DVDizzy Forum

I'm sure I was not the only one to pick up on the DVD bashing that was going on last night at the Oscars

It just goes to show you how out of touch with reality these people are Do they truly have a clue as to where the big bucks come from to finance these big budget blockbusters and the over the top paychecks

Yes your right it comes from you and I going to the theaters and buying their DVD's

Maybe if a few of them had to survive on an average living wage they would understand what it really costs to take a family of four to the movies with the $10 tickets, $4 cokes and $3 candy. I can drop 80 dollars without even trying !

To be honest with you I can do without the rock hard seats, lack of legroom, candy and gum on the floor and the rude noisey patrons

Bottom line is I will take my couch over THE BIG SCREEN EXPERIENCE any day, and after all is said and done I own the movie

I saw it less as DVD-bashing as a feeble attempt to reverse the ongoing box office slump. Nonetheless, it was feeble. And raising ticket prices only makes DVDs that much more attractive. I mean honestly, unless you're seeing and buying movies just for yourself and have no time for repeat viewing or bonus features, then it makes little sense financially to regularly pay to see movies in theaters in their initial run. Most of the movies being advertised today don't scream to me as being worth anything more than a cheap theater viewing, and most of the time they don't even seem to merit that. There are, no doubt, certain exceptions that will get me to the theater, and there's nothing quite like opening night audience energy for a much-anticipated film. But by and large, I'd prefer DVD viewing these days.

Actually the only DVD bashing I saw was against DVD burning.

Yeah, it seemed pretty transparent to me, as well.

However, I'm not one of the people not going to theatres, so I ignored it. While I don't care for their shameless self-promotion, I happen to agree with them that, no matter how big your TV is and how many speakers you've got; it's still worth going to the theatre.

On the rare occasion I take the family to the movies, especially for something like POTC which does call out for the big screen

I took them all to see Your's, Mine and Ours in the hopes of seeing something as good as the origional which I also saw in the theaters!! What a waste , when the DVD sells for 99 cents maybe I'll buy it

They say you can't stop progress and in this case I hope they don't

All we need now is a legal right to use the DVD's we purchase any way we want to for personal use

I must have missed all this. I did see Shyamalan's wack commercial, though.

-Aaron

There were actually several zingers about DVD's VS's the big screen and one over the top comment about trying to watch and epic movie release on a portable DVD player

Ah yes, I did hear something about a portable DVD player. I was watching with a big group while also studying, so we probably talked over most of the DVD comments, which is why I missed them.

-Aaron

Well Ben Hur, Lady And The Tramp, 2001: A Space Odissey, STAR WARS, The Ten Commandments, Back To the Future III, Harry Potter, don't look like the shadow of the theater screen on DVD, that's for sure.

AwallaceUNC wrote: I did see Shyamalan's wack commercial, though.

That was SO COOL. I had no idea what was going on. I knew I recognized him though. I want to see it again!

I have to agree with TM2-Megatron. Under the proper conditions, there really is nothing like the big screen experience, because that is (or at least used to be) where films are meant to be seen. Unfortunately, due to the advent of television and home video, films have become egregiously mass-produced, and many of the rushed theatrical releases are little more than a grand advertisement for the eventual DVD released 3 months afterward.

But if one is wise in their decision of which films to see, the money spent is well worth it! I don't see many films in the theatre these days simply due to the large amount of junk that's released. So that's the first step - pick good films to go to. The second step is to select a good theatre to attend, because you'll have more of a chance of seeing the film projected and presented correctly. This is certainly not always the case, but your chances are better at some slicked-up theatre chains than most others. Third, on a similar note, try to seek out digitally projected and IMAX/large format films when you can. Even if it's just nature documentaries, IMAX films are an incredible experience! There's nothing like a giant Harry Potter!!
Fourth, and most importantly, seat yourself correctly!! If you sit way in the back and the screen is little more than a TV set from your perspective, move forward!! Theatre screens are not like television viewing, people! These are simple steps to make your viewing of a theatrical film better. Unfortunately you can't control stupid monkey projectionists, who may possibly present the film incorrectly, but hey - that's the hazard of living!

I agree in part that the Oscars ceremony was a little too ham-fisted on the "big screen" campaign last night (and it most likely was monetarily motivated), but their point was still true. Unfortunately, gone are the days where film was an experience, complete with whole programs of shorts, newreels, and serials before it. Where do you think the term feature film came from? Because it used to be the feature presentation of a visit to the movies!! (Similar with the term trailer - because film previews used to trail the feature after credits! ) Nowadays it's mostly a chore, and an unpleasant experience for a good number of people. No wonder the art of cinema is dying.

For all its hazards, however, theatrical films are still worth it over a DVD on a 27" screen any day of the week!! ^_^

I didn't see the ceremony. Who did it / was it on the red carpet or during acceptance speeches?

AwallaceUNC wrote:Ah yes, I did hear something about a portable DVD player. I was watching with a big group while also studying, so we probably talked over most of the DVD comments, which is why I missed them.

-Aaron

I was noticing the other day, as I sat watching a movie on my 10" screen laptop DVD player, that with the screen on my lap, the image was actually larger than on my 27" TV across the room and probably camparable to a 56" projection set. It is all a matter of perspective.

pleasurebay wrote:Maybe if a few of them had to survive on an average living wage they would understand what it really costs to take a family of four to the movies with the $10 tickets, $4 cokes and $3 candy. I can drop 80 dollars without even trying !

Try having a family of SEVEN! You have no idea how much of my (limited) budget goes to movies. The theater experience is almost always worth it though, providing you do your research before you go. I love spending my money on movies (theater and dvd), lol we just have to go to the $6 matinees.

Anyway, I didn't get to see the academy awards this year....wish I would have had time. I hope that other people see that theater viewing is still worth it...even if they have their own home theater system at home.

Well watching Harry Potter on your 10" laptop gives you an image of aprox 3" x 8" (unless you have a 16:9 laptop then it's 3.5" x 9" )

On a 27" TV the image of HP is about 9" x 22" if it's a 4:3 TV, or 10" x 24" if it's a 16:9 TV


If your lap is around 20"-24" from your eyes, watching HP on your laptop is like watching a 15" x 36" image from a TV (17" x 40" if your laptop was 16:9 ), at the typical "9 feet" seating distance

Depending on your laptop ratio/lap-eye distance ,
to get that kind of image size on a TV you'd need a 44"-51" 16:9 display, or a 45"-55" 4:3 display, aproximately, from 9 feet away.

50 points for Bmadigandor!


Now when the UD crowd watched Harry Potter at the Imax in Minneapolis, we watched it like watching a 6 x 14 FEET image 9 feet in front of us so that would mean a 17 foot (200 inch) 16:9 display or a 18 foot (216 inch) 4:3 display. Some of us even sat several rows closer than that on the theater!

That's the Theatrical experience. You don't watch a movie. You live it.

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Lazario wrote:I didn't see the ceremony. Who did it / was it on the red carpet or during acceptance speeches?

First it was the head of the academy, then later, that man was the puppeteer for Heath Ledger's introduction to a montage.