Info and forum posts by 'autumnranger'

RE: Star Wars: Attack of Ewan

Sounds like he might be channeling Sir Alec Guiness.

It`s not false modesty I don`t think. I`ve seen him do better work (Shallow Grave anyone? or the ever popular Trainspotting). Star Wars was clearly a cake walk. He could have phoned that performance in.




....and you thought life was tough

RE: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - July 21st

Quote:
I`d love to read book seven, but Royal Mail`s f*cked up delivering my Amazon order and there`s nowhere local I can pick one up at short notice.

Ready to bite somebody.

Wish you were in the States Mark so I can get you a copy. I walked into the local Waldenbooks and got a copy with no problem despite not reserving one. Then I walked into a widely franchised drug store (almost our version of Boots), and they had stacks of copies. Our Safeway ran out of copies last night though.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: Malcolm McDowell classic is given the 4 disc treatment!!!!

Had my hopes up there for a second, been waiting for "if" to be released. Any other McDowell films to look out for??

beware the kharmic smackdown

RE: DVD`s DVD`s ....do you ever watch `em twice?

Maybe the reason most of us have to many dvds is because it is so much easier to buy them than to unload them. Who has time to schlep them to the nearest used media store and ebay is such a joke.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: What did you get in the post today ????????

Life on Mars series 2 dvd, unfortunately they are only the press release discs, no extras. But I haven`t seen the last four episodes yet so that`s what makes this receipt so special today. Will be up until the wee hours watching these....



....and you thought life was tough

RE: Crooks at Royal Mail....??

This kind of thing happens in the US too. It didn`t happen too much a year or so ago, but I suppose I have a steady stream of packages which are obviously discs. For the most part though the discs I order are not region 1 so unless the theives or their customers have multiregion players, the discs will do them no good.

None of my packages have disappeared lately, but I suppose they have learned not to grab packages not from amazon.com or some other US dvd retailer.

What got my goat was when I filed a complaint, the person behind the customer service desk said, what`s the problem? Why was I going through the trouble of reporting a loss?She told me I could order another disc. I told her that it wasn`t fair to the retailer. It`s not their fault the item was lost.

You would think they would show more concern about a missing item or atleast put on a show of concern even if they don`t mean it. Damn bureacracy! Our mail gets misdelivered all the time. I get letters for people one street away and not even the same house number! So there is something wrong with the postal service anyway you look at it. Add insult to injury, they`re raising postage rates in a few weeks. You watch in a few months time the postal workers will threaten a strike because they feel their wages are too low.


....and you thought life was tough

RE: Life On Mars.......last one...... :-( (Spoiler)

Quote:
the US version will star either Cannon, Columbo or Kojak partnered by erm Gil Grissom or Jason Gideon(Criminal Minds)-cmon its either that or Police Squad

Actually they can just redo Streets of San Francisco. That show was about modern policing vs the old way of doing things.



....and you thought life was tough

This item was edited on Thursday, 12th April 2007, 06:01

RE: The Riches : Eddie Izzard

On the commentary track for the Spooks episode featuring Hugh Laurie one of the commentators said comics make the best actors because of their timing. I have yet to see a competent comedian who sucked at drama. Rik Mayall did a wonderful job in his "Rik Mayall Presents..." series, and Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry have earned their dramatic kudos. It also doesn`t hurt that Minnie and Eddie have great chemistry together.

Can`t see how The Riches can miss on cable. You don`t have to get as many viewers to make the show a hit. The true numbers will be reflected next week. We`ll see how many people return for a second serving. If the show had been on network, it would probably struggle keeping its head above water. A second series is assured by being on cable.

But that`s just this one US viewer`s opinion.

RE: Dvd Copying

I am almost sure the HP dvd burner I just got is strictly region 1 only, but with DVDFab I`ve been able to back up dvds not region 1 (regs 2, 3 and 4 so far). So maybe some drives aren`t picky unless you try to play the discs. I will play the discs on my all region players so all the coding and signal concerns don`t affect me or any of my players.

EDIT: I am new to all this, but with inconsistent errors, I have been able to backup any region dvd on this burner. I just can`t confirm if the copies share the same region code as the originals. I know PAL discs will remain PAL and NTSC will do the same.

FURTHER EDIT: Just popped one of the discs I backed up (region 2) into a region 1 only recorder and it played correctly and in NTSC. So I am not sure what DVDFab does in the copy process, but I am happy with the results I have gotten from the program. I travel a lot and at times I have to stow my discs in checked luggage. Atleast now I won`t have to worry about my discs disappearing from my suitcase.

....and you thought life was tough

This item was edited on Thursday, 22nd February 2007, 18:05

RE: Can you erase a finalized DVD-RW....??

Thanks for the note on the +RW. I was wondering why those are sold out where ever I look. I won`t say what brand my dvd recorder is (it is one much maligned here, but has been working perfectly until I type this, things might change the moment I post this message), but I have used both +RW and -RW and they both work on the same brand dvd player I have without finalizing.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: Can you erase a finalized DVD-RW....??

I just reformat my DVD-RW. That erases anything I have on the discs and they can be used again. What puzzles me is why DVD +/-RW have become scarce, atleast in the stores I frequent (Office Depot, Best Buy). I see they are readily available online though.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: Multi-region DVD players. No hack necessary.

That is what I am finding here in the States, you have to just shop around on the internet sites of various electronics stores for the dvd player you want and just google the hack codes.

I am still puzzled why it still feels like it is slightly illegal to purchase multiregion dvd players here in the US.

What I am ending up doing is making non region code copies of dvds. That way I can play all my dvds on anything. Also I travel a lot and not having to worry about losing my discs is a great load off my mind. Weight restrictions often force me to stow most of my discs in the checked luggage. I guess that`s what I get for flying economy. I can`t justify paying more for a seat which will hit the ground first when the plane crashes :D

....and you thought life was tough

RE: i don`t want blue ray/ hddvd

I refuse to fall into the new technology craze on principle. It`s just a way for them to sell you stuff you already own. Moreover spending money on new technology means you will keep spending on the upgrades etc. There is no end. I don`t think the "old technology" of our present dvds will go away. It will just be the bargain bin products we see selling for a dollar each at the local Walgreens.

Here`s a question for you tech heads, will the people selling you blue ray/hddvd pay for my future expenses? I am not so fatalistic that I will spend all my money now, I am looking to the future where I can live independently and not have to worry where my next meal is coming from. Whether you have kids or not, that should be a concern for each and every one of us.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: i don`t want blue ray/ hddvd

I refuse to fall into the new technology craze on principle. It`s just a way for them to sell you stuff you already own. Moreover spending money on new technology means you will keep spending on the upgrades etc. There is no end. I don`t think the "old technology" of our present dvds will go away. It will just be the bargain bin products we see selling for a dollar each at the local Walgreens.

Here`s a question for you tech heads, will the people selling you blue ray/hddvd pay for my future expenses? I am not so fatalistic that I will spend all my money now, I am looking to the future where I can live independently and not have to worry where my next meal is coming from. Whether you have kids or not, that should be a concern for each and every one of us.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: recording vhs to dvd

Since you asked, I do it to save room. Discs take a hell of a lot less space than vhs tapes. Why buy something I already have a copy of?? It`s just a waste of money. Then I can write off the donation of the vids on my taxes. Everyone wins this way.


....and you thought life was tough

RE: recording vhs to dvd

Most of the vhs to dvd transfers I`ve done I am happy with. I`m not particularly fussy about picture quality. The largest screen I own is 17" and everything looks great.

I refuse to buy into the "new technology" we are being bombarded with. I trust my tv set will be good enough to watch network and cable shows well into the next decade. I want to spend my retirement years enjoying myself and not having to decide between food and medication when spending what`s left of my savings and retirement funds....

....and you thought life was tough

RE: What was your first ever computer??

Kaypro word processor, dual disc drive no hard drive. Floppy disc brain (top disc drive), and floppy disc storage. Five inch discs. I got it from my dad who thought a typewriter was too good for his daughter. The printer made lots of racket like a typewriter though.


....and you thought life was tough

RE: Winterval Or Christmas?

Sorry, for this US resident it is Christmas. Last year when all you heard was Happy Holiday I cringed inside and replied Merry Christmas! I greet my Jewish and Muslim friends with appropriate greetings for the season and occation (but Happy Rosh Hashana and Happy Yom Kippur just sound hackneyed), why can`t non Christians greet everyone else the same way? It shows a lack of respect for others when you force them into the mindframe you have built for yourself.

Give a little get a little, it is a yin-yang sort of world, you know.

The consumerism and commercialism we know as Xmas today is due to Christ being taken out of Christmas. If we only remember who is the reason for the season, then maybe we will have a more fulfilled Christmas season and even non Christians would feel comfortable celebrating it.


....and you thought life was tough

This item was edited on Friday, 15th December 2006, 19:30

RE: Do most of the DVD recorders produce region free DVDs ?

I`ve just been spending this week making copies of home made dvds a friend in the UK just sent me. My Philips stand alone dvd player plays the PAL discs as if they are NTSC discs so I can make NTSC copies of my PAL dvds. The Philips seems to adjust the number of lines too, on some players the picture seems too big for the screen.

So I think you can basically do anything with these dvd recorders if you have the right equipment.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: Do most of the DVD recorders produce region free DVDs ?

The way I understand things, discs aren`t region coded, but rather signal/system coded. If your system is PAL, the dvds you create will be in PAL format. In my case all the dvds I created with my recorder is in NTSC format since that is the standard for the US/North America.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: New US TV Show: Daybreak

Thought it might be a jump at the Life on Mars band wagon too.


....and you thought life was tough

RE: Sad Americans Part II

There are a lot of people who live here who think we live in a democracy too (we are a republic), but I am sure that crowd is the same one supporting the notion that knowledge is the path to corruption. They have probably felt that way eversince a woman named Eve followed the instructions of a particular serpent.

It is rather scary living here in these times, but I can`t really think of any other place where I can earn a very moderate income and enjoy all the mod-cons money can buy. I don`t maintain a credit card and save for my treats and conveniences and live very happily. I have recently paid off my mortgage too so I suppose I am sitting pretty at this point.


....and you thought life was tough

RE: Playing avi files on a Philips

I think I figured out part of the problem, the original avi file must have come from a PAL system and my tv is NTSC. I converted the avi to divx and the picture was better and not as pixelated (don`t know how else to describe it, it`s like raw CGI images)


....and you thought life was tough

RE: Playing avi files on a Philips

Thanks Sue.

Then I guess there is no getting around converting the avi to another format like Divx for instance so it will play on the Philips?

I tried playing around with the settings and the picture cleared up (the avi file) when I exited the settings menu. So I suppose going to the settings menu changes the picture quality. What a curious piece of machinery this Philips dvd player is. Atleast it can play other regions with no trouble...

....and you thought life was tough

Playing avi files on a Philips

Does anyone know what should be done to adjust the picture quality on avi files when played on a Philips dvd player? The model I have is the DVP642, don`t know it`s equivalent in the UK or EU. I can`t put the machine on progressive scan mode, the tv (which is also a Philips) goes blank when I set it on progressive scan.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or solutions.

....and you thought life was tough

This item was edited on Saturday, 26th August 2006, 04:04

RE: Program is copy protected????????

I had a similar thing happen on a recording I did off BBC America from 1999. I plugged in the Sima CT2 (Go DVD) and it cleared the problem. Originally the picture went from dark to very bright. The Sima seemed to stablelize the projection.

....and you thought life was tough

This item was edited on Saturday, 26th August 2006, 03:58

RE: Buying DVDs from Amazon.com (usa) - help please

Don`t know how the delivery service is in the UK, but I preordered Life on Mars and received the dvd set, in the US mind you, on the streetdate of 15 May. It was shipped out on 11 May. It must have hit all the connections to get to California in four days.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: DVD Recorders reliable?

I have a dvd recorder considered by most as a piece of junk and it has yet to give me any major problems. If I say this recorder suffers from the "LOADING" problem, you will probably know which brand this is.

Most people are probably reactionary when it comes to electronics, but I try to find out what causes the flaws. I found out what they were with this recorder and I just try to avoid smudged discs and keep atleast one programmed recording in the queue.

I love dvd recorders, the next one I get will have a hard drive though...

....and you thought life was tough

This item was edited on Saturday, 12th August 2006, 03:34

RE: Dental bills

Another advantage of having a dental treatment vacation is it isn`t as painful as it would be at home. If I had to think of cooking and house work (along with regular work) while getting major dental work done, I couldn`t have gone through what I did (atleast 2 root canals). And since someone else cleaned up my room for me (at the hotel) and food was available via room service, I was in heaven, relatively speaking.

....and you thought life was tough

RE: Dental bills

Dental work is expensive here in the US also. I had my teeth done in Asia. My cousin in-law is a dentist and the regular prices he charged his patients were about a tenth of what a US dentist charges. Even with the airfare and hotel costs, my treatment was cheaper. And I got a tropical vacation to boot.


....and you thought life was tough