Comments on: "What Were They Thinking?" http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/ Creativity x Technology Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:09:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jeff http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2260 jeff Fri, 06 Jan 2006 18:55:35 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2260 Oh my christ, YES. I hate, hate, HATE those mandatory ads, scoldings, and disclaimers before each movie I watch. There is something ironic and infuriating about the fact that only the people who have paid for and are legally watching this movie see all the crap, including the accusations that we are all thieves and support terrorists. Some good DVD news for you, though. I recently bought nine (!) seasons of MASH on DVD. Not only are the menus silent, static and well-designed but they give you the option of turning off the laugh-track. Sweet hallelujah, you have no idea how happy that made me. Oh my christ, YES. I hate, hate, HATE those mandatory ads, scoldings, and disclaimers before each movie I watch. There is something ironic and infuriating about the fact that only the people who have paid for and are legally watching this movie see all the crap, including the accusations that we are all thieves and support terrorists.

Some good DVD news for you, though. I recently bought nine (!) seasons of MASH on DVD. Not only are the menus silent, static and well-designed but they give you the option of turning off the laugh-track. Sweet hallelujah, you have no idea how happy that made me.

]]> By: psu http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2259 psu Thu, 29 Dec 2005 13:02:11 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2259 Speaking of kid's DVDs I forgot the following awesome piece of evil that is embedded there. You fire up the Disney DVD, and it proclaims "This disk has FAST PLAY, just sit tight and the DVD will just play while bypassing the main menu!" So you think "great!". The disk plays... and you get 15 trailers for stale Disney direct to disk crap. So what they mean by "fast play" is ... "slow play". It is always faster to go right to the menu. Speaking of kid’s DVDs I forgot the following awesome piece of evil that is embedded there.

You fire up the Disney DVD, and it proclaims “This disk has FAST PLAY, just sit tight and the DVD will just play while bypassing the main menu!”

So you think “great!”. The disk plays… and you get 15 trailers for stale Disney direct to disk crap.

So what they mean by “fast play” is … “slow play”. It is always faster to go right to the menu.

]]> By: peterb http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2258 peterb Thu, 29 Dec 2005 03:09:25 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2258 I didn't know if they ever actually released a region 1 DVD for La Dolce Vita -- did they? I eventually gave up waiting and bought a region 2 disk from mediaset. But you need a hacked DVD player to watch it. Ah, I just checked Amazon. They did indeed eventually release it. Bastards, for making me wait so long. I didn’t know if they ever actually released a region 1 DVD for La Dolce Vita — did they? I eventually gave up waiting and bought a region 2 disk from mediaset. But you need a hacked DVD player to watch it.

Ah, I just checked Amazon. They did indeed eventually release it. Bastards, for making me wait so long.

]]> By: psu http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2257 psu Thu, 29 Dec 2005 01:18:15 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2257 I buy DVDs because sometimes I like the extras, I'm too lazy to go to Blockbuster, and renting from Netflix is not immediate enough for those times when you just need to watch the Fifth Element. It's also better than broadcast TV for showing kids stuff. I buy DVDs because sometimes I like the extras, I’m too lazy to go to Blockbuster, and renting from Netflix is not immediate enough for those times when you just need to watch the Fifth Element.

It’s also better than broadcast TV for showing kids stuff.

]]> By: green LA girl http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2256 green LA girl Thu, 29 Dec 2005 00:29:14 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2256 I get that you're a capitalist, but why're you buying DVDs? I find the purchase of these things in themselves to be rather odd -- Unless, say, you're a screenwriter and "studying dialogue," or a parent trying to keep kids occupied by playing Aladdin over and over again. Though I kinda want my own copy of La Dolce Vita -- I get that you’re a capitalist, but why’re you buying DVDs? I find the purchase of these things in themselves to be rather odd — Unless, say, you’re a screenwriter and “studying dialogue,” or a parent trying to keep kids occupied by playing Aladdin over and over again.

Though I kinda want my own copy of La Dolce Vita –

]]> By: Eric Tilton http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2255 Eric Tilton Thu, 22 Dec 2005 21:18:25 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2255 In the future, we'll have tangible hologram movies where the STARS THEMSELVES come out to steal our wallets and take money out of them for VALUABLE GOODS AND SERVICES. In the future, we’ll have tangible hologram movies where the STARS THEMSELVES come out to steal our wallets and take money out of them for VALUABLE GOODS AND SERVICES.

]]> By: bforsyth http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2254 bforsyth Thu, 22 Dec 2005 18:06:52 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2254 Sounds like you needa Kaleidescape, http://www.kaleidescape.com/ Its a legal dvd ripping system and one feature is that you can skip all the crap before a movie. Its a bit pricey though. Sounds like you needa Kaleidescape, http://www.kaleidescape.com/

Its a legal dvd ripping system and one feature is that you can skip all the crap before a movie. Its a bit pricey though.

]]> By: peterb http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2253 peterb Thu, 22 Dec 2005 13:28:00 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2253 How much money are you willing to bet? Not that Firaxis is going to give us access to the marketing requirements documents, but if this is a chance for me to get rich quick, I should at least make a token effort. Anyway, further wanking about Civ IV is tangential to the issue. I think we've driven all the arguments about it into the ground by this point. How much money are you willing to bet? Not that Firaxis is going to give us access to the marketing requirements documents, but if this is a chance for me to get rich quick, I should at least make a token effort.

Anyway, further wanking about Civ IV is tangential to the issue. I think we’ve driven all the arguments about it into the ground by this point.

]]> By: Matthew Gallant http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2252 Matthew Gallant Thu, 22 Dec 2005 05:55:43 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2252 I hate the DVD thing, but I've got to say, you're wrong again about Civ. Not that old men don't play Civ, but it's not hard at all to find someone who says that Civ or Civ II or Civ III gave them lots of bleary eyed days at college. I would bet you money that the average age of a Civ fan doesn't skew that much higher than the average gamer's age overall. So, well...I know you think gameplay trumps graphics, and you're right, but not to the degree I think you believe it does. When it comes down to it, the most important part of a AAA game is EVERYTHING. I hate the DVD thing, but I’ve got to say, you’re wrong again about Civ. Not that old men don’t play Civ, but it’s not hard at all to find someone who says that Civ or Civ II or Civ III gave them lots of bleary eyed days at college.

I would bet you money that the average age of a Civ fan doesn’t skew that much higher than the average gamer’s age overall. So, well…I know you think gameplay trumps graphics, and you’re right, but not to the degree I think you believe it does. When it comes down to it, the most important part of a AAA game is EVERYTHING.

]]> By: Braden http://tleaves.com/2005/12/21/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-2251 Braden Thu, 22 Dec 2005 04:31:29 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=530#comment-2251 You could not of said it any better. I agree with every single thing you just said! One thing: I don't see ANYTHING on the packaging of these DVD movies which indicates that I have to watch commercials. That being said, I think it's high time that we all start returning these movies and claim them as defective, thus getting our money back. I am willing to even bring my laptop and go through every single movie they'll offer me based on their "if it's open exchange only" rules. Wouldn't that be a hoot? :) You could not of said it any better. I agree with every single thing you just said! One thing: I don’t see ANYTHING on the packaging of these DVD movies which indicates that I have to watch commercials. That being said, I think it’s high time that we all start returning these movies and claim them as defective, thus getting our money back. I am willing to even bring my laptop and go through every single movie they’ll offer me based on their “if it’s open exchange only” rules. Wouldn’t that be a hoot? :)

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