| Author | Message | ||
     Larry Elie Rating: N/A |
I finally got the first of the Slingshot Entertainment (http://www.slingshotent.com/) 3-D DVD's. I got them for only $13.99 US at Buy.com, so the investment is not too great if one already has shutterglasses set up for NTSC composite(TV). There has been lots of opinions expressed about whether they are any better than VHS 3-D. That's the point of this review. First off, these films are indeed set up as NTSC 30 fps interlaced, just like VHS. In fact, the set-up on the DVD shows a video box (I use S-video) and it won't even work with component video boxes. So forget thinking about some high-frequency setup. Yet before passing this off as 'terrible' (which some will do) I want to talk about the content. I find it very difficult to generalize without talking about content; it really makes a difference to how good the 3-D is. It makes a difference in normal video as well; watch an old 18 frame per second silent movie and you see lots of jerkiness. If the director worked with that instead of against it, the result is watchable. So let's talk specifics. I reviewed with a Sony 42" rear projection TV. The first film I watched was Ultimate G's. Ultimate G's is typical of late IMAX films (actually, they used an IWERKS camera, as described in the 'making of' section of the bonus features, as is the 2D choice of viewing). IMAX has their largest installation base in museums. Lots of kids in museums. So it starts out as a boy and his dream of flight. Plenty of 3-D, but not over done. Later, as he grows up, he becomes a pilot doing fighter games. So they have a film they can market at flight museums as well, and to older guys who love to see flying. Lots of first and second person 3-D flight scenes. I'm a pilot, and I can tell you they did pretty well. Actually, this is where the director must have done some work; airplanes in a blue sky are just begging for 3-D ghosting. They managed without ghosting. Very good. Now I never saw this film in IMAX; perhaps they just did real well. Ghosting is more of a problem on IMAX, the intensity is high and I have really been bothered by the ghosting on several IMAX 3-D films, mostly with pure color backgrounds like 'Wings of Courage' or 'Cirq-du-Sol'. On my projection TV, the intensity is not that high; perhaps on some really bright tube it would be a problem. Personally, I have never rated any IMAX 3-D film as great, in addition to ghosting, there is often flicker in action scenes (even sometime in 2-D...); a small motion projected on that great-big screen translates into inches. On the little screen it isn't so noticeable. More on Flicker: Sure, I looked for and found flicker. My teen-age daughter never noticed it. When I pointed it out, she said it wasn't any worse than on several games on the Revelator we use on a 17" monitor at 110 Hz. For example; Disney's Ultimate Ride is great in 3-D, but the flicker is pretty bad. Much worse than this DVD on our TV. It probably has a lot to do with the brightness of the monitor compared to the TV and the persistence of the phospers they used, but she is right, the comparison is valid. One more complaint. For some reason, they set this up so if you pause the DVD, the thing goes flat. DVD's often have great pauses; my Apex is pretty good. So I found a good 3-D scene and paused, expecting that both fields would still be switching back and forth. Nope. It went flat. Perhaps this is my DVD player, but I sort of doubt it. That's too bad because I can envision a slide show in 3-D and perhaps the way these work that can't work. I will have to try and make an SVCD 3-D slide show and try it myself. All in all; not bad. Better than any of the VHS shutter-glass tape I have seen. Too bad I don't have any Hollywood classics on DVD in this format; that would be a better test. Next reviews; Alien Adventure (animated and computer animated 3-D often have ghosting problems so this will be a good test) and 3-D Mania (which I have seen in 3-D IMAX for a real comparison). Larry Elie | ||
| Giorgio Bogoni Rating: N/A |
I couldn't find this stuff at www.buy.com What have I to search for? THX, Giorgio. | ||
| Larry Elie Rating: N/A |
It's under DVD's. Ultimate g's is at http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=40161437 Encounter in the 3rd Dimension is at http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=40161459&loc=322 Alien Adventure is at http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=40161469&loc=322 Haunted Castle is at http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=40161443&loc=322 Ultimate 3D Collector's Gift Set (Encounter in the 3rd Dimension, Alien Adventure and Haunted Castle with wired glasses-- NOT Ultimate g's) is at http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=40160629&loc=322 Some other even CHEAPER places to buy at http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=111086301&tab_id=4&zip_code=48197&search=ultimate%20g%5C%27s&ut=88010121365685b5 then re-search on each of the other titles... and if you link from pricegrabber.com, I think you save a buck each on the DVD's at some of the links. At 800.com it's a buck cheaper, and other may be better after linking. Ultimage g's is the best of the lot (although I haven't seen Haunted Castle) has the best plot, etc. The others are fun but other than Encounter in the Third Dimension, they are all computer generated 3D. Encounter has some nice history, but is aimed at keeping some audience other then me. Larry Elie Slingshot is at http://www.slingshotent.com/index_flash.htm | ||
| Larry Elie Rating: N/A |
Review of Alien Adventure, as promised. I'm not sure where to place Alien Adventure. It's amusing perhaps, but it isn't a movie. Alien Adventure is a series of shorts loosely held together by a simple plot. The plot is that a group of aliens looking for a new home world land on earth. Finding a not yet open theme park; 'Adventure World', and thinking it representative of earth, they go on the rides. The individual 'rides' are all 3-D simulations. They are all CGI created. Although the composite 'Alien Adventure' is a big-screen IMAX adventure, I recognize some of the others from riding them on 2-D and 3-D IWERKS motion simulators. Here they drop the motion base (which was the main attraction) and run with the result. The initial Aliens in space sequence (probably the only original part to the composite) is too dark. It is probably fine in super-bright IMAX. On my Sony rear projector is is too dark. The 3-D is there, but it doesn't work well here. Perhaps if someone has a super bright monitor. But this sequence is short, so one can live with it. The first 'ride' is 'Arctic Adventure'. You follow an large cut ice-cube on a long series of tracks. I rode this in 2_D IWERKS motion simulator at COSI in Toledo OH. It's fun enough. Without the motion base, it isn't as much fun as the simulator version, even though I only rode the simulator in 2_D. The 3-D is good and bright enough, but not great. This is the best sequence on this DVD. The second 'ride' is "Aladdin's World". You get to rescue a CGI princess from a Cave of Wonders, complete with lava, rolling stones etc. It's pretty imaginative, and would be outstanding with a motion base. The 3-D is OK, but some parts are too dark. My 16 year old daughter says we rode this at the 3-D IWERKS theater in St. Augustine FL a couple of years back. Parts looked familiar, but not all of it. At the end, the alien's upchuck in green. Aimed for teens. The third 'ride' is 'Kid Coaster'. You ride a simulation of a miniature roller coaster all over a child's room. I'm sure it's great with a motion base, and it's credible 3-D, and mostly bright enough, but it leaves me hanging after the first minute or so. Fairly original backgrounds. The director even says this was modeled after 'Toy Story'. The last 'ride' is 'Aqua World.' Undersea and tropical coasters all over. Probably better with a motion base. Credible 3-D but too dark. This DVD has only one purpose; impress your friends (especially teens and pre-teens, or roller coaster fans) with what 3-D can be. It doesn't have all that much re-watch value. There are also extras; the 2-D version and a director's voice over on how each scene was made. In this case, since I'm pretty technical, the director's voice over was nice to listen to, at least once. This DVD is not as good as Ultimate G's. It is available on VHS as well, but only about a buck cheaper. The DVD has much more going for it. Larry Elie | ||
| Larry Elie Rating: N/A |
Oops. Here's a PS. There is more flicker on this DVD by a fair ammount than I saw on "Ultimate G's" Since it's all pretty dark, there isn't much ghosting. Sorry I neglected to mension it before. Larry Elie | ||
| Giorgio Bogoni Rating: N/A |
Larry, what do you think about "Encounter in the 3rd dimension" and "Haunted Castle"? Giorgio. | ||
| Larry Elie Rating: N/A |
I haven't had a chance to watch "Encounter in the 3rd dimension" yet, but I saw it as "3-D Mania" at an IMAX. It has some interesting history, but is mostly just a chance to show off 3-D. I will give a full review later. It has enough live action to be interesting. I'm not an Elvira fan, and she is supposed to be the highlight. The crashing screen effect is pretty good (used at Muppet Vision 3-D a number of years ago). "Haunted Castle" is pretty much a horror movie. I have kids so I didn't order it. I may yet, but I suspect it's too powerful. I saw what was probably a version of it at an IWERKS motion theater in 3-D in 1999, and it was too much. It's pretty much all computer generated. I will post future reviews to the 3D news section and don't intend any more cross-posts. Sorry. | ||
| Giorgio Bogoni Rating: N/A |
Larry, I asked in the other section: can you check the region code of DVDs? Alex told me 0 (no region code) but I read 1 at dvdplanet. THX again, Giorgio. | ||
| Larry Elie Rating: N/A |
Mine are all region code 0. I checked. | ||
| Giorgio Bogoni Rating: N/A |
I'll buy them, thanks. Giorgio. |
