posted
I'm getting really sick of the whole phenomenon, to be honest. Everywhere you look it's "Out Now To Own On DVD!" this and "Contains Deleted Scenes" that and "Includes Director's Commentary" the other. Christ, give me a fucking break already.
Thing is, I was never that much into VHS. Sure, I used my VCR to tape stuff off the TV, and some of it I even kept. But I was never into buying films and so on on tape - I'd say I have less than a dozen films I've bought, and I'd be surprised if I'd watched any more than twice. The video collection I have mostly comprises the B5 episodes, about half bought, half recorded. I don't rent videos either, some of you may remember my earlier rant on the subject.
Partly it's the sheer commercialism of it all. This is just the latest format to come along; I'm sure Sony are positively wetting themselves that one day they'll get to introduce a "killer format" like this after so many mis-starts (DAT, Digital Tape, MiniDisc, etc, etc. . .).
Then there's all the extras. Look, if that scene where Keanu Reeves gets up out of bed is so special, then why wasn't it in the fucking movie to start with? I could care less about watching some hyperbole-laced "making of" featurette, especially when narrated by either Nasal American Voiceover Moron or Deep Throaty American Voiceover Moron. And I don't want to listen to the director's commentary unless he's actually going to come out and say "well, as for this scene, uh, Jesus, y'know, what can I tell you? By this stage of the filming I was so exhausted I can't remember a thing about it."
But don't worry. In a year they'll bring out yet another special edition, this time with the trailers - teaser, theatrical AND televisual! And the star him/herself will also provide a commentary, which manages to gloss over the fact he/she's such a bimbo they can barely remember what they had for dinner last night, let alone the minor details of a film they made two or three years ago.
Ah, yes, the sheer quality of the picture/sound. Well, what can I say? I'm sure it's very nice. But I just have a Sony mini-widescreen TV (it's really sweet, 24 inch screen). I'm not going to pay �2000 for a giant fuck-off flatscreen that's larger than your bay window, with Dolby-Z Dodecaphonic Surround Sound. I don't watch a film and think "gosh, what a crystal-clear picture." The movie itself should have the power to transport you elsewhere, to make you forget that you're sitting in an uncomfortable cinema seat having to tilt your head to the side because you've managed to end up sitting behind the only person taller than you.
I like the. . . what's the word? The ephemerality of TV. With a digital satellite dish, I have hundreds of channels. And you soon learn that everything gets repeated soonser or later. I barely even bother to tape new eps of shows when Im out - I watch new Voyager and new Farscape, everything else I just catch when I can, it'll be on again. I've even been missing DS9 s7 eps that have been shown on BBC2 - Sky will repeat them soon I'm sure.
So, there. I won't be buying a DVD player anytime soon. My next computer may have a DVD-ROM, that seems to be unavoidable these days - but if, say, I could get the package I wanted and it was a commercial/business model (which usually just have a plain old-fashioned CD) I wouldn't be dissuaded by the lack of one.
------------------ "It strikes me that there are enough episodes of the Simpsons that people could speak entirely in Simpsonese, using references from the show to explain or describe an endless series of situations. Nelson and Apu . . . at Tinagra.
But now I�ve brought Star Trek into it again, haven�t I. Sorry."
posted
I have a DVD-Rom drive on my computer, and since I play a lot of games, it's more convenient to have one DVD instead of 4 CDs to a game. That's pretty much it. I do watch DVDs on my computer though, but that's because I don't have a VCR at the dorm.
------------------ "There comes a time when the mind takes on a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there. All great discoveries have involved such a leap." --Albert Einstein, on intuition.
posted
Lee: Fair enough. BUT, aren't you doing the typical old-man thing here (and he's only just turned 30 too).
"I'm not going to by any CD's. I have perfectly good records. CD's just a fad".
"Pah, CD-ROM? I can get everything I need on disks."
"VHS? Give me betamax!"
"Crossbows? I'm perfectly happy with my large bow and arror."
"Swords? Pah. Can't do anything that a good stick can do."
"Opposable thumbs? Never used them. My flippers get me by."
And so on.
------------------ You know, when Comedy Central asked us to do a Thanksgiving episode, the first thought that went through my mind was, "Boy, I'd like to have sex with Jennifer Aniston." -Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park
posted
Actually, didn't Europeans use crossbows prior to longbows? Or was that just in war? Maybe I'm remembering totally incorrectly. Wouldn't be the first time...
I never really bought video tapes before. I had the Trek movies, but that about covered it. However, once we got a DVD player, I decided to start buying DVDs. What can I say? It gave me an excuse to buy stuff I'd always kind of wanted.
Besides, DVDs do take up less space than tapes, and they're likely to last longer. And, now, w/ my DVD drive, I can just watch them on my computer if I want, rather than waiting for the TV w/ the player to be available.
------------------ "Although, from what I understand, having travelled around the Mid-west quite a bit, apparently Jesus is coming, so I guess the choice now is we should decide whether we should spit or swallow." -Maynard James Keenan
posted
Liam is like a brother to me. Actually, he's just LIKE my brother - obsessed with the fact that I'm older than him, and that it's all very unfair. 8)
I don't have any records, got rid of most of my tapes, and haven't bought a new CD in 6 months. It's all just stuff. These days I prefer to put my money towards having fun, new experiences, and so on. I don't want the measure of my life to be things I've bought.
------------------ "It strikes me that there are enough episodes of the Simpsons that people could speak entirely in Simpsonese, using references from the show to explain or describe an endless series of situations. Nelson and Apu . . . at Tinagra.
But now I�ve brought Star Trek into it again, haven�t I. Sorry."
posted
I'm far too busy at the moment obsessing about my own age to be worried about yours, Lee.
Fair enough point. Personally, (and this includes DVD's and other things), I rarely by stuff for just myself. I bought the Buffy tapes to watch with my brother. I bought the DBZ DVD's to watch with my nephew. I'm buying the Powerpuff Girl DVD's to watch with some mates (and also for the commentary. Which is being done by the best person in the world. Ever).
Also, I'm partly getting stuff for the same reason Tim is. There's lots of things that I never got on tape. DVD's will last longer (since tapes apparently have a life of 13 years, and get worse every time you watch them). I'll get the good Star Trek movies, when they actually put some stuff on the DVD's. And a few other things, but I won't go crazy.
------------------ You know, when Comedy Central asked us to do a Thanksgiving episode, the first thought that went through my mind was, "Boy, I'd like to have sex with Jennifer Aniston." -Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park
posted
I just bought a Philips DVD-deck and got "Gladiator" and "Jeanne 'dArc", and they removed the region-restriction while I waited. The whole thing cost me 340$. I also bought "Princess Mononoke" and Excalibur" and I've enjoyed them all. The picture is great, the sound is great, my 28" WS is more than enough to reflect the cinema-feel to it, especially when the internal sub-woofer kicks in.
Why are you making it sound like your 24" WS is not enough? Or did you just want us to ensure you of that?
DVD-disc equals good quality, even for 20 year old movies like Excalibur, and at least in Sweden they don't cost more than VHS-tapes to rent in video stores.
I'm looking for "The Abyss"/"Blade Runner"/"Jaws" Director's Cut now, but I'll have to lay low for a while, I'm prioritizing the dishwasher.
posted
Actually, it occurs to me: Timothy, old cucumber, since you have all this whizz-bang technology around and are able to acquire such superlative vidcaps, how about we discuss phaser images. . . 8)
------------------ "It strikes me that there are enough episodes of the Simpsons that people could speak entirely in Simpsonese, using references from the show to explain or describe an endless series of situations. Nelson and Apu . . . at Tinagra.
But now I�ve brought Star Trek into it again, haven�t I. Sorry."
posted
I wasn't aware of any particular motive in mentioning my TV. It's just rather distinctive, since at first glance you'd think it was an ordinary 24" or 28", but only when you look closer do you realise it's a widescreen. I love it. It's just the right size for my lounge. 8)
------------------ "It strikes me that there are enough episodes of the Simpsons that people could speak entirely in Simpsonese, using references from the show to explain or describe an endless series of situations. Nelson and Apu . . . at Tinagra.
But now I�ve brought Star Trek into it again, haven�t I. Sorry."
Speaking of which, I just got The Mummy - Extra Cool Super Duper Drool Edition at Best Buy yesterday. Wasn't really all that interested in the extras, but it was the same price as the regular, so why not?
The only DVDs I've bought for the extras were Glory and Fight Club ... and I'll pick up the Dogma SE when it comes out, too.
------------------ Star Trek Gamma Quadrant Average Rated 8.32 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux (with seven eps posted) *** "Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!" -Omega 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001 *** "I think this reason why girls don't do well on multiple choice tests goes all the way back to the Bible, all the way back to Genesis, Adam and Eve. God said, 'All right, Eve, multiple choice or multiple orgasms, what's it going to be?' We all know what was chosen" - Rush Limbaugh, Feb. 23, 1994.
[This message has been edited by JeffKardde (edited April 26, 2001).]
posted
Yeah. Sitting-room, living room, whatever. Recently I seem to have taken to calling it a lounge - must be my flatmat's influence, he's from Manchester. Although he doesn't sound anything like Daphne Moon.
------------------ "It strikes me that there are enough episodes of the Simpsons that people could speak entirely in Simpsonese, using references from the show to explain or describe an endless series of situations. Nelson and Apu . . . at Tinagra.
But now I�ve brought Star Trek into it again, haven�t I. Sorry."
posted
Yes. You're so behind the times out in Bristol, haven't you heard of a flatmat before?
------------------ "It strikes me that there are enough episodes of the Simpsons that people could speak entirely in Simpsonese, using references from the show to explain or describe an endless series of situations. Nelson and Apu . . . at Tinagra.
But now I�ve brought Star Trek into it again, haven�t I. Sorry."
posted
Lee: What sort of phaser pics do you need? I've only got a few TOS eps on DVD right now, so I don't know what I'll be able to provide...
------------------ "Although, from what I understand, having travelled around the Mid-west quite a bit, apparently Jesus is coming, so I guess the choice now is we should decide whether we should spit or swallow." -Maynard James Keenan
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