The arrogant American abroad is a well known stereotype. They exhibit many traits but one of the most annoying is when they automatically assume that everyone can use their things, usually their money, and tries to force it on. I have experienced it myself once when selling something on eBay and the buyer mailed me dollar notes. Unless I go to the US anytime soon they are utterly useless (they're too low an amount to make changing them worthwhile and the small number of shops who do accept them are primarily ones for tourists at airports that neither sell much I want nor charge low prices).
A similar thing comes with DVDs. In order to prevent free trade in DVDs, especially in an era when one can buy directly from the US over the internet, the DVD industry included the region code system that means many DVDs can only be played on players configured for the same region. Some but not all DVD players in the UK can play discs from any region but it's not exactly "recommended" by the manufacturers. But the stereotypical American seems ignorant of the problem and assumes that any player in the world can play a Region 1 disc.
And Barack Obama has conformed to the stereotype. (Daily Telegraph: Gordon Brown is frustrated by 'Psycho' in No 10) His entire gift to Gordon Brown is utterly useless over here.
By the way this has a bearing on Brown's DVD meme. I now get just six points for seeing the films, as I don't have any of them on Region 1. How do other people do?
Showing posts with label DVD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DVD. Show all posts
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Brown's DVD meme
I've been tagged by Mars Hill: Gordon's DVD Meme. This is about the 25 DVDs that Barack Obama gave Gordon Brown.
Take two points for every film you own and have seen (only one if you own it but haven't got round to watching it yet), one point if you've seen it but don't own the DVD, and no points for those you haven’t either watched, purchased or been given.
OWN: Star Wars Episode IV, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Wizard of Oz.
SEEN: Gone With The Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lawrence of Arabia, ET.
NEVER SEEN: The Godfather, Schindler's List, It's A Wonderful Life, Citizen Kane, Singing in the Rain, Raging Bull, Vertigo, The Searchers, Psycho, The Graduate, On the Waterfront, Some Like it Hot, Chinatown, City Lights, Sunset Boulevard, Casablanca, The General, and The Grapes of Wrath.
I get 10 points. Erm...
Take two points for every film you own and have seen (only one if you own it but haven't got round to watching it yet), one point if you've seen it but don't own the DVD, and no points for those you haven’t either watched, purchased or been given.
OWN: Star Wars Episode IV, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Wizard of Oz.
SEEN: Gone With The Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lawrence of Arabia, ET.
NEVER SEEN: The Godfather, Schindler's List, It's A Wonderful Life, Citizen Kane, Singing in the Rain, Raging Bull, Vertigo, The Searchers, Psycho, The Graduate, On the Waterfront, Some Like it Hot, Chinatown, City Lights, Sunset Boulevard, Casablanca, The General, and The Grapes of Wrath.
I get 10 points. Erm...
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Whatever happened to... VHS?
Recently while clearing out my old VHS cassettes I was struck with a thought - just when did VHS disappear off the radar?
Having brought my first DVD player in the summer of 2001, when they didn't appear to be commonplace - amongst my circle of friends I seemed to be the first to get one. Other than blank cassettes for recording, the only VHSes I've brought since then were the last of the Doctor Who releases (BBC Enterprises decided against simultaneous DVD releases and instead the Who DVD line developed separately). In early 2003 whilst staying with a friend no-one in their flat had a DVD player. Otherwise, apart from a brief comment here last year whilst selling some old tapes, I've not really stopped to look and see what's happened with VHS. Nowadays places like HMV seem to be almost trying to give away VHS boxed sets for only a few pounds (and not always succeeding - the two boxed sets that make up a season of Friends are between them almost as bulky as the DVD boxed set containing all ten seasons) and it's clear that as a prerecorded format VHS is almost extinct (though as a recording format it still has its uses; and I'm sure I'm not the only one using their VCR as an essential adaptor between SCART and coaxial sockets).
So just when did VHS die out as a commercial format? When did all the main stores start marginalising their VHS shelves and then phasing them out completely?
VHS has one or two advantages over DVD though. First off minor tape damage is concentrated and usually affects less of the material than the equivalent on DVD. Secondly one can stop the tape wherever they like and continue playing it in another machine. And thirdly you don't have to go through umpteen copyright notices, adverts against piracy and trailers everytime you play a tape - you can just fast forward a VHS whereas a lot of DVDs won't let you! Does anyone know of a good DVD player that can at least do the last function?
Having brought my first DVD player in the summer of 2001, when they didn't appear to be commonplace - amongst my circle of friends I seemed to be the first to get one. Other than blank cassettes for recording, the only VHSes I've brought since then were the last of the Doctor Who releases (BBC Enterprises decided against simultaneous DVD releases and instead the Who DVD line developed separately). In early 2003 whilst staying with a friend no-one in their flat had a DVD player. Otherwise, apart from a brief comment here last year whilst selling some old tapes, I've not really stopped to look and see what's happened with VHS. Nowadays places like HMV seem to be almost trying to give away VHS boxed sets for only a few pounds (and not always succeeding - the two boxed sets that make up a season of Friends are between them almost as bulky as the DVD boxed set containing all ten seasons) and it's clear that as a prerecorded format VHS is almost extinct (though as a recording format it still has its uses; and I'm sure I'm not the only one using their VCR as an essential adaptor between SCART and coaxial sockets).
So just when did VHS die out as a commercial format? When did all the main stores start marginalising their VHS shelves and then phasing them out completely?
VHS has one or two advantages over DVD though. First off minor tape damage is concentrated and usually affects less of the material than the equivalent on DVD. Secondly one can stop the tape wherever they like and continue playing it in another machine. And thirdly you don't have to go through umpteen copyright notices, adverts against piracy and trailers everytime you play a tape - you can just fast forward a VHS whereas a lot of DVDs won't let you! Does anyone know of a good DVD player that can at least do the last function?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
