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

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

ruh roh... did you just lay a RAH smackdown?

Mommy and daddy are fighting... *sniff*

I'll give him benefit of the doubt, just in terms of nomenclature... I mean, we woudn't want "grain" called "noise", would we?

Not when it’s inaccurately portrayed as such, tens if not hundreds of times in postings about Blu-rays over the past months…..years? on audio/video boards by people implying or outright stating that they have some sort of expertise on the subject.

That wears on the patience.
And I’m not giving you “the benefit of the doubt” the next time you say anything negative about Shania, cause it’s written somewhere in the Rules and Regs of Club Penton that sort of banter warrants keelhauling in a bay filled with Lionfish!

For now, your penance will be to find and post one sexy YouTube video of Shania singing.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

Well, just got through watching Public Enemies finally.. Thought it was a pretty stunning looking disc, actually, really liked the look they went for. The film was about what I expected, not tremendous, but certainly enjoyable.

I noticed a mild bit of colour moire near the begining of the film, at the lower portion of some horizontal blinds... Not sure if it's my setup (Oppo>Kuro) or something about the capture. Other that that minor blemmish, I'd be curious, Penton, why you scared us with talk about how some might think it's crap...

Well, I didn’t mean to scare anyone. It was more of a heads-up because I think it’s safe to say that Public Enemies had a rather atypical appearance in comparison to other motion pictures and I just cautioned folks prior to its Blu-ray streeting with some specifics in this post…
https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post2519845

The theatrical presentation, was, without a doubt, the most controversial feature film of 2009 amongst the cinematographic community due to its unconventional imagery. Much more controversial than the AVATAR Academy nomination for Best Cinematography, despite the fact that only about 30% of the final footage was live action for that feature.

[DenonCI]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

Not meaning to veer the topic into off-topic territory, but it's been a few days since my last post. I've been trying to find out some sort of info regarding any sort of backward compatibility any new HDTV sets currently on the market might have with the newly introduced Blu-ray 3D standard. Will any of the "240Hz" HDTV sets currently on the market be able to comply with any Blu-ray 3D standards?

I was formerly the happy owner of a 52" Sony Bravia XBR4 model LCD HDTV set. But in the wee hours of Feb. 1 my house was burglarized. The thieves made off with about $10,000 of personal property. The incident was a very nice "cherry atop the sundae" to finish off a nearly week long trudge through crippling Oklahoma Ice Storm Hell. My neighborhood had no power for 4 days straight, which meant the very cold and very dark at night 'hood was largely vacant, leaving a perfect opportunity for scumbags to come loot various residences. The President declared Oklahoma a federal disaster area last weekend, but no one saw fit to call in the National Guard to help police uphold the law.

Anyway, long story short, I'm in the market for a new HDTV set. I'm not waiting until the end of the year to buy a new TV (as well as a new PS3 to replace the limited edition 80GB Motorstorm model the pukes also robbed among other things). It would be nice to be able to pick out a new TV set that might be forward compatible with some of the new features due to arrive in HDTV sets around year's end.

Well, going to get some sleep. Gotta wake up early Saturday morning and get to work sawing up many many downed tree limbs.

Bobby, sorry to hear about the theft of your gear. I don't know of any TVs that are available right now that conform to the 3D standard, although many were announced at CES as "coming soon." I think Samsung and Panasonic had models with actual ship dates, but I can't remember when they were (my memory is saying June, but I'm probably mistaken).

If I were in your shoes, I would search the Internet and try and find a KURO. If you have to buy a display that isn't 3D compatible, it might as well be the best TV ever made! My Mom picked-up a 60" in early December for $3700 and the picture is outstanding (Mom is a videophile ).

Hopefully your insurance company doesn't give you the runaround.

Best regards,

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

Not meaning to veer the topic into off-topic territory, but it's been a few days since my last post. I've been trying to find out some sort of info regarding any sort of backward compatibility any new HDTV sets currently on the market might have with the newly introduced Blu-ray 3D standard. Will any of the "240Hz" HDTV sets currently on the market be able to comply with any Blu-ray 3D standards?

I was formerly the happy owner of a 52" Sony Bravia XBR4 model LCD HDTV set. But in the wee hours of Feb. 1 my house was burglarized. The thieves made off with about $10,000 of personal property. The incident was a very nice "cherry atop the sundae" to finish off a nearly week long trudge through crippling Oklahoma Ice Storm Hell. My neighborhood had no power for 4 days straight, which meant the very cold and very dark at night 'hood was largely vacant, leaving a perfect opportunity for scumbags to come loot various residences. The President declared Oklahoma a federal disaster area last weekend, but no one saw fit to call in the National Guard to help police uphold the law.

Anyway, long story short, I'm in the market for a new HDTV set. I'm not waiting until the end of the year to buy a new TV (as well as a new PS3 to replace the limited edition 80GB Motorstorm model the pukes also robbed among other things)........

I was just about to ask about you because we hadn’t heard from you in awhile and I had indeed noted the state of Oklahoma being declared a federal disaster area last weekend……freezing rain, ice, snow, repeat as needed.

Bobby, I don’t think you will have to wait for the end of the year. Panasonic has indicated that their 3D sets should street this Spring and Sony Electronics has indicated *summerish*. I would be patient.

One thing which I believe may become a real world benefit of home theater 3D displays (esp. LCD’s) over commercial theatrical 3D is the brightness factor. I’m getting reports that some 3D theatrical presentations are too dim because apparently the owners are running their lamps way past what they should be and they’re only getting about 2 ft. Lamberts as seen through the RealD glasses. In the long run, home theater 3D may prove to be a much more consistent viewing experience in terms of brightness (which is important for 3D) than real-world variances among commercial theatrical outlets.

[sharkshark]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

For now, your penance will be to find and post one sexy YouTube video of Shania singing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY ?

BTW, Excellent use of "keelhauling" - it's a term that's lost some favour since the 1800s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keelhauling

Much like waterboarding, when done correctly, it hurts like hell and you want to die. If done incorrectly, you die.

It's like they had nothing to do on ships save think of ways to punish one another....

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Well Penton, if you can't comment, then should Sony win the bidding, I hope they will be encouraged to continue their partnership with WB on Terminator and let the Sarah Connor Chronicles Direct to video movies be made to cap off the excellent series

I wish I'd gotten some video, my big white fluffy cat just banzai'd into the snow. He's a really dumb cat with a memory that is measured in nanosecond. It was awful cute until he got himself caught in a bush.

The siamese on the other hand howled in protest and refused to go anywhere near the stuff. He makes most cats look ready for the swim team. When he was a kitten he'd sit outside the bathroom and howl in terror at the steam coming from the shower

I see you guys along the I-95 corridor are going to…..or already have been? pummeled with the white stuff.
Especially the District which has a history of not doing well with snow.
News man Josh must be having fun.

[sharkshark]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well, I didn’t mean to scare anyone. It was more of a heads-up because I think it’s safe to say that Public Enemies had a rather atypical appearance in comparison to other motion pictures and I just cautioned folks prior to its Blu-ray streeting with some specifics in this post…
https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post2519845

The theatrical presentation, was, without a doubt, the most controversial feature film of 2009 amongst the cinematographic community due to its unconventional imagery. Much more controversial than the AVATAR Academy nomination for Best Cinematography, despite the fact that only about 30% of the final footage was live action for that feature.

Yeah, fair enough... I guess nobody saw Miami Vice, that equally toyed with the characterisitics of shooting on video - TO THE EXTREME! (cue high electric guitar soloing)

You (or anybody) have the disc? Mind popping it in when you have a sec and look for those blinds, and see if your (calibrated, no doubt) setup sees the moire? I can get timecode if you need... Again, not a big deal, I was just curious if it's a product of the camera, the EE you refer to, the encoding, or my setup.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

BTW Penton, your horse is real pretty

Guess what part I skip over in Hidalgo too The rest of the film is fantastic, beautifully shot and very underrated. Joe Johnston also did October Sky, a true gem

Thanks but, don’t tempt me as I’ve got a helluva a lot more pics of “Pinta” than I do of “Maya” and her offspring……..and your encouragement could ultimately drive Deci crazy with the redo's.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Oliver K

Actually I think that the old release of Gangs of New Yorks had some issues that can be documented quite nicely with screenshots, especially overblown contrasts and nasty edge enhancement.

Or to put it another way: Unless there is a conspiracy so many screenshots from several sites that look so bad cannot come from a Blu-Ray that makes for a great viewing experience.

Surely one of the rarer cases where screenshots are that telling but still there are a number of releases around where I would say this is the case for certain problems......

I never said that screenshots were not valuable for gross illustrative purposes. However, 99% of the time, that is not how they are being/have been used on internet boards in the past. On the contrary, they have been primarily used to exaggerate *frozen in time* images often leading to the promotion of inaccurate speculations into fact.

Heck, I’ve even used them once (via a link) to make a factual point for teaching purposes
https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post2724568

The point is Oliver, they are overwhelmingly misused on *screenshot science* threads portraying themselves as as an accurate illustrative aide, which they often are not, due to a whole host of reasons which have been elaborated upon by myself and others on this thread in the past.

[Penton-Man]

It's 10:30, gotta go ride in the mud.
Later.

[Bobby Henderson]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Bobby, I don’t think you will have to wait for the end of the year. Panasonic has indicated that their 3D sets should street this Spring and Sony Electronics has indicated *summerish*. I would be patient.

Yeah, it's tempting to wait. But I don't know what the introductory prices will be on those TV sets. It can also be risky to buy the first generation of a new kind of TV. There's no telling what sort of bugs may be present. If I do wait, I'm going to read a LOT of product reviews before deciding on anything.

What really sucks is the 52" HDTV that was stolen was my only TV set. So if I do wait, I'll have to buy a modest sized TV set and then perhaps move it into a bedroom or sell it once a large, good quality 3D capable TV set becomes available.

I'm also a bit annoyed by some of the extras the new Playstation 3 consoles lack compared to the version I had (2 fewer USB ports, no flash card slots, no SACD compatibility and an overall cheaper looking design). Still, I liked the PS3 enough as a Blu-ray player and multi-media system that I'm certain I'll buy another. None of the standalone Blu-ray players can do all of the stuff the PS3 can do. On top of that, the PS3 is supposed to be upgradeable to Blu-ray 3D capability.

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

One thing which I believe may become a real world benefit of home theater 3D displays (esp. LCD’s) over commercial theatrical 3D is the brightness factor. I’m getting reports that some 3D theatrical presentations are too dim because apparently the owners are running their lamps way past what they should be and they’re only getting about 2 ft. Lamberts as seen through the RealD glasses.

I think the biggest problem with digital 3D in movie theaters is the processes don't work well on large movie theater screens. There's a Carmike theater in Lawton, OK that has RealD on 3 of its 8 screens. The 3D image quality looks really good there, but the auditoriums have no more than 200 seats.

Dolby 3D isn't recommended for really big screens either, but some theaters still run it there anyway. I was curious to see how Avatar would look in Dolby 3D on a 80' wide movie theater screen. Warren Theaters' Moore 14 in Moore, OK was showing Avatar that way. I wonder just how dim the picture was.

IMAX 3D (the film-based version) is the only 3D format that works really well on giant sized screens.

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I see you guys along the I-95 corridor are going to…..or already have been? pummeled with the white stuff.

I would have gladly accepted 2 feet of snow in exchange for the 2 inches of ice we received. The trees in my front and back yards are badly damaged from the stuff. It's why my neighborhood didn't have power for four days straight and it's ultimately what led to my house getting burglarized.

[Oliver K]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I never said that screenshots were not valuable for gross illustrative purposes. However, 99% of the time, that is not how they are being/have been used on internet boards in the past. On the contrary, they have been primarily used to exaggerate *frozen in time* images often leading to the promotion of inaccurate speculations into fact.

Heck, I’ve even used them once (via a link) to make a factual point for teaching purposes
https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post2724568

The point is Oliver, they are overwhelmingly misused on *screenshot science* threads portraying themselves as as an accurate illustrative aide, which they often are not, due to a whole host of reasons which have been elaborated upon by myself and others on this thread in the past.

My intention was not to defend screenshots but to explain why Robert might have thought that screenshots would be helpful in the case of GoNY...

Biggest problem I see on AVS is that several industry professionals have been driven away when it would have helped so much more to have them on board in order to learn from them and to change things for the better

And I missed that post about the 10 to 8 bit conversion - always interesting to see how it's done!

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Joe Johnston also did October Sky, a true gem

You liked October Sky that much? Why?

I read the book first, then eagerly watched the movie, but was disappointed. I think it was one of the few films where I felt I could have done a better job. I believe I read that they wrote the script as they received the book, Rocket Boys, chapter by chapter from the author, Homer Hickam, and it shows. I believe it would have come out much better had they read the book in its entirety, then wrote the script.

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

... I’m getting reports that some 3D theatrical presentations are too dim because apparently the owners are running their lamps way past what they should be and they’re only getting about 2 ft. Lamberts as seen through the RealD glasses...

Huh? Lamps? I thought all theatres still used carbon arcs, like we did in engineering school in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Pure, brilliant light. The rods burn down as you use them, giving you no choice about replacement.

When/why did this change?

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

It's 10:30, gotta go ride in the mud.
Later.

No comment on the coyote on the train?

[Bobby Henderson]

Originally Posted by Me

So if I do wait, I'll have to buy a modest sized TV set and then perhaps move it into a bedroom or sell it once a large, good quality 3D capable TV set becomes available.

Update. I'm probably going to buy a Sony KDL40V5100 model HDTV set tomorrow at Sears to take advantage of the Super Bowl weekend prices. The 40" 120Hz TV set regularly costs between $1100-$1200. Right now it's $879 and qualifies for no interest and no payments for 12 months. I'm waiting for my updated Sears MasterCard to arrive at my work place (changed all my credit card accounts and checking account early Monday). However Sears can do an account look-up and put the TV on the new card even though I don't have it yet.

A 40" TV set is quite a bit smaller than a 52" model, and its picture quality isn't as good as the stolen XBR4 unit. But it should suffice for a few months until those new 3D TV sets hit store shelves.

Being without a TV really really sucks.

[sharkshark]

BTW, those that actually love -music-, I've just gone through the Paul Simon tribute from the Library of congress. Some just stunning renditions of his songs.

I'm surprised to find that there's not a single "pro" review for this disc.

Anyhoo, for those that expressed interest in "country" stuff, go, buy this disc, and check out Krauss and friends simply nailing Graceland.

And, yeah Penton, I put that up against Shania any day. Besides, I worry you like her for her, uh, "assets", more than her "singing"

Plus, Stevie forgetting his lines, or as he put it, "lost his cuecards", is pretty priceless...

The band is sublime, backing singers top notch... A hell of a show all around, and a fitting trubute to the old, shrivelled white (insanely talented) Jew from NYC.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by DenonCI

Best regards,

Denon, I meant to tell you that a few weeks ago for the first time I saw The Legend of Bagger Vance (on cable).
I had never seen the movie before.
I truly enjoyed it.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY ?

You’re killin me.
Geez, why don’t you just post a pic of Elisha C………..FAT.
Shark, you’re incorrigible.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by cjamescook

Huh? Lamps? I thought all theatres still used carbon arcs, like we did in engineering school in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Pure, brilliant light. The rods burn down as you use them, giving you no choice about replacement.

When/why did this change?

Ask Deci, or one of the former projectionists here.....feel free to chime in.
We’ve got an army of them on this forum.