Results tagged “dvd” from Birmingham Mail - Technobabble

Video games have become the most popular form of home entertainment, it was revealed today.

People are set to lash out £4.64 billion on games this year, with home video (dvds blu ray et al), and cd sales accounting for £4.46 billion.

Of course you read it here first! When Grand Theft Auto IV came out with a record selling weekend, I commented on how games were still in the ghetto as far as the mainstream press were concerned, receiving drastically less coverage than films and music - even though more was being spent on them.

I suppose the thing to consider is that DVDs cost an average of maybe £8, cds less, so although more is spent on games, volume-wise the traditional forms of entertainment are still top.

Still, I await the day a national newspaper produces a games supplement, as they do frequently with films and music!

It's been something which I've wondered about for some time.

When watching a film on the DVD player, it seems to 'pause' every so often on a single frame.

It's not that annoying I suppose, but it did make me wonder if there was something wrong with the player itself.

It actually turns out to be something quite straight forward.

When the dual layer DVD disc makes the transition from one layer to the other it stops for perhaps a second.

I for one would have hoped that solving this would be relatively straight forward - but no, all new releases I buy seem to have the same issue.

I keep seeing the new BBC advert showcasing new high definition services in what can only be described as explosive adverts on their channels.

The ads have obviously had a huge amount of cash spent on them - involving large sets being destroyed.

The 'theme' is the Antiques Roadshow being involved in some kind of cataclysmic car crash, with what is presumably a priceless vase being saved by TV news lovely Helen Bruce in Hong Kong action movie style.

Clearly they're taking a recognised BBC signature 'brand' such as the Antiques Roadshow and reimagining it in an exciting 'high definition' way. showing how 'Auntie' is moving with the times.

But why? Who really cares about high def except TV tekkies, and journos who have been set up by Sky TV for free in exchange for numerous plugs (you know who you are).

Is it an improvement? Yes - but it's not like the leap forward from video cassettes to DVD.

Also why is a public service broadcaster effectively running ads aimed at selling expensive TVs to people who already have something which will do the job just as well?

There is also the point that if the same production values and budgets were available to, say, a new science fiction series, we might actually have something worth watching, other than repeats of Dad's Army.

After all the BBC has been cutting jobs left right and centre - often in drama - so those concerned must be delighted at such a large amount of cash being spent on ads like this.