Info and forum posts by 'paulfoel'

This user hasn't used our main site yet, so has no main account at present.

Joined on: Friday, 9th February 2001, 13:23, Last used: Friday, 9th February 2001, 13:23

Access Level: Mostly Harmless

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This user has posted a total of 18 messages. On average, since joining, this user has posted 0 messages a day, or 0.01 messages a week. In the last 30 days, this user has posted 0 messages, which is on average 0 messages a day.

Recent Messages Posted:

RE: Are there any VCR`s which automatically disable macrovision?

Now that would be cool....

Just recording in SVHS or recording in normal as well.

I`ll have a go tonight with my JVC SVHS video.

RE: Newbie question again - PAL/NTSC and Region codes etc.

Bugger. Just got a Region 1 DVD on order as well....

I`m connecting my Wharfie 750s to my Goodmans 285DPL using SCART. Surely it should be OK with this...

Also, can`t you set the wharfie to send PAL, PAL60, or NTSC ?

Am I missing something here or can you just play the region 1 disk and set the player to output PAL ?

RE: VCD`s anyone?

Do these PS2 backups need a chipped PS2 to play ?

I know the old PS needed to be chipped.....

Are VCDs any good at all ?

First question : Will all DVD players play them ? (Mines a Wharfy 750s).

Second question : Whats the quality like compared to DVD and also VHS video ?

Since buying my DVD player, in my opinion the picture is much much sharper than VHS video and the sound is cracking.

How would VCD compare ? For instance, do you get Dolby Stereo sound ? Whats the picture quality like ? Better than VHS, but worse than DVD ?

Bearing in mind there seems to be some cheap VCD stuff on some of the auction sites, are they worth getting for a few quid at all ?

RE: DVD player with region 1 NTSC disk converting to PAL for PAL TV

Only does normal PAL not PAL60. Define `Very Jerky`.

Will it be unwatchable ? Or will it be a little `off` ?

DVD player with region 1 NTSC disk converting to PAL for PAL TV

How much of a degradation does this cause ?

I`ve got a Wharfedale DVD (which as we all know can be frigged for region 1), but my TV only plays PAL. The Wharfy can output NTSC to PAL but I was wondering what the qualitys like.

In general, whats the shortfall likely to be and specifically for anyone who owns a wharfy....

Wharfedale owners - 3D option.

According to the manual activating this function could cause problems with Dolby Pro-Logic systems sound.

I`ve tried this and the sound does indeed sound `3D`. Not sure if my Pro-Logic has failed to work when this is on.

Has anybody got any opinions on this ?

It it OK to leave on ? Does it make the sound better or worse ? Does it really knacker the Pro-Logic sound ?

RE: Encore Direct go completely bonkers - £5.99 DVDs : good uns too

Did`nt see Alien there. Its down for 14-99.

Unless they`ve run out of the cheapies...

Newbie question : Whats a VCD ?

What is it ?

Whats the difference between a DVD and a VCD ?

Will a VCD play on my Wharefedale 750S ?

Dodgy menus on rental DVDs

Recently bought a Wharefdale DVD player.

First file I bought was MI:2. Played fine, able to access all the other stuff fine.

Since then I`ve watched two rental films - Supernova and You`re Dead. Films played fine, but had trouble using some of the menus to access things like deleted scenes etc.

It just seemed that, in one case, the menu did`nt work at all, in the other, it was impossible to select a menu option correctly.

I did get around this by working it out and using the GOTO function to go to the title and chapter directly. I was then able to watch these extra bits but of course its a bit of a pain.

Could it be due to the fact that the rented DVDs were`nt in A1 condition ? Any ideas at all ?

Widescreen, 2.35:1, 4:3 TVs, Widescreen TVS, anamorphic, etc.etc.

Been reading some of the stuff about anamorphic transfers etc. on the internet to try and get an understanding about what it all is and what it means for you and your TV.

My understandind is that its a way of storing the image so that when its reproduced by the DVD player, resolution is still good, because its unsquished on your TV.

I`ve got a standard 4:3 TV, and quite rightly a 2:35.1 DVD is displayed using only just over half of the screen in letterbox format. On a friends widescreen TV, the letterbox is much bigger. My understanding is that my DVd player is using an algorithm to miss scan lines to fit on my old 4:3 TV.

So, with a widescreen, it does`nt need to throw away scan lines (for a 16:9 DVD anyway, but just a few for 2.35:1). Does this mean the detail on the widescreen would be better ?

What is the resolution on TVs anyway ? Are they all the same or is there more resolution on a bigger TV ? (Or are the pixels just bigger ?).

Reason is ask is this....

If I were to buy, say, a 37" 4:3 TV then with a 2.25:1 DVD I would still get the same letterboxing (albeit bigger than a smaller TV). In fact, the actual image height would be bigger than say a 25" widescreen TV (despite letterboxing)

Would I get the same level of detail or would the widescreen TV still be better ?

For instance, big 4:3 TV may be X inches high but only half of this is being used say. Thus, only half the pixels.

Whereas, a small widescreen may be less high, but will have most of the screen used, more scan lines. All the pixels used - better picture.

Is this right ? Bottom line - Does a 40" TV say, have more scan lines than a 20" TV (or are they just larger to look at).

RE: wharfedale 750s

Are you referring to the region hack here ? (Which I understand is pretty well known).

Or is there a workable macrovision disable hack ? I`d be interested if anyones got any details on this, if it works.

RE: Newbie question again - PAL/NTSC and Region codes etc.

Thats the impression I got from reading the Wharfedale manual...

I`d be interested to hear from anyone else with a Wharfedale on how good the quality is (bearing in mind this conversion).

Basically, is it worth me buying Region 1s or is it better to wait for Region 2s ?

Anywhere in the UK renting Region 1 DVDs ?

I know there are quite a few places selling Region 1 DVDs in the Uk, and also lots of places doing rental of Region 2 DVDs in the UK.

But, is there anywhere that does Region 1 rental at all ? (in the UK)

Newbie question again - PAL/NTSC and Region codes etc.

Hi,

Just bought a Wharfedale DVD player which I understand can easily be hacked to accept all region DVDs.

I`m just a little confused with this PAL/NTSC thing. I know that UK is PAL, North America NTSC etc.

If I play a Region 1 DVD in my player will the output be NTSC ? Will I need a multi-region TV for this ? Or will the wharfedale handle this ?

Looking at the manual it seems to say that an NTSC disk will work bu outputting PAL but its a little confusing. Can anyone supply me with a better explanation ? Especially if you`ve actually got the Wharfedale and corresponding manual and have had success.

BTW. The TV is a few years old Goodmans 28" DPL.

RE: Wharfedale 750 - £99.99 in Tesco

Yep. Got one on Saturday in Bridgend (South Wales).

They seem to be in VERY short supply though. Anybody interested they had about 3 left in the Bridgend city centre store this morning apparently.

Newbie question - 2:35.1 format etc.....

I`ve currently got a 4:3 Pro-Logivc TV and just bought a Wharfedale DVD player from Tescos. (And also bought Mission Impossible 2 on DVD).

Anyway, can somebody explain this 2:35.1 ratio thing to me ? Is is like 16:9 widescreen but even `wider` ?

I set my Wharfedale DVD up with TV type as 4:w (which it is), but when I play the DVD it really is in letterbox mode to say the least !!!

I suppose this is right but it does`nt look great to me (although I suppose it would look better on a widescreen TV). I get the impression that peoples heads are cut off in the picture, or maybe its because I`m so used to 4:3.

Anyway, are most (or all) DVDs in this 2:35.1 format ? Or should I be able to get the 4:3 PS version on some (all) DVDs ?

Is there anything I can do with the Wharefdale or does it depend on the DVD format ?

Any suggestions ? (Apart from the obvious - but a widescreen TV).

Finally, if widescreens are 16:9, surely you still get `some` letterbox when viewing a 2:35.1 DVD. Do they do 2:35.1 TVs ?

Paul.

Newbie question - Pro-logic and Dolby Digital

Hi,

I`m just about to buy a DVD player. At the moment, I`ve got a Pro-Logic capable TV onto which I intend to attach my DVD player (via SCART, if I remember rightly its RGB OK).

Anyway, I know that most DVD players can output Dolby Digital 5.1. Am I right in saying that you need a decoder for this ?

What sort of sound quality will I get by using SCART to my TV ? Will it be Pro-Logic still ?

Paul