Technical Issues and Questions

Discuss North American DVDs and Blu-rays or other DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
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porquenegar
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:33 pm

#1 Post by porquenegar » Tue Jan 04, 2005 9:09 pm

Make sure you are using the player set-up menu not the DVD one. Just go ahead and take out the DVD while you are setting up the player. It should be pretty straightforward. You'll have to tell the DVD player several things:

1) whether you have a standard (4:3) or widescreen(16:9) TV
2) whether it should output progressive scan (probably not for you unless you have a HDTV)
3) whether it should output DTS or not (should be no for you since you are using the speakers on the TV instead of running everything through a receiver)

The rest is basic stuff like default language, setting up the clock, etc.

You'll probably also have to fool around with the brightness, contrast and color settings on the old TV if it was formerly used for something like Laserdiscs, cable TV or VCR. The settings that make playing a DVD look good can be very different than those you would use for a VCR.

Good luck and Godspeed.

kekid
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:55 pm

#2 Post by kekid » Sun Jan 30, 2005 5:14 pm

If a code-free version of a Pioneer DVD player develops problem, should I send it to who I purchased it from or to Pioneer for service? Would Pioneer consider the modification to render their player code-free (would they notice it?) grounds for not servicing it, or even take more serious actions? Even though code-free players are widely and openly available, and referred to in newspapers such as New York Times, I am not sure of the legal implications of those. Any advice will be much appreciated.

Martha
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:53 pm
Location: all up in thurr

#3 Post by Martha » Sun Feb 20, 2005 4:42 pm

javelin wrote:Hey all - I didn't know where else to put this and I couldn't find anything upon search a poor ignorant such as myself. Where is the best place to buy an All-Region or Region-Free DVD player? (Is there a difference?) Is there anything in particular I should be looking for? I'm realizing that many great films (the entire MoC series comes to mind) are not on R1 DVD. I figure it's about time (or maybe long past time) to invest a player.

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Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

#4 Post by Gregory » Fri Mar 18, 2005 11:18 pm

I have a question about theatrical projection, which I hope is not to out-of-place here. I saw a film today that was made in 1999, and much of the time the right and left of the screen were in focus while the center was blurry. I'm curious about what might have caused this.

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devlinnn
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:23 am
Location: three miles from space

#5 Post by devlinnn » Sat Mar 19, 2005 1:52 am

I have a question about theatrical projection, which I hope is not to out-of-place here. I saw a film today that was made in 1999, and much of the time the right and left of the screen were in focus while the center was blurry. I'm curious about what might have caused this.
Let me guess - scope print? I've suffered this problem as well many times and it's always on 2:35:1 screenings. I've been told the problem lies with the lost art of projecting a film correctly. Supposedly wide projections can lose focus easily, especially with old lenses etc. In days long passed a person (always male, badly dressed, stinking of stale cigarettes and whiskey) would sit and adjust the focus if required. He would even turn the soundtrack down if asked politely. Imagine!

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Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

#6 Post by Gregory » Sat Mar 19, 2005 2:33 am

I'm pretty sure it was 1.85:1. I had just never seen such varying degrees of focus on different parts of the screen. Was the unfocused area in the center the result of some lens problem? (Thanks, I know very little about projection.)

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Tribe
The Bastard Spawn of Hank Williams
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:59 pm
Location: Toledo, Ohio
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#7 Post by Tribe » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:15 pm

What's the best way to view non-anamorphic DVDs on a 16X9 widescreen?

Here's what I have: my TV is a JVC LT-26WX84 and my DVD player is a Samsung DVD-HD841 with a DVI output. I have the the DVI output resolution set to 1080i. With this resolution, the JVC has three available aspect rations: HD Panorama (which stretches a high definition 16:9 aspect image to each side of the screen), Cinema Zoom (which pretty much does the same thing, only it zooms the picture top, bottom, left and right), and Full (which pretty much leaves everything alone). The DVD player has four aspect ratio adjustments: Normal Wide, Screen Fit (which stretches the image up and down), Zoom Fit (which stretches the image top, bottom, left and right), and Vertical Fit (black bars on the left and right).

Anyway, if the aspect ratio of the film on the DVD is 1:33, everything is fine. Likewise, if the DVD aspect ration is other than that, and the transfer is one of those new digital transfers that are enhanced for wise screen TV sets, no problem.

The problem comes up if the original aspect is something other than 1:33 and the DVD is not anamorphic (and keep in mind that perhaps I'm using the term anamorphic incorrectly...think, for example, Criterion's original The Harder They Come). Then the only combination of aspect ratios used by the TV and DVD player that will allow me to watch the film in a way that nothing is distorted are Vertical Fit on the DVD Player and Full on the TV set. However, the image is then surrounded by black bars top and bottom, left and right.

Any solution to being able to view an older non-anamorphically enhanced DVD with an aspect ratio other than 1:33 with black bars only on the top and bottom?

Tribe

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Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#8 Post by Michael » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:47 pm

I own a JVC player and it plays all my region 2 and 3 DVDs perfectly except for a couple of region 2 DVDs. Both have strong combing effects.. meaning that whenever objects or anything moves in the picture, horizontal lines comb through them - hard to describe.

Does that mean the DVDs are faulty?

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Tribe
The Bastard Spawn of Hank Williams
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#9 Post by Tribe » Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:45 am

As a follow-up to my previous post, I've discovered that when viewing, for example, the original Pulp Fiction DVD at a resolution of 480p, rather than 1080i, I can get a non-distorted image with black bars on top and under which is what I was looking for. Any of the more technical-minded have an explantion why the change in resolution solves the problem I mentioned earlier?

Oh, and by the way, when viewing a DVD that is enhanced for 16x9 screens...which is the "better" resolution 720p or 1080i? It seems, but I'm not sure, that at 720p the image has a more "filmic," (for lack of a better term), "grainier" look. However, with certain DVDs the image "looks" slightly "crisper" at times when the resolution is 1080i. Is there really a difference?

Tribe

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swingo
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2004 10:35 am
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#10 Post by swingo » Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:42 am

I have a question that has been bugging me for quite a while and I was hoping if I can get some insight from you guys.

What does the "DVD-9" "DVD-5" Stand for?

This question came to me when I noticed that all of the Mexican r4 releases of 20th century fox catalogue are anamorphic widescreen and 16X9. (e.g. Gary says that the Brazilian r4 of "Brasil" is the most correct format, such is the Mexican one). But all of my 20th century fox's are dvd-9 EXCEPT for "Raising Arizona" which is DVD 5.

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glueman
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 5:27 pm

#11 Post by glueman » Sat Apr 02, 2005 10:12 am

DVD-n indicates the capacity of the disc:

DVD-5 = single-sided single-layered disc holding up to 4.7GB

DVD-9 = single-sided dual-layered disc holding up to 8.5GB

DVD-10 = dual-sided single-layered disc holding up to 9.4GB

DVD-18 dual-sided dual-layered disc holding up to 17GB

Most Criterion discs are DVD-9 (RSDL = Reverse Spiral Dual Layered).

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godardslave
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:44 pm
Location: Confusing and open ended = high art.

#12 Post by godardslave » Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:53 pm

does anyone please know any methods or tricks to remove subtitles on supposedly non-removable/forced subtitled DVDs?

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FilmFanSea
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:37 pm
Location: Portland, OR

#13 Post by FilmFanSea » Sun Apr 03, 2005 1:43 am

godardslave wrote:does anyone please know any methods or tricks to remove subtitles on supposedly non-removable/forced subtitled DVDs?
These are instructions from Xploited Cinema for Manga's R2 La Joven, but it might work for some other DVDs featuring forced subtitles:
HOW TO REMOVE THE SPANISH SUBTITLES (WORKS WITH MOST DVD PLAYERS, BUT NOT A 100% GUARANTEED WORK-AROUND)
As with most english audio Manga Films (Spain) DVDs the Spanish subtitles are 'forced' during playback of the English Track. There is a simply way to disable these subtitles by doing the following:
1. Go to the 'Audio/Subtitles Menu' and select 'English Audio with Spanish Subtitles'
2. Begin the Movie
3. Select the Main Menu by using the remote control
4. Go back to the 'Audio/Subtitles Menu' and select 'Without Subtitles'
5. Begin the Movie again and the Spanish subtitles will be disabled

solent

#14 Post by solent » Fri Apr 08, 2005 7:09 pm

If a DVD has subtitles that are player-driven but not burnt on, do they stay in a secure position at the bottom of the screen even if the film is in zoom or shrink mode? I am taking about subs that disappear upon fast fowarding but can't be turned off via the control [e.g. recent R2 Godard releases].

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glueman
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 5:27 pm

#15 Post by glueman » Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:48 am

amateurist wrote:Not sure where else I might ask this question.

I'm writing an essay on a film and would like to include frame grabs (or more properly, screen grabs) from the DVD.

I have an eMac, and it seems as though the DVD player in the computer runs from a different processor as the OS (or something like this, I'm not terribly computer literate), so when I do a screen grab with the DVD player window paused, the resulting image file simply shows a black box where the DVD player window should be.

I'm wondering if anyone knows how to circumvent this. I've tried a few 3rd party freeware apps but none of them (so far) do the trick.

Any help or pointers would be most welcome!!!!
I use a (free) app called DVD Capture from Digitally Obsessed.

Let me know if you have any problems.

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thesemodernsocks
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 3:31 am
Location: CA

#16 Post by thesemodernsocks » Mon May 23, 2005 6:52 pm

Quick question. I recently purchased a JVC XV N412SL region free player, which thus far has been fantastic aside from one small problem.. I've noticed a slight flickering along the edges of the frame whenever I play my People Like Us dvd(PAL, Region 2). Is this to be expected during the conversion?

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nick
grace thought I was a failure
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:42 am
Location: Rochester, NY

#17 Post by nick » Mon May 23, 2005 7:03 pm

Quick question. I recently purchased a JVC XV N412SL region free player, which thus far has been fantastic aside from one small problem.. I've noticed a slight flickering along the edges of the frame whenever I play my People Like Us dvd(PAL, Region 2). Is this to be expected during the conversion?
I just purchased the exact same player and I am having a similar problem. I've tried two different region 2 pal discs and I get the slight jitter along the edge as well. When I hooked it up originally I had it playing through a standard rca hookup into a standard 4:3 television with lots of flicker throughout the entire image. When I hooked it up to a HDTV and switched over to progressive scan it cleared up about 99% of the flicker, but still remained along the edge. I've been trying to figure this out as well. Gary Tooze from DVD Beaver said that on the malatas he has there is a "still" setting which removes the jitter. I have been trying to find out the JVC player has something like this. I realize I havn't answered your question, more added to it, so if anyone else can help out that would be great.

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thesemodernsocks
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 3:31 am
Location: CA

#18 Post by thesemodernsocks » Mon May 23, 2005 7:21 pm

Nick,

I fiddled around with the settings and I've managed to fix(from what I can tell) the image flickering. Go to the Picture Menu and switch the picture source from Auto to Film. Let me know if it works on your end.

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nick
grace thought I was a failure
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:42 am
Location: Rochester, NY

#19 Post by nick » Tue May 24, 2005 5:26 pm

thesemodernsocks, that worked. Thanks much for the tip. It make the flicker go away 100%.

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Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
Location: Atlanta

#20 Post by Oedipax » Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:26 am

We might have the same model, is it the Pro-800? At any rate, I use a 43" Pioneer plasma as well, and have had it for just under a year. So far, there have been no problems with burn-in, despite lots of 4:3 viewing. One thing I wish was different about this model is its choice of border color; on mine it's a neutral gray which is a lot more distracting than black. One of the install guys said that it was less liable to burn in that way, but I'm not sure. Anyway, the picture is fantastic and like I said, no problems at all so far, which is a relief, because I was a little worried.

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skuhn8
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
Location: Chico, CA

#21 Post by skuhn8 » Sun Jul 31, 2005 12:08 pm

Tribe wrote:
'm not even sure I know what that means. Does it mean more than just hooking stuff up again? It was blurry from the first menu on-- from the moment I turned the dvd player on (it's not hooked up to any receiver, so I can't test it with an tv image)...
Most DVD players have a "set-up" menu...where you set things like language, audio, etc. I'll bet if you hook it up, and then set the player up according to the menu choices, you'll be ok.
Oh sad day!

I live in a remote Hungarian town where my only sanctuary is my cinema room. Almost have it dialed in. Got the projector properly mounted on the ceiling only last month.

And today it happened: mid-way through a film--POP!--plunged into darkness. Yup, after a mere 300 hours of use ON ECONOMIC MODE the bulb in my BenQ 6100 projector blew, the projector I so arrogantly showed off to so many. Oh sad day!

And so I go online to see what gives. Was there too much moisture in the room? Well, turns out that there I am not alone. Seems 300 hours is the life of this bulb. It either blows or declines in brightness significantly. $400 to replace shoddy product? Penniless and unemployed...until that oh so lucrative teaching position at the high school starts allowing enough extra pocket money for an imported beer in a month.

Lest you think this post is merely to solicit sympathy (and it mostly is) it is also a posted caveat to those considering the BenQ 6110 (new model) or who have a current BenQ product. Be prepared for a sorry day.

I'm sad, distraught, hurt, and utterly pissed (in both the English sense and the American as I'm taking the edge off my sorrow with Hungarian hazi palinka!

Curse you, BenQ!

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skuhn8
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
Location: Chico, CA

#22 Post by skuhn8 » Mon Aug 01, 2005 2:21 am

Thanks flixy, will follow up on your suggestions. Already wrote to BenQ yesterday but will beseach the online I purchased this from for assistance.

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The Invunche
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:43 am
Location: Denmark

#23 Post by The Invunche » Mon Aug 01, 2005 3:52 am

I wouldn't mind knowing the production costs of bulbs used for projectors. I suspect there's an insane mark-up by the projector companies.

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skuhn8
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
Location: Chico, CA

#24 Post by skuhn8 » Mon Aug 01, 2005 5:31 am

thanks again, flixy, but getting a lamp here in hungary or in the US where I originally bought the machine is no problem. It's the idea of buying a lamp that claims 2000 hours of use and brings in 300 hours. Basically I paid $6 US for every 2 hour film that I watched. It's robbery. And I'm not alone. Many others have the same experience now and word is that BenQ has no intention of addressing it. The lamp warrenty with the unit is 90 days which is long past. I'm still a big advocate for projection however. Just have to choose a better model like the Optoma H31--wish I'd known.

Any other projector stories/recommendations/warnings out there?

Martha
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:53 pm
Location: all up in thurr

#25 Post by Martha » Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:36 am

Hey smart people-- I need 2 new tvs (I'm moving into a very small apartment, and my massive, boxy current tvs won't fit). I would like to buy units with a low profile, if that's the right phrase-- what I colloquially call "flat screen," though that might not be technically accurate. I want really thin tvs, basically, but I don't want to hang them on the wall, just stand them in a cabinet. One should be biggish and the other less so (right now my tvs are 27" and 20", I think. I'd be willing to go SLIGHTLY bigger, maybe, and smaller would be fine on the little one, too.): what units/companies would you guys recommend, and why?

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