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

[Blu-Ray Watcher]

Yeah, that looks pretty cool too. Cool to see cameras evolving and achieving more and more.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Blu-Ray Watcher

Yeah, that looks pretty cool too. Cool to see cameras evolving and achieving more and more.

Yeah, someday they may be able to catch up with the best film cameras of 50 years ago.

[kurtlingle]

Ah,

Those were the days... to funny to think of it. I remember on AVS when the first HDDVD players came out.... then the blu players came and man - what a lot of online arguments there were!

I read your threads on AVS (and here) and read Amir's - I still remember he said that BD-50 was impossible (that's when I was sure BD would win - if you have to lie that bad, then MS and HD-DVD was sure to lose out).

So glad that is all behind us and I do appreciate all the "clues" you used to give us and then the huge news about Warner going blu.

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Thank you for remembering my humble contribution to the Blu-ray cause and...for the record, some of my fiercest HD DVD opponents have since become some of my closest online friends…. Amir notwithstanding.

Next Blu-ray Disc Association meeting is in Vancouver later this month but alas, the Stanley Cup Finals (which I would have loved to take in a game) will be over by then.

[Paul H]

Originally Posted by kurtlingle

I remember on AVS when the first HDDVD players came out.... then the blu players came and man - what a lot of online arguments there were!

I read your threads on AVS (and here) and read Amir's - I still remember he said that BD-50 was impossible

Don't remember the "BD-50 was impossible" part.

The arguments and the WAR itself resulted from the unprecedented access to technical R&D information made available to the public and the corporate propaganda that was used to influence the masses.

It was a no-brainer for seasoned audio/video enthusiasts who from the start preferred the data storage superiority of Blu-ray and continuously questioning and suggesting the possibility of adding specifications for 1080P 3D.

A hard victory to win considering the cost to the masses for better picture and sound quality.

Paul

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Paul H

Don't remember the "BD-50 was impossible" part.

- it was "BD-50 is sci-fi",
- then it became " they can make a few in the lab, but they can't be massed produced" (which was funny since by then BD was outselling HD-DVD
-followed by "they can't replicate BD-50 and get data all the way to the edge so they are much lower then that" and "the reject rate is so high that they can only do it for a few films" so we should consider BD as 25GB (then again they where considering HD-DVD as 51GB because triple layer higher density HD DVDs where right around the corner and 60GB for the flippers


such level of delusion is only matched today with the DL and anti-3D crowds.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Paul H

Don't remember the "BD-50 was impossible" part.

If I recall the exact quote, it was something to the effect that BD-50 was “science fiction” with the direct implication being that such discs were impossible….worded either in that particular infamous post or some follow-up posts.

The sweet irony is that Happy Madison Productions (on the Sony Pictures lot) came out with a motion picture about a truly science fictional device (a universal remote which did amazing things) –
http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/click/

and henceforth became the first title to appear on that *science fictional disc* known as BD-50…..of which I personally alerted the skeptics at the time to watch for its imminent appearance….prior to its formal announcement.

The pitiful thing about Amir’s misleading claim was that around the time he made that statement, although BD-50 had not quite made it to the marketplace yet, people were already working on (and showing progressive success) with making BD-100s.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

- it was "BD-50 is sci-fi"...

There ya go!

The funniest thing these days about how some people rewrite history is that a few weeks ago I read a post on a professional forum inhabited by post production people where some longterm member made the statement that SONY paid off Toshiba and that's how Blu-ray won the format war.

Yup, and on his famous ride, Paul Revere warned the British too.

[Steedeel]

Penton Man, if Sony decided to go without bluray for the ps4 would there still be enough bluray players out there to ensure plenty of bluray sales from that point onwards. I certainly hope so, if a ps4 had no disc support i am sure many would jump to the other side! (xbox 360 follow up) It would feel like they had betrayed a very loyal customer base.

[PaulGo]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Yup, and on his famous ride, Paul Revere warned the British too.

You betcha!

[PaulGo]

Any comment on this article?

Jeffrey Katzenberg on the 'Heartbreaking' Decline of 3D (Exclusive Q&A)

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...wood-is-196616

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Penton Man, if Sony decided to go without bluray for the ps4 would there still be enough bluray players out there to ensure plenty of bluray sales from that point onwards. I certainly hope so, if a ps4 had no disc support i am sure many would jump to the other side! (xbox 360 follow up) It would feel like they had betrayed a very loyal customer base.

If, and I emphasize the word IF, that were to ultimately surpass with a device which is still in the early developmental stages, yes, there still be enough blu-ray players out there to ensure plenty of blu-ray sales from that point onwards.

Don’t worry so much.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

In my lifetime, I've gone from watching a small 9" B & W TV and thinking it was the cat's pajamas to watching HDTV (sometimes in 3D) on a 60" screen....

Yeah, but have you or others ever heard anything like this – sent to me from my friends at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, which has been known to have enjoyed numerous compliments from theater patrons in the past, such as - http://www.dangerousminds.net/commen...back_to_life_/

They bring you this *colorful feedback* from another vocal customer vis-à-vis a YouTube video clip which they tell me has gone viral with the number of hits –

YouTube - ‪Don't Talk - Angry Voicemail (Uncensored)‬‏

^ lol, that’ll wake you up in the morning without the need for a cup of coffee.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

Any comment on this article?
Jeffrey Katzenberg on the 'Heartbreaking' Decline of 3D (Exclusive Q&A)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...wood-is-196616

I’ve heard about it but, haven’t had a chance to read it yet. Now…early a.m. meeting to attend. I will say one thing, Jeffrey seems to make extreme assessments. One day, 3D is the greatest thing since sliced bread and the pick-up truck and the next day 3D is on its death bed.

[Paul H]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

Any comment on this article?

Jeffrey Katzenberg on the 'Heartbreaking' Decline of 3D (Exclusive Q&A)

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...wood-is-196616

From the article:

Katzenberg: ………On every account for us, 3D is a win. It's not nearly as big a win as it should be, and it's certainly not the win it was headed toward being, and that's really heartbreaking to me because we have managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory as only Hollywood can do.

IMHO, this is a necessary symptom of growing pains, a catharsis needed for reflection and helping to form a healthy path for future 3D artistic creation.

[Steedeel]

Thanks Penton-man. I should stop worrying. I just never thought we would get such high quality picture and sound for the home that i would be happy with. now we have it i want it to stay for at least the next decade!!!

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

such level of delusion is only matched today with the DL and anti-3D crowds.

You'll find adequate "delusion" anytime misinformed passion and technology collide. This is true in both the "anti" or "pro" sides of any internet warfare. and the 3D debate, is a classic, if not the ultimate example of that.

It's only FUD, if your side loses right?

[sharkshark]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Sharkshark - This be a nice coffee book for you – http://www.mvremembersjaws.com/

As an aside, when I first saw Jaws, it so scared the begeebers out of me that I foolishly went out to my local dive shop and purchased a Farallon shark dart (for protection) despite the fact that the chance of me ever running into a Great White (at least in open water) was less than me winning the lottery.

...I was young enough that I was afraid to shower, as I was convinced the shark was going to come through the faucet. Luckily, I put my fear of sharks onto my sister, who is still afraid of the ocean, while I happily dive with the critters...

[Penton-Man]

I am sad to inform folks that as fallout to the *green issue* recently expressed online by LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring aficionados, there has been collateral damage to an innocent bystander...

I’m hearing that sales of the Thomson VIPER FilmStream Camera over the weekend and today have plummeted….just plummeted I tell you!

YouTube - ‪Viper Stream HD Color Correction Reel By Luis Flores Jr‬‏

Please folks, please, for the sake of humanity and all things you hold dear, somebody attend the upcoming theatrical presented of FOTR to shed more light on the subject before the Blu-ray.com server is overwhelmed.

http://www.amctheatres.com/Lordofthe...c_id=nh_advtix

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

...I was young enough that I was afraid to shower, as I was convinced the shark was going to come through the faucet. Luckily, I put my fear of sharks onto my sister, who is still afraid of the ocean, while I happily dive with the critters...

White Pointers or sharks in general?

[Tok]

Originally Posted by Paul H

From the article:
IMHO, this is a necessary symptom of growing pains, a catharsis needed for reflection and helping to form a healthy path for future 3D artistic creation.

I don't necessarily hate 3D, but I do think that too much of the industry put all their eggs in one basket. It seems like every major event picture was scheduled for a 3D release even if it was filmed in 2D. For computer animated movies the transition to 3D is much easier, but for live action these cheap looking quick 3D conversions burned a lot of the paying audience.

Also I think 3D was forced into CE devices too quickly. We just saw the expolsion of HD capable homes in the last 5 years and now the CE makers expected many of those same customers that had just paid four figures for a HDTV in the last couple of years to again pony up to be on the bleeding edge (nevermind, that good paying jobs have left the US at an alarming rate).

Again I don't hate 3D, but the audiences are experiencing 3D fatigue on top of limited funds in the pocketbook.