Trevor read this....
 

"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
.. .

"Keith G" wrote


When you can (I believe) get 16 Gb of data on an SD card the size of
a postage stamp (the minimum feasible size for convenient handling, I
would suggest) I would say the days of spinning any sort of disk
about to retrieve digital data are well and truly numbered - no?

**Yep. That is exactly what I wrote in the first part of the thread.
Solid state memory is the future. The latest price I've spotted is
AUS$18.00 for 2GB. Prices will plummet further.



*Years ago* here, back when SD cards were at 4/8/16 Mb, I predicted that
'Gigabyte Cards' would fall out of corn flakes packets and 'Star Trek
style' solid state storage media would eventually rule....




I haven't seen any physical HD products myself - the nearest I have
come to is is the selection of several HDDVD and one BluRay clip that
I ran from a laptop recently. What I have seen does not encourage
me - my plans for an early entry to HD are now on hold for the
forseeable....

**Smart move. Go look at a Playstation 3. They're a cheap and cheerful
way into HD.


This I don't understand - your 'advice' was/is not to buy a
single-format *movie* machine at about 200 quid, yet you advise spending
over double that on a single-format *games* machine when I have told you
200 times I'm not interested in the gaming/computing aspects of
high-capacity disks....???


How does the gaming 'industry' influence the mainstream movie
buying/renting public?

**The industry doesn't want a multiplicity of standards.


Sez who? I don't think you've got any idea of just how cheap and easy it
is to pump out digital media, once the machine's been installed and set
up...??

(To give you a clue - here, in the YUK, we've apparently got newspapers
pre-empting the release of *commercial* CDs with 'front cover' freebies
now!)


**Nope. What happened to Stu? Is he OK?


No idea....

**'K.



Tbh, I miss him - the endless/futile 'valves & vinyl stink' punch ups
were a bit tedious (but fun at times) and I grant that he did the decent
thing* when he realised his dogma was never going to win, but now that
the 'tut-tutters' have got the floor to themselves it's interesting (but
not the least bit surprising) to see they have actually *nothing* to
say.....


* :-)

Trevor read this....
 

"Don Pearce" wrote


Nah. The quality problems I find with films tend not to be anything to
do with the technical standard of reproduction. In fact high def and
hi fi tend to do nothing more than reveal the nastiness even more
clearly.


What nastiness is this?

(Other than the *lost/buried* dialogue you mentioned - which I heartily
agree, especially in modern Yank stuff where you need the subbies on
half the time...!!)

I can't believe your taste in movies is anything like as *technically
antiquated* as mine (mostly 4:3/mono/B&W) - having thoroughly enjoyed
'Meshi' (1951), only the night before last:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043801/

??

What little I was able to see of the 'HD' stuff I would say that it
represents something of an improvement for HDTV users (at the expense of
ludicrous 'moodiness') but as we never watch movies on TV I don't think
it would be of much use to us atm, 'til we had an 'HD Ready' PJ and for
there to be more titles available that we haven't already seen.
Incidentally, I am informed that one of the *benchmark* movies for
current HD quality is the 1938 'Robin Hood'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029843/

If I could be sure they were going to dolly up more movies of this
calibre, I'd jump right in now! And, despite Trevor's 'advice', I'm not
sure waiting for a 30 quid cheepy Chinky is the right thing to do this
time round - there's a big difference between audio and video and we
have been experiencing more problems than ever before with our latest
HDMI Pioneer DV-696AV....!!!

Trevor read this....
 

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 12:21:59 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote


Nah. The quality problems I find with films tend not to be anything to
do with the technical standard of reproduction. In fact high def and
hi fi tend to do nothing more than reveal the nastiness even more
clearly.


What nastiness is this?


I'm talking about stupid visual effects (when cars collide, they are
somehow undamaged, but one of them miraculously leaps into the air and
turns over, exploding as it does so). And ludicrous sound effects
(why, when somebody is punched, does it sound like a small bomb has
just exploded? Why, when the plastic rear light of a car is smashed,
do I hear the sound of glass breaking?)

(Other than the *lost/buried* dialogue you mentioned - which I heartily
agree, especially in modern Yank stuff where you need the subbies on
half the time...!!)


Well, you need that even when you can hear the dialogue now, "movie
english" is so far divorced from the real language.

I can't believe your taste in movies is anything like as *technically
antiquated* as mine (mostly 4:3/mono/B&W) - having thoroughly enjoyed
'Meshi' (1951), only the night before last:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043801/

Most of my favourite films are either B&W or severely yellowed
technicolor.

??

What little I was able to see of the 'HD' stuff I would say that it
represents something of an improvement for HDTV users (at the expense of
ludicrous 'moodiness') but as we never watch movies on TV I don't think
it would be of much use to us atm, 'til we had an 'HD Ready' PJ and for
there to be more titles available that we haven't already seen.
Incidentally, I am informed that one of the *benchmark* movies for
current HD quality is the 1938 'Robin Hood'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029843/

If I could be sure they were going to dolly up more movies of this
calibre, I'd jump right in now! And, despite Trevor's 'advice', I'm not
sure waiting for a 30 quid cheepy Chinky is the right thing to do this
time round - there's a big difference between audio and video and we
have been experiencing more problems than ever before with our latest
HDMI Pioneer DV-696AV....!!!


Well, I will be waiting, unless of course a film emerges that I feel I
absolutely have to get in HD. Can't see that happening any time soon,
though.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

Trevor read this....
 

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 12:21:59 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


What nastiness is this?


I'm talking about stupid visual effects (when cars collide, they are
somehow undamaged, but one of them miraculously leaps into the air and
turns over, exploding as it does so). And ludicrous sound effects
(why, when somebody is punched, does it sound like a small bomb has
just exploded? Why, when the plastic rear light of a car is smashed,
do I hear the sound of glass breaking?)


Yes, it's a pity because I think SFX and Foley have been very good in
movies generally, but the current levels of sloppiness and total
cluelessness (whiny 2 stroke engine noises on big, 4 stroke bikes, just
for one example) just add to the overall nause factor with a lot of
modern movies, AFAIAC...

(I gather the US car industry is none too thrilled at all the car
explosions also...??)




(Other than the *lost/buried* dialogue you mentioned - which I
heartily
agree, especially in modern Yank stuff where you need the subbies on
half the time...!!)


Well, you need that even when you can hear the dialogue now, "movie
english" is so far divorced from the real language.


I'm serious - on *many* movies now (which are supposed to be in
'English'), we have to have the subbies on to find out what was said!
(Plenty of current actors like Harrison Ford are particularly bad at
delivering their lines clearly!)



Most of my favourite films are either B&W or severely yellowed
technicolor.


Ditto, I love B&W movies but I have to say I do get a lift when I see a
film is in early Technicolour - the Archers Film Productions movies are
very good examples, where applicable!

Trevor read this....
 

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 13:26:36 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


Yes, it's a pity because I think SFX and Foley have been very good in
movies generally, but the current levels of sloppiness and total
cluelessness (whiny 2 stroke engine noises on big, 4 stroke bikes, just
for one example) just add to the overall nause factor with a lot of
modern movies, AFAIAC...

(I gather the US car industry is none too thrilled at all the car
explosions also...??)


Can't remember the film, but there was a car chase during which the
"cool" driver, according to the soundtrack, made more than twenty
consecutive upshifts. It was a US movie, so of course he was still
only doing 55 at the end of it.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

Trevor read this....
 

"Don Pearce" wrote


Can't remember the film, but there was a car chase during which the
"cool" driver, according to the soundtrack, made more than twenty
consecutive upshifts. It was a US movie, so of course he was still
only doing 55 at the end of it.



Oh, that'll be the bloke with the 35 shot revolver who was in a 20
minute fist fight without getting a mark on his face....

Often, if we are about to watch a 'munch movie' rerun (ie 'watchable
crap' with people like Cheech Marin and Selma Hayek in it), I will look
up the Goofs in the IMDB and watch out for them. Only so many
days/evenings ago we watched 'Once Upon A Time In Mexico' for at least
the second time and there is a bit where a *well-dead* corpse flips his
foot out of the way to allow another actor to come past!!

(Cracks me up to see it - it's not the actors I blame, it's the
toss-useless film editor!! :-))

Trevor read this....
 

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 14:23:53 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote


Can't remember the film, but there was a car chase during which the
"cool" driver, according to the soundtrack, made more than twenty
consecutive upshifts. It was a US movie, so of course he was still
only doing 55 at the end of it.



Oh, that'll be the bloke with the 35 shot revolver who was in a 20
minute fist fight without getting a mark on his face....

Often, if we are about to watch a 'munch movie' rerun (ie 'watchable
crap' with people like Cheech Marin and Selma Hayek in it), I will look
up the Goofs in the IMDB and watch out for them. Only so many
days/evenings ago we watched 'Once Upon A Time In Mexico' for at least
the second time and there is a bit where a *well-dead* corpse flips his
foot out of the way to allow another actor to come past!!

(Cracks me up to see it - it's not the actors I blame, it's the
toss-useless film editor!! :-))



Like "Apollo 13" when Tom Hanks says "Houston, we have a problem"
instead of "Houston, we've had a problem". I mean, of all lines, how
could they get THAT one wrong?

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

Trevor read this....
 

"Don Pearce" wrote


Like "Apollo 13" when Tom Hanks says "Houston, we have a problem"
instead of "Houston, we've had a problem". I mean, of all lines, how
could they get THAT one wrong?


I hafta admit - if I don't look the Goofs up I don't usually spot most
of them and I *never* look at any Disk 2 (how we did it) material. I am
perfectly prepared to be 'taken in and entertained' and will give the
moviemakers all the leeway they need - including the 'wirework' in many
HK movies but blatant cluelessness is always hard to take and can ruin a
movie for me.

Talking of problems - here's my eBay deliveries today:

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/show/TinyBike.JPG

- a dinky little model of my bike and a.....

.....wait for it....

....*replacement* Bean/Boult copy of VW's Larka!! :-)

I have actually finally knackered my own with *no way* any less than 500
playings - maybe even getting on for a thousand!! (It's almost a daily
ritual for me!) It actually still sounds very good *musically* but the
'groove noise' has been getting louder lately!

(Sodding vinyl - don't last two minutes...!! ;-)

Trevor read this....
 

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 14:47:59 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:

...*replacement* Bean/Boult copy of VW's Larka!! :-)

I have actually finally knackered my own with *no way* any less than 500
playings - maybe even getting on for a thousand!! (It's almost a daily
ritual for me!) It actually still sounds very good *musically* but the
'groove noise' has been getting louder lately!

His great (not sure how many) granddaughter Nicky is a good friend of
mine. She wouldn't recognise a semiquaver if it smacked her in the
face. Funny how genetics sometimes doesn't work out.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

Trevor read this....
 

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 14:47:59 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:

...*replacement* Bean/Boult copy of VW's Larka!! :-)

I have actually finally knackered my own with *no way* any less than
500
playings - maybe even getting on for a thousand!! (It's almost a daily
ritual for me!) It actually still sounds very good *musically* but the
'groove noise' has been getting louder lately!

His great (not sure how many) granddaughter Nicky is a good friend of
mine. She wouldn't recognise a semiquaver if it smacked her in the
face. Funny how genetics sometimes doesn't work out.


Most inherited traits skip alternate generations don't they? Perhaps she
was on the backbeat??

Just waved off my skip blokey (having waited in all day and now it's
****ing with rain again) - 120 quid for a skipfull of garden
snippings/loppings/garage junk and you're going to wait 3 years for a
200 quid HD player to come down in price?

;-)