DVD update comments in Sony interview

JazzBill · **Reply #75 on:** July 10, 2008, 05:07:03 PM

I sent a complete stereo set home when I got out of the Army in 1974. I still have two of the items in use today. The Kenwood speakers, that are still able to rattle the pictures off the wall. I also still use the Dual 1229 turntable.

archiezappa · **Reply #76 on:** July 10, 2008, 05:09:51 PM

I got my Technics system back in '95. The speakers, amp, record player and 5-disc CD changer all still work. The only additions to the system was television and DVD player.

xraffle · **Reply #77 on:** July 10, 2008, 07:32:51 PM

Quote from: hiramhorwitz on July 10, 2008, 03:55:11 PM

Why should I switch to CDs or MP3s, when I've already got all my favorites on LPs?

You don't have to switch to CDs if you don't want to, but you can switch to MP3s because MP3 songs are free.

Dunrobin · **Reply #78 on:** July 10, 2008, 08:03:23 PM

Quote from: xraffle on July 10, 2008, 07:32:51 PM

You don't have to switch to CDs if you don't want to, but you can switch to MP3s because getting MP3 songs are free.

You better not let the RIAA hear you say that.

xraffle · **Reply #79 on:** July 10, 2008, 08:28:34 PM

Quote from: Dunrobin on July 10, 2008, 08:03:23 PM

You better not let the RIAA hear you say that.

Nah, I don't do that. I always behave. But many people do it and never get caught. With me, I don't want to take the risk even though I heard that it's only a 1/1,000,000 chance they'll catch you.

Dunrobin · **Reply #80 on:** July 10, 2008, 09:00:41 PM

I was just joshing you. I've got all of my CD's ripped into MP3's as well. They are so much more convenient that way. I'd rather have a CD with hundreds of songs in my car than an audio CD with maybe a dozen and a half of songs (only 3 or 4 of which I really like). The only albums I've ever owned that I will habitually play straight through are my Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull albums, and you can fit quite a few of them on a CD in MP3 format.

I know a lot of purists swear by vinyl, but I'm not a fit judge. I've had tinnitus since I was 17 (do not go to the rifle range* for the day without your freaking ear plugs. Take my word for it.) It's not too bad, and most of the time I'm not really conscious of it (unless I focus on it, like now - damn it!), but it's bad enough that I cannot tell the difference between vinyl and a CD or MP3 unless the LP is scratched.

I was too much of a nomad in my youth, so I never really hung on to my LPs over the years. There are a handful in the basement, but they haven't seen the light of day for years. I'm happy with the MP3s, until I find a format that preserves at least that much quality in a smaller file.

* Basic Training in the US Army in 1972. Long story - stupid kid - wear your freaking ear plugs at the range. What more can I say?

xraffle · **Reply #81 on:** July 10, 2008, 09:09:06 PM

Quote from: Dunrobin on July 10, 2008, 09:00:41 PM

I was just joshing you. I've got all of my CD's ripped into MP3's as well. They are so much more convenient that way. I'd rather have a CD with hundreds of songs in my car than an audio CD with maybe a dozen and a half of songs (only 3 or 4 of which I really like). The only albums I've ever owned that I will habitually play straight through are my Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull albums, and you can fit quite a few of them on a CD in MP3 format.

Yeah, same here. I still have my CDs, but I never touch them anymore because they're all ripped to MP3. And I was one of the suckers that bought an Ipod because I like that you can store every single song you like on one tiny little device. I don't recommend it though as the battery on that thing is irreplaceable. I had my Ipod for 2 years now and it is starting to lose charge faster than it used to. Rather than having it replaced or buying a new one when it eventually dies, I'll just get an MP3 player that has replaceable batteries. I know that MP3 players don't hold as much as Ipods, but I don't need that much space. In fact, my Ipod is only 5 GB filled and it has 734 songs.

Dunrobin · **Reply #82 on:** July 10, 2008, 09:41:32 PM

Geez, I didn't realize how ridiculous expensive those iPods are. Figures - typical Apple, including the unchangeable battery. Some of the reasons why I won't touch their products.

Check out TigerDirect.com. They've got some good deals on MP3 players.

jrvass · **Reply #83 on:** July 11, 2008, 04:49:15 AM

Rob,

Last time we talked off-list, you said you lived near Flint MI. I live near Detroit.

It's a constant "rifle-range" where we live!

James

xraffle · **Reply #84 on:** July 11, 2008, 07:37:48 AM

Quote from: Dunrobin on July 10, 2008, 09:41:32 PM

Geez, I didn't realize how ridiculous expensive those iPods are. Figures - typical Apple, including the unchangeable battery. Some of the reasons why I won't touch their products.

Check out TigerDirect.com. They've got some good deals on MP3 players.

Yup, that's why I called myself a sucker. I didn't even know they were irreplaceable until after I bought it. Apple claims that they made the battery unchangeable in order to keep it as small as possible, which is a story that I don't buy. As for the prices, I just checked and I can't believe the prices are the exact same as they were when I bought mine. I thought maybe they would've been lower by now, but they're not. But they hold more now. They now hold 80gb+. I have no idea how someone can have 80gb worth of songs. I'm already struggling just to fill my 30gb one that I currently have.

By the way, Microsoft's Zune MP3 players also have irreplaceable batteries. It's rediculous.

Thanks for the link. I may eventually get a SanDisk 8gb MP3 player. The cheapest I saw online was $100. The batteries are replaceable and 8 gb is more than enough for me. Like I said before, I only have 734 songs that I accumulated over two years which is really not a lot. A lot of people I know have thousands of songs.

falsealarms · **Reply #85 on:** July 11, 2008, 12:33:36 PM

An iPod shuffle isn't expensive at all. Only 49 bucks - not bad. You're probably looking at the $299 and up iPod touch, but that has wireless internet capabilities and that's why that's the most expensive model.

jrvass · **Reply #86 on:** July 11, 2008, 02:44:23 PM

You guys have more money than God.

I had to OK purchases for a Navin Field (Tiger Stadium) box seat and a Henrik Zetterburg 2008 Stanley Cup Sweater. Especially when they sign them. At least my purchases will go up in value. An MP3 player? Sorry!

James

xraffle · **Reply #87 on:** July 11, 2008, 03:17:08 PM

Quote from: jrvass on July 11, 2008, 02:44:23 PM

You guys have more money than God.

I had to OK purchases for a Navin Field (Tiger Stadium) box seat and a Henrik Zetterburg 2008 Stanley Cup Sweater. Especially when they sign them. At least my purchases will go up in value. An MP3 player? Sorry!

James

I don't usually buy things for collectable purposes anymore. I gave up on that and if you see my closet, you'll know why.

It's just full of stuff I thought would go up in value, which it did at one point, but then declined in value eventually. Some examples that come to mind: Baseball cards, model cars, etc. I tried selling them on Ebay and not one bid, no matter how cheap I price it.

jrvass · **Reply #88 on:** July 11, 2008, 06:47:16 PM

Stop by the players entrance with a Sharpie. That jersey is worth $200 more. It helps if it is rare, like with the fight strap. Stanley cup or world series patches. Conn Smythe winner. S#1 could probably retire on Boston stuff!

James

xraffle · **Reply #89 on:** July 11, 2008, 08:21:03 PM

Quote from: jrvass on July 11, 2008, 06:47:16 PM

Stop by the players entrance with a Sharpie. That jersey is worth $200 more. It helps if it is rare, like with the fight strap. Stanley cup or world series patches. Conn Smythe winner. S#1 could probably retire on Boston stuff!

James

Oh no, don't get me wrong. I'm sure they are worth a lot of money. But just like anything, it's never always a sure things. There are certain things such as baseball cards and model cars that people stop collection overtime. So, those kind of things don't interest people anymore making it hard to sell. But maybe it's different with your stuff.

UncleBobOLink · **Reply #90 on:** July 13, 2008, 09:05:43 AM

Hi,

Nice info here, but could we PLEASE get back ON TOPIC..................

Dunrobin · **Reply #91 on:** July 13, 2008, 10:31:12 AM

It's a fair cop, as we do tend to wander off subject frequently, so let me add my contribution. I just sent the following email to Mr. Schlesinger (better late than never):

Dear Mr. Schlesinger,

My name is Robert Davidson, and I am the owner and webmaster of ThreeStooges.net: The Three Stooges Online Filmography. On behalf of myself and the members of ThreeStooges.net, I would like to thank Sony from the bottom of my heart for doing an excellent job of releasing the new Three Stooges Collection on DVD. I am thrilled that the episodes are being released in chronological order, as they should be seen, and that Sony had the good sense to include a "Play All" function. I, for one, will be buying every single volume as soon as they are released, and I am sure that I am not alone.

I was pleased to read your response in the interview on HK and Cult Films DVD News:

The Three Stooges seems to be moving at full speed. I take it that readers should not expect a slowing down anytime soon?

Nope. The idea was to have everything out by the end of ’09, which is the 75th anniversary of the team’s signing with Columbia. They suddenly realized that at the original pace they wouldn’t finish in time, so now they’ve shifted into high gear.

That is the best news of all. Some fans were concerned that the pace would be slow and that it would take years to gather the entire collection, and I am very glad to hear that this won't be the case. I am really looking forward to having all 190 episodes to watch by the end of next year!

Sincerely,
Rob Davidson
(a.k.a. Dunrobin at ThreeStooges.net)

I'll ket you know if I get a response.

xraffle · **Reply #92 on:** July 13, 2008, 10:48:58 AM

Quote from: UncleBobOLink on July 13, 2008, 09:05:43 AM

Hi,

Nice info here, but could we PLEASE get back ON TOPIC..................

Yeah, I know rambling on is allowed on this site, but I think I went a little overboard (over 3 pages).

Sorry about that.

locoboymakesgood · **Reply #93 on:** July 13, 2008, 03:08:16 PM

I still have to send him an e-mail. I wonder if the complete box that will come out will have more bonus features than the single releases.

xraffle · **Reply #94 on:** July 13, 2008, 06:32:34 PM

Quote from: locoboymakesgood on July 13, 2008, 03:08:16 PM

I still have to send him an e-mail. I wonder if the complete box that will come out will have more bonus features than the single releases.

I haven't sent him one yet either. As for the special features thing, it kind of annoys me when companies wait for a complete box set to add special features. It's happened with other TV show DVDs as well. The problem is, most of us fans buy the sets individually. So, if they're including the special features exclusively on the complete set, that means we'll have to sell our older volumes and buy the new set. Either that or we'll just have to live without those extra goodies. To be honest, the only special feature I want is "The Curly Shuffle" video. I'm kind of hoping that Sony will considering adding that to one of the future volumes.

Dunrobin · **Reply #95 on:** July 15, 2008, 06:43:03 AM

I received the following notice from Amazon.com this morning, and I couldn't resist sharing it here in honor of The Blu-Ray Spammer:

Blu-ray Buy 2, Get 1 Free Promotion

Now through July 27, the Amazon DVD team is offering a special Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion on over 100 Blu-ray titles. This is a fantastic opportunity for your customers to start building their Blu-ray libraries with Amazon’s great selection of titles, including Shooter, 3:10 to Yuma and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

In addition, Amazon.com is currently offering exclusive Blu-ray bundles of Kill Bill - Volumes 1 & 2, now available for pre-order ($39.99), and Weeds Seasons 1-3 ($65.99), in-stock now. Plus, the epic saga The Godfather Collection ($86.95) has arrived on Blu-ray, now available for pre-order. Explore hundreds of titles available in our Blu-ray store, all at least 30% off.

Click here for the Blu-Ray Buy 2, Get 1 Free Promotion

xraffle · **Reply #96 on:** July 15, 2008, 07:22:25 AM

I get a ton of those Blu-Ray promotions all the time from Amazon. Unfortunately, I don't have a Blu-Ray player so I can't take advantage of the sale. And getting a Blu-Ray player would be a waste if I don't have an HDTV. Speaking of HDTVs, I saw some 32" ones (Sony and Samsung) at Best Buy the other day for less than $600. Wow! It's nice to know that prices of HDTVs are starting to go down. OK, now I'm rambling on again. Because of that, I deserve a pie in the face.

shemps#1 · **Reply #97 on:** July 15, 2008, 09:46:53 AM

I'll be getting a Blu-Ray player, but only because the PS3 doubles as one.

xraffle · **Reply #98 on:** July 15, 2008, 10:15:43 AM

I don't have a PS3, but I have a PS2 and Xbox. I don't like using the games systems as a movie player for several reasons:

1) It wears out the system faster.
2) I find that picture quality on a standalone DVD player is much better than on the PS2 and Xbox.
3) On the PS2 and Xbox, there are a few movies that have had problems playing.
4) The PS2 and Xbox have a hard time reading burned DVDs.

I'm not sure if the PS3 has this problem as well, but I think it's actually better to play Blu-Ray on a standalone player than on the PS3. Game systems are expensive and if you're going to be putting wear and tear on it, might as well wear and tear it with games rather than on movies.

This is just based on experience. I don't know if the PS3 plays Blu-ray discs well or not since I've never tried it. My cousin has a PS3, so i've seen it. Just like the PS2, the loading times are very slow, but it does deliver sweet graphics though. I don't know how well the Wii or Xbox 360 are since I've never tried those systems out. I would've gotten a Wii, but 'till this day, they're still impossible to find. So, I gave up and lost interest. By the time a Wii stops selling out, it'll probably be obsolete. It's rediculous.

locoboymakesgood · **Reply #99 on:** July 15, 2008, 10:32:55 PM

I'm going to chime in on the Amazon sale..

Prices of media as we all know is high. To motivate sales, a lot of stores run sales like this all the time. Saves some money on the wallet.

Again, I love Blu, but I'm not going to shove technology down someone's throat. Either buy it or don't.