"Apollo 11" Blu-ray

[Graham Ritchie]

Bought the blu-ray today and what an amazing film this is, I projected it tonight using the Panasonic VP, and must say the added 70mm is simply stunning. The blu-ray is really a must have for anyone interested in this historic event.

[Steve Klare]

Great Movie!

Everybody knows how it turned out in real life. I remember it, even if I was only nine years old!

-still the same, somehow it pulls off being suspenseful.

(Good book, too!)

EDIT!

Sorry, Graham! -I thought you were talking about Apollo 13!

What has always amazed me is that "First Man", a movie where it's possible the Astronauts might die, succeeds in being more somber than "Apollo 13": a movie where the astronauts might live!

[Graham Ritchie]

Yep Steve....No "Tom Hanks" in this one ...We have all seen films of Apollo 11 in the past, but the 70mm footage is really something, not only that, but the added altitude and the time left of the fuel burn during the decent to the moon surface included with the actual film footage is really edge of the seat stuff. The actual dialing up and down of speed and altitude details etc are also shown on screen in other parts of this amazing film.

[Steve Klare]

We hatched this scheme a few months ago to plumb Netflix into my VP using my son's game console and see this on the big screen, but never got around to it.

I'm glad to hear it's out on Blu Ray: no plumbing required!

[Graham Ritchie]

I think Steve this is one movie that's worth getting on Blu-ray rather than plumbing into Netflix. My better half Yvonne who watches more TV than me has just got Netflix as well. I am only guessing here, but would the picture and sound quality not be better on Blu-ray, projected through your Epson VP than the source being from Netflix?

[Steve Klare]

We only used the Netflix hookup for movies once . We watched "Kodachrome" (looked fine...).

-then again a day or so later I came home from work and found my Kid and a couple of other people's Kids playing video games on my movie screen!

(JUST SO WRONG!)

[David Roberts]

I have this blu ray on the xmas list and cant wait!(daughter knows she must get me this)
The Apollo programme totally captured my imagination,an amazing achievement not surpassed to this day.

[Steve Klare]

Yes, it's hard to forget those days. From the point of view of late 1969, it was natural to think it would just keep going and in the far off 2010s we'd obviously have colonized the Moon and be exploring Mars.

-just look at "2001, A Space Odyssey": that's the way people saw the "future".

I grew up in the same county where Grumman built the LEM: I was pretty sure I'd get involved somehow. (Maybe become an astronaut, maybe EVEN marry Barbara Eden!)

Space in general turned out to be a desolate, dangerous place. One commentary I heard recently said by the time a human being flew to Mars "their cancer would have cancer" from all the cosmic radiation. Another said we'd need to stay below ground: to me this is like going to Disneyworld and never leaving the Hotel!

We WILL colonize the Moon and the Planets and harvest their resources too. It's just the colonists will be intelligent robots: the people will stay here on earth and show up at the office to monitor and program them. They'll go home at night, barbecue a steak and maybe cut the lawn: no space suit required.

[Graham Ritchie]

here is a nice photo of Neil Armstrong visiting Scotland

[Steve Klare]

We streamed this one tonight and put it up on the big screen: it is great!

I wondered at the beginning how they were going to pull off an hour and a half movie without even any narration, but the story speaks for itself. There are moments like the last few minutes before launch and the moon landing that the suspense really grabs you!

-of course, I guess it helps if you are an Aerospace Junky like me!

(Do you think there is anybody out there that would trade disk for disk this one for "First Man"?)

[Martin Davey]

Blu ray has a far higher data rate than online services. The internet suppliers say that you need 5.5mb/s for a 1080p stream. Blue ray offers far more data to recreate the same image and with the choices of higher detailed soundtracks, using tracks other than the DD5.1. This indicates that the online versions have higher compresssion. I do have 'super fast' 64 mb/s but this far outstripes the data of streamed films
In my experience the streaming quality is still good. I regulary project in full 1080 HD from Netflix/ Amazon and its perfectly watchable on a 7ft wide screen with a 9 ft viewing distance. Infact I project films from the BBC iplayer, which is only 720p and they are still watchable.
Blu ray does that little bit of extra 'razor' sharpness and detail over all. I believe Graham uses a 720p projector but an upgrade to a 1080 would be a good move at some stage.

[Steve Klare]

My angle on this is purely practical: I keep buying disks, watching them once and then shelving them.

This way I can try them out and figure out what’s worth owning.

[Graham Ritchie]

Just the other night I watched a 16mm print of Apollo 8, not sure how I came to getting this print long ago, but it is certainly interesting to watch.

[Steve Klare]

Yes: featuring Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell: much better known as the Skipper of Apollo XIII!

Sounds like a great reel, Graham!

[Graham Ritchie]

Steve regarding the Apollo 11 mission its worth checking out this Australian movie called "The Dish" we ran it at the cinema years ago. Its very good and much of what happened is suppose to be true

Also soon after we screened it I bought the soundtrack which includes music from that era