AV Adviser

A movie to show off your home theater

Cleveland - Ask most anyone who works in a home theater store what movie they are most tired of.  The answer may well be the 1997 film The Fifth Element.  There's a reason for that.

We call it reference material.  The movie scenes or songs that best show off a system.  Much of it lies in the personal taste of  the salesperson.  It's much easier to convey the passion for a product when you are as dazzled by it as the customer.  So you choose songs you really like that sound great through a good pair of speakers, or a movie scene that pops on the screen.

There are reference movies that have a general consensus though.  Anything from Pixar qualifies as a proven winner in showing off a home theater.  The same goes for the weird sci-fi movie The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis.  The results of a remastering in the 2000s made it one of the best video renderings of a motion picture.  It seemed every hi-fi store had a copy playing on a big screen.  Truth be told, I never saw the movie really.  I've seen just about every scene but in a jumbled order.  Anyway, I'm not big on the sci-fi genre. 

Once in awhile a new movie comes out that holds promise of becoming a reference piece.  This week sees the release of Life Of Pi, a gorgeous film.  With it's odd juxatposition of wide open seas and tiger close ups it's memorable and stunning.  And it's all digital trickery.  Here's a look at how they did it.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

"Knock your socks off" movie theater coming to Cleveland

Cleveland - I'd heard about the move to bring back a movie theater to Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted awhile ago.  I rarely go to the theater to see movies anymore since I have a very good home theater.  So the news didn't get me too excited. 

Yesterday Great Northern Mall and Regal Cinemas announced more detailed plans for the theater which will be built in the old food court area.  There's to be some new restaurants as well.  Great, more bland national fare.  Please, make a point of supporting locally owned restaurants.

What got my attention though was the theater chain's announcement of their Regal Premium Experience.  One of the theaters will be designed using all the latest in high tech to bring you a mind blowing movie going experience. 

Here's what we can expect from the Regal Premium Experience (RPX). 

RPX will feature luxurious seats that have high-back head rests. The theaters will also have large 60 foot wide immersive screens and dual 30,000 lumen digital projectors capable of showing Real 3D and 2D movies. They will also be equipped with state-of-the-art 100,000 watt 9.1 digital audio speaker systems with 273 loudspeaker components including eight 21 inch subwoofers.

"Regal patrons have shown a strong preference for viewing films in premium environments," said Greg Dunn, President and Chief Operating Officer for Regal Entertainment Group in a news release. "Each RPX location will be individually designed and tailored by our technicians and will feature high-quality digital projectors and screens complemented by a custom surround sound system. The addition of the RPX locations to Regal's already successful IMAX strategy will complement and extend the number of Regal theaters featuring premium movie-going experiences."

This information was published in 2010.  I hope that they keep up with the technology and offer the best available presently.  So maybe I will be going to the movies a bit more often. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Filling the DVR with Christmas cheer

Cleveland - Over the past month I've been recording alot of Christmas shows.  Those include the annual holiday classics like Charlie Brown, the Grinch and Rudolph along with as many Christmas-themed movies I can find and will fit on my DVR hard drive.  As the 25th approaches I immerse myself in holiday video.  Well, when I'm not listening to Christmas music anyway.

It's a great use of your DVR and a guarenteed way to put you and the family in the holiday spirit.  The hustle and bustle of the season can make us forget about the reason for the season.  Getting the family together in the home theater to watch something Christmasy is the perfect solution. 

And here's a must to DVR.  The first national broadcast of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol since 1967.  I barely remember this once holiday tradition of the 60s.

Magoo's Christmas was the first animated Christmas TV show ever.  Why it got shelved is beyond me.  Read the Plain Dealer writer Mark Dawidziak's behind the scene story on just how good this TV special is, Christmas classic with Mr. Magoo returns to NBC.

I've just opened my U-verse app on my iPad and set up the recording as I'll be enjoying some live Christmas music when it airs.  It'll be perfect fair for Christmas eve.

If you have question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

The confusion over your movie library

Digital right management (DRM) is all well and good if implemented fairly and uniformly.  Unfortunately it's not and therefore a bit of a mess.  What rights do you actually have as the owner of, say, The Godfather, on DVD?  If you rip it to your hard drive, guess what?  You've broken the law.

Like I say, the ability to watch content that you own on whatever device or screen you want gets very confusing.  Home Theater Review recently wrote extensively about this dilemma, The Fight for Your Right to Import Movies. 

There's no simple solution as you'll see.  And some really absurd laws in existence right now.  The problem is with old business models keeping up with technology.  And the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is rightfully concerned after watching what has happened to the music industry. 

I see it as two different animals though.  It's one thing to grab a song or album off the net but another to download a high def movie.  The difference in bit size is substantial.  The average person doesn't have the room to store that much digital information on their computer.  They're also not likely to be using bit torrent, a complicated procedure for novices, to steal content. 

The MPAA is a bit too paranoid for its own good, in my opinon.  Hopefully level heads will previal and we can get some semblance of fluidity when it comes to watching movies that you've purchased. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

My idea of home theater demo material

When someone is showing off a home theater to a perspective customer chances are they play some over the top, bombastic scene from an action film.  One with lots of explosions.  It reminds me of the Farm Film Report on Second City Television where John Candy and Joe Flaherty rate movies on how many cool explosions there were.  "It blowed up real good". 

That's not my idea of a demo.  My idea of a demo is something like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.  This early 60s French film is gorgeous in every way from its design to its vibrant colors.  It's actually an opera with a beautiful musical score to match the look.  

I just stumbled across the complete movie on YouTube.  Granted, a YouTube copy is no way to show off a home theater, but it'll give you the idea.  There is a blu-ray version of it but not in the United States.  In fact the DVD version is out of print here as well.  That's a shame. 

If you haven't seen this, what I consider to be a masterpiece, enjoy.  Click on the CC and choose English for the subtitles. 

Ring In The New Year With A Good Movie

The New Year's Eve revellers get all the attention.  They're packing bars, restaurants and Time Square to be a part of something.  There's no doubt that it's a festive and memorable (well sometimes not) experience.  Many prefer the comfort and sanctuary of their own home on this last day of the year. 

What better way to spend New Year's Eve with your loved ones than by watching a movie on your home theater system.  There's been plenty of great films released this year on Blu-ray and DVD, both current and classic.

Bruce Kirkland of The Toronto Sun gives us his picks for the best of the bunch in three different categories.  First there's the most popular releases of the year.  Then comes his picks for new releases and a separate list for classic re-releases.  Top 10 DVDs/Blu-rays of 2011

I'm telling you about this now so you have of time to send back that disc from Netflix that's gathering dust and get one of these for the big night.

If you have a question or if I mayh be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

My DVR Becomes A Christmas Machine

So last weekend I thought of all the Christmas movies I hadn't watched yet this season.  There's a handful that for me are must views.  Those would include It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Elf.

The problem is I don't collect movies since, aside from traditions like this, I don't watch movies repeatedly.  And that would mean either renting them on demand at about $4.00 a pop or making my hectic holiday schedule based on when these movies will be on TV.  Thank goodness for technology.

I began searching for these movies and others through my U-verse guide and set each one up to record.  It's a beautiful thing.  I'll be able to fast advance through the commercials, can watch them when time permits and they're free.  Plus I went through the Turner Classic Movie schedule and found a few rarities like, It Happened On Fifth Avenue which I watched on Monday night. 

So grab that remote and set up some recordings of your own.  It's A Wonderful Life airs Christmas eve on NBC, but that's a time reserved for family and friends so I'll record it and watch it either late that night or during a lull on Christmas day.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

Toy Story 3D Blu-ray Trilogy Is Now The Reference

Earlier this week I was talking about the new Sony personal 3D visor.  The one big drawback being that the amount of 3D material was limited.  Yesterday's release of the Toy Story 3D Trilogy in Blu-ray may be only three more movies but they are now the standard bearer of 3D and Blu-ray.  Be warned, this box set is 3D only and not compatible with non-3D set ups. 

The Toy Story franchise is possibly the best trilogy of films ever made and I'm just talking about the movies themselves.  From a technical standpoint they are visually stunning, getting better with each release as technology advanced. 

Going back to render the first two movies in 3D when they weren't created that way can be a point of debate.  What can't be denied is the pure joy these films bring to anyone of any age. 

Expect to see these movies in nearly any 3D demo you come across while shopping.  They are immediately the reference material for the technology.

Here's a review from KVDR-TV, Toy Story 3-D Trilogy (Blu-ray).

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

7.1 Audio Now Streaming To An AV Receiver Near You

A few months back the first discreet 7.1 movie soundtrack was released on Blu-ray.  In the fast paced world of technology 7.1 is now being embedded in streaming movies.

Specifically, Disney's Pirates Of The Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides is now available in 7.1 surround sound through Walmart's streaming service Vudu.  Vudu was the first streaming service I'd ever tried.  It has now been upstaged by Roku and Hulu.  I know, what's with the funny four letter names.  Still, it's an excellent service and obviously they aren't about to throw in the towel. 

So for all of you home theater folks with that extra pair of rear/side speakers this is great news.  I'd expect other services to be offering 7.1 in the near future. 

Here's a story with more detail from USA Today, Dolby and Vudu deliver 'Pirates' at home in 7.1-channel surround sound.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

Netflix Changes Its Mind

After the backlash from Netflix not so brilliant plan to split the company into two entities (Netflix Goes From Brilliant To Baffling) they've decided to scrap the idea.  It appears speaking up can evoke change.  Here's what Netflix had to say to it's customers.

Dear John,

It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.

This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster.

While the July price change was necessary, we are now done with price changes.

We're constantly improving our streaming selection. We've recently added hundreds of movies from Paramount, Sony, Universal, Fox, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, MGM and Miramax. Plus, in the last couple of weeks alone, we've added over 3,500 TV episodes from ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, USA, E!, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Discovery Channel, TLC, SyFy, A&E, History, and PBS.

We value you as a member, and we are committed to making Netflix the best place to get your movies & TV shows.

Respectfully,

The Netflix Team

R.I.P. Qwikster.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal