Planned obsolescence?
What is wrong with DVDs? I'd been led to believe that VHS was easily corruptible, but that the tapes would have a decent lifespan of 20 years. Yes, in my VHS copy of "The Fabulous Baker Boys," the piano-top scene plays badly; I'd bought the VHS tape used, and the former owner or owners probably rewinded too much there.
But the DVDs in my short experience with them don't perform well. I'd seen a big problem while watching cable at my parents' house: On numerous occasions, a big scene would start shaking and then die; in one case, the tech in charge wasn't watching, and I had fun waiting to see the film start again. What's the frequency, Kenneth?
When I bought Wahlberg's "Rock Star" on DVD, my first copy wouldn't play at all. The replacement copy from Amazon wasn't new (the DVDs make the difference obvious in the opening screens), and too many scenes started to shake and rattle, or stutter, after one viewing.
Dammit, just now, a recently bought DVD of "American Dreamer" lost a key bit; I can still watch the flick, but I must flip to the next scene after this DVD crisis.
When I buy movies, I do it to see them over and over. I enjoy the convenience of watching films on the computer, but I abhor these drawbacks. Worst, I think, in comparison with VHS, is that one can't watch a small piece of a scene multiple (or myriad) times: We can't rewind (or fast-forward) at will.
The spouse and I have always been late to technology. His 1970 Camaro exchanged its eight-track music for cassette in Christmas 1989. We got our first CD player in 1995. We held back because he was sure that digital cassettes would transform the marketplace.
I've read that DVD technology is advancing, but that two platforms are competing in a nasty way. In 15 years, perhaps, I'll learn all about it.
But the DVDs in my short experience with them don't perform well. I'd seen a big problem while watching cable at my parents' house: On numerous occasions, a big scene would start shaking and then die; in one case, the tech in charge wasn't watching, and I had fun waiting to see the film start again. What's the frequency, Kenneth?
When I bought Wahlberg's "Rock Star" on DVD, my first copy wouldn't play at all. The replacement copy from Amazon wasn't new (the DVDs make the difference obvious in the opening screens), and too many scenes started to shake and rattle, or stutter, after one viewing.
Dammit, just now, a recently bought DVD of "American Dreamer" lost a key bit; I can still watch the flick, but I must flip to the next scene after this DVD crisis.
When I buy movies, I do it to see them over and over. I enjoy the convenience of watching films on the computer, but I abhor these drawbacks. Worst, I think, in comparison with VHS, is that one can't watch a small piece of a scene multiple (or myriad) times: We can't rewind (or fast-forward) at will.
The spouse and I have always been late to technology. His 1970 Camaro exchanged its eight-track music for cassette in Christmas 1989. We got our first CD player in 1995. We held back because he was sure that digital cassettes would transform the marketplace.
I've read that DVD technology is advancing, but that two platforms are competing in a nasty way. In 15 years, perhaps, I'll learn all about it.
posted by aparker54 at 6:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home