Info and forum posts by 'ShaunBoy'

Joined on: Tuesday, 13th February 2001, 15:41, Last used: Tuesday, 13th February 2001, 15:41

Access Level: Mostly Harmless

About this user: Keen home cinema amateur, but with reasonable technical knowledge (I surf the web far too much for my own good :-). Also a musician and actor (treading the amateur stage on a regular basis!).

This user has posted a total of 30 messages. On average, since joining, this user has posted 0 messages a day, or 0.02 messages a week. In the last 30 days, this user has posted 0 messages, which is on average 0 messages a day.

Recent Messages Posted:

RE: Most impressive overall Original Score?

Alan T - have a listen to Leon. Excellent film, excellent music, and it has an isolated music score (which helpfully turns on the subtitles when you select it). The score is written by the same guy who wrote The Big Blue, which is another excellent soundtrack.
Some more of my faves include Dracula, Mask of Zorro, Michael Collins & Interview with the Vampire.
Alan Silvestri also wrote the original music in Forrest Gump
But moving away from the typical film score, one of the best original soundtracks has to be the new release of Jesus Christ Superstar. This is an absoloutely awesome composition, live or on film - the new DVD version has to be heard to be believed, especially on a decent DD5.1 setup! Evita and Joseph (also Lloyd-Webber) are also very good.
And Pink Floyd`s `The Wall` also should have a mention in this thread, although I haven`t heard the DVD treatment, yet.

RE: laws/regulatons concerning importing

Hardcore p0rn isn`t actually illegal in this country any more (provided it only depicts consensual sex etc)... what`s illegal is importing anything that hasn`t been through the BBFC, which could equally apply to Noddy and Big Ears if they haven`t seen it (and no, I don`t mean `Noddy and big Ears do Dallas`).

www.adultdvdboxoffice.com will post stuff out. No problems with customs (apparently!) - I think the envelope said `Optical media` on it. It came through in about the same time as other stuff I`ve ordered from there.

Go for it.

RE: Congratulations Disney ....

I have to agree totally with tripodjw - even though I do appreciate the views of most of the other posters on the site. It certainly isn`t limited to Disney - there are a whole host of hoops you have to jump through to be able to perform theatre and musicals. The Really Useful Company (who own rights to most of Andrew Lloyd-Webber`s stuff, like Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats etc) take the same stance. If they relax the rules for one company - even a school for charity - then they can`t take the firm line with other companies who are out to make money - even if it`s only a few hundred pounds (and most amateur companies don`t even make that much). It`s hard - I`m involved in a group raising money for `Christies against Cancer`, and there are a lot of shows we aren`t allowed to do - but if that`s the law and those are the rules, you follow them.

An anecdote on the same vien - You`ve Been Framed recently showed a clip of `Annie` where the dog gets thrown onto the stage. Somehow, the IPR holders tracked down who put on the performance and fined them £2000 for making an illegal copy of the show. Tough world...

RE: Get on your feet for the mighty Reds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought this was a DVD forum. My mistake, obviously... :-)

RE: Abyss.....verdicts!

I agree - excellent film. The ending isn`t as bad as some films I`ve seen...

RE: Green Mile 10 shawshank redemption 9

The book (or books) of The Green Mile are excellent - the film stays pretty close to the book, which makes a change, and the ending is good for a Stephen King (so many of his books - and films - are let down by crappy endings: The Stand, for instance - "It`s you!"). I`ve only just started reading the Shawshank Redemption (actually called `Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption), but apparently that stays fairly close, too.

Incidentally, anyone seen a film called `Apt Pupil` - another King novelette? Excellent film - worth watching.

RE: cheap, dodgy, bargain bucket DVD players, which one?

I`ve also got a Himage 2290 - excellent machine. It`s a bit temperamental at times - especially when I try and rewind a DVD - but the sound and picture quality is ace. It`s only got composite or S-VHS outs, though, so for the best picture quality, make sure Ma and Pa`s TV has a scart input that supports S-VHS.

RE: What`s the worst film ever?

Have to agree with `The Thin Red Line` - didn`t go anywhere for me. I don`t think that was the point - Forrest Gump is an excellent film, and that doesn`t really `go anywhere` - but it`s still good. It can`t hope to complete with Full Metal Jacket, Platoon and the like.

Years back, I saw a film with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price and god knows how many other `big` actors called House of the Long Shadows. Anyone else see it? It has to be the worst film ever made! Another baddie was `Zardoz`, again with Christopher Lee.

Still think Plan 9 has to win the title, though ;-)

RE: Greatest chase scenes in a movie?

The M:I-2 bike chanse was good right up until they changed the road tyres for dirt tyres... so obvious, and spoiled a good scene.

There was another cool bike chase in a film with (I think) Charles Bronson as a hitman who takes on an apprentice. It ends up with them in Paris, and the apprentice bumps him off. Anyone know what it`s called?

RE: Best Musical Score or Film Music?

My faves, more-or-less in order -
Film score:
- Dracula - very moving and haunting, fits just right, but can sit on it`s own as a piece of music without the film, which has to be a superb accolade for a film score
- Michael Collins - same as above, really!
- Leon (try the isolated music score on the DVD!) - the main theme tugs away at the heart strings on a regular basis...
- Terminator 2 - won`t really stand alone, but fits perfectly with the film
- Mask of Zorro - very cleverly incorporates a traditional spanish feel into the film.

Film music:
The Crow (the orchestral score is also worth a listen)
M:I-2 (Limp Bizkit`s version of the theme blows the U2-esque M:I-1 version into the realms of easy-listening hell...)
Forrest Gump - great `tour through the ages`!

Musical:
Jesus Christ Superstar - the Dolby 5.1 mix on the new version is *AWESOME*
Too many others that haven`t made it onto film yet to mention!!! Have to include Chess, Les Mis, Miss Saigon, Chicago, Blood Brothers, Godspell, Phantom (this is on its way, starring Antonion Banderas).

Well, that`s my two-penneth...

RE: ANY NICE LITTLE HACKS FOR THE PS2?

Hmm... think I`ll post a helpful reply...

Try http://duplicator.modshack.co.uk. Site sometimes gets moved, but I think he might have something.

Best hack option for Sharp DV620H

What`s the best option for getting a Sharp DV620H multiregion? I guess it has to be chipped...

RE: First Player ... I`m `asking the audience` !!

You can`t go too far wrong with a Himage 2290 for a first player - £110 from Richer Sounds (provided you get a working one), multi-region straight out of the box. I`ve had no problems with it so far...

RE: i didn`t realise there were cuts!

[rantmode] It`s a general problem, and it p***es me off! Why can`t the film boards learn that we are capable of making our own decisions and let the viewer decide what they can and can`t watch. I`m 32, fit, and as odd as it may sound, fully capable of a) not buying something, or b) pressing `stop` if I don`t want to see it. I think as well as a rating, they should also say if the film has been cut to achieve that rating.[/rantmode]

The Abyss is cut - the scene where the rat is `breathing` the underwater fluid.

Have a look at Rewind (http://www.rewind.org.uk/digitalera/). They compare R1 and R2 (and sometimes R4) disks and often say whether a particular region release has been cut.

RE: hitachi tv question

My Hitachi - think it`s a 511, but can`t remember offhand - has two speaker OUTPUTS at the back which you can use instead of the bult-in speakers, which tend to phart if they`re driven too hard. Was this what you meant? If so, yes you can plug speakers in - but you`ll be far better off with even a half-cdecent amp, and plugging the audio outs (phono connectors) into the amp.

Have a good look at the manual - it`s pretty good on connections as TV/Video etc manuals go.

RE: DVD sound and your score preferences

I kinda agree - Titanic was a film that I wasn`t sure about the music at first, but having listened to the soundtrack on it`s own quite a lot, there`s a lot of dynamics in there - when I watched the film again, I enjoyed the soundtrack more. I think it was the mix of modern and old scoring that put me off at first - for such an `old` (in setting) film, I didn`t think the modern sounds fitted very well at first. Agree with T2 - that`s a score that doesn`t necessarily show of the composer`s ability, but that fits the film perfectly. Some films do try too hard, though - whereas some films don`t try hard enough. Can`t think of any specific examples, but when I do, I`ll post for comments.

Some of my faves, more-or-less in order: Dracula, Leon (Eric Serra), Michael Collins and Interview with the Vampire (I think they`re both the same composer, from memory). All superb soundtracks that stand on their own, but also fit perfectly with the film.

However, if you want an all-round musical experience, especially on a 5.1 setup, get Jesus Christ Superstar (the new version with Glenn Carter), crank it up to 11 and enjoy!

Music Zone

Music Zone Trade Direct in Stockport (also at Trafford Centre; don`t know where else) have got some good prices on DVDs. Some at a tenner - e.g. Blade, American History X - and others at £12.49, £15.99 etc. Worth a scan!

RE: Terminator Already Dispatched From Ezydvd.com.au

The UK release date has been put back to October in the UK... so it`s to be hoped you get it before then :-)

Why didn`t you get R1? It`s been out for a while (and it`s ace!!).

RE: need help choosing a dvd player

AFAIK, Richer Sounds are the only place in the country that stock the Himage... so if you want one, you aint got a choice...

RE: need help choosing a dvd player

Can`t go too far wrong with the Himage 2290 (£110 from Richer Sounds) - Multi-region straight out of the box, plays just about anything (not tested much on it myself, but other folks on this forum are happy). Only disadvantage is no RGB or Component output - just S-video (fine if your TV supports it) and composite. And it`s as cheap as you`ll get at the moment.

No doubt there will be a raft of answers agreeing/disagreeing below, but that`s my two-penneth...

RE: DTS or Dolby Digital

I`ve got a Himage 2290 feeding into a Sherwood 6106 amp. I`m cheating with the centre speaker, though; I use the mixdown output to drive the TV speakers instead of having a separate centre (that`s only until I can afford a decent centre ;-)

This works very well on a DD5.1 soundtrack, but DTS doesn`t output through the mixdown, so I can`t use it until I get a dedicated centre.

Just FYI!

RE: which leads do i use on dolby digital amp?

Erm, I meant you said you had `Centre l/r surr` outputs from the DVD Player, not the amp... system woulnd`t let me edit it, though...

RE: which leads do i use on dolby digital amp?

Hiya

You said you had `Centre l/r surr` outputs from the amp - was that 1 `surr` output or two? If you`ve only got 1, then it will only output pro-logic sound (1 surround channel), whereas the digital lead should support a true 5.1 signal - i.e. left and right surround channels. If that`s the case, the digital lead should sound a lot better.

Shaun

RE: DVD Himage DVD2290 (Multi region)

Hi Royd

Yeah, I bought this player. It`s pretty good - very neat, although it doesn`t have display, which means you rely on the On-screen display for chapters etc. It plays R1 DVDs and Audio CDs no problem - I haven`t tried MP3, VCD etc. yet, but I`m told it supports them fine.

Check the video outputs are compatible with your TV. It`s S-Video only, so your TV will need an S-video input, or a scart that supports S-video (on my Hitachi, scart 1 doesn`t support S-video). For audio, it has a mixed stereo pair output, or co-ax digital output. Supports DD5.1 and DTS - both excellent.

The only disadvantage with mine is that it`s a bit noisy once it`s been running for a while (30mins -> 1hr). I don`t know if that`s because it`s a budget player, or because I have a faulty one. I`ve only had it a week, so I`m going to take it back to Richer Sounds and swap it, just in case.

Hope that helps!

Shaun

RE: Budget DVD Player - Himage 2290

EggyWhiff (your nick makes me not want to ever meet you...)

Sorted it, eventually... AV1 on my TV doesn`t support S-video - just RGB and composite - but AV2 does. I`d only tried AV1 `cos I couldn`t get both leads to fit if I`d plugged my Himage into AV2. I also needed to select the input as `SAV2` rather than `AV2` (AV2 still plays in black and white). I`ve now got a proper S-Video to Scart lead, which lets me plug DVD and Cable into the two inputs at the same time. All I need now is somwhere to plug the PS1...

Only found out `cos I RTFM... that`s a first!

Shaun

RE: T2 - Ultimate Edition - Whats new ?

Haven`t seen it yet (it`s on it`s way from Play247.com), but there are three main scenes, apparently - John and Sarah reprogramming the T101, Sarah`s vision of Kyle Rees, and Miles Dyson`s `obsession with developing the new chip`.

There`s a hidden version - maybe the extra scenes are in that? You need to enter a code at one of the menu scenes (see review on this site).

Cheers,

Shaun

RE: Tell me who is impressed with their Himage.

Boris64,
Bought the Himage before the weekend, and I`m pretty pleased with it. I`ve had a couple of jumpy discs, though (probably dust), and it`s a bit noisy, but sound and picture quality are excellent.

Recommended!

Budget DVD Player - Himage 2290

Took the plunge, and bought the Himage 2290 DVD and a Sherwood 6106R receiver last night (£110 and £200 respectively from Richer Sounds).

Glad I did... the picture and sound quality from these two boxes is excellent. Haven`t had too much time to play, but the Dolby Digital trailer at the start of Men In Black sounded awesome! Based on 1 night`s viewing, I would definately recommend either/both of these. I`ll post reviews after the weekend when my eyes have gone square and my eadrums are shattered...

Quick technical poser: the Himage has an S-Video output, which I fed into a scart converter gadget that came with my camcorder and plugged into the back of my Hitachi pro-logic set, but I only got a black and white picture. I tried playing with the output settings from the Himage, but with no luck... eventually got results by going straight into the S-video socket on the front of the TV, but it looks a mess. Can anyone suggest a solution, or am I stuck with the front-side connection if that`s the only thing that will give me colour?

Cheers,

Shaun

RE: Budget DVD player for Newbie owner

Thanks for the replies. I`m in two minds as to whether to go cheap DVD with decent digital amp (and upgrade the DVD in 12 months or so when the prices have dropped even more), or to go for a decent DVD and keep my pro-logic setup. Probably the former, but it means I`m limited to something like the Himage (which doesn`t seem to have been slated too much, at least) - not just for budget reasons, though; I`ve got no more room under my TV.

Riucher Sounds will do me the multiregion 2290 with Sherwood 6106 digital amp for £330 including supercare on both - and they`ll give me £80 back for my existing amp and CD player (good kit, but quite old).

Think that`ll do me! I`ll let you folks know what I think in another message

Cheers,

Budget DVD player for Newbie owner

Hi folks

Been lurking for a while, and it`s time to put my hand in my pocket... :-) I`m after a budget player, probably from Richer Sounds, `cos I`ve used them for Hi-Fi gear in the past and found them to be good.
Looking at these (in no order of preference):
Hi-image DVD2290 (£110)
Cyber-home AD-N-212 (is that the same as the AD-M-212?) (£120)
Logix DVD3000 (£150)
LG DVD2330P (£150)
Ariston DVD2000 (£160)
Eclipse DVD595 (£160)

AFAIK, all these are multi-region or remote-hackable. My preference is the Logix; seems to be reasonably popular for a budget. Comments, anyone?

I`m also thinking of swapping my amp for a home cinema amp - probably the Sherwood RD6106, again from Richer Sounds at £200. Anyone got one; is it any good?

Thanks in anticipation!

Shaun