Back in the 80’s and 90’s I had quite the laserdisc collection. I got my first laserdisc player in 1989, the Pioneer CLD-3090, which I sold when I upgraded to a better player, the Pioneer CLD-701. In 1997, I performed an AC-3 (a.k.a. Dolby Digital) upgrade to the CLD-701, using a kit that I bought online and their thorough instructions. It involved soldering, which I taught myself to do, and took lots of time to complete.

I actually documented this process with photos, and someone today on Home Theater Lounge reminded me of this.

I replaced the CLD-701 with the Pioneer DVL-909, a combination DVD/LD player, that already supported AC-3. This player is still in my main equipment rack, although it was unplugged until this past weekend. Last weekend, I got the urge to see the Pioneer Special Edition of 1776 which I originally owned when it was first released in 1992. But water damage to most of my laserdisc collection ruined the cover and molded the discs. So I paid $20 for a used copy of the laserdisc on eBay. The disc played fine except for the last side, which had a scratch--and there were white lines on screen for that reason (fortunately, not for the entire side).

The CLD-701 is in a box in the garage. I used it to capture Star Wars and Song of the South and I made DVD’s from that. My Star Wars DVD even restored the line “Close the blast doors, close the blast doors!” which was in the movie when I saw it in 1977, but lost on every home video version until the Special Edition release. The CLD-701 side flipping stopped working, so I should probably just recycle the hardware and get rid of it. But that AC-3 upgrade was something I was proud of, and I hate to just throw that away.

As for my laserdisc collection, the old and moldy discs are in boxes in the garage. I have some pristine box sets that I replaced, some DTS laserdiscs, and a few sentimental favorites, like the original Star Wars Trilogy in CAV and CLV (the big box with the book, the Faces editions, and the Special Editions box set). These discs occupy a place of honor in custom shelves in my home theater.

And I’ll probably unplug the laserdisc player from the rack, so it will survive a lightning strike.

Years ago, I got a Roku Photobridge that allowed me to show pictures in high definition on my HDTV. I followed instructions from the net and hacked it to be able to play streaming video. But the power supply died and I had it repaired, then it died again and I threw it away.

Flash forward several years. Apple made the Apple TV gen 1, with high definition video output, and the ability to play content from iTunes. It had a bigger footprint than a Mac mini, and was about 2/3 the height. But it stored its content on a hard drive, and in the case of mine, it was only 40 gigs. It had HDMI out plus component video and an optical digital output, plus Ethernet connectivity and WiFi. It eventually started locking up--probably a dying hard drive.

Apple revised the Apple TV gen 1 with a larger hard drive, then totally revamped the design and made it into a streaming-only little black square hockey puck.

This Apple TV 2 was capable of 720p high definition video. It had HDMI and optical digital out, plus Ethernet and WiFi. You could see YouTube, Netflix streaming, Major League Baseball, and the NHL, in addition to streaming from iTunes.



The Apple TV 3 came next, similar to the Apple TV 2 except it was capable of 1080p. Apple added trailers and Hulu Plus to the mix. A few months later, Apple did a silent internal-only upgrade, changing the CPU and WiFi chips. But the specs remained the same.

I have one of the first rev Apple TV 3's (model A1427) on my upstairs TV. It is connected via WiFi, and it handles everything I throw at it bandwidth-wise.

I recently acquired one of the refreshed Apple TV 3's from Amazon (model A1469). Setup was a breeze--I plugged in an HDMI cable that ran directly from my TV (as opposed to my Monoprice HDMI switch, which does not work with Apple TV). I plugged in a spare Ethernet cable, although I could have used WiFi, and I powered it up.

It asked me my language preferences, and auto detected network settings from Ethernet. I then updated software, and signed into home sharing. I was then able to watch video and listen to music from my iTunes library. I signed into Netflix and Hulu Plus. It was easy.

I watched Django Unchained. It resumed play from the place I left off on the iPad. I watched one of my high-def rips, the musical Memphis. I listened to music from my iTunes library. I tried out Netflix and Hulu Plus. You can even purchase and rent movies and TV shows from the Apple TV.

The minimalist Apple Remote Control was easy to use, and very lightweight. It requires line-of-sight to the Apple TV.



There is a Remote app for iDevices. You can select music and video from the touch screen.

You can use AirPlay to play back content on the Apple TV. You can use AirPlay mirroring to mirror the screen from your Mac or iDevice.

All in all, the Apple TV 3 is a slick device, perfect for the Apple ecosystem.

And then along came Roku. Last year, Amazon had a Gold Box sale on the Roku 2 XS 1080p streaming player. I picked it up and added it to my TV upstairs. But I ran out of HDMI inputs on my TV, so I disconnected the Roku.



Then, silly me, I realized that I had a spare HDMI input on my downstairs TV's HDMI switch. Unlike Apple TV, the Roku works with HDMI switches. I used WiFi for the Roku, although it also has Ethernet.

The Roku has "channels" that you select from a channel store, over 750 of them. This is a far cry better than the Apple TV. Like the Apple TV, the Roku has Netflix and Hulu Plus. Unlike the Apple TV, the Roku has channels like HBO Go, Amazon Video (including Prime Instant Video), Vudu (which means Ultraviolet), Pandora, Spotify, news channels like NBC, and even Amazon Cloud Player. The Roku even has the Vevo channel of 75,000 music videos (that, granted, you can access from YouTube on the Apple TV).

HBO Go has complete seasons of shows like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, even The Newsroom. You have to be an HBO subscriber to receive it. Hulu Plus and Spotify require a monthly subscription. Amazon Cloud Player stores all your Amazon-purchased music and 5 gigs of free storage for additional songs. You can store more music for a yearly fee, but it does not support all music formats that iTunes does.

The Roku 2 XS has since been replaced by the Roku 3. It has similar specs as the Roku 2 XS, with the addition of dual-band WiFi and headphones on the remote control. The Roku 3 is missing the analog audio/video out of the Roku 2 XS, so it loses some of the flexibility of being capable of hooking up to standard definition TV's, or to TV's without HDMI (there are still older sets out there that fit this criteria).

Setup of the Roku requires access to a web browser to activate some of the channels. The Roku displays a code and you have to enter it. The Roku detects the code entry, then activates the channel.

The Roku remote is larger than the Apple Remote. It is a Bluetooth remote for the Roku 2 XS, which means it will work without line of sight. It is motion-control capable for games like Angry Birds (Roku 2 XS) and Angry Birds Space (Roku 3). The remote is WiFi direct for the Roku 3. Both the Roku 2XS and Roku 3 have IR ports for use with universal remotes.

The Roku remote is laid out differently than the Apple Remote, but it is easy to use. There are two game buttons for gaming functionality. I tried Angry Birds, and thought the iOS variant played better.

Roku has an iOS and Android app that allows control of channels, remote control of the unit (the screen mimicking the layout of the remote) and access to the Roku channel store, where you can add channels to your device.

Until the Apple TV supports HBO Go, I'll be using the Roku. I'm not a heavy Spotify user, but I like having that on the Roku, as well. The Roku 2 is due a software update that will revise the user interface, so the temptation to buy a Roku 3 is minimal. However, the Roku 2 will work with my father's TV, so I could gift it and get him into Netflix streaming and I could get the latest and greatest.

Smelling is believing. Introducing Google Nose, Google’s latest technological triumph. It’s in beta.

I recently got into music downloads from HDtracks, where you can find music in 24bit resolution at sampling rates ranging from 48kHz to 192kHz. In other words, you can download high-res music in SACD or DVD-Audio quality.

This led to me wanting to play back and get the maximum benefit of the higher-resolution audio.

My first step was to buy an inexpensive USB DAC and headphone amp that plays back high resolution sound from my Mac. I acquired the Nu Force Icon uDAC 2 from Amazon. Sound through my Sennheiser HD-280 pro headphones was out of this world, so I continued to download more high-res music.

To play back the music on the big rig upstairs, I burned a BD-R disc with the FLAC files, and played this disc through the file manager on the Oppo BDP-93. This worked. But then I realized that the Oppo could be a UPnP/DLNA client, and I found this FAQ.

All I needed was a UPnP/DLNA server that worked on my Mac. That was easier said than done. I tried five different servers, even paying for one based on a review, but they all failed to work. So I Googled some more and found a recent thread on AVS Forums where someone had gotten something to work with his Mac and Oppo BDP-105.

I downloaded the trial version of this software, Playback, and it recognized my Oppo immediately. I configured it to point to my high-res music folder, and went upstairs to try it out…and it worked like a charm. I was getting streaming high-res music to my Oppo blu-ray player, and was playing it through my good sound system.

I paid the $15 registration fee for Playback, licensed the software, and went back upstairs to listen to more.

Unfortunately, the wifi connection to that Oppo is 2.4GHz with only 48% signal strength. When I tried to play the 24bit/192kHz music, it would stutter. So I decided to try a wired Ethernet connection to the Oppo. I used to have Ethernet wired in that room, but for some reason, unplugged it at the router. Fortunately, I had a tone generator, and I tracked down the Ethernet run and plugged it back in to the router. I am still wireless from the Mac to the Time Capsule, but wired all the way back to the Oppo, and the throughput was fine.

I resumed playing 24bit/192kHz content with nary a skip or stutter.

By the way, if you sign up for HDTracks mailings, they send coupon codes for new releases every week (so far). I got the new David Bowie and Eric Clapton for 15% off, and Kenny Rogers The Gambler discounted as well.

Mitsubishi has announced that it is getting out of the RPTV business, meaning that there will be no more DLP televisions on the market very soon. I replaced my old 65-inch (2000 model year) Mits RPTV with a 73-inch Mits DLP set last year. It was 3D capable with a firmware update, and it looks great.

Meanwhile, Sony is trying to drum up interest with its first 4K software releases for its 84-inch, $25,000 4K TV. They will loan you a player with such 4K demo material as Bad Teacher, The Other Guys, and That’s My Boy. I am not making this up (sure, there are other titles, I would just hope for my $25K that it would be exclusively A-list titles.)

When I first moved into my house, I installed X10 switches for most of the lights, and X10 modules for the lamps both upstairs and downstairs. I used software on my Mac to control them along with a computer interface (I believe it was called ActiveHome), and RF remote controls. I bought a ton of stuff from the X10 web site, including spare light switches and motion sensors, some of which I still have in the original boxes.

As I settled into my house, I got switches to control the ceiling fans, and I got better software called Indigo, which allowed better control on the Mac. I eventually settled on Indigo 2, which I ran from an old iMacDV (the grey translucent CRT model with FireWire inputs). Indigo provided a web server and a graphical interface that allowed control of your system through a web browser. I set up a web cam that showed a ceiling fan and its lights, which could prove that the commands I issued remotely worked. Then I used mobile Safari on my original iPhone to control it all. It was geek nirvana.

For various reasons, I stopped using X10 in that setup. This past weekend, I decided to see what it would take to get it running again. The light and ceiling fan switches were still installed. I had de-installed the lamp modules (and replaced the bulbs with CFL, so the old lamp modules would no longer work). The old iMac still functioned, but was obsolete. The Indigo software was three versions out-of-date.

I went to SmartHome and they wanted $189 for the latest version of Indigo 5. There was no option for an upgrade, so I went to the Perceptive Automation site and found that there was an upgrade option for $99, plus they sold the interface I needed to control X10 and the newer INSTEON modules. I ordered the software upgrade and the interface.

I migrated the Indigo installation from the iMac DV to the smaller, and soon-to-be-headless, Mac mini 2010. The software recognized my module database, and even the graphical interface that showed the lights and ceiling fans on a floor plan of my house. One thing that was cool about Indigo 5 was that it included an iPad and iPhone app to control your setup either from a list of modules, or from that graphical interface, only available via WiFi from inside your house.

I ordered some INSTEON modules for the lamps and a couple of other things from SmartHome. I should have ordered from MacHomeStore.com, the store front for Indigo, because they turned out to be local and the shipping was overnight (at least, for the computer interface).

I got the computer interface today and hooked it up. After downloading a serial driver, I was in business, and the existing X10 controls worked like a charm. I can turn on/off lights from the computer or from the iPhone and iPad. Indigo allows timers to be set based on sunrise/sunset, so I can set my outdoor lighting based on the light outside.

Next up, install the new modules so I’ll be in business around my entire house!

I have three sound systems in my house.

One, I listen to daily as it is hooked up to my computer. It is the Logitech Z-680 5.1 THX sound system. Receiving optical digital from the Mac, I play my iTunes and the occasional DVD through it.

Two, is the Polk SurroundBar and matching subwoofer driven by an old Yamaha DSP-A1. This is mated to my downstairs TV. The display on the Yamaha is on the blink, and the receiver shuts off sometimes without warning. But this serves as a fine sound system where critical listening is not a requirement.

Three is the “big rig” in the home theater room upstairs. At the heart is the Denon 5803 A/V receiver. It’s old, but it has two sets of 7.1 discrete inputs, so I can get high-resolution multichannel sound from blu-ray and HD-DVD. As for speakers, I have a JBL N-Center (Northridge series), two JBL S120PII Studio Series subwoofers, and six JBL ND-310’s (Northridge series again). The ND-310’s are towers, and they work well for both MC music and movies. They are arrayed as left/right, surround, and surround back speakers. Thus, I have a full 7.1 sound system (and there are more blu-rays released in 7.1 sound every week, which the Oppo BDP-93 decodes).

When the 1986 musical version of Little Shop of Horrors was released on DVD in early 1998, it included a black&white work print of the original ending, a jaunty little number featuring gigantic Audrey II plants on the rampage called “Don’t Feed The Plants.” But David Geffen, producer of the film, was not consulted, and did not approve. So Little Shop of Horrors became the first recalled DVD, and an instant collector’s item.

At long last, on blu-ray, Little Shop of Horrors - The Director’s Cut is being released, with the original ending intact.



THe disc is supposed to be delivered by UPS on Tuesday. I can’t wait to see it in color and fully restored!

Last week saw the release of Lawrence of Arabia on blu-ray, but only in the U.K. It shipped Saturday a week ago, and arrived one week later. Not bad for Royal Mail and the USPS.



The disc is a wonder. The movie comes on a single disc, and the supplements are on another. The movie is 2.20x1 widescreen, and the picture quality is outstanding…colorful, good grain structure, great shadow detail. The DTS HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is as good as I have ever heard it….not as showy as modern surround soundtracks, but still quite good. The music sounds like it was recorded yesterday.

All for around $20 shipped from Amazon.co.uk. The domestic release won’t be until November 13th.

I was excited about seeing the Olympics in 3D, but after a week, I am disappointed.

The main problem is the timing of the broadcasts, delayed by a day, and playing from 4:00am to 6:30pm. It’s too early to watch, and during the weekdays, it interferes with work and I can’t watch it.

Oh sure, if I had a DVR, I could record it, but I don’t have a DVR on that TV.

It seems that these broadcasts are being strategically timed to not interfere with the prime time broadcasts. I’d watch more 3D if it were in prime time, but then I would not be watching NBC. So no 3D in prime time.

I have seen the opening ceremonies in 3D, after getting up at 4:00am Saturday morning. I stayed awake for over two hours, then went back to bed. When I woke up, they were repeating the ceremonies at about the point I left off. So I finished off the ceremonies and got to see Sir Paul in 3D (from a much better vantage point than the times I saw him in concert).

Today was Friday’s track and field. Not too exciting. I’ll probably watch some 3D tomorrow, but at a reasonable hour.

And then it’s back to 3D blu-rays.

Announced yesterday, NBC Olympics and Panasonic are going to produce daily 3D broadcasts from the 2012 London Olympic games. The programming will be shown on next-day delay on a variety of providers, including mine which is Verizon FiOS. They are expecting to produce some 242 hours of programming, including opening and closing ceremonies, gymnastics, diving and swimming, cycling, and track & field.

I called Verizon to see what I would need to watch 3D programming on my 3DTV. At first, they said nothing, until I explained that I did not get FiOS on my 3DTV. Then they said that I needed an HD set top box for $11.99 a month, after they verified that they indeed are broadcasting the Olympics in 3D. Apparently, I was the first person to call about it.

So I ordered an HD set top box (nothing fancy, just the receiver) and went to the local Verizon Plus store to pick it up. They were busy, with lots of people returning equipment. After a 45 minute wait, I was waited on, and got my box and a free upgrade to my internet speed. I got home, rearranged the wiring, and even hooked the box up to my A/V receiver so I can get 5.1 sound.

I found the Olympics 3D channel. It was broadcasting a test pattern. I also found the ESPN 3D channel. I selected it, and it said I needed to subscribe, which I chose not to do. But it did try to display the channel placeholder in side-by-side 3D, so it looks like 3D works.

Home Theater Forum had the scoop earlier today of a press release announcing the November release of Lawrence of Arabia on blu-ray, in a nice-looking box set.

Even more impressive is Robert Harris’ long-running thread about all things Lawrence, and many things not. Starting with this post, Harris goes into details about the long, arduous process of assembling the restoration that was released to theaters in 1989. After several pages of this, Sony’s Grover Crisp has been added to a dialogue that goes into details of the home video incarnations of Lawrence. Coming up is a discussion of the new 4K restoration, and upcoming blu-ray release.

It is compelling reading.

Now that The Dick Van Dyke Show has been announced for blu-ray release later this year, I am getting caught up on the five season collection on DVD, which I picked up from Amazon for a song. I can’t see myself upgrading the DVD’s for the blu-rays since I don’t see myself watching these many times. Plus, even though I liked The Twilight Zone blu-rays compared to my old non-season-set DVD collection, I just don’t see a huge improvement coming for Dick Van Dyke in high definition.

I tried giving the DVD’s a spin on my old Toshiba HD-D2 HD-DVD player, but the player locked up on me once and would not even spin one of the discs. So I used my trusty fat original PS3 and it played back fine upscaled to 1080p.

I watched The Artist by myself and with friends…it ran several people off who either weren’t feeling well, or weren’t into mostly silent films. I still think Hugo was a better movie, and should have won the Oscar for Best Picture. (Hugo, by the way, is stunning in blu-ray 3D.)

Next up, the freshly released Outland, or High Noon in space with Sean Connery as the sheriff. Early reviews of this blu-ray are positive, which is a relief considering the abomination that was the original DVD (which was sourced from a poor laserdisc master). The last time I saw Outland look good was in the movie theater during its original run.

I also have Chariots of Fire, another blu-ray of the same vintage, and Altered States, which I liked a lot on HBO as a teenager. We’ll see how well it holds up.

Oh, and I saw Disney / Pixar’s Brave theatrically in an auditorium featuring the new Dolby Atmos sound system (with speakers arrayed along the walls and ceiling). Much ado about nothing--I could hardly tell that there were special sound effects in the movie. And I paid $14.75 for the privilege of seeing it. For a few dollars more, I could have just bought the blu-ray when it is released. And for a few dollars beyond that, I can get it in 3D.

CNET reports on the first movie available to consumers in 4K format. Called TimeScapes, it features award-winning cinematography of New Zealand night skies. The 50-minute movie is $299 for a hard drive, or $99 for a compressed (though still 4K) version on USB stick.

Photo from CNET:


File this away in the killing the format before it was born file. $99 for a USB stick? $299 for a hard drive? Please!

4K will get me to the movie theater, but I have no need for it in my home, especially since I just upgraded my home theater to a large-screen 1080p 3D DLP set last year.

Evita - 15th Anniversary Edition was released last week on blu-ray. Finally, I can retire the lackluster DVD release from 1998.

Evita is the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical that won multiple Tonys in 1980. It tells the story of Eva Peron (Madonna), who rose from poverty to become the first lady of Argentina, stepping over every obstacle with determination. Appointed the “Spiritual Leader of Argentina” she was equal part sinner and saint. The entire show is seen through the eyes of Che Guevara (Antonio Banderas), who plays a multitude of roles throughout the musical.

While light on the history, it makes an entertaining 135 minutes. The music is good, and the lyrics are intelligent. Madonna’s performance won her a Golden Globe (the movie also won a Golden Globe for Best Picture-Musical/Comedy.) A new song “You Must Love Me” won an Oscar for Best Original Song.

The 2.35x1 picture is wonderful, and puts the old non-anamorphic DVD to shame. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is powerful, and is quite crankable.

Extras include a making-of documentary, a music video, and a teaser trailer. The bulk of the supplements on the Criterion Laserdisc, including a commentary by director Alan Parker, are missing--it looks like I will have to keep the laserdisc.

But when I want to marvel at the picture and sound, I will pull out this blu-ray!

I was surprised today when FedEx dropped off a review copy of John Wayne’s Hondo blu-ray. The Western genre is one that is not well represented in my library, so I will watch it with interest.



Hondo is a missed opportunity, being the only 3D John Wayne movie released during the Golden Age of 3D. Unfortunately, Paramount chose to release this in 2D, when a digital 3D restoration was already done a few years ago. I had already chosen to boycott the purchase of this title since it was not released in 3D. At least, I did not have to buy it.

Later…

I watched Hondo on the smaller HDTV with the lesser sound system. It’s the story of a half-breed calvary scout, Hondo Lane (John Wayne) who comes into the lives of a rancher, Angie Lowe, played by Geraldine Page, and her son Johnny. It is a time of unrest with the warring Apache tribes, who have ignored treaties and have been killing settlers. They try to make the story something beyond the White Man Good, Indians Bad stereotype by making the Indian leader a blood brother to the young boy, and by his offering male Indian companionship while Hondo and the woman’s husband are away.

I did not care much for the story. I was distracted by my iPad a lot. There was a long battle between the Indians and what was left of the settlers and calvary towards the end. It must have been something to see in 3D.

And it was very apparent that Hondo was supposed to be in 3D, with knives, spears, and guns projecting outwards. With the 3D restoration already having been done on Hondo, I can’t understand why Paramount did not make this the first of the Golden Era 3D movies to be released on blu-ray. Instead, Warner will have that honor with the upcoming 3D release of Dial M for Murder.

Picture quality was variable. Framed at 1.85x1 (or close to it) the picture had numerous shots that were soft and grainy, like duplicate stock was used. Other times, the film was clear as day and night.

Sound quality was fine. I listened to the default soundtrack through my SurroundBar.

Supplements include an introduction by Leonard Maltin, a commentary, a making-of documentary, a tour of the Wayne vault (from an 90’s episode of Entertainment Tonight), a trailer, and more.

The price is right on Amazon if you collect John Wayne movies. But I would personally hold out for the 3D version.

I just installed the Nest Learning Thermostat in my downstairs. I have a unit for the upstairs, too.



This thermostat replaces my 12-year-old semi-programmable thermostat with all sorts of new and innovative features. It remembers my schedule as I set the thermostat, and programs itself. It automatically adjusts when I am away. It detects the humidity and turns off the AC, running only the fan, when conditions merit. It is controllable from my iPhone, iPad, and computer. The Nest.com website has more.

It was a snap to install. First, I watched the video from Lowes.com. Then I snapped off the cover to my old thermostat and checked the wiring to see if it matched what Nest said I could have. It did (there were four wires), and it was even color coded correctly.

Then I went to Lowes, where they had a display on an end-cap, made my purchase, and sped home. I turned off the power to the AC units. The fans ran for a while after that, so I waited until they stopped. I removed the Nest from its box (nicely packed) and read the instructions., a rehash of the installation video I had already seen. Then I removed the old thermostat, stripped and straightened the wires a bit, and installed the Nest back with the optional mounting kit that covered the screw holes in the wall. I snapped the Nest unit onto the back, powered on the AC, and it was done!

The Nest had a guided setup that was very easy to follow. It detected my WiFi network, allowed me to enter the password (by turning the dial, selecting letters/numbers, and pushing), asked for my zip code (so it could receive local weather reports), and allowed me to name the unit. I chose “Downstairs” since the other one will need to be named “Upstairs.” It asked if I was setting up the heater or the AC. Then it asked what the extremes of temperatures I would like it to set while I am away. I said 50 degrees for heat, and 84 degrees for AC. I may set it higher, or turn the AC off. It then set the temperature to 75 degrees, and started cooling. I turned the dial up to 78 degrees, and a green leaf appeared on the dial, indicating that I was saving energy.

All in all, the installation and setup took less than 30 minutes.

I then downloaded the Nest app on my iPhone (it automatically appeared on my iPad) and signed up for an account on the Nest website. I then had to activate that account on the Nest unit. When I went to see it, it was already asking if I wanted to associate my account with it. I clicked, indicating yes.

The Nest promises to save energy costs over the lifetime of use. With that in mind, I think the investment will pay for itself in 3-5 years.

The Sting was released Tuesday on blu-ray/DVD/digital copy in a collector’s edition and a standard edition. The standard edition is currently $11.99 and the collector’s edition, with the same content and an additional digibook, is twice that. I got the standard edition, because I liked the cover art (similar to the original theatrical movie poster):



The Sting is the story of a small-time grifter in 1936 whose partner is killed after both unknowingly scam a courier for a numbers runner, a big New York boss. The grifter, Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) flees to Chicago, where he joins with has-been big-con expert Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman). The two work together to scam the New York boss, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw).

The con is on, with twists and turns that no good person can give away. If you have not seen The Sting, you are in for a treat. If you have seen The Sting, seeing it again is like visiting an old friend. The Sting is the first movie I ever saw twice as a child, once with my father, and the second time with both my mother and father. I’ve owned the laserdisc, two different DVD’s, and the HD-DVD.

The new transfer is a mixed bag. It looks fine on my 57-inch DLP set, but reports on Home Theater Forum complain about artificial softness present on large, projected displays. If your set is not too large, you won’t notice it.

Sound is DTS-HD MA 5.1. The original mono track is absent. Marvin Hamlish’s Scott Joplin ragtime music sounds great in 5.1. Dialogue is centered, as it should be.

Supplements were ported over from the 2005 DVD release in 4x3 480p, including a 3-part hour-long documentary called The Art of The Sting, and the post-Oscar theatrical trailer. New supplements in 16x9 1080p include 100 Years Of Universal: Restoring The Classics, 100 Years Of Universal: The ’70’s, and 100 Years of Universal: The Lot.

The DVD includes the movie and the 480p supplements. The digital copy can be redeemed with iTunes or Vudu, but not both.

The Sting is an all-time favorite movie. It’s a shame that Universal did not improve the picture quality, but for $12, I’ll live with it.

Coming to blu-ray July 24 is the outstanding concert Peter Gabriel Secret World Live. I’ve seen PG twice in concert, once in 2003 during the Growing Up tour, then last year with orchestra during the New Blood tour. Secret World Live is a 1993 concert that had an incarnation on videotape and laserdisc, and an embarrassingly bad quality DVD.

The Amazon blurb says that the blu-ray has been newly restored and remastered from the original film. I hope so. (The Peter Gabriel website has more information about the restoration.)



Meanwhile, I have been watching Peter Gabriel New Blood Live in London in 3Dimensions. It’s a slightly different setlist than the show I saw last year, but it is still quite good and the 3D effects are great.

I got Star Wars - The Complete Saga when it was first released last year, and watched Star Wars and Empire right away, then got busy doing other things. Over Memorial Day weekend, I pulled the set out again and watched the first five movies in release order (just as I saw them in the theater). I’ll watch Revenge of the Sith this weekend.

First, let me say that I am a Star Wars fanatic. Especially the first movie, which as a 12-year-old, I saw three times theatrically--a record for me. I’ve owned every incarnation of Star Wars on home video, from VHS, to pan&scan laserdisc, to Japanese widescreen laserdisc, to widescreen domestic laserdisc, to the big black box CAV laserdisc set with book, to the “heads” CLV laserdiscs, to the special edition laserdiscs, to the DVD box set, to the DVD tin set.

I did not see Empire until its first theatrical re-release. I saw Return to the Jedi on the day after opening day, getting to the theater hours early with a friend to get good seats. My home video collection is similar for these two movies.

I saw the charity premiere of The Phantom Menace spending an exorbitant sum on tickets. This was at The United Artists theater in Dallas. I also bought a lot of toys (loved those battle droids!) I acquired the Japanese laserdisc of Phantom Menace and the video CD. There was no day/date home video DVD release. But when it came out on DVD, I got that.

Clones and Sith I saw theatrically in DLP at the nice Cinemark Legacy 24 on their lucky screen 13, which at the time was the biggest digital screen with best sound in town. I bought the DVD’s when they were released.

Which leads us to the blu-ray release. First, I like the different versions that you can purchase--the ultimate box set with all six films and three discs of supplements, and two separate sets of the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy if you only like one set of movies, or don’t want the supplements. Of course, I had to have the complete set.

The movies look outstanding. Even Star Wars, filmed in 1976-77 looks like it was made yesterday. Phantom Menace, which was a DNR’s mess on DVD, looks great. In fact, I can’t find fault in any of the video that I’ve seen.

The English 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound is a thing to behold. It gave my big rig quite a workout. The audio for the original trilogy was better than I had ever heard it. For the prequel trilogy, the theatrical sound was a notch better, mainly because the theatrical subwoofers were better than mine.

There are copious supplements, including commentary tracks on each feature. I did not have time to get into the supplements, but I will one day.

Never mind that the original versions of the movies were not included. That’s hardly a deal-breaker. If I ever want to see them, I can spin the laserdiscs or the DVD’s that were made from the laserdisc masters. Of course, you have to see the special editions or later to get my favorite line from Star Wars: when the stormtroopers are chasing Han and Chewie in the Death Star, one of them says “Close the blast doors!” As the doors close, Han and Chewie jump through them to the safety of the other side. Then a stormtrooper says “Open the blast doors, open the blast doors!” Trust me on this, the “Close the blast doors” line was missing from every home video version of Star Wars until the Special Edition.

And now you can hear the line on the blu-ray!

Consumer Reports just published an article titled Get ready for ultra high-definition (4K) TVs. They are coming. They are few and expensive. But they are coming.

In this fascinating thread at Home Theater Forum, industry insider “paidgeek” says that we shouldn’t ignore 4K for resolution issues.

Okay, I’ll ignore it because I bought an HDTV last year, and I expect it to last ten years or more!

Some time ago, CNET posted an article titled Why 4K TVs Are Stupid. Apparently, there is very little advantage to 4K in the home theater environment with average screen sizes and normal seating distances. Now in movie theaters, it is advantageous.

I’m not going to invest in 4K after a significant investment in 1080p and blu-ray. Granted, 1080p isn’t even 2K (although it is close). But in my environment, 1080p is good enough for me.

Do you shop at Amazon or Best Buy?

I used to shop exclusively at Amazon. I paid for Amazon Prime, and used their all-you-can-eat 2-day shipping extensively.

But now Amazon is opening up a distribution center in my area, and that means they are going to start charging sales tax. That makes them no better than Best Buy.

The last time I visited a Best Buy store was to pick up some 3D blu-rays. Amazon’s prices were not competitive. Unfortunately, the Best Buy was not well-organized or stocked. I picked up my 3D discs and have not been back.

This week, Amazon is selling True Blood Season 4 for $49.99. Best Buy has it for $39.99, plus shipping, plus tax. You still come out ahead buying it from Best Buy.

So now I’ll be shopping around for the best prices, especially since sales tax has entered the equation.

Update 5/30/2012…but Amazon dropped the price of True Blood to $34.99. I ended up ordering it from them.

Today is Towel Day. Be sure and carry your towel wherever you go!

I just downloaded the Kindle book of The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy which I plan to read since I really don’t want to touch/harm my collection of autographed Douglas Adams books. I just listened to the original first series BBC radio shows, and enjoyed them again immensely.

Oh, and I asked Siri a question…she had the appropriate answer!

Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland is being reissued next week in various configurations including vinyl, a CD-only, CD with extra tracks and DVD, and two box sets.



The DVD is of the documentary “Under African Skies” which has played film festivals, and NYC/LA, and is going to air on A&E starting tomorrow night. There is also a separate blu-ray release of the documentary, but it is ridiculously expensive.

I remember getting this CD back in 1986 and really enjoying the world music vibe. (I also like Peter Gabriel for similar reasons.)

Almost 26 years later, Graceland still holds up.

Tuesday saw the release of Sherlock Season Two on blu-day and DVD, after airing on Masterpiece Mystery over the past three weeks. I started watching this on Masterpiece until I realized that the shows were trimmed by around eight minutes each.

I had the British release from Amazon.co.uk, but it was 1080i/50 and will only play on my Oppo blu-ray player. The U.S. release is converted to 1080i/60 (although the TV shows it at 1080p). The only time I could tell a difference in the video was during the credits roll. On the U.K. release, the credits did not scroll smoothly. On the U.S. release, they did.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sherlock in this modern-day take of the original Holmes stories, set in present-day London. Martin Freeman, soon to be seen in The Hobbit, plays Dr. John Watson. Instead of documenting Sherlock’s exploits for the Strand magazine, he writes them in a blog.

There are three 90-minute episodes per season. Season One ended in a cliffhanger with Jim Moriarty threatening Sherlock and Watson. Season Two, in an episode titled “A Scandal in Belgravia,” takes up where Season One left off.

The other two episodes are titled “The Hounds of Baskerville” and “The Reichenbach Fall.” I watched Baskerville last night, and plan to watch Reichenbach tonight. Steven Moffat (of Doctor Who and Coupling fame) and Mark Gattis (who shares co-creation credit/writing duties and plays Mycroft) have written entertaining takes on the original stories.

Based on a quick scan of the Belgravia episode, there is no editing for time. Also missing is the introduction and logo for Masterpiece that was inserted into each episode for its U.S. broadcast. There is a Masterpiece Mystery logo at the beginning of each disc, along with ads for different BBC product (and the new Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movie).

Picture quality is good all around. The conversion from 1080i/50 to 1080i/60 is flawless. Sound is Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448KHz. I listened through TV speakers, so I can’t comment on the quality of the sound beyond that.

Supplements include a 20-minute documentary and two commentary tracks. I listened to the commentary for Belgravia, and it was quite entertaining.

Not to be outdone, CBS is developing a Sherlock Holmes show set in NYC with Lucy Liu playing Watson. I think I’ll stick to the British version.

Tomorrow sees the release of Paul McCartney’s remastered Ram in special and deluxe editions. The special edition comes with an extra disc of songs. The pricey deluxe edition comes with a book, 4 CD’s, a DVD, pictures, and a few other collectibles.



When I was a kid, I thought “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” was by The Beatles. I guess I was close!

I’ve been collecting the McCartney deluxe editions since the release of Band on the Run, so it stands to reason that I will be getting the deluxe edition of Ram. Now I just need to find shelf space for it!

Home Theater Forum has the specs and release date for Bond 50, a collection of the 22 James Bond movies on blu-ray.



Of course, never mind the fans who bought the initial releases on blu-ray, and are awaiting a handful of movies to complete their collection. The question I have is how long it will take MGM/Fox to split up this box set into individual discs, because I am certainly not going to buy all those movies over again.

Didn’t I just see this in the theater? Why yes, I did. And before you know it, The Avengers will be out on blu-ray and DVD, including a 3D blu-ray release. The release date is September 25th.

It should come as no surprise that I paid an early termination fee with Verizon to get the original iPhone in June of 2007. I upgraded to the iPhone 3G the next year, then upgraded to an iPhone 4 in 2010 (I sold both of the earlier iPhones on eBay to cover the cost of the new phone).

Then last month, I upgraded to the iPhone 4S. I was interested in getting a phone with the 64 gig capacity for more iTunes, and I wanted Siri.

Of course, I’ve had more fun with Siri than actual use. Oh, I do use Siri to set my morning alarm and to check the weather. But mostly, I ask it silly questions.

Here is her eventual response to “Tell me a story.”




You have to be persistent to get her to tell it.

Then I tried:



Then I asked a line from Pulp Fiction:



This is what Samuel Jackson should be saying in his Siri commercial!

This picture is from Amazon.fr, where the preorder for Lawrence of Arabia on blu-ray is up.



Apparently, this will be released as a big box of stuff, and a disc-only version. The release date has yet to be announced, but since the movie just had its 4K digital premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the blu-ray announcement can’t be far behind. Besides, this is the 50th anniversary year, and we all know how anniversaries lead to blu-ray and DVD releases.

I took a day off work in 1989 to see the first showing of the 70mm restoration of Lawrence at the AMC Glen Lakes 8 in Dallas. They had decorated the inside of the theater with sheets to make it look like the inside of a tent, and the workers wore Arabian-style costumes. During the movie, I had a severe flashback to my childhood during the quicksand scene. I realized that I had seen the movie before, in edited form, at the Will Rogers Theater in Tulsa. It was re-released in 1971, which would have made me 6-7 years old at the time.

Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing this again on blu-ray!

The good folks at Home Theater Forum have posted their first impressions of Dolby’s new Advanced 96k up-sampling of the Dolby TrueHD codec. Without the need for additional hardware, consumers get better sound. If your audio setup plays Dolby TrueHD, you will be able to benefit once the recordings are on the market.

I have an aging Denon AVR-5803 AV Receiver, and the aforementioned Oppo BDP-93 3D blu-ray player. While the Denon does not have HDMI, it does have two sets of discrete 7.1 inputs. The Oppo has discrete 7.1 outputs, and handles in-player Dolby TrueHD decoding (and also DTS-HD Master Audio, among others). So I am ready for Advanced 96k up-sampling.

I’ve had Verizon FiOS for several years now, including a bundle of TV, internet, and telephone. Well, in an effort to appear aggressive to investors, Verizon has announced that they will be raising rates. I thought I had a 2-year package deal with them, so I will be disappointed if I get hit in the next 16 months.

(Thanks to Home Theater Lounge for the story.)

So who watches The Celebrity Apprentice? The live finale was just on, and between Arsenio Hall and Clay Aiken, both were good contestants. I did not agree with The Donald’s choice, though. And speaking of Celebrity Apprentice contestants, my how the mighty have fallen… since I was watching the show live, I got to see the commercials instead of zipping past them on the DVR. Dee “Twisted Sister” Snider is now the singing spokesman for Stanley Steamer. Ugh!

I have the HD-DVD of Zodiac, but wanted the blu-ray and was surprised to see that it has gone out-of-print here in the United States. Then someone on Home Theater Forum mentioned that the movie was available at Amazon.co.uk for a pittance.



I ordered the disc, and it showed up yesterday. So I popped it in the PS3 and watched it.

Zodiac tells the story of the infamous late 60’s early 70’s California serial killer who taunted the police with letters and ciphers, all while eluding capture. No one is certain as to exactly how many people he killed, since he took credit for murders that might not have been his.

Rather than focus strictly on the whodunit aspects of the story, Zodiac focuses on the people responsible for the investigation, including police detectives and journalists. One of the journalists, a self-professed Eagle Scout, is Robert Graysmith, a political cartoonist who decides that the Zodiac story deserves a book.

David FIncher’s direction is first-rate. Since most of us don’t know the supposed resolution of the story, the twists and turns of the movie are suspenseful and unexpected.

It is worth noting that this is a single-disc edition, whereas the first blu-ray release was a 2-disc edition. This disc also includes a lossy Dolby Digital track at 640kbps. I’m not sure what the first blu-ray disc had sound-wise, since I don’t have it. But the sound was acceptable. The dialogue was easy to understand, and the music soundtrack was fine.

The single 50-gig disc includes over three hours of supplemental documentaries, all in high-definition. There are two commentary tracks. The picture quality of the movie was quite good, the picture shot mostly digitally, and processed to have an older look. The supplements did not look as good as the movie itself, but since they were not the main feature, I was not bothered.

Hopefully, with David Fincher’s stock on the rise after The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, we will see Zodiac go back in-print in the United States. Meanwhile, this U.K. edition is a fine substitute.

You might think that my first computer was a Mac. Not true! My first computer came a decade earlier, and was all I could afford…don’t laugh…it was a Commodore Vic 20.



I played games on it and did some simple programming. Then I sold it and pawned a bass guitar to get a Commodore 64. The C64 got me through college between 1984 and 1986, with a 300 baud modem and an Olivetti Ink Jet printer.

I frequented bulletin boards in the area, and played lots of Infocom text adventures (which you can still play on iDevices thanks to a program called Frotz).

I used the Macs and laser printer in my school’s Computer Resource Center for serious work, like my resume. But that was not nearly as fun as the Commodore products!

Over the years, I have accumulated a variety of wireless solutions, all Apple, and generally called Airport. I have two of the original Airport Express units, which allow you to play audio and wirelessly print to a USB printer (what a combination). Mine are only wireless b/g (the current model is wireless n), but they are still quite functional.

So I went on a quest to get one of the Airport Expresses to transmit music to my old iHome iH6 Clock Radio in the bedroom. The iHome has a 1/8 inch stereo line input. The Airport Express has a 1/8 inch stereo line output (that also works with 1/8 inch optical cables, but I did not need optical for this project).

I needed an extension power cord, which you can order from Amazon, but I ended up ordering an iPad power adaptor from Apple, because I needed another one of those and could use the extension power cord from that. I also needed a 1/8 inch stereo patch cable. I’m sure I have one in the house somewhere, but be damned if I could find it! So I ordered one from Amazon.

I got all the cables yesterday and plugged everything in…the Airport flashed green…i selected a song from my iPhone, directed it to the Airport…and it did not work.

Damn. This is Apple. It’s supposed to be simple!

It turns out, the iHome was not plugged in. Once it was, the aging 60 gig iPod in the dock started to charge, and the line input started to work.

The only thing left is controlling the music. That takes a simple “Remote” app that runs on iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. The Remote app can control an iTunes library, and direct music to any networked device, like the Airport Express.

So now I have my entire iTunes library available in the bedroom at the touch of a button. I went to bed last night listening to The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, streaming from iTunes. Cool!

Here is the old HDTV Resource site. Not much happened between 2007 and 2012!

It’s been five years since I updated this site. A lot has changed since then. I would like to get back into the blogging business, with reviews and commentary to keep things going.

I started web sites in 1995 with The Power Macintosh Resource Page, back when I had a problematic Power Mac 7500. That site evolved into The DVD Resource Page in 1997, which started when DVD made its debut in the Dallas-area test market. That site continued for three years.

HDTV Resource started after that with the purchase of the domain, and a couple of years later, with content. If I can find it, I will upload it for old time’s sake. At the time, I was into HD-DVD and I wrote several reviews, although they were not much compared to the 300+ reviews I wrote for DVD Resource.

Times have changed, too. There was nothing for me to get angry about with HDTV…that kept me going for the Power Mac and the DVD sites (remember DIVX? Ugh…)

HDTV is not all that controversial. My first HDTV, a behemoth Mitsubishi 65907 purchased in 2000, lasted nearly 11 years, before the convergence went out and the set would no longer power on. In 2006, I bought a smaller DLP Mitsubishi for my downstairs living room. It has not been perfect, but I liked DLP, so when I went to replace the original Mits, I bought a larger (screen-wise) DLP Mits for the upstairs home theater. Of course, the new set only weighs 100 lbs, where the old set weighed 400. I’m just glad the installers were able to get the old set down the stairs without hurting themselves.

My new DLP set is a Mitsubishi 73838. It was 3D-capable out of the box, with the use of DLP link 3D glasses and a software update. With a trusty Oppo BDP-93, I’ve been able to watch great 3D content like Avatar and Hugo, and even listen to my legacy SACD and DVD-Audio collection. (Did you know you can still get SACD’s?)

As for 3D, I’m a fan, but I recognize that not everyone is. For one thing, people complain about having to wear the glasses. I understand that sets not requiring glasses have been in development, but I don’t see them coming to market anytime soon. Instead, we have two types of 3D technologies on the market today, those that use Active Shutter glasses, and those that use the passive glasses (like the ones you get in most movie theaters). The passive glasses are much, much cheaper than the active-shutter glasses. There are advantages and disadvantages to both technologies, as covered by CNET.

Of course, the advantages of the technologies are moot as long as the content on blu-ray is limited. It’s been a good couple of months since I have last acquired a 3D blu-ray. I don’t care as much for 3D conversions (those movies that were not originally filmed in 3D) although I saw The Avengers in 3D and it was pretty good. The only movie filmed in 3D on the horizon that looks any good to me is Prometheus.

So anyway, this is the first of hopefully many posts on a little bit of everything, including HDTV, blu-ray, and all things digital. Enjoy!