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xhonzi

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Join date
30-Oct-2005
Last activity
13-Oct-2020
Posts
6,428

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Post
#442334
Topic
Any Programmers Interested in helping write a Fan Edit Prototyper?
Time

It's basically a super remote control scripter (Logitech Harmony eat your heart out!).

Here are the features I'd like to implement:

Plays DVD*, Bluray, & Common Audio/Video file formats.
Skip selected frames of video/audio*
Mute audio for selected frames of video*
Place still images over selected frames of video (support transparency)
Add sound files to audio
Place text into video (custom subtitles, credits, or old timey "action cards")
Play video file (deleted or alternate scene) from HDD during DVD/BD play
Go to any part of the video (skip long scenes, jump backwards in timeline, insert deleted/alternate scenes on the disc)
Control external devices**
Fade selected frames (to black, or other colors)
Fade audio (to silence or other colors)
Pause video while audio plays

Probably more that I'm not currently thinking of.

*Supported by the MovieMask software I already have

**I have some accessories (lights, smoke, etc.) that I can control via USB that I would like to tinker with movie synching.  Like Matinee, only USB'er.  The software would handle audio (mp3, etc.) files as well, so I can use it to record and playback custom light shows for individual songs.  Or you can use it to turn your USB toaster off/on during a movie too.  Whatever floats your boat.

 

 

Post
#442305
Topic
The TIE Fighter Pilot Who Saved The Day in 'Star Wars'
Time

ray_afraid said:

captainsolo said:

Why didn't Han come back a little earlier so that numerous Rebels didn't die? Why didn't Wedge or other pilots strafe the TIEs or maybe even come in behind them and box them in?

Because this is Star Wars and there isn't a single battle in the trilogy that makes any sense from a military view point.

I hate that you're right about that.  It's so sad.

Shameless plug:  Please see my thread (it's sort of like my own personal blog) here: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Space-War-Hyperspace-Fuel-etc-How-it-all-works-or-doesnt/topic/10621/

Post
#442293
Topic
mPT - The Clone Wars
Time

Just in case it wasn't clear, my intentions weren't to interpret the reasons the Clone Wars TV show is on the air, but rather to discuss alternative ways the Clone Wars could be presented in a rewrite of the prequel trilogy.

I have to assume you all knew this, given the description in the original post, and the fact that this thread is in the "Script Rewriting" forum, but I'll give you benefit of the doubt.

Post
#442279
Topic
What we like about the Prequels
Time

TV's Frink said:

xhonzi said:

I don't like Qui-Gonn.  Or is it Qui-Gon?  You know what?  I just don't care.

 

Also, what didn't you like about Qui-Gon?  Even many (most?) PT-haters admit that he was pretty good.  Is it just a Ric Olie thing?  You know, where you are rendered insecure by his handsomeness?

Eh... I'm not exactly sure.  It's not so much that I liked him except for the parts that I didn't.  It's more that I just didn't care for him in the first place.  Maybe it has something to do with the monkish way all Jedi were presented, maybe it was that he filled the role that I thought Obi-Wan should have had in that first movie...  maybe he just didn't egage me.  I like Liam Neeson... he just seems really bland in TPM to me.  Maybe because he mostly "gets" to play off of Jar-Jar and lil Annie.  Maybe because he gets saddles with the midichlorians explanation.  Maybe because, like RedLetterMedia says, HE is actually the Phantom Meance.

Actually, I'll just go back to: I find in him nothing to like.  Ergo: I do not like him, and I can't explain it further than that.  THE END.

Post
#442267
Topic
What we like about the Prequels
Time

1.  You're all nuts.

B. Has the general approval of the PT gone up or down over time here at OT.com?  On the one hand, it seems to me that it has gone up, as people who saw (and liked) the PT as kids (and maybe before they saw the OT) are starting to join this board in higher numbers.  On the other hand, the novelty has worn off for many and some of those people aren't as positive as they used to be.  But on the other hand, some members haven't watched them in a long time now, and nostalgia is starting to set in and they don't remember how terrible these movies truly are.  Finally, on the other hand... oops... looks like I'm out of hands.

3. There are a few things that I do like, and I will be forced to honestly dump them here below... but that doesn't mean that the PT doesn't suck.  Perhaps it's akin to liking the cherries in a Cherry and Poop pie.  I really like cherries...  but the poop, man!  The POOP!

3.A. Also, I've posted this before, but let me see if I can say it better this time:  I think the prequels got better with each release (2 was better than 1, 3 was better than 2) but not enough better, so that each release was a bigger failure.  Here's my analogy.  You have a goal to save $100 dollars a month during September, October and November so you can spend $300 on Christmas presents.  In September you actually go in debt $80 instead of saving anything.  That sucks big time!  But you still have 2 months left and now you just have to save $380 total, $190 each in the months of October and November.  So, no big deal, right?  Well, October comes and goes, and you break even.  That's a lot better!  But still, you didn't come anywhere close to saving your $190 for the month, meaning you now have to save $380 in November to be successful.  Maybe you can do this!  If you can, everything will work out fine!  Let's hope, and let's try to do it!  Yeah!  We are totally jazzed for this!  Well, in the end you save $50 in November.  Had you done this all three months, you still would have fallen short of your goal of saving $300, but at least you'd have $150, and that would be something!  But no... you are still $30 in debt.  So which month was the greatest failure?  Each month, you spent less and saved more, so you did better as time went on... but compared to where you needed to be to accomplish your goal, you actually did worse. September came in at $180 under goal.  October came in at $190 under goal.  November, your best month because you saved $50, came in at $330 under goal!

4.d.  (these are presented as "compliment, but" pairs, just to ensure no one can feel too postivie about my comments)  ;)

I. Senator Palpatine was good.  (Darth Sidious was not).  The idea of working both sides of the "free" galaxy against each other for the purpose of establishing an Empire was done quite well.  At least, the idea behind it.

II. Some of the ship designs.  I'm thinking that the half TIE/half AotC ships were a good look, and showed the start of the Empire design infiltrating the Republic.  However, a lot of the rest of the ships looked like Star Wars future, not Star Wars past.

III. Duel of the Fates was exciting as choreography, and the emotional tie to the end of the movie.  It however should have been the example of Jedi lightsabre prowess... not the tip of the iceburg of whirling, twirling, CG morphing, tasmanian turbine action found in later prequels.  I still prefer the fights in ESB and RotJ.

IIII. Ewan MacGregor was generally pretty good.  He had some bad material to work with, but I think he really did with it what he could.  It's not his fault that he had to go to Dexter's 50's Diner or say things like, "Your Clones are Most Impressive"

V. It really did push forward the tech that is the future of filmmaking.  We'll probably (or already are) looking back at the CG sets and characters of the PT and think they look pretty crap... but there's no denying that we'd be 5 or 7 years further back in this tech if these movies hadn't been made.  Whether you like it or not, that tech is the future.  And the sooner it gets past its growing pains, the better for all.

VI. I too liked the Arena scene in AotC.  Until jive-talkin' yoda and his ballerina twirling Jedi show up.  But then once the action heads for the hills, I think that bit is pretty good too.  At least... my memory tells me it is.

VII. I thought the look of the ships and the action was back to OT levels by the time RotS rolled around.  The visuals started to carry a little more weight, and space looked better, if that makes any sense.  Unfortunately, there's truly only about 30 seconds of good space battle in RotS... but what's there is pretty good.  Sadly, it serves more as a "what could have been moment" than a "good moment" but what can you do?

VIII. It was interesting to see some other locales and planets.  Naboo was nice to look at it.  After the OT did "Forest Planet, Jungle Planet, Ice Planet, Cloud Planet, and Desert Planet" it left a lot of people thinking, "What's left?!"  But of course, "Tuscany Planet, City Planet, Volcano Planet, 50's Diner Planet, Stormy Oil Rig Planet, and Honey We Shrunk the Kids and put them in a Day Glow Mushroom Kingdom Planet" were yet to come.  If only that darn, out of the way, "furthest from the bright center of the galaxy" planet didn't keep coming up so often.

IX. The Podrace is 90% good.  The announcers and the silliness bring it down, but the action isn't bad.  Jake Lloyd isn't even annoying in this scene!

And that's about it.  I never cared for Qui-Gonn, Shmi, or Watto the way a lot of you do.  I have no fondness for TPM, because it has the worst Anakin (see my savings example in point 3.A above), the most Jar-Jar, probably the worst Yoda (though it's a close three way tie) the most poop jokes, and the most ridiculous plot... and I could go on.  It did use the most physical sets and the most models, so it does have a slightly better look in those regards, but that's a small cherry in a Poop Pie.

Ω. THE END.

 

 

Post
#442214
Topic
Any Programmers Interested in helping write a Fan Edit Prototyper?
Time

TV's Frink said:

Bear in mind I know nothing about editing software...

...couldn't you just buy one of the more common editing software suites (Womble, Vegas, etc.) or do they not do certain things you want done?

The beauty of the editing software I have, and what I'd look into carrying over, is that it doesn't require you to rip the DVD.  Essentially, you could store all of the cutlists, like you have them Frink, and they are the edit.  Yes, it requires you to play it back on your PC, yes you are limited in regards to how smooth you can make your edits...  But creating edits is then very fluid.  See someone's edit that you like, but you wished they had omitted one scene, or one line of dialogue even?  In about 3 minutes, you can edit their edit and be done.  And the resulting file is only a couple K- not Gigabytes.

Does that make sense?

Post
#442213
Topic
Video Games - a general discussion thread
Time

TV's Frink said:

C3PX said:

He's alive!

Ye, I was starting to get worried vfp style.

 ^ Looks more like 'Chaz style'.

Actually, I'm only alive as far as you know.  Maybe I killed shonzie like I did VPN except that I hacked his logon so that you all wouldn't get "suspicious"...

...

...

...

Anywho...

"The Passing " DLC for L4D2 is 43% off this week (for Gold members).  I'm probably the only one interested who doesn't already have it...  but I have it now!!!  It's 320 pts.

 

Post
#441816
Topic
Video Games - a general discussion thread
Time

C3PX said:

@Xhonzi and anyone else who has played Bioshock 2.

<snip>

Thanks for the review, I'll definitely check it out when I get some time.  I've been pretty busy recently and haven't had as much Xbox (or OT.com) time.  I'm really enjoying DarkSiders, though I know I've said that here before.  It got really mixed reviews- primarily due to the complaint: "It's like the best 9 games ever, ripped off and rolled into 1."  Yeah, that doesn't really come across as a negative to me. 

Post
#441813
Topic
Any Programmers Interested in helping write a Fan Edit Prototyper?
Time

I have this software (MovieMask Designer) that was originally intended to make family friendly edits of movies.  You put in a DVD, and the software kind of makes this "thumbprint" of the DVD.  Then you can go back in and it looks like a video editor... except that there's only one audio and video track and the only thing you can put on the timeline are "blocks" that represent the frames that should be muted or skipped to create a "family friendly" version upon playback.

The program would be sort-of-good at prototyping fan edits, except that it's really only good for skipping existing material.  That and the company that made it has more or less fallen off of the face of the earth and you can't officially get a copy of it anymore.

I'm an amateuring programmer (lots of VBA, Perl, Csh, Ksh experience.  Some C#, .NET and XNA experience) and I was planning on taking a stab at writing my own playback software that would support additional features.  Splicing in video from the HDD, alternate audio, working with non DVD files (common computer formats, as well as Bluray), "random access" or "seamless branching" etc...

Is anyone interested in joining me in this venture?

Post
#441810
Topic
Star Wars Revisited: D-Box compatible version
Time

So... I have a slight problem.  I just bought one of those D-Box motion simulators for my home theatre.  The motion coding for SW'77 is really sweet... but as you might have guessed (or might not) Star Wars Revisited (aka, the only version of SW'77 I'll watch) doesn't work with it.

The D-Box is fed the digital audio signal, which it uses to identify the movie being played back and also synch with the playback.  I've heard that other fan edits that don't have the soundtrack recompiled work just fine.  If the fanedit had scenes shortened, then it works fine, and in the cases of exta scenes being added, there is simply no motion (the d-box system 'loses synch' for the duration of the added scene and then locks back on when the original DVD material resumes).

So, my goal, which will probably only benefit me but who knows, is to sit down and watch the movie with D-Box and note the scenes that have motion programming.  Then compare the audio in those scenes against the improved audio from Revisited.  Make a chart of what wins (fanfare during the trench run, for example, will be hard to chose: motion or good audio.) and then try to recut revisited with the audio from the DVD where I want to enjoy the motion coding.

I'm not sure what software I will use for this... and that's where you, the OT.com forum members, come in.  I have access to most software packages, but I'm not particularly skilled/experienced in their use.

And for those of you wondering if there's a better way... I did send a copy of Revisited to D-Box HQ and assuming that they'd find it to be superior over the official DVD that they'd have no choice but to synch it right up.  Unfortunately, they don't feel that they can legitamize the edit by releasing motion code for it specifically.  But they don't seem to mind if the code for the official release also happens to work with a fan edit.

*phew*

Anyways, wish me luck.

Also, anyone that helps me out can drop by Denver sometime and give it a spin if we ever get this worked out.

Post
#437138
Topic
Random Thoughts
Time

C3PX said:

Even without a TV and just those few things I mentioned above, I still feel that my life is far too full of time wasting electronic entertainment.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/report-90-of-waking-hours-spent-staring-at-glowing,2747/

I think TV has the potential to be, and often is, extremely educational.  People (not Warbler) often acuse me of being smart and well educated.  Half (perhaps more) of what I know came from watching TV.  And half of that was from the Simpsons- one of the most educational shows I have ever watched... really puts Sesame Street to shame.