Hi,
Monday’s film, I know it’s a little late but I’ve been busy sorting out my DVD collection.
Anyway the film was Saw VI, I started off not really liking these films, well the first one the rest have grown on me. Not to the point I own them, but I have enjoyed the films more as the series has continued.
For me 6 was one of the best ones, directed by Kevin Greulet and starring Tobin Bell as Jigsaw/John. Betsy Russell, Costas Mandylor and Shawnee Smith.
Jigsaw continues to seek his revenge on anyone who he feels needs to be taught a lesson.
The opening game is quick and very well staged, this is nothing to the main game in this picture. One which I really enjoyed watching, the victim with a device strapped to each arm and leg must solve four games to get the key for then and be able to remove them. Each game is really well set up, especially the wheel of fortune, this was great just because of the depths people will go to stay alive! The gore levels were pretty tame compared to earlier films, and I think this helped this one a lot.
The acting is pretty average, except from Peter Outerbridge (The main victim) who I thought was really good. Tobin Bell has also done well as well, it’s the rest of them that seem a little hammy!
6 films in and multiple plot lines it’s sometimes hard to join all the dots from the other 5 films but they did include a barrage of flashbacks to help out!
Overall, not as gory, but the games were great (7/10)
Friday 30 October 2009
Friday 23 October 2009
Halloween 2
Hi,
Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2 was last night’s film. Starring Scout Taylor-Compton (Halloween), Danielle Harris (Halloween), Brad Dourif (Halloween) and Tyler Mane (Halloween) as Michael Myers.
1 Year one and Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) is still having nightmares, which involve her real mother and a young Michael. Are her nightmares about to come true, is Michael still alive and ready to finish what he started?
I really didn’t like this movie at all, the characters for starters were terrible, and I didn’t really care if any of them survived. Maybe Zombie wanted me to side with Michael but it seemed Michael just killed anybody in his way regardless if they meant anything to him or not.
The kills were extremely brutal most of the time, usually with his favoured butcher’s knife, but nothing inventive just brute force.
The script was poor and the dream sequences just confused things, in the end I wasn’t sure if Michael was more of a supernatural entity than human. But then again I didn’t really care either way.
Overall not a good film at all. (3/10 – Rubbish)
Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2 was last night’s film. Starring Scout Taylor-Compton (Halloween), Danielle Harris (Halloween), Brad Dourif (Halloween) and Tyler Mane (Halloween) as Michael Myers.
1 Year one and Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) is still having nightmares, which involve her real mother and a young Michael. Are her nightmares about to come true, is Michael still alive and ready to finish what he started?
I really didn’t like this movie at all, the characters for starters were terrible, and I didn’t really care if any of them survived. Maybe Zombie wanted me to side with Michael but it seemed Michael just killed anybody in his way regardless if they meant anything to him or not.
The kills were extremely brutal most of the time, usually with his favoured butcher’s knife, but nothing inventive just brute force.
The script was poor and the dream sequences just confused things, in the end I wasn’t sure if Michael was more of a supernatural entity than human. But then again I didn’t really care either way.
Overall not a good film at all. (3/10 – Rubbish)
Thursday 22 October 2009
Highlander (BD)
Hi,
Watched Highlander, the BD version last night. What a difference it makes. Aside the dodgy SFX the film holds up pretty well. And considering the age of the film, the transfer is superb for the majority. The Highland scenes are amazing, while some of the darker city scenes show up the grain a little more, but none the less the transfer has still made a massive improvement.
The only dissapointment was I felt the soundtrack (DTS) was a little subdued, I was waiting for the opening Queen song in all it's rocking glory and was shocked at how flat it sounded!!!
But overall I was impressed and will be getting this when I can find it cheap.
(Film 8/10, Picture 8/10, Sound 7/10)
Watched Highlander, the BD version last night. What a difference it makes. Aside the dodgy SFX the film holds up pretty well. And considering the age of the film, the transfer is superb for the majority. The Highland scenes are amazing, while some of the darker city scenes show up the grain a little more, but none the less the transfer has still made a massive improvement.
The only dissapointment was I felt the soundtrack (DTS) was a little subdued, I was waiting for the opening Queen song in all it's rocking glory and was shocked at how flat it sounded!!!
But overall I was impressed and will be getting this when I can find it cheap.
(Film 8/10, Picture 8/10, Sound 7/10)
Wednesday 21 October 2009
Pandurom
Hi,
Last night's film was Pandurom, directed by Christian Alvart (Case 39), with Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point), Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma), Cam Gigandet (Twilight) and Antje Traue.
A sci-fi horror set aboard a space ship sent from our dying Earth to colonize another planet to keep the human race alive. But things seem to be going wrong as crew members start to wake up from hypersleep and find the ship overrun by flesh eating monsters.
I really quite liked this film, it had good atmosphere and tension throughout, the monsters were ok and I liked the concept behind how they were on the ship. The script was good and well acted from a small cast, Foster was very good.
The film moved along at a good pace and had some good twists leading to a decent conclusion.
(8/10) Extremely Good
Last night's film was Pandurom, directed by Christian Alvart (Case 39), with Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point), Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma), Cam Gigandet (Twilight) and Antje Traue.
A sci-fi horror set aboard a space ship sent from our dying Earth to colonize another planet to keep the human race alive. But things seem to be going wrong as crew members start to wake up from hypersleep and find the ship overrun by flesh eating monsters.
I really quite liked this film, it had good atmosphere and tension throughout, the monsters were ok and I liked the concept behind how they were on the ship. The script was good and well acted from a small cast, Foster was very good.
The film moved along at a good pace and had some good twists leading to a decent conclusion.
(8/10) Extremely Good
Tuesday 20 October 2009
Zombieland
Hi,
Zombieland was last night’s movie, starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), Emma Stone (Superbad) and Abigail Breslin (Nim’s Island) and a super Cameo but I’ll leave you to find that one out. Directed by Ruben Fleischer.
Zombieland is America’s Shaun of the dead, visually funny, brilliantly scripted and very well acted. But what surprised me more was how it didn’t rely on the Zombie’s or over the top zombie deaths to keep the film moving along. The middle act of the film we see very little zombie action at all while the film explores the 4 characters and build’s the relationships between them. Giving them depth and the film a sense of meaning has it heads to the final act and the big zombie fight sequence in the fairground.
It’s these moments along with a brilliant cameo which really makes this film so good. I liked the characters and I actually wanted them to stay alive to the end credits, not something I say for most horror films. The humour was great throughout and the visual’s of the rules was brilliantly executed.
I really enjoyed it from start to finish, (9/10) – Brilliant.
Zombieland was last night’s movie, starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), Emma Stone (Superbad) and Abigail Breslin (Nim’s Island) and a super Cameo but I’ll leave you to find that one out. Directed by Ruben Fleischer.
Zombieland is America’s Shaun of the dead, visually funny, brilliantly scripted and very well acted. But what surprised me more was how it didn’t rely on the Zombie’s or over the top zombie deaths to keep the film moving along. The middle act of the film we see very little zombie action at all while the film explores the 4 characters and build’s the relationships between them. Giving them depth and the film a sense of meaning has it heads to the final act and the big zombie fight sequence in the fairground.
It’s these moments along with a brilliant cameo which really makes this film so good. I liked the characters and I actually wanted them to stay alive to the end credits, not something I say for most horror films. The humour was great throughout and the visual’s of the rules was brilliantly executed.
I really enjoyed it from start to finish, (9/10) – Brilliant.
Sunday 18 October 2009
UP
Hi,
Took the family to see Pixar's UP this morning. Being a massive fan of everything Pixar do I have been looking forward for this film for most of the year. I wasn't disappointed at all.
Beautifully animated as you would expect, the 3D used for depth and detail more than things jumping out of the screen at you. In fact I thought the animation was superb, the attention to detail is simply stunning,and Pixar have continued to raise their own bar with each film they make.
The story was simple, fun and always entertaining. The characters were all superb, the little boy wasn't annoying, the old man not too grumpy, and the dog was brilliant.
The voice cast were great, Edward Asner as Carl (Old Man), Christopher Plummer as Charles Muntz (Villan), Jordan Nagai as Russell (the kid) and Bob Peterson as Dug (the dog). All helped with a very good script. Nothing really to fault in this area, infact nothing to fault in any area really with this film. Simply outstanding.
Pixar took me on a emotional roller coaster throughout the whole of the film, from laughter and joy to sadness, to laughter back to sadness to finish with happiness. I thought I was ready for the opening scenes, I wasn't ready at all, a brilliant montage of a life passing by with the ups and downs that every single day brings us to the bitter end.
The films message "the boring things we remember the most", and I suppose to a large degree it's true. Many strive to escape it, countless holidays, eating and drinking to excess, always wanting something more than they have. When really accepting that you are happy with your life and the choices you have made by design or accident are the correct ones, is much more rewarding than the dreams that may never become reality. Well that's what I got from the film!
Overall, a thoughtful, beautifully animated family film, packed with emotion and fun. (10/10 - Outstanding)
Took the family to see Pixar's UP this morning. Being a massive fan of everything Pixar do I have been looking forward for this film for most of the year. I wasn't disappointed at all.
Beautifully animated as you would expect, the 3D used for depth and detail more than things jumping out of the screen at you. In fact I thought the animation was superb, the attention to detail is simply stunning,and Pixar have continued to raise their own bar with each film they make.
The story was simple, fun and always entertaining. The characters were all superb, the little boy wasn't annoying, the old man not too grumpy, and the dog was brilliant.
The voice cast were great, Edward Asner as Carl (Old Man), Christopher Plummer as Charles Muntz (Villan), Jordan Nagai as Russell (the kid) and Bob Peterson as Dug (the dog). All helped with a very good script. Nothing really to fault in this area, infact nothing to fault in any area really with this film. Simply outstanding.
Pixar took me on a emotional roller coaster throughout the whole of the film, from laughter and joy to sadness, to laughter back to sadness to finish with happiness. I thought I was ready for the opening scenes, I wasn't ready at all, a brilliant montage of a life passing by with the ups and downs that every single day brings us to the bitter end.
The films message "the boring things we remember the most", and I suppose to a large degree it's true. Many strive to escape it, countless holidays, eating and drinking to excess, always wanting something more than they have. When really accepting that you are happy with your life and the choices you have made by design or accident are the correct ones, is much more rewarding than the dreams that may never become reality. Well that's what I got from the film!
Overall, a thoughtful, beautifully animated family film, packed with emotion and fun. (10/10 - Outstanding)
Thursday 15 October 2009
Sounded out!
Hi,
A friend came round to look at the Blu-ray in action last night. So I put on James Bond and loaded scene 2, turned the Av Amp to 5.5 (where it was on Saturday when I watched the film), sat back to enjoy the scene.
BLOODY HELL! It was loud! Really Loud! So turned it down to 4, then Bond crashed the bulldozer through my living room!!!!!
A "you've got to be kidding" look from my wife and it ended down to 2.3!
I had changed a bitrate setting on the BLU ray player, seems to have made all the difference! Now I have amazing sound with my amazing picture.
Going to check out the Matrix scenes tonight!
3 more BD's came to day, purchased in the buy 1 get 1 free offers at play.
King Kong, Hellboy 2 and Wall-E. Can't wait to see Kong fight the T-rex and Wall-E tidy up, and EVE fly!
Just Bolt to come now!
A friend came round to look at the Blu-ray in action last night. So I put on James Bond and loaded scene 2, turned the Av Amp to 5.5 (where it was on Saturday when I watched the film), sat back to enjoy the scene.
BLOODY HELL! It was loud! Really Loud! So turned it down to 4, then Bond crashed the bulldozer through my living room!!!!!
A "you've got to be kidding" look from my wife and it ended down to 2.3!
I had changed a bitrate setting on the BLU ray player, seems to have made all the difference! Now I have amazing sound with my amazing picture.
Going to check out the Matrix scenes tonight!
3 more BD's came to day, purchased in the buy 1 get 1 free offers at play.
King Kong, Hellboy 2 and Wall-E. Can't wait to see Kong fight the T-rex and Wall-E tidy up, and EVE fly!
Just Bolt to come now!
Wednesday 14 October 2009
DVD to Blu Ray
I spent some time going through mt DVD collection and came up with 41 films which I think are worth a purchase on Blu Ray. 41 from 1115 isn't too bad and I bet I can pick up some of them cheap. Some haven't even made the new format yet, like LOTR and Moulin Rouge but they are coming.
Here is my upgrade list.
300
Blade 1
Chronicles of Narnia 2, The - Prince Caspian
Chronicles of Narnia, The - The Lion,the witch and the wardrobe
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Fifth element,The
Fight Club
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Ghost in the shell
Ghost in the shell 2 : Innocence
Hero
Highlander
Host,The
Howl's moving castle
Iron Man
Jurassic Park 1
Kill Bill Volume 1
Kill Bill Volume 2
Kung Fu Panda
Last of the Mohicans,The
Lord of the rings 1, The : The Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the rings 2, The : The Two Towers
Lord of the rings 3, The : The return of the king.
Lost Boys,The
Man on fire
Mist,The
Moulin Rouge
My neighbour Totoro
Orphanage,The
Pan's Labyrinth
Peter Pan (Live)
Pirates of the Caribbean 1 : The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
Sin City
Slumdog Millionaire
Spirited Away
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Transformers
Wanted
War of the worlds,The
Here is my upgrade list.
300
Blade 1
Chronicles of Narnia 2, The - Prince Caspian
Chronicles of Narnia, The - The Lion,the witch and the wardrobe
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Fifth element,The
Fight Club
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Ghost in the shell
Ghost in the shell 2 : Innocence
Hero
Highlander
Host,The
Howl's moving castle
Iron Man
Jurassic Park 1
Kill Bill Volume 1
Kill Bill Volume 2
Kung Fu Panda
Last of the Mohicans,The
Lord of the rings 1, The : The Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the rings 2, The : The Two Towers
Lord of the rings 3, The : The return of the king.
Lost Boys,The
Man on fire
Mist,The
Moulin Rouge
My neighbour Totoro
Orphanage,The
Pan's Labyrinth
Peter Pan (Live)
Pirates of the Caribbean 1 : The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
Sin City
Slumdog Millionaire
Spirited Away
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Transformers
Wanted
War of the worlds,The
A change of pace
Hi,
Left the Blu-Ray alone last night, even though a friend lent me Highlander yesterday. The temptation was there, but my backlog of TV shows is mounting up, House, Flashforward and others. So watched a couple of episodes of House from my V+ box. Well I'm impressed even with that the detail and colours superb again. Brilliant!
I've just been handed Stargate on Blu-Ray, may watch this at weekend with my eldest.
Left the Blu-Ray alone last night, even though a friend lent me Highlander yesterday. The temptation was there, but my backlog of TV shows is mounting up, House, Flashforward and others. So watched a couple of episodes of House from my V+ box. Well I'm impressed even with that the detail and colours superb again. Brilliant!
I've just been handed Stargate on Blu-Ray, may watch this at weekend with my eldest.
Tuesday 13 October 2009
The Dark Knight (BD)
Last night's Blu Ray treat was the Dark Knight, my number 1 film at the moment. Good god, I thought I would just sit back and enjoy the film, having got over the initial WOW factor of HDTV, but I didn't.
My jaw was back on the floor in awe at the visual beauty of this film. The detail and colours are just amazing, the red of the shotgun cartridges as they fired from the gun. The clown masks, the purple gloves the joker wears, I never knew they were purple! The detail in the city scape's is just astounding as well. I also loved the imax scenes being full screen sheer brilliance!
This was the first film out of the 3 where the sound was amazing, so much so I ended up from 4.5 down to 2.3 on the amp. AWESOME!
I can't wait for Star Trek now!
My jaw was back on the floor in awe at the visual beauty of this film. The detail and colours are just amazing, the red of the shotgun cartridges as they fired from the gun. The clown masks, the purple gloves the joker wears, I never knew they were purple! The detail in the city scape's is just astounding as well. I also loved the imax scenes being full screen sheer brilliance!
This was the first film out of the 3 where the sound was amazing, so much so I ended up from 4.5 down to 2.3 on the amp. AWESOME!
I can't wait for Star Trek now!
Monday 12 October 2009
The Matrix (BD)
Sunday night and it was the turn of the Matrix on Blu-Ray. Oh My God! Another of my favourite films, another amazing showcase of the new technology. The lobby scene was stunning, the whole thing was stunning.
I suppose after a few films it will become the norm and I won't be gushing about the quality of the picture and sound. But it's new it's blowing me away, so why not shout about the superb visuals for now!
I suppose after a few films it will become the norm and I won't be gushing about the quality of the picture and sound. But it's new it's blowing me away, so why not shout about the superb visuals for now!
Casino Royale (BD)
Hi,
The first film I watched on my new TV in Blu-Ray was my favourite Bond film, Casino Royale. And I was blown away, I had seen digital prints at the cinema and the difference over standard prints is amazing. But I didn't think Blu-Ray was this good, outstanding doesn't do it justice. The depth in picture, the colours, and the black, I mean black is black on this thing. I am amazed by it.
Amazing!
The first film I watched on my new TV in Blu-Ray was my favourite Bond film, Casino Royale. And I was blown away, I had seen digital prints at the cinema and the difference over standard prints is amazing. But I didn't think Blu-Ray was this good, outstanding doesn't do it justice. The depth in picture, the colours, and the black, I mean black is black on this thing. I am amazed by it.
Amazing!
The Future is Blu - Part 2
The Blu-Ray and the HD TV sat in their boxes from Tuesday until Saturday, while I worked on the living room. Painting, building the TV cabinet, re-wiring the speakers, aerial and data connections, and collecting all the other cables I need to make this all work.
And when I finally plugged it all in, it didn’t all work! Well one unit the Samsung HD recorder I got no sound through the HDMI link. Then no picture through the Scart, 1 hour later we finally got it working through scart!
And with that the HDMI DVD was also added to the collection for the kids to use and my USA and Eastern DVD’s.
But the 4 days of hard work were all worth it – the TV picture is astounding but the Blu-Ray is just something else.
As I said before I liked my old setup, but good grief I like this setup even more!
And when I finally plugged it all in, it didn’t all work! Well one unit the Samsung HD recorder I got no sound through the HDMI link. Then no picture through the Scart, 1 hour later we finally got it working through scart!
And with that the HDMI DVD was also added to the collection for the kids to use and my USA and Eastern DVD’s.
But the 4 days of hard work were all worth it – the TV picture is astounding but the Blu-Ray is just something else.
As I said before I liked my old setup, but good grief I like this setup even more!
Fame
Last Friday I saw Fame, a little late with the review but I spent all Saturday putting together my new TV and Blu-Ray, then watching it the rest of the weekend!
Directed by Kevin Tancharoen, starring Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Keringhton Payne and Walter Perez.
It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good. The acting was fine, the script was a little weak, but the main problem I never really got to know any characters. I didn’t care if they dropped out, failed or succeeded making the whole experience empty and void of emotion.
The jam in the cafeteria being the standout scene, the two songs performed by Naughton, a solo and a hip hop group song were very good, she has a superb voice. The cast wasn’t a problem and they all performed their talents with ease and the film showcased them all very well.
But in the end it was a wasted opportunity with the odd flash of story and a showcase of some future talents in the young cast, but that alone wasn’t enough to make an engaging movie.
(5/10 – Average)
Directed by Kevin Tancharoen, starring Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Keringhton Payne and Walter Perez.
It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good. The acting was fine, the script was a little weak, but the main problem I never really got to know any characters. I didn’t care if they dropped out, failed or succeeded making the whole experience empty and void of emotion.
The jam in the cafeteria being the standout scene, the two songs performed by Naughton, a solo and a hip hop group song were very good, she has a superb voice. The cast wasn’t a problem and they all performed their talents with ease and the film showcased them all very well.
But in the end it was a wasted opportunity with the odd flash of story and a showcase of some future talents in the young cast, but that alone wasn’t enough to make an engaging movie.
(5/10 – Average)
Monday 5 October 2009
The future is BLU
HDTV and Blu-Ray are here, well they will be by the end of this week, and I must admit now its coming I’m pretty excited about getting it.
Upgrading from my existing CRT and DVD player had crossed my mind a few times, but the thoughts were easily dismissed with cost and the fact I was happy with what I had. Really I am happy with my Sanyo CRT, it’s a superb picture, my mid-range DVD player is great and region free. My Samsung HD recorder is an even better DVD but I struggled to get it region free, but the picture is outstanding on it. My Creative Labs Surround Sound system has done me proud, in fact I never really get it more than 6 on DS5.1 and 4 on DTS, so again no point in forking out loads of cash on a mega sound system which isn’t going to blast the room apart!
And I built my own TV stand which houses everything and even hides the sub woofer, and has done its job for 5 years now. So no point in going HD!
But how quickly things change, a trip to IKEA to look at kitchens and bedroom furniture sparked a living room shakeup. A TV cabinet was on offer big enough to hide everything, I mean the lot, well nearly all of it, the sub woofer would be a problem. And so the saga of getting the cabinet began, reduced by £100 and an end of line unit, at our local IKEA, they had none left except 2 display models. So I tried to buy one of those, and they would sell me one for another £50 off the current price, down to £99 and now a real bargain. So I got Tony down to help me disassemble it. That didn’t go according to plan; first it was a struggle to get a screwdriver from them. Then we struggled getting it from the wall fixing’s. And finally after finding the top section had been glued down we gave up and left with nothing. Well Warrington had 2 and Leeds had 2 but marked at £259, so we waited in the hope they would come down in price.
On the Thursday after Frightfest and a week after first trying to get the cabinet, we tried again. Leeds sold out, Warrington sold out!!!! Wednesbury in Birmingham had 6 priced at £259! Looks like we would have to pay full price, but we really wanted it. So the next day I was off work anyway and after dropping my parents of at Manchester Airport at 10.30 I was off to Birmingham. 4 Hours later I was back home with a new TV cabinet, one bonus though it was only £149!
The 2nd reason we were getting this was my 40th birthday was coming up quick and so we decided that I would get a LCD as my present from everyone, perfect for the cabinet and perfect for me at least I was starting my venture into HD TV.
And here comes saga number 2! I had measured the width of the unit, 1 metre wide, ample space for a 37” LCD.
So my search for a LCD began, and I found one pretty quick a Panasonic Full HD 37”, great it had good reviews and was around £600 which was what I wanting to pay. Brilliant how easy was that! My DVD HDMI, my DVD recorder HDMI and Virgin V+ HDMI, no need to replace anything else. Only needed to find an audio switch for optical leads – found at Maplins, job sorted. Happy Happy Happy!
Until I walked into Currys one Friday afternoon, and the Panasonic was behind a Samsung, and the Samsung just looked so much better, so I went home to check it out. By the end of the night I was buying a 37” Samsung, but it measured 658mm in height with the stand. This could be a problem. Nowhere on the Internet told me the actual height of the area for the TV in the cabinet. A big problem! So next morning I was back at IKEA to measure that. Out the window went the 37” and I was down to 32”, not a problem though. Everything sorted now it was just waiting to see how much I got for my birthday!
Well with what I got and what I can get the TV for, I could afford a Blu-Ray player as well. No point in not going the full hog, so the Sony Blu-Ray is ordered, the TV will be ordered tomorrow and my first 3 films are in the post!
Upgrade complete, all I have to do now is decorate the living room.
Then comes the dilemma of what to swap for Blu-Ray and what to buy in the future. Star Trek a must and is on order. Dark Night, Lost Boys, Casino Royale must haves. But what about Sin City, The Matrix, Watchmen, Final Fantasy, Ghost in the Shell, Hero, House of flying daggers. Ouch the list is a little bigger than I thought it would be. In the end I have ordered Bond, House of flying daggers and Australia, the last 2 as they were in a 2 for 1 offer. But they are on the way. The rest can wait, I'm sure the blu-ray film offers will come thick and fast in the future.
The aim to sit down and watch Bond on Saturday night – well that’s the plan.
Upgrading from my existing CRT and DVD player had crossed my mind a few times, but the thoughts were easily dismissed with cost and the fact I was happy with what I had. Really I am happy with my Sanyo CRT, it’s a superb picture, my mid-range DVD player is great and region free. My Samsung HD recorder is an even better DVD but I struggled to get it region free, but the picture is outstanding on it. My Creative Labs Surround Sound system has done me proud, in fact I never really get it more than 6 on DS5.1 and 4 on DTS, so again no point in forking out loads of cash on a mega sound system which isn’t going to blast the room apart!
And I built my own TV stand which houses everything and even hides the sub woofer, and has done its job for 5 years now. So no point in going HD!
But how quickly things change, a trip to IKEA to look at kitchens and bedroom furniture sparked a living room shakeup. A TV cabinet was on offer big enough to hide everything, I mean the lot, well nearly all of it, the sub woofer would be a problem. And so the saga of getting the cabinet began, reduced by £100 and an end of line unit, at our local IKEA, they had none left except 2 display models. So I tried to buy one of those, and they would sell me one for another £50 off the current price, down to £99 and now a real bargain. So I got Tony down to help me disassemble it. That didn’t go according to plan; first it was a struggle to get a screwdriver from them. Then we struggled getting it from the wall fixing’s. And finally after finding the top section had been glued down we gave up and left with nothing. Well Warrington had 2 and Leeds had 2 but marked at £259, so we waited in the hope they would come down in price.
On the Thursday after Frightfest and a week after first trying to get the cabinet, we tried again. Leeds sold out, Warrington sold out!!!! Wednesbury in Birmingham had 6 priced at £259! Looks like we would have to pay full price, but we really wanted it. So the next day I was off work anyway and after dropping my parents of at Manchester Airport at 10.30 I was off to Birmingham. 4 Hours later I was back home with a new TV cabinet, one bonus though it was only £149!
The 2nd reason we were getting this was my 40th birthday was coming up quick and so we decided that I would get a LCD as my present from everyone, perfect for the cabinet and perfect for me at least I was starting my venture into HD TV.
And here comes saga number 2! I had measured the width of the unit, 1 metre wide, ample space for a 37” LCD.
So my search for a LCD began, and I found one pretty quick a Panasonic Full HD 37”, great it had good reviews and was around £600 which was what I wanting to pay. Brilliant how easy was that! My DVD HDMI, my DVD recorder HDMI and Virgin V+ HDMI, no need to replace anything else. Only needed to find an audio switch for optical leads – found at Maplins, job sorted. Happy Happy Happy!
Until I walked into Currys one Friday afternoon, and the Panasonic was behind a Samsung, and the Samsung just looked so much better, so I went home to check it out. By the end of the night I was buying a 37” Samsung, but it measured 658mm in height with the stand. This could be a problem. Nowhere on the Internet told me the actual height of the area for the TV in the cabinet. A big problem! So next morning I was back at IKEA to measure that. Out the window went the 37” and I was down to 32”, not a problem though. Everything sorted now it was just waiting to see how much I got for my birthday!
Well with what I got and what I can get the TV for, I could afford a Blu-Ray player as well. No point in not going the full hog, so the Sony Blu-Ray is ordered, the TV will be ordered tomorrow and my first 3 films are in the post!
Upgrade complete, all I have to do now is decorate the living room.
Then comes the dilemma of what to swap for Blu-Ray and what to buy in the future. Star Trek a must and is on order. Dark Night, Lost Boys, Casino Royale must haves. But what about Sin City, The Matrix, Watchmen, Final Fantasy, Ghost in the Shell, Hero, House of flying daggers. Ouch the list is a little bigger than I thought it would be. In the end I have ordered Bond, House of flying daggers and Australia, the last 2 as they were in a 2 for 1 offer. But they are on the way. The rest can wait, I'm sure the blu-ray film offers will come thick and fast in the future.
The aim to sit down and watch Bond on Saturday night – well that’s the plan.
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