What Blu-Ray did you watch last night?

[Graham Ritchie]

Of all the films we watched at the cinema during the 1980s, this one is still the top of my list, although I only have it on DVD hopefully one day a blu-ray, better still a 35mm print

[Brian Fretwell]

Last Night "the Happy Valley" the BBC film of the Kenya Murder also portrayed in the cinema film White Mischief (in which a late friend of mine played the foreman of the jury). I bought it to compare as I had never seen this version, only a few excepts. It is a sharp transfer but with damage, low contrast and the grading changes seem a bit delayed after the change of shots, but it was in a sale and good to see anothe angle on the story.

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Brian

I was thinking that very thing yesterday, hope to find some time today to have a closer look at the inside fuses.

[Brian Fretwell]

Thanks Ed

I am not getting any sound out of it at all. I will still have a look inside though. At present my "finance controller" about getting another one, "Yvonne" has told me I will just have to do without it so at present I will have to do as I am told

Check any internal fuses first. When my sub packed up it was a fuse.

[Ed Gordon]

I blame my tinnitus on the M60 machine gun. In a live fire exercise I was given an M60 which fires about 600 rounds per minute. We had no targets so I decided to take down small trees. I had lots of ammo, but alas, no ear plugs.

On frame rates, I have a video camera that shoots 24 fps - 60 fps. I always use the 24 fps to get that "film look". I believe movie makers have stayed with 24 fps to avoid that "TV soap opera" look in their digital movies.

Choosing only three films to take with you is a tough decision to make. The Time Machine would be one on my list. I would probably favor Citizen Kane as well. The third choice would likely be a Hitchcock film.

Speaking of Time Machine, Amazon has the Bluray for $12.

[Ken Finch]

Graham, It was also target practice with a line up of fellow national servicemen using the old Lee Enfield 303 on a range with a corrugated iron roof that contributed to my hearing loss.
My last screening with the Epson was last week for two of my grandchildren was “Swallows and Amazons” the earlier version on VHS, followed by “ The Third Man” for their Dad. Also on VHS. Unfortunately this had to be abandoned because of faulty tape. I will have to replace it with a dvd. Incidentally, I have always understood that VHS and DVDs were 25fps. They always played o k on my old Sony

[Graham Ritchie]

Hi Ken

Tinnitus is nasty I have it as well but not that bad that I need something to wear to mask it. I noticed it more one evening after working tarmac years ago. The avionics chap wanted to speak to the pilots while the engines were running so I gave him the head set I was wearing to communicate with, as the engines were already running and I was standing close to them, that was my big mistake on my part to be to close to the engines. It was hard trying to sleep that night, as you no, you can't get away from it. I did go later to a hearing specialist, who basically said there was nothing they could do and hoped in the coming weeks it would ease up, best of luck was the last thing he said to me. It did ease up in time, I don't think about the Tinnitus I still have, its there alright but not as bad, but I am very conscious of not putting myself in that situation again. When I think back to my ACF days being on the range with the old Lee Enfield .303 with no hearing protection it makes me wonder, glad they take hearing protection more serious these days.

Ed
I had a read of a review I still have of the Panasonic PT-AX200U you might find of interest Quote from a 2009 review.... "I should note that the PT-AX200U, supports 1080p 24fps, so when it has such a source, as we are starting to see blu-ray discs, they do not need to use 3:2 pulldown, providing smoother motion on movies. While almost all new 1080p projectors are supporting 24fps, many 720p projectors do not".

He does also mention that he was feeding a 1080p signal to the Panny, so it was converting to its native 720p it did very well.

I still have a couple of screen shots left over from the other night, better mention though I did watch "Star Wars" 1977 blu-ray tonight, the 1997 modified release, it looked good on the Panasonic, the darkness of space was a good black, image wise the projector has a nice color range.

PS Thats a hard question to answer Ed I think "Airplane" must be one, will think of another two tomorrow


The Time Machine DVD



Paper Planes blu-ray

[Ed Gordon]

I have been using the Panasonic of late with its new lamp, I must admit although not full 1080, the image is very good for an old projector by todays standards. I have know idea how long this new cheap replacement lamp will last, but it was well worth replacing the original time expired lamp with this one...

That image is excellent for an "old" projector. It appears to be a least 1080i. My previous projector was 1080i and I was very happy with it. The new projector does 4k and image enhancement. The 4k is superb, but even a 720p DVD looks great. "Upgrading" from S8 to VHS, to DVD, to Bluray, to UHD gets expensive.

The Time Machine is an old favorite of mine. The last scene raises an interesting question:

So, if you were leaving home indefinitely, what three films would you take with you?

[Ken Finch]

Graham, you are dead right about hearing changes as you get older. In my case, it started to deteriorate many years ago. I started to lose the higher frequencies in both ears, and it has got steadily worse over the years. The hearing aids have to be regularly adjusted. I also developed tinnitus and now have special hearing aids which combat this thanks to good old NHS. My particular hearing loss is attributed to being subjected to a lifetime of a working in a noisy environment.

[Graham Ritchie]

I have been using the Panasonic of late with its new lamp, I must admit although not full 1080, the image is very good for an old projector by todays standards. I have know idea how long this new cheap replacement lamp will last, but it was well worth replacing the original time expired lamp with this one

Tonight it was the blu-ray of "Where Eagles Dare"

Two nights ago, and again using the Panasonic it was something I don't always do, and that's a double feature night. I picked up a while back an Australian film called "Paper Planes" second hand on blu-ray which turned out to be good. After a short break the DVD of "The Time Machine" so all up an interesting and enjoyable night at the movies, here are a couple of screen shots

"Paper Planes" starring Sam Worthington and Ed Oxenbould








The Time Machine.

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Ed

I am not getting any sound out of it at all. I will still have a look inside though. At present my "finance controller" about getting another one, "Yvonne" has told me I will just have to do without it so at present I will have to do as I am told

[Ed Gordon]

I do like a good sub doing its thing, sadly I think I have blown mine after screening Interstellar a while back, I think it was a bit much for the sub I will look at it one day...

If the sound is breaking up the rubber/foam surround which holds the paper cone to the metal speaker frame needs to be replaced. If your not getting any sound the sub amplifier needs to be replaced. Replacing the rubber/foam surround is not difficult; it's just a tedious job.

[Brian Fretwell]

Last night for me it was Doctor Who and the Daleks with Peter Cushing, Roy Castle, Jenny Linden and Roberta Tovey. Unfortunately I left it too late to run Coast of Skeletons (which had been on th ebill when I saw it on original release) as well.

Also I think the improved bass response of Dobly 70mm 4.1 and later put paid to Sensuround, even in the few films it was suited to as not many cinemas (in the UK at least) were set up for it outside the main city centres.

[Graham Ritchie]

Doug

I don't no if you remember back in 2011 I mentioned watching Earthquake when we got a strong aftershock that made the house shake, it was the real thing all right 2011 what a year that was, wont forget that one.

Ken

I do like a good sub doing its thing, sadly I think I have blown mine after screening Interstellar a while back, I think it was a bit much for the sub I will look at it one day While I worked at the cinema it was that mid to high range of frequencies that you had to keep in check, that's the range that causes most of the sound complaints you might get. As we all get older, our hearing changes and those mid to high can be a bit much. I remember one night screening "The Flight Of The Phoenix" when upon entering the cinema from the back was asked by a group of folk if I was running things, I replied I was and they asked before the film had even started if I could keep the sound level down. They had never been at our place before, but had a bad experience at another cinema. I replied no problem I would adjust the level for them when the film started. I went back into the cinema after about 20 minutes into the feature, asked them how is that, they replied fine and thanked me for doing it. The way I looked at it, that those folk were paying our wages so you want people to leave afterwards feeling they had a enjoyable night, after all they might just come back.

[Ed Gordon]

Watch out, the damn thing could shatter all your glassware and quite likely also some plastics. Probably not good for the human body at some frequencies!, I understand that similar things can happen with extremely high frequencies...

They anticipated the problems and diligently worked to avoid them!

When the amplifiers were fully engaged, they could produce sound between 100 and 120 decibels, at frequencies as low as 15 Hz – creating a wave that vibrated the air in the theater, using the flooring and walls themselves as conduits. This meant that viewers not only heard the earthquake, they felt it in their ribcages. According to Watson, “We generate both sub-audible and audible frequencies that actually vibrate the torso and the diaphragm inside the body. You feel something going on in your flesh and the auditory nerves are also responding to the sensation. The viewer feels that the building is shaking. It isn’t really, but it feels that way. If you touch a thin plaster wall in the theater, or if you touch a seat that has metal in it, you find that the seats actually vibrating.”

The Sensurround speaker cabinets themselves were enormous and had to be individually installed in each theater that would play the movie. Entire rows of seats had to be removed at considerable expense to owners, who risked physical damage to their buildings. Installation took up to three days and involved a fleet of inspectors checking for correct electrical specifications and structural integrity. For the movie’s debut at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, every inch of the theater, from the basement pipes to overhead chandelier, had to be inspected and secured. A giant fishnet was spread across the ceiling to catch any falling plaster.

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