"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[horseflesh]

If I remember correctly, Penton did have a HD DVD player specifically for one title; Field of Dreams. Am I right P-Man??

I had one myself for titles like Casablanca, Adv of Robin Hood and my beloved Midnight Run (although it was a poor disc).

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

I saw the chat tonight and quite honestly, I was very disappointed in the lack of Blu-ray titles mentioned. I was also surprised at how many HTF members were asking about SD DVD titles - yet not many BD titles were asked. It seemed those who participated were more concerned about SD DVD

+1. All those questions about Abbott and Costello and Zombies on Broadway - and nobody asks about Zhivago, or the original King Kong?

edit to add: I just saw that some HTFers are annoyed that there were any BD-related questions at all.

[horseflesh]

Originally Posted by horseflesh

If I remember correctly, Penton did have a HD DVD player specifically for one title; Field of Dreams. Am I right P-Man??

I had one myself for titles like Casablanca, Adv of Robin Hood and my beloved Midnight Run (although it was a poor disc).

BTW, the region-free aspect is also the only thing I wish Blu-ray had "borrowed" from HD DVD.
(particularly being in Europe, I can't imagine it's as much a pain for you North Americans)

[Jeff Kleist]

BTW, the region-free aspect is also the only thing I wish Blu-ray had "borrowed" from HD DVD.
(particularly being in Europe, I can't imagine it's as much a pain for you North Americans)

Region free kept at least 2 studios out of their camp, crippled New Line's ability to release

HD DVD was implementing a region coding system at the time of their demise, and had Blu lost, would have had to be in place before disney or fox released anything

[horseflesh]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Region free kept at least 2 studios out of their camp, crippled New Line's ability to release

HD DVD was implementing a region coding system at the time of their demise, and had Blu lost, would have had to be in place before disney or fox released anything

Now that IS interesting Jeff. Is that "confirmed" (or as confirmed as these things could be) or just speculation/hearsay?
So did the HD DVD camp concede that they needed Fox/Disney more than Fox/Disney needed them?

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

You need to understand how they work, you have I frames, P frames, and B frames, [which are:]

I: is the key frame and supposedly represents each and every pixel in the image all of them from the top right most to the bottom left most pixel
P: does not represent the whole picture it records the "differences" from the previous frame, in every film most consecutive frames (unless there is a cut in the scene) will be mostly similar to the previous one. Let's say it is a close up of someone talking, the background is 100% the same even the persons face will be mostly the same but his lips, eyes and some wrinkles will be different.
B: is like P but is two way

...

Taking this in the other direction, the following product is interesting:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-10202382-39.html

Note: I have no financial connections with the above.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

Oh, you taunt me so........

Well, it’s not intentional. For purely historical reasons, I would be interested in knowing who coined the phrase “red ants” as it just slides off the tongue so naturally.
Grubert, since you are our historian, do you know who it was?

I can remember why(but not specifically when)the first time I personally used that colorful phrase and it was actually before I had ever read its usage online by any Blu-ray supporters back in the day, so for all I know, I could have been the one.

[Penton-Man]

Since, QoS is streeting today, does anyone know the answer to a past post of mine?

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread....sa#post1714900

Get in your Man Rooms and watch the dang disc and tell me.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Yeah, I was just crackin' wise about the President's 'necessary resolution' figure.

A large format scanner is in production that is capable of scanning at 11k from a 65mm/15perf negative.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well, it’s not intentional. For purely historical reasons, I would be interested in knowing who coined the phrase “red ants” as it just slides off the tongue so naturally.
Grubert, since you are our historian, do you know who it was?

No, sorry. By the time I first saw it being used, it was already all over the place.

Same goes for the "smurf" slur - though it wasn't such a good choice: smurfs are definitely cuter than red ants!

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

A large format scanner is in production that is capable of scanning at 11k from a 65mm/15perf negative.

That should mean it should be usable for 5perf, too!

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Grubert

No, sorry. By the time I first saw it being used, it was already all over the place. ........

Well, for cripes sake, maybe I do own infamous bragging rights on the phrase “red ants”?

I remember back during the days of thee civil war, when the red supporters were thoroughly infesting the Blu-ray software section on the “officially” neutral *science* forum and whenever a Blu supporter posted something nice about a Blu-ray title, somebody like plazman would bite at them.

So anyway, during that ‘infestation’ time, I was walking my dog at the local park and the park rangers had the area around the lake where we normal trekked, all closed off with “Do Not Cross” yellow tape because of a red ant infestation so, we had to end our walk prematurely and go back home, exercise unsatisfied, because of the trail closure – as those tiny creatures really can bite!

So, voila (with an accent), the next day, I used the phrase online when referring to red supporters. Funny how things turn out.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Esox50

I'll be excited when we get the other 40+% back. Let's not start rejoicing just yet.

For me, these moves are great. I am not an investor. Buy and hold scares the snot out of me. I am just a trend and momentum trader, so volatility like this is helpfull. In-n-out keeps me safe-n-sane.......barely

[sharkshark]

I don't mean to noodge, and I'm happy we've uncovered the origins of the dehumanising epithet, but curious if you'd like to tackle the second part of my post above?

[Doctorossi]

I still don't know why Barry Lyndon and Lolita weren't released with the other Kubricks in the first place.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Grubert

edit to add: I just saw that some HTFers are annoyed that there were any BD-related questions at all.

It doesn't surprise me. Actually, there are some people out there who actually believe DVD looks better and more filmlike than Blu-ray.

[Anthony P]

Now that IS interesting Jeff. Is that "confirmed" (or as confirmed as these things could be) or just speculation/hearsay?

I don't know about the time frame, but if you read early articles on HD DVD you will find out that RC was added from the get go, but that the regions themselves where not decided on and that they where going to wait to implement it for a later date. It was always in the cards for HD DVD but they wanted to wait for it to be popular enough. That is what I always found funny about the HD DVD fan boys talking about no RC. It was a way to hook people and then they would have been stuck with it. If you look back around 2004/2005 you will be able to find articles about it.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

It doesn't surprise me. Actually, there are some people out there who actually believe DVD looks better and more filmlike than Blu-ray.

The funny part is that asking about any well-known film now seems to be frowned upon. Then you look at their chats of, say, 2000 and 90% of questions are not at all obscure (e.g., Citizen Kane, Once upon a Time in America, Kelly's Heroes) or special editions of titles that had already been released (Blade Runner, Dirty Harry, The Iron Giant). Now suddenly asking about those very titles is passé.

As another forum member has said, maybe there are two distinct interest groups and the chats should be split.

In that case, maybe the Blu-ray chat should be held at a place that actually appreciates Blu-ray.

[Oliver K]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

I don't know about the time frame, but if you read early articles on HD DVD you will find out that RC was added from the get go, but that the regions themselves where not decided on and that they where going to wait to implement it for a later date. It was always in the cards for HD DVD but they wanted to wait for it to be popular enough. That is what I always found funny about the HD DVD fan boys talking about no RC. It was a way to hook people and then they would have been stuck with it. If you look back around 2004/2005 you will be able to find articles about it.

You are of course right that RC was indeed possible with HD-DVD. It was just that the studios that might have used it were not on board, therefore allowing consumers to buy their discs wherever they wanted without having to check if they maybe would not play due to RC. Studio associations and format wars aside that all of us here are very aware of it would still nice to put an HD disc in any player anywhere in the world and have it play.

Now we have a situation where Fox releases even classics like The Robe and South Pacific with RC and that is a pity as it is also limiting much needed sales for these classic titles, I wish they would change their ways.

[Oliver K]

Originally Posted by Grubert

The funny part is that asking about any well-known film now seems to be frowned upon. Then you look at their chats of, say, 2000 and 90% of questions are not at all obscure (e.g., Citizen Kane, Once upon a Time in America, Kelly's Heroes) or special editions of titles that had already been released (Blade Runner, Dirty Harry, The Iron Giant). Now suddenly asking about those very titles is passé.

As another forum member has said, maybe there are two distinct interest groups and the chats should be split.

In that case, maybe the Blu-ray chat should be held at a place that actually appreciates Blu-ray.

It would be nice to have a specific Blu-Ray chat with Warner and of course with other studios, too.
I cannot believe that nobody asked for the pending release of Raintree County and not even Ben Hur, both for me the biggest titles to (hopefully) come to Blu-Ray this year.

But it comes with the territory: when you have forums that also have a DVD section and that are like HTF very focussed on the movies themselves you get more questions about rather obscure silent titles from 1928 than about Ben Hur on Blu-Ray.

I will now go over to HTF and propose a special Blu-Ray chat with Warner