Movie Collector OH
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Posts posted by Movie Collector OH
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3 hours ago, speedracer5 said:
I love the Brady Bunch's orange formica kitchen. It wouldn't be The Brady Bunch without it. I actually think their whole house is pretty cool.
I know some people who still live in houses with original themes like that. They built kitchens with avacado appliances into the mid to late 1970s. So just your average 1960s to 1970s split-level house, with original appliances and kitchen layout. Today those might be special-order colors, but with people being as particular and choosy as they are today, I'll bet it could still be done.
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32 minutes ago, limey said:
Noted your additions. Yeah, I turned off windows update on that box to ensure stability. I also went to manual updates on my Win 7 boxes, to avoid involuntary Win 10 uogrades. XP is pretty much off updates from MS now. Less AV worries on Linux & Apple, but I have a pretty good handle on avoiding the usual sources of trouble anyway.
I do remember that Hauppage came out with a V2 theater unit, that didn't last very long in the market. I considered updating to it, since the V1design has a tendency to overheat, unless positioned where the metal top (acting as a heat sink) gets plenty of airflow - but I stayed with them in the end. The only thing that I've had to replace was one of the power supply bricks.
P.S. one more thing. The older generation HD-PDR model (which I think you have) was also able to encode audio in Dolby AC3. The HD-PVR2 generation cannot. It just encodes audio in two channel AAC, which is more than sufficient for intended use. Just thought I'd mention it. They probably just decided not to spend more money on Dolby AC3 licensing costs.
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51 minutes ago, limey said:
Noted your additions. Yeah, I turned off windows update on that box to ensure stability. I also went to manual updates on my Win 7 boxes, to avoid involuntary Win 10 uogrades. XP is pretty much off updates from MS now. Less AV worries on Linux & Apple, but I have a pretty good handle on avoiding the usual sources of trouble anyway.
I do remember that Hauppage came out with a V2 theater unit, that didn't last very long in the market. I considered updated to it, since the V1design has a tendency to overheat, unless positioned where the metal top (acting as a heat sink) gets plenty of airflow - but I stayed with them in the end. The only thing that I've had to replace was one of the power supply bricks.
The three HD-PVR2 models I listed above are all open on the bottom and closed on the top and sides. Since heat rises, I simply have it turned upside-down in my entertainment center. With this model upside-down, the open fins of the heat sink points upwards (I can see this with a flashlight) and the heat ventilates up and out the holes in the top (bottom). I think they point the cooling grille downwards on these as they were originally designed for gamers who go to gaming cafe's, and tend to drink beverages which sit right next to their HD-PVR2.
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28 minutes ago, limey said:
The newer 'gaming' version of the HD-PVR might be improved in this respect, but I've found that my original units are a little sensitive to the driver/OS/hardware combination - so once I've ironed out any audio sync, I try not to mess with too much on that system. That particular computer is only used for home theater, so there's usually little need to update it very often (hence it's happily running along on Vista).
The HD-PVR2 had three versions. An earlier "gaming" version (included special cables for gaming consoles). This is the one I use the most. I have a couple backup units sitting around too. One of them is a discontinued unit intended for "home theater" - it had home an extra theater cable or two as well as an input for remote control I think. That one was discontinued because all the features previously exclusive to their "home theater" model were duplicated on their newer "gaming" unit.
Specifically here are those models I mentioned (I use the first one, but could potentially use any):
Original HD-PVR2 (gaming version)
http://hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr2-gaming.htmlDiscontinued home video version
http://hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr2.html
[it looks as if they have already switched it out on their product page, as this model now has a green operating light like the gaming versions. In the past this version had a blue operating light, like in this index page]
http://hauppauge.com/site/products/prods_hd-recorders.htmlCurrent Gaming & home theater version
http://hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr2plus-gaming.html
[this is a step up from the original gaming model, both are still being made] -
5 minutes ago, limey said:
The newer 'gaming' version of the HD-PVR might be improved in this respect, but I've found that my original units are a little sensitive to the driver/OS/hardware combination - so once I've ironed out any audio sync, I try not to mess with too much on that system. That particular computer is only used for home theater, so there's usually little need to update it very often (hence it's happily running along on Vista).
I added a bit more to my post. My DVR machine which uses the HD-PVR2 is an XP machine. I usually don't mention that here, but I don't surf the Internet either with it.
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On 12/26/2017 at 10:19 PM, limey said:
I've done a couple of driver/software updates/re-installs, partly to attempt to fix the scheduler & also to correct the same kind of odd sync issues - all but the schedule function are currently working well, so I'm inclined to leave well alone...
Those sync issues will generally go away and stay away where the correct problems get fixed and no software regression occurs. I would of course make some backups of the software installer which works the best - just label it for the OS which it worked on. Sometimes they depend on external libraries which are changed with OS version, so when you upgrade the OS then you have no choice but to update to a newer driver version (or software version).
I wouldn't mind doing that, but for me it would need to happen on a "test system". For a new version of the OS where things get broken, I would at least swap out the production HDD in the machine for a test HDD, and then proceed to rebuild the system using all the newest software packages and all the newest drivers. That way at the end of the day, if things don't pan out, you can always replace the original HDD and get back to where you started. On the other hand, if it works out, then you can just call that test HDD your new production HDD, and hold on to the old one in case you need to revisit it for any reason.
I disabled Windows Updater in one of my two remaining Windows computers (my NextPVR DVR machine). It still needs to be connected to the Internet so it can retrieve from Schedules Direct. I don't use that computer to access any other resources on the Internet. Firewall is also set to prevent incoming connections, except for an obscure port used by NextPVR scheduler so I can schedule from other computers around the house. The video editor machine (my other remaining Windoze machine) does not even have a network interface card. I basically treat those two machines as single purpose "appliances".
I do all my Internet from Linux Mint machines. Just because they have nothing to do with Microsoft. No need for automatic updates, antivirus, malware tools, etc. Those are pretty much all unnecessary in the Linux world, so quite a perk for an Internet-connected machine. Updates are manually initiated and can be restricted to only security updates if desired. If I streamed my movies, then it would be from a Linux machine, probably a laptop connected to my TV.
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5 minutes ago, limey said:
The scheduling software that was bundled with the HD-PVR stopped working on the Vista box that it's hooked up to. I think something in Windows Update messed with it, but since I typically use the DVR to timeshift, I just settled on manually initiating HD-PVR recordings, instead of the bundled scheduling software (which simply recorded via manually entered start/stop times). It's the latter function I was looking to replace, mostly for on-air recordings.
Okay well in that case you might need to go to the Drivers section of the Hauppauge website and download the latest drivers or firmware to install on Vista. Doing that has improved things here and there for me. In particular a couple years ago it cleared up an intermittent recording sync issue for me.
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4 hours ago, limey said:
Only once they've finished converting the other bits to glorious Black & White...
♫ Follow the grayish brick road! ♫
It's hardly a Matter of Life and Death, but it strikes me that those of us here of sufficient vintage, have likely already have been exposed to the results of such a tampering with the creative control of moving image products - namely, when we viewed colour programming whilst plonked down in front of the families massive 20" black & white telly, back in the day...
On seeing my first football game on a color TV set: "Wow, I thought they had been playing on pavement all along." Of course I had been to a real game or two, but never made that connection.
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2 hours ago, limey said:
Ah! You must have updated after I'd hit the quote button. Un-lossy compression down to 4GB is a nice fantasy, though.
Can you manually schedule NextPVR? I record from the DVR and from on-air sources, which could complicate using a 3rd party schedule provider.
Any lossy compression is already "built in", long before I receive it. I can't tell the difference with what I do to it. Two-pass compression makes a big difference, it is a huge improvement over single-pass compression as only the appropriate parts are compressed. The first pass analyzes it and creates a "map" of the different passages and elements, and calculates appropriate compression levels for each. The second pass actually does the compression.
You schedule it per time slot. It is manual in the sense that you open the web page from any computer that is connected to it, scroll down in the grid, and find a program(s) you wish to record. You fill in the check boxes for the programs you wish to record, then scroll to the top and click on the "record" icon. It sends the requests to the PVR, which keeps a temporary copy of the schedule (just like a regular DVR).
If you want to record something "manually", as in arbitrary "Start" and "Stop", then you are better off just using the quick recording software that is included with the HD-PVR. Either that or maybe I am not understanding your question?
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13 minutes ago, limey said:
Not sure what I'm missing, MCOH? You may need to provide this old fogey with a clue...
I need to take a look at NextPVR for scheduling directly with the Hauppage box - I currently use a DVR for scheduled recordings.
Just re-read my original post as I updated some of it.
As for NextPVR, it is a free program developed by a programmer in New Zealand. He is the one who wrote the simple black Hauppauge Record interface for Hauppauge HD-PVR2. NextPVR is a stand-alone application that runs as a service in the background on Windows machines. To use the NextPVR program, you would need a subscription to a schedule provider. The most obvious is Schedules Direct. It is cheap. You can connect to NextPVR from another machine to actually schedule it, as it has a web page scheduler (NEWA) and a minimal web server as a backend.
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Hey Limey, have another look at my post since you quoted it.
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50 minutes ago, limey said:
Yeah, trying to watch a movie with those kind of random interruptions is an exercise in torture. And don't get me started on when they insist on inserting a commercial immediately after the opening titles & follow that with a barker for another program played over the end credits (which were already scrolling off the screen at hyper sonic speeds)...
I also use a computer to edit recordings - what editing program are you using & what format (.TS, etc) are you working with?
Yes. TS (MPEG-4) files generated by a Hauppauge HD-PVR2 connected to the AV outputs of a satellite receiver and driven by a computer running NextPVR and populated with schedules from Schedules Direct. Takes a bit to setup, but easy to run. From there I transfer it to another computer via external USB HDD. Then it goes to much faster machine running VideoRedo. I use it for editing, and also for two-pass compression (very nice results). I record it at maximum bitrate on the HD-PVR2 (13 Mb/s, because hardware compression just doesn't look that good) and use this to compress it down to about 4 or 5 Mb/s (the point where the compression is not perceptible to me). That turns out to typically be a 2:1, 2.5:1, or sometimes a 3:1 compression ratio, as I have it set to end up with a 4.3 GB output. For larger movies like Ben Hur I set it to end up at around 8.5 GB output. That allows me to store the TS files on single-layer or dual-layer DVD if I choose (in MP4 format though, not DVD format). Normal archival for me is on large 4 TB or bigger external HDD These are the full size HDD units with their own wall wart power supplies. I buy these large 4TB external HDDs brand new and never use them for anything else. They are normally disconnected from any computer and offline. With my compression scheme I can get about 600-700 movies on a 4 TB external HDD.
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2 hours ago, NipkowDisc said:
that image with the red chair now green. maybe from a different colorized episode than the CBS specials?
correct me if I'm wrong but haven't some dick van dyke show eps been colorized by an outfit other than CBS?
it cannot really be argued that no one's enjoyment of this classic sitcom is not enhanced to some degree by colorizing...
cannot MTM's gorgeous lightweight frame be more appreciated by colorizing?
there's your validation right there.
"thank you, nipkowdisc. the next time Rob and I have guests over for dinner you are invited. you're so sweet."
Wait, going by the prior deviation in the "art" of the color scheme, how do we know now that her dress isn't an offwhite creme color with a greenish hue, and dark red or maroon colored butterflies or leaves?
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17 minutes ago, Sepiatone said:
Good catch Top. In all the earlier examples Nip posted, that chair was GREEN!
I'd say, if they're going to "colorize" any TV "classics" then maybe they should RE-colorize a few. Like maybe THE BRADY BUNCH and get rid of that horrible looking ORANGE FORMICA on the kitchen counters, and the AVOCADO GREEN appliances.
But then it IS a reminder of both how low our culture sank, and how HIGH we rose from that point in interior color schemes. Sepiatone
Nonoonoonoonooo Keep the avacado green kitchen appliances. It wouldn't be the 70s without it.
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12 hours ago, GGGGerald said:
What I cannot stand is cable/satellite prices constantly going up. I'll gladly sit through infomercials and promos for free. Hard to beat free.
12 hours ago, limey said:It's also hard to 'stay in' a movie when the channel inserts 3 minutes of loud inanity every 12 minutes or so. Free is good, but I'll gladly take the controlled environment of TCM, or a DVD over an ad infested flick.
About a few years ago I recorded Rio Bravo (1959) off of AMC, commercials and all, as an experiment just because I didn't have it yet. I record things a bit different from most here as I get it onto a computer first and then edit it. I use an editing program which shows all the sections I cut out along a time line, these sections appear as red segments against an otherwise green timeline bar. The commercial breaks piled up along this timeline like the divisions on a piece of logarithmic graph paper. It started out with generous 10 minute segments in-between the commercials. About three or four 10-minute segments. Then about 1/3 of the way through they started getting shorter and shorter... By the last third of the movie, there were short 45-second commercial breaks once every two minutes of the movie. It was amazing. In addition, it became harder to discern the commercials from the segments of the movie. Counting all those in, I think there were well over 30 commercial breaks in all. I just wish I had saved a screenshot of the editor window with all the red cutouts. A picture is worth a thousand words.
I ended up not keeping that copy, as the AMC screen bugs on the bottom were unbearable.
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15 minutes ago, Gershwin fan said:
I just realized something. Why is the chair red in one scene and then neon green in another?
It's well-intentioned, but a train wreck. Also look at the table lamp next to her. This was before "daylite" blue and hydroponic "gro-lite" bulbs were all the rage in the living room. And those curtains.
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11 minutes ago, slaytonf said:
I would hardly use CBS as a model in aesthetic matters.
A television show, nonetheless. But still...
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On 12/24/2017 at 6:24 PM, limey said:
But, they're not wearing hairnets - they could still be contaminating that grub.
The future of safe food preparation:
Or that could be also either be the pharmacy in the chemotherapy unit of a hospital, or a GMO food plant where the employees are more than happy to suit up, as they end up protecting themselves from the "food".
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5 hours ago, laffite said:
I don't like them. The hue is off and the colors clash. They can color individual items but there is an overall tone that is lacking.
This is basically the crux of the whole thing, as I see it. There is technical accuracy, and then there is artistic intent. I think that the "artistic intent" part goes fairly unrealized or misunderstood at times. While the colors may or may not be "correct", as per original set design, the bottom line is that they never intended for us to see the gaudy colors which were used in B&W to make B&W images "pop" in the B&W domain. If it had been filmed in color, it very well may have been filmed using different colors.
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7 hours ago, shrinkwrap said:
Here's a recent example: the Disney Treasures broadcast of THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD had these jagged white lines above the frame, while the broadcast of THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR did not. Nor did either of the Leonard Maltin intros have them. Can this problem not be isolated and fixed? Remember I'm only referring to the Standard Broadcast of these films...
I don't know if there is any effort to fix this, but in general the digital scanned image would need to eliminate the top line or so. Apparently when transmitted on the old analog signal, this was overscanned or masked off by the older technology CRT TV (just a guess). On a side note, I still use a CRT TV in one room and can see these too. That is probably just because it is coming in on a digital signal, then sent to the TV. So the TV probably just doesn't see it as an "overscan" and thinks it is part of the picture.
It probably wouldn't kill the consumer equipment manufacturers to include a setting to blank just the top line before sending it to the TV. Could be as quick and easy as part of a provider DVR firmware upgrade.
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When I was younger, I had a View Master viewer and a View Master projector. It came in a large can (maybe about the size of a two gallon bucket?). The projector was blue and was about the size of two Kleenex boxes side by side, or maybe more like a wide shoebox. It had a 12v or 24v transformer in it and used a common automotive bulb with a bayonet base. It wasn't that bright, I had to use it in complete darkness in order to see anything. Also it only projected the left side of the stereo slides.
Almost exactly like this. Except not as warped, as this website warps embedded images. So unwarp it in your mind. (in general, all the embedded images should be a little wider)
I still have a standard red View Master viewer and about 20-30 or so View Master reels, mostly picked up from tourist destinations and tourist shops in history or science museums. They usually came in packages of three or four. When I was younger I had a bunch of the Disney reels as well as TV show reels. Those seem to have come up missing. Either that or I handed them down (which now that I think about it, I am sure I did).
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2 hours ago, calvinnme said:
I had the same experience. I was looking at a lost title - "Jazz Cinderella". It starred Myrna Loy and Jason Robards Sr. and was made in 1930 by Chesterfield Motion Pictures. I clicked on Chesterfield Motion Pictures to see what other pictures they had made - so many of these defunct studios had their product wind up on Alpha DVD. I got the same paywall billboard for IMDB PRO that you got. I am not paying to find out what product defunct Chesterfield Pictures made in the 30s. I don't know who would.
Hmm sounds like a one time thing I could probably crank out. I wonder how many different studios there were (in the US). I don't know off the top of my head, but could easily find out.
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Going on IMDB yesterday I tried to search for a production company (by company). I was redirected to the signup page for IMDB Pro. Then I searched for and went to a specific movie and scrolled down to its production company and clicked on the company link. Again, I was redirected to the IMDB Pro signup page. So it seems they might be preparing to require a paid subscription just to look at basic movie listings by production company.
In the past IMDB Pro was mainly to see contact information of active movie personel, for the purpose of making business connections and networking. Any personel I might come across have largely been dead for many years. That and I have zero intention of networking with anyone in Hollywood.
It looks to me like they might be getting ready to wrap up the free services and move to a paid model. -
2 hours ago, speedracer5 said:
Animaniacs is a Warner Brothers cartoon produced by Steven Spielberg. He also produced another show that was in the same vein, Tiny Toon Adventures that depicted the old Looney Tunes stars teaching a younger generation how to be a "toon."
Oops. I was thinking of 2 Stupid Dogs. But I watched that too, if I came across it.
2 stupid dogs 1x10 a A Quarter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY1Vi8O8kQ02 stupid dogs 2x05 c Vegas Buffet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMJch4BZPdAP.S. the big dog is voiced by Brad Garrett (of Everybody Loves Raymond fame)
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Rose Marie, 1923-2017
in General Discussions
Posted
Here is Rose Marie at about age 29 and singing about being "almost 94 now" [listen in at 0:45]. Well it took a number of years.
RIP