Info and forum posts by 'sanejo'

RE: 5.1 vs DTS, possibly turning into the, "Can you PROVE that DTS sounds better than DD?!!

Dts may or may not be better than DD, I suspect that the actual mix is where any differences that do exist originate. But I will continue to buy discs, where possible with Dts and DD tracks, simply because it will keep the industry standard DD on their toes. If DD were the only option I strongly suspect that many more dvd releases would still be DPL.
For the record if I`m demo-ing my system I use SPR Dts and U571 DD, both provide a stimulating sonic experience;-p

RE: We Were Soldiers

We watched BHD on Saturday night and We were soldiers on Sunday night, (we don`t get out much!) I thought that We were soldiers was the better of the two. BHD was just so much "How gory is that?" I enjoyed it, but don`t feel the need to see it again. We were soldiers had all the banging and shouting and a reasonably engaging narrative,I think Mel Gibson played it just right, far more likely I`ll give this another viewing.
A passing thought, I think it`s a good thing that the makers of both these films accept that the U.S. can make foreign policy mistakes, and that generally it`s young GI`s who cop the bill.
Again, We were soldiers at least gave a nod to the fact that the NVA was made up of people not just proto corpse.
Yeah 5.1 is good to:P

This item was edited on Monday, 16th September 2002, 21:49

RE: Should we bring back the death penalty for certain crimes?

I normally consider my self a "bleeding heart liberal", but as a parent I can not think of enough forms of retribution to visit upon child killers and sexual predators.
After Dunblane if I had been asked to execute Thomas Hamilton, I`d have said, "Certainly, how painful can I make it?".
I know this is not a very reasoned approach, I did a degree in Philosophy and Psychology, so I do have a grasp of some of the human rights issues and the dangers of miscarriages of justice.
At the end of the day people who commit these acts have to be removed from society permanently, a life sentance is the very minimum.
It is said that a societies level of civilisation can be measured by how it treats its criminals, I think a better measure would be, how far that society is prepared to go to protect its children.
Personally I wouldn`t have the state execute these people, I`d just put them in the general prison population, see how they like being prayed upon.

RE: LG3350 firmware upgrade?

I`ve had trouble with Harry Potter disc 2 but nothing else so far.
All the old "Problem" discs, Gladiator disc2, Dinosaur R1, T2UE R1 all play fine. Generally it`s a solid player that copes with most things.

Try : http://members.lycos.co.uk/ittroll/3350review.htm

This item was edited on Thursday, 15th August 2002, 18:42

RE: .... has caused an error in kernel32.dll Internet explorer will now close.....

Use Opera, it`s smaller,quicker and more secure.

RE: So you`re on this desert island.....

Kurosawa, that way you get reading material too:-)

RE: Terminator 2?

Hello Anil,
I admit I worry about my DVD-18, and I was a little disappointed that it`s just a silver shiney thing, no logo, nothing! But it does have the advantage that all you have to do is "flip" it, no disc swapping.
Anybody wanting T2, if you are multi-region get the R1, no contest. My local Tesco, down here in Cornwall has at least 8 tins on display, £19.99.
By the way Anil, nice reviews.

Kit or discs?

If like me you`re building a home cinema system on a budget, how do you split your spending?
In the last 18 months I`ve spent over £1300 on hardware, not a huge sum, but I only earn about £11k, so it`s a sizeable proportion. I`ve also spent about £400 on discs, so not much of a collection, but not an inconsiderable proportion of my earnings.
After christmas I`m hoping to buy a dedicated speaker setup, so again more hardware and consequently fewer discs can be bought!
What`s your priority? Kit or discs?
This hardware bias would not be so bad if I thought it would ever end, but I`m on my third player, and I`ve already started browsing at amps again.(My Kenwood is less than 10 months old.)
For the record:-
Panasonic tx32dk1
LG3350e (Previously Wharfdale 750 and 750s)
Kenwood KRF7030d
Pioneer surrond speaker kit(old but bold)
Home built Pioneer based sub(very big, very not popular with she who must be misled)
Happy holidays!

RE: Crouching Tiger subtitles different in different regions?

The thing that amazes me with the dubbed version of this film is that it looses the reference to crouching tigers and hidden dragons, even more bizzare is the fact that the subtitles clearly maintain the reference.
What`s that all about?

RE: What is the biggest selling DVD of all time???

Shrek, is the fastest selling and I think possibly the biggest selling. This very site has a news item on its region 1 page about this very matter.

In defense of Pearl harbor...

In defense of Pearl Harbor.
(Which is rather more than the U.S. managed.)

Was it last April we in the DVD community were getting all excitable about the biggest start-up budget film of all time?
Those tasty, teasing TV ads. Bombs eye views, screaming Mitsubishi zeros, Browning 50 cals spitting death, boy scouts p***ing by their tent.
Then came the cinema release and horror of horrors, the film is a dud. Uninspired script, insipid acting, poorly researched and way long, way too long. Eager anticipation turned to bitter disappointment, and then, in turn to dismissal.
The reviews must have had Walt damning live action to the seventh level of hell, the Mouse house could hardly have imagined just how wrong a film could get.
The cinema release had been, in a trivial way, a parallel of that day "that will live in infamy". With the potential to have been the biggest and the best, poor preparation, failure to appreciate the signs and complacency had led to a film that failed to engage an audience as it should.
But, just as the Pacific fleets mauling, whilst a terrible blow, had ultimately been a failure, so a poor cinema release, has I think to a large extent been combated by a far more satisfactory DVD.
(The Japanese plan failed because the U.S. carrier fleet was not at Pearl on that fateful day, so instead of the 2 years free of U.S. intervention in the Pacific they had anticipated, the Japanese had exactly 9 months before the first U.S. counter offensive at Guadalcanal.)
I saw the movie for the first time on Sunday night, R2 rental for £2, those early TV ads, and National Geographic, had done their job. Lousy love interest and cheesy dialogue were not going to keep me away from that lovely CGI and 5.1, no sir.
You know what`s coming, I enjoyed this movie, quite alot.
The first eighty minutes, which seem to be the main gripe most people have with this movie, are not good, but, they`re not dreadful, not even bad.
This film certainly deserved, needed, a cracking opening, a hook to draw you in and engage your emotions, what you get, is a sort of coming of age, first love, lost love melodrama. I think this part of the movie is reasonably well balanced, it has a few scripted laughs, one or two unintentional laughs, the jolly banter of the RAF types spring to mind here, some romance, a little fore taste of the action to come, setting the time and place, and some character building, Top gun with propellers.
The leading trio are not method actors they are character actors, and I think they do as well as the script allows. Afleck I think is actually good, for me he pretty well carried this part of the film.
Of course Cuba Gooding jr. is introduced in this part as well, why we don`t see more of him I can not fathom, that is one of the things this film is truly guilty of, wasting talent.
Long as this section is, I only felt that it was 10 or so minutes too much, my wife could have watched it, in all its soapy glory, for weeks.
When the attack begins this film really does become all it should have been, CGI, live action, total sound immersion, like SPR it is brutal, perhaps not quite as visceral, not quite as personal but more dynamic. The action is fast, slow, airborne, seaborne, in town and on airbases, it leaves you disorientated and drained...it works.
The fear and confusion, especially of the nurses, is well conveyed.
The heroics of the male leads is once again more Top gun than SPR,
but that fits with the tone.
The Doolittle raid is perhaps the least satisfactory section clearly a plot device to make 3 into 2 go.
I have one question, is that Jabba the Hutt playing Roosevelt?

Many have criticised this film for being inaccurate, it maybe that it is not an historical document, but its faults come from trying to simplify complex issues, not a desire to mislead or obfuscate.

As narrative this movie is more enjoyable than I was expecting, it is not a great movie and that is a great shame, it is however no worse than any number of action flicks we all sit through, indeed for much of its running time it is a stunning piece of work.
If you haven`t seen this movie because of the bad reviews, at least hire it, you`ll be pleasantly surprised. After all if you had spent $200,000,000 on this film being p*ssed at the result would be justified, for £3.00 it`s a steal, even owning it for £16.99 is a bit of a bargain.

I ordered my R1 copy today, the attack scene will be my reference piece to display my setup to anyone foolish enough to say "What`s this DVD stuff like then?"

RE: 100 Greatest Films - Channel 4 - Saturday - what`s your 1-2-3 ?

These are my favourite films:
1)Seven Samurai
2)Unforgiven or Leon (God I`m crap at this.)
3)Tombstone

These are my favourite discs:
1)T2 UE
2)CTHD or Leon (Not getting any better.)
3)Seven Samurai

When the Tombstone SE comes out in January I`m hoping it will topple T2 UE from its long held top spot.

This item was edited on Monday, 26th November 2001, 20:05

RE: What`s on your Christmas list ?

Well I`m pretty happy with my vision setup, and the basic part of my sound is in place, i.e. DD/DTS amp, but my speaker setup is a real mongrel. Various Pioneer and Sony Hi-Fi kit and a subwoofer made up of a 1971 Pioneer Bass speaker driven by my previous surround amp.
This lot does a fairly respectable job, that sub really rattles the foundations, (It`s in a corner, cone facing the floor!), but a dedicated Home cinema speaker set would I suspect have a little more control.

RE: Panasonic TX32DK1 v Philips PW6006 32

I`m very pleased with my DK1, not the flatest screen out there, but still a very good picture with little distortion at the edges. The Quintrix tube is about as good as 50Hz FST gets I reckon. NTSC performance is flawless, R1 T2 UE, Saving Private Ryan DTS and even Dinosaur all look wonderful, I don`t think you would feel that PAL versions of these movies offer any improvement in picture quality. As a stand alone TV the Nicam sound is good but not great, with an AV amp, it`s a brilliant monitor.
Good luck!

RE: LEON R1 or R2

And Matilda getting drunk and laughing manically.

RE: Anyone got a Panasonic TX32DK1 TV?

I`ve had a DK1 for about 2 weeks now, it`s my third "budget" widescreen in 5 weeks! But, I think this one is the keeper.
The FST Quintrix is "quite" flat, although nothing like the Tau tubes Panasonic are doing now. Having said that the picture is nothing short of stunning, especially anamorphic dvd material. The detail this screen produces compared to, for instance, the 100Hz Scneider 28" WS I also briefly owned, is staggering. Details on the armour in Gladiator have a real 3D feel, the costumes in CTHD are just superb.
My advice would be to go to Currys and have look at a Philips and the Panasonic, my preference was the DK1.

RE: Best widescreen tv for £300?

Panasonic TX32-DK1
It definately does do NTSC as NTSC-very nicely!
It has 4:3, Just(4:3 fill mode) 14:9 and 16:9 and Panasonic auto which does a fairly good job of selecting one of the previously listed formats.
It`s only nicam but I`m using an AV amp for sounds.
I think the Quintrix FST is pretty damn good. When I bought this I was considering one of the 28" Tau pure flat screen jobs, it was very impressive, but I think the DK1 is probably 90% as good in terms of sharpness/clarity but gives a much more cinematic picture, `cos it`s BIG!

RE: Success! My wife`s a convert!

My wife likes the extras too, she doesn`t quite get the favourite scenes bit yet though, or the comparisons when I get a new bit of kit.
She can recite the first twenty minutes of T2 now, despite herself!

RE: Best widescreen tv for £300?

Yes, Asda have a 100Hz 32" from Schneider, it retails at £699.97.
I must own up and admit to not having the Schneider 28" anymore.
I noticed the cabinet was damaged and rang my local Asda to get a stock check, "Yes Sir, loads of them `ere." So I went down to Falmouth (25 mile round trip) to find no 28" wide screens, just 32s. Not best pleased I got my money back and bought a 32" Panasonic from Currys for £579. Although it`s a 50Hz model its performance is stunning.
I liked the Shneider, no complaints regarding performance, but a lot of its functions were unneccessary, especially when its widescreen modes were so limited.
The Panasonic has more useful functions and obviously gives a much more cinematic experience.
Hope this helps.

RE: LEON R1 or R2

Leon R2 is a great movie, the international version is sublime, stupendous, brilliant, mind f**kingly good.
The NTSC transfer is excellent the audio mix is also a very good DD5.1.
I think that the international version is as close as we`re going to get for a special edition of this movie.
Sell your house,sell your partner,pets and offspring but BUY this movie,
I think I`ll have a rest now.

RE: Multi region player`s worthwhile ??

Yes, buy multiregion!
R1 discs are often better produced available earlier and almost always cheaper. RCE apparently can cause some problems but I don`t think it`s as effective as the studios hoped it would be. I`ve not had any problems with my LG playing R1, but to be fair I only have 8 R1 discs, and I don`t know if any of them are RCE, that tells you something in itself though.
Good luck boyo.

This item was edited on Thursday, 8th November 2001, 19:25

RE: What version of SHREK shall i buy? R1 or R2?

R1 has a DTS track, more extras and costs £15.99 from
Future entertainment.com,with free P&P, cracking deal!

RE: Which should I get - R1 or R2 Terminator 2?

I haven`t seen the PAL version but if you can notice anything wrong with the NTSC picture I would be very surprised, it is a simply flawless transfer, go for the r1, you will not regret it.

RE: Region 1 Shrek and LG3350E

Yes, locks on my LG3350 as well, BUT, if you press the Menu button on your remote as the disc spins up, it will by pass the dreamworks logo and you`re in.
Press it like buggery though!

RE: Best widescreen tv for £300?

Hello Rachel,
I`ve played several R1 discs on my tv now without any problem.
It sounds to me like your dvd player is not outputting true NTSC but the PAL emulation mode. Check the back of your dvd for a PAL/NTSC/AUTO switch.
The tv should auto select the correct mode.
It would be a shame to take it back cos it`s a nice telly!

RE: How Noisy should a Wharfdale be ?

I have owned both a 750 and a 750s but never an M5.
Both 750 models were quite noisey but not obtrusively so.
If you`re really concerned take it back and get another one, Tesco are very good about exchanges.
Good luck.

RE: Is it me? Or a Phantom Menace?

Ah, companionship.
We ought to start a secret society, lets call ourselves "Jedi Knights",
and tour the galaxy righting wrongs with fluorescent tubes.
Or has that been done?

RE: Surround sound question!

Sounds like real bottom blather to me.
I`ve got a Virtual Dolby Surround telly(which I guess is what he`s on about) and it`s a reasonable sound, it may be better than an "old" pro-logic set up. However, I also have a Kenwood home cinema amp (DD/DTS and Pro-logic) and it blows the telly sound system into the weeds.
If space is an issue, or technophobia, VDS works fine, but it`s only ever going to be 2 speakers and a s*** load of processing!

Is it me? Or a Phantom Menace?

I can`t be the only one who is struggling with a Phantom Menace.
It maybe the best DVD transfer ever,but the film itself is SO weak, with the exception of Darth Maul, killed off way too early, this film totally lacks the "Darkside of the force".
And that, I`m afraid is what made Star wars
IV, V and VI work.
This is definately a DVD I`ll have to see before I buy!

This item was edited on Monday, 15th October 2001, 19:09

RE: Best widescreen tv for £300?

The Schneider is impressing me more and more!
The model is a Scinema 28-100T, it was the last one at my local Asda so I didn`t see a black one, if I had, for £66 they could have kept the silver finish. As I said I`m getting happier each time I turn it on. I`ve done the trawl of the electrical shops, and granted that their display sets aren`t in an ideal enviroment and are probably as badly setup as humanly possibly, I think the Schneider picture looks as good as any I`ve seen.
That includes the £1500 Sony and Toshiba models.
The sound is very acceptable too. I`ve got a Kenwood DD/DTS amp that I use for DVD, with my old Toshiba 28" I used it for Sky and Terrestrial viewing as well, with the Schneider I use its own sound for Sky and Terrestrial-keeps the missus `appy, its got Automatic volume control so the adverts don`t make your ears bleed!
On the down side it took me a couple of days to get the sound to work properly, the TV defaulted to a mono signal, Sound system B/G in the setup, result-no noises, changing it to sound system I cured that though.
No auto switching for format but natty function buttons can be assigned to make the change painless. (4 options 4:3, 16:9 decoder and zoom)
Finally I`ve heard people say Scneider is equivalent to Amstrad, maybe it`s true but bare in mind 2 things:-
1) It`s German made and popular in Germany and,
2) VW are equivalent to Rover....

This item was edited on Friday, 12th October 2001, 19:33