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

[Penton-Man]

http://www.sonywedding.wedsite.com/
^
I requested the Dan Band for the reception tomorrow evening (see near the end of the book after you open it with your cursor) but, apparently everyone just wouldn’t go for the Dan F. idea.

"Candy Shop" from The Hangover (Performed by Dan Finnerty & The Dan Band) - YouTube

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

On a different note.

Penton please give my kudos to the chefs at Sony for the marvelous encode on Moneyball. Outstanding presentation of a great film. The wife and I enjoyed it immensely, even if we only got to watch it on our 120" 1080p screen.

Some C.E. company might argue that you also need a small, cute, quality display for your desk. And if they can put it in a laptop or tablet, then especially for when you travel…
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/p...-2k-ips-lcd-m/

Re: Moneyball
Well then, come Sunday, you know who to root for during the Golden Globes. I hope that Brad Pitt (a mountain biker as well as a motorcyclist!) wins best actor but, he’s got some very stiff competition.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Bond 50....I'm drooling all over this!!
Not Sony I know, but still...great set!

You sir, better look forward to some good news, for after the Steelers vs. Broncos game on Sunday and the way it ended, I suspect your wife won’t be cooking dinner for you all week long this time.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Objectivity

Penton, I know you can't do anything about this but I have to vent somewhere (and I'm typically a "suck it up and deal with it" type person.)

Just bought Moneyball. First blind buy I've made in years. Don't have time to watch it with the kids running around, so I figured I'd install it on my phone. I like the easy of iTunes, but honestly, Ultraviolet with Flixster wasn't so bad for Dolphin Tale and Harry Potter.

I open the disc, follow the directions on the insert, go to sonypictures.com and create an account. It won't let me create an account unless I agree to sign up for an eNewsletter that I don't want. Not checking the box isn't an option because it's required.

Then, once I've created the account and signed up for the eNewsletter I don't want, I have follow a link to the Ultraviolet website and log in there or create another account. I log in because I already have an account.

Despite doing what it says, Sony insists that my Ultraviolet account is "not Activated."...

Sorry for your misfortune, but as I’ve said before, I have nothing to do with the development, implementation or day-to-day functioning/issues of UltraViolet. All I can do is pass on your complaint to the people who do.

[sharkshark]

P, feel free to send me a free copy of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hhyrJ1721qg

Cheers.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

You sir, better look forward to some good news, for after the Steelers vs. Broncos game on Sunday and the way it ended, I suspect your wife won’t be cooking dinner for you all week long this time.

Wives cook?
In all seriousness, 6 Lombardi trophies kinda take the sting out of an upset loss to Denver. Heck with 6 trophies, I told my wife that she(and her fellow Sthilers fans) will be playing w/house money for the rest of their lives....and that's assuming Pitt doesn't win another championship in the next 40-60 years(which I highly doubt).
Meanwhile I've resigned myself, as an Eagles fan, that the complete opposite will occur: I'll live to be 100(another 60yrs) and never see Philly hoist a Lombardi of their own. Which is why I'm really hoping the planetary reset button is pushed on 12/21/2012.
Sorry, I had to vent as well!

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Some C.E. company might argue that you also need a small, cute, quality display for your desk. And if they can put it in a laptop or tablet, then especially for when you travel…
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/p...-2k-ips-lcd-m/

Re: Moneyball
Well then, come Sunday, you know who to root for during the Golden Globes. I hope that Brad Pitt (a mountain biker as well as a motorcyclist!) wins best actor but, he’s got some very stiff competition.

Wow, talk about pixel overkill!! But then again high resolution monitors are needed for photo stuff more than movie playback so maybe the added resolution helps cut down on issues with scaling for high resolution photos.

I don't think Brad is going to walk away with the statue this year. I think he did a great job, but I wouldn't call it the performance of the year. I haven't seen all the big films that are contenders this year but I thought Oldman was great in Tinker. Haven't seen Clooney in The Descendants yet. For supporting actor I'm a big fan of Nolte's work in Warrior, which is still one of my favorite movies of the year so far. I think Plummer's role in The Beginners was a bit overrated. Heck, I thought that film as a whole was overrated.

[Objectivity]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Sorry for your misfortune, but as I’ve said before, I have nothing to do with the development, implementation or day-to-day functioning/issues of UltraViolet. All I can do is pass on your complaint to the people who do.

I understand. As I said at the start of my rant, it wasn't aimed at you. It's just so frustrating to see something that's been working simply and effectively for years be "improved" into something that doesn't work at all.

My guess is that if I had ignored the instructions and put the code directly into Flixster none of the problems would have occurred. Now I have a useless digital copy for a movie, at least until Ultraviolet's website is updated to show that it supports Ultraviolet devices.

[Kris Deering]

I too miss the simple digital copies. Worked everytime and never had an issue taking a movie with me on the go. So far UV has proved to be nothing more than a headache and a PITA.

[DenonCI]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

I too miss the simple digital copies. Worked everytime and never had an issue taking a movie with me on the go. So far UV has proved to be nothing more than a headache and a PITA.

I agree 100%. The studios took something that was extremely simple and made it way too complicated. It's almost as if Microsoft had its hand in the development

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by DenonCI

I agree 100%. The studios took something that was extremely simple and made it way too complicated. It's almost as if Microsoft had its hand in the development

You'd do well in the VHS/Beta era with references like that.

I'm guessing for you a better Ultraviolet would only be compatible with one type of device that you couldn't even change the battery...

[DenonCI]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

You'd do well in the VHS/Beta era with references like that.

I'm guessing for you a better Ultraviolet would only be compatible with one type of device that you couldn't even change the battery...

Peter, I assume you are referring to me as an Apple fanboy, which I'm not. I'm a PC guy all the way, but even I admit that Microsoft makes things difficult on its end users. For example, look at the now defunct Zune player. It was an awesome device as far as specs go, but since it wasn't "Plays for sure" certified, it couldn't play back digital copies! Now what idiot thought of that? No wonder it went belly-up. Because of this oversight, I was forced to buy an iTouch, which works great (when iTunes doesn't crash my PC), but on the plus side it's extremely easy to get a digital copy onto your device in under 5 minutes. From the example above, Ultraviolet isn't a simple process (and I've fought with it myself) and finally just gave up.

[ole geezer]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

While I'm all for innovation, I would rather see a lot of other things being added to software than 4K. Increases in bit depth and color resolution being the more obvious. I would much rather have a true 4:4:4 encode on Blu-ray than a 4K 4:2:0 encode. I would rather see 10 bit than 8 bit. Heck, I'd rather see them use the full 8 bit encode for the black and white signal (instead of limiting it to 16 to 235)!

I am all for 4K workflows on the post side as it is has been more than obvious that even Blu-ray at 1080p24 benefits tremendously from higher resolution scans and DIs. But a 4K display is lost on more than 99% of people out there IMHO.

...and the merits of 4:4:4 Vs 4:2:0 and 10 bit Vs 8 bit isn't.

Btw, I just read my issue of Home Theater magazine. Great stuff on 4K.

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Bingo!

You absolutely get it, Kris.

I'm not at all against pushing further for progress; I just don't think a 4K consumer format is a logical or efficient means to do it in the current market. There are other directions for the industry to go in to much more readily bring significant improvement to a much larger segment of the audience (and 4:4:4@10bit is up at the top of my list, as well).

Thank God both of you are not in a position to decide what's best for the consumer at large and that we still get to do THAT for ourselves.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

Thank God both of you are not in a position to decide what's best for the consumer at large and that we still get to do THAT for ourselves.

I will certainly grant you that neither Kris nor I are in any position to dictate the specifications of the next consumer video format, but I must've missed the meeting at which 'the consumer at large' was presented that opportunity.

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

...and the merits of 4:4:4 Vs 4:2:0 and 10 bit Vs 8 bit isn't.

Thank God both of you are not in a position to decide what's best for the consumer at large and that we still get to do THAT for ourselves.

Considering the size of the majority of most people's screens and the distance they sit from them, 4K will be more than lost on most people. 1080p is probably overkill for a lot of them. This from someone with a screen that is 10' diagonal. 4K isn't even something I think would benefit me!

But more chroma resolution and bit depth would be obvious. Considering the resolution of the color in your Blu-ray is less than standard definition. And bit depth would go a long way in helping with the banding that we see creep into transfers so often. Instead of addressing issues that are common with video encoding and could be alleviated, we're going to give consumers more resolution that they don't even need.

It probably is a good thing I don't decide the formats or specifications. People seem to focus on refresh rates that are spiraling out of control and making movies look no better than daytime soaps, resolution numbers that are completely lost on their 50-60" edge lit flatpanels that trade uniformity and accurate calibration so it can be the same depth as their credit card, and streaming services that cannot be limited to one device in their setup but rather every single consumer device they own. I'm almost surprised that my Sonicare toothbrush isn't Airplay or DLNA compliant, seems like a missed market for audio delivery given the recent ridiculous trends.

I personally care about the most pristine video and audio quality and will gladly sacrifice unneeded resolution (you notice how those giant screens at your local multiplex are only 2K? But I bet most just can't stand that pixel structure!) for better compresssion and usable resolution (chroma).

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

Considering the size of the majority of most people's screens and the distance they sit from them, 4K will be more than lost on most people. 1080p is probably overkill for a lot of them. This from someone with a screen that is 10' diagonal. 4K isn't even something I think would benefit me!

Well, I don't know about most people but, I think it will at least benefit you, especially when you hear back from independent audiovideo enthusiasts when they get back from CES, as there should be testimonials from people who viewed the Sharp demo….
http://www.digitaltrends.com/ces-vid...k-at-ces-2012/

completely disagreeing with your size assessment needed to appreciate even well done upsampled 2k -> 4k video – which really is just a stepping stone to true 4k exhibited on a 4k x 2k panel, the merits of which should be easily appreciated on displays even smaller than those seen in the Sharp demo.

[Penton-Man]

All this high resolution talk has gotten me excited, I even plugged the camel movie -

https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-mo...ml#post5673213

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

All this high resolution talk has gotten me excited, I even plugged the camel movie -

https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-mo...ml#post5673213

It's like Penton in stereo...and I'm thinking that's not a bad thing!

[ole geezer]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

Considering the size of the majority of most people's screens and the distance they sit from them, 4K will be more than lost on most people. 1080p is probably overkill for a lot of them. This from someone with a screen that is 10' diagonal. 4K isn't even something I think would benefit me!

Resolution is my passion. I'm old enough to have seen movies such as 2001: a space odyssey, Lawrence of Arabia, Sound of Music, Battle of the Bulge, etc. during their large curved screen first run 70mm engagements and, even though more than 40 years has passed since this experience, the PQ's clarity and detail was something I never thought I would see again....until now.

My ole Sanyo Z4 720p projector has served me well over the past 6 years and I gotta admit, I do see a 4k projector in my future.

But more chroma resolution and bit depth would be obvious. Considering the resolution of the color in your Blu-ray is less than standard definition. And bit depth would go a long way in helping with the banding that we see creep into transfers so often. Instead of addressing issues that are common with video encoding and could be alleviated, we're going to give consumers more resolution that they don't even need.

Honestly...I don't see color resolution (or lack thereof) as a universal issue and never have. Indeed, I had to do an internet search just to find out what that's all about.

It probably is a good thing I don't decide the formats or specifications. People seem to focus on refresh rates that are spiraling out of control and making movies look no better than daytime soaps, resolution numbers that are completely lost on their 50-60" edge lit flatpanels that trade uniformity and accurate calibration so it can be the same depth as their credit card, and streaming services that cannot be limited to one device in their setup but rather every single consumer device they own. I'm almost surprised that my Sonicare toothbrush isn't Airplay or DLNA compliant, seems like a missed market for audio delivery given the recent ridiculous trends.

Yeah...it's probably a good thing.

I personally care about the most pristine video and audio quality and will gladly sacrifice unneeded resolution (you notice how those giant screens at your local multiplex are only 2K? But I bet most just can't stand that pixel structure!) for better compresssion and usable resolution (chroma).

I live near resolution starved Albuquerque NM and there's not a single commercial IMAX theater to be found in the entire state!!! Anyway, the wife and I are going on a cruise out of Galveston TX where, for the first time in my life, I'm looking forward to an IMAX 3D experience.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

Resolution is my passion.

No offense intended, but you sound to me a little ignorant about it for one who would profess something like this.

Originally Posted by ole geezer

Honestly...I don't see color resolution (or lack thereof) as a universal issue and never have. Indeed, I had to do an internet search just to find out what that's all about.

I would pose that this attitude is a product of your acknowledged inexperience with it. I know a lot of people who didn't think things could really get better than their VHS decks until they saw DVDs for themselves. It's hard to miss what you don't know you're missing.