advertised in the circular of the paper for $500. Isn't that a new low price?


That's not entirely accurate. What they said was that it came from Toshiba and/or the HD-DVD group collectively. They also said the MS was involved in the process, but didn't cut any checks. So, while it may not have come directly from MS, I'm sure MS has had money in the pot at one time or another.

The Sony blu-ray player (I'm assuming PS3) had a $100 price drop just a week or two ago. If it's a different player, then it could be a new low price, but it's about the same as a PS3. There are also new Chinese made HD-DVD players on the way for $199. That's the kind of price I'm looking for when getting a new player. If they can get a dual format player here for just a little more (maybe between $300 and $500), I'll be sold.
Post
#296403
Topic
Video Games - a general discussion thread
Time
Originally posted by: sean wookie
I have no money I just spent $200 on a graphics card and I don't think I can work because I'm in college and don't have time.


Yet somehow you managed to find $200 for a graphics card. Maybe next time you should spend only $150 on the graphics card so you have the other $50 for the game.

What kind of graphics card do you have anyway? Oblivion would probably rip a $200 card to shreds. I'm guessing you have either a high end DX9 card or a low end DX10 card. Either way, you're way better off downloading the demo and trying it out then you are waiting for a torrent to finish, only to find out that you won't be able to play it without a serial number.
Post
#296395
Topic
The Music of Star Wars: 30 Anniversary Collection
Time
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
If this doesn't sell (like last years shoddy O-OT on DVD) Lucas will probably take away the message that nobody cares about the OT music any more and not bother fixing them.

Moron.


And maybe after that he'll move on from Star Wars and start working on something else. Maybe he'll even do something original.

Or not.
Post
#296394
Topic
Video Games - a general discussion thread
Time
Originally posted by: sean wookie
I'm downloading Bioshock by torrent. I don't know if there is a crack.


First, isn't this pretty much a bannable offense? I know that if you did this over on the Steam forums, you'd be gone, instantly.

Second, no there is no crack. You'll need a key for any "cracked" copies you find. It has to be activated on their servers and so far no one has come up with a way around that. Every single copy floating around right now is simple an image of the retail copy. You'll need a serial number to do anything with it. In fact, the only "cracks" available right now are ones that let you play without the DVD in the drive.

Third, if you want to play the game, go buy it. If you want to try it out first, go download the demo and install it. The demo takes you through the first level and gives you a taste of the full game. The demo was absolutely amazing, but I'm saving my money for Half Life 2: Episode 2. I may buy Bioshock in a few months if it goes on sale or something.
Post
#296289
Topic
Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD?
Time
Originally posted by: Knightmessenger
So wait a minute, I could buy an HD movie and then discover it will no longer play on my machine because someone else from who knows where hacked the disc. That would piss so many people off, it would be the surest way to lose the format war.

Something just occured to me, will Titanic be on HD-dvd or Blu-ray? The film is owned by 20th Century Fox outside of the US and Canada, Paramount was brought in later on to help pay for the huge budget.


Then it probably won't be released any time soon. Probably after the 18 month contract with Paramount is up, which, if thedigitalbits is right, the new formats won't matter because they'll be a niche market (assuming there's still two formats).
Post
#296267
Topic
Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD?
Time
Originally posted by: C3PX
But how will they know the player has been hacked? How will the damn thing communicate with them? Are they going to update themselves everynight by wirelessly communicating with the studios? Informing them of your movie watching habbits. I don't find that idea very comforting. Not to mention the potential hazard that poses in the event of a robot uprising...


Generally speaking, the player cracks, at least the software ones, are usually pretty well publicized, so the studios and manufacturers end up finding out very quick. They don't have to communicate with the player in order to disable future titles. They simply withdraw the key as an authorized key and all new titles ship without that key. So unless the players are updated to reflect the changes, they simply refused to play that disc.

Don't think of it as the current system with DVDs and CSS. CSS had very few keys so they couldn't be pulled. The new encryption, afaik, has millions or billions of keys. They can invalidate one key and still have billions of valid keys left. I'm not exactly sure how it all works and some groups have already cracked some of the Blu-ray software players, but the strictest DRM has yet to be implemented. If it ever is and they take advantage of it, it could cause a lot of problems for consumers.
Post
#296229
Topic
Lightsaber in space...
Time
Originally posted by: Fang Zei
Luke's force saber throw in space from the opening chapters of The Truce at Bakura comes to mind. Yet Obi-Wan and Anakin couldn't just nudge those buzz droids off, much less use those crazy powers from Jedi Starfighter. Sorry, I'm getting off topic.


But that would've made sense and ended the movie in a much shorter time frame. We can't have that.
Post
#296214
Topic
Part VII VIII and IX
Time
Originally posted by: Obi_Skywalker
I hope they do not make more.....the main part of the story is over...

The whole point of SW is for Anakin to bring balance to the force...that happened in Jedi...story over....

I don't see why Lucas can't write some new, original material....I'm sure he has something up his sleeve...he needs to leave SW and Indy alone and do something new...well, maybe he could give the OOT in good quality first, then move on from SW.


No, the whole point of SW is for Luke to redeem his fallen father. That happened in Jedi. Story over.

Perhaps you were thinking of something from another set of movies that look similar to SW, but share absolutely none of the story.
Post
#296213
Topic
Lightsaber in space...
Time
I know it's an original, but it's still just a movie prop. They're treating it like it's a dignitary from a foreign country. Honestly, I hope they lose it too. It's a stupid publicity stunt to get Lucas in the news along side NASA.

They do that for the 30th anniversary, yet we have no OOT remastered in anamorphic on DVD and the CDs we're about to get are probably just repacks. How about spending the same amount of time and effort on those things and getting proper releases to your fans instead of being a media whore.

I'm really really starting to hate Lucas.
Post
#296212
Topic
Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD?
Time
Originally posted by: ferris209
When I use DRM as an example, I mean you just know any downloaded content will have so much DRM that you would be lucky to get two whole full viewings of the movie before it deletes itself. Then even if you purchase a movie by download and try to watch it, you just know the industry will have all kinds of hell trying to get the various companies to be interchangeable, hardware wise. If I download an HD movie with some sort of crazy DRM security protocol then the network I use had better be able to decode that protocol, and you just know they'll update the DRM stuff each year. That's the mess DRM causes. Now if I bought the damn movie on a disc, it will play in any player I put it in, so long as it is disgned to play that format, regardless of the DRM which is on the disc.


But this is not necessarily true with the latest DRM scheme the studios have cooked up for the hi-def formats. Right now, every Blu-ray player, whether hardware or software comes with a bunch of decryption keys. If someone cracks the key on a hardware player, that key is removed from the "acceptable" list of keys, which makes that player useless for playing future titles. The only way to make it work with future titles is through a firmware upgrade. So essentially, every Blu-ray and HD-DVD player is no different from a software hi-def player. The only difference is that they'll be harder to crack.

Of course, this functionality hasn't been implemented on any Blu-ray or HD-DVD titles yet (and I'm not convinced that the studios would ever do it), but it is there. I believe the studios have said they'd wait until 2008 or 2009 to start implementing it, so they do have the capability.
Post
#296143
Topic
Transformers: The Movie
Time
Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
too bad the movie could not transform from a turd into a good movie, LOL

seriously look at the bad reviews.

there is no way in hell i was going to pay 12 bucks for a ticket to another cgi crap fest courtesy of george pukas.


Wait. So you want to blame the latest CGI fest on George Lucas because the FX company he created worked on the movie? Even though Lucas had nothing to do with it outside of creating that company 30+ years ago? There are plenty of reasons not to like Transformers. I think you've picked the lamest one ever though.
Post
#296129
Topic
The Music of Star Wars: 30 Anniversary Collection
Time
Originally posted by: GoodMusician
It still doesn't explain what the last 2 discs are... some speculate it could be TPM UE... which sucks... I don't know why they'd bother packaging that.

I hope that if these are the SE's in a box set, they at least fixed them.


Because it's the 30th anniversary and just about everything has been repacks.

After reading most of your post about what's wrong with the SE CD set, I hope they fix it too. I'm not counting on that at all though and I'm betting that this is in fact a simple repackaging of the SE CDs and the TPM UE.

Fixing the sets and releasing the rest of the missing music would require actual work. With this, all they have to do is go back to the masters and reduplicate everything. That's not very hard and takes little to no effort.
Post
#296125
Topic
Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD?
Time
Originally posted by: ferris209
A lot of people keep saying that this format war is irrelevant because downloadable content will reign. I'm just not so sure, there are some things that people like to own, I mean physically, see it on your shelf, own. I, for one, am that way. I remember 15 or more years ago when people told me that paper would be a thing of the past by the year 2000, well here it is 2007 and I know my office kills more trees than a wooded backroad full of drunks. I also remember hearing that CD's would be obsolete too because of downloading music, while it has taken a blow, CD's are still going strong despite the downloadable music rage. IMHO downloadable HD movies will never be supreme for several reasons, first a lot of people like to actually own what they buy, not just the rights to use it. Second, DRM, nuff said. I could come up with more but I'm tired.


You can blame the mess of paper on government regulation. Just about anything dealing with accounting has to be printed and stored for years, it can't just be stored digitally. Hell, even giving over emails for a lawsuit have to be printed.

And actually, regarding CDs, while millions are still sold, digital music downloads are showing massive increases in percentage while CD sales are showing declines.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-01-04-music-sales-main_x.htm

You'll find the same DRM in Blu-ray and HD-DVD that any downloadable hi-def movie has. If a player gets hacked, they revoke the key and then unless you update your player, anything you buy after that is useless. The advantage downloadable hi-def movies would have over that is that the player would get automatically updated. Besides, I have no doubt that some hacker will find a way to crack the DRM scheme, whether it's downloaded or not.

As Internet connection speeds to homes get faster, downloading hi-def movies will become more and more viable.

And you can make me number three for people who were thinking of buying Blu-ray (as much as I don't like Sony) but are now waiting for a reasonably priced dual format player.
Post
#296124
Topic
Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie in 2009
Time
Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
maybe the plot will involve paul reubens getting arrested for playing with his pee wee in an adult movie theater, LOL.

is it just me or has there never been a more gayer character than pee wee herman, or a gayer name for a character.

I bet that paul reubens is a queer in real life.


If I'm not mistaken, the original Pee Wee's playhouse was never meant as a kids show anyway. It somehow got turned into that (I know I watched it as a kid) and then the world freaked out when he was caught in an adult theater.