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You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > District 9: Who's gonna see it?

View Poll Results: Are you going to see District 9?
Poll Options:
Yes! It looks awesome. 34 votes (61.82%)
Yes, but I'm not optimistic. 9 votes (16.36%)
No, it doesn't look very good/not my style of movie. 6 votes (10.91%)
No, I'm a victim of the economic downturn and I need my $10 for the rent. 0 votes (0%)
Boycott this movie. It makes us District Niners look bad because of its historical inaccuracies. 3 votes (5.45%)
Nah, I'm going to see Julie & Julia instead. 3 votes (5.45%)
Voters: 55. You may not vote on this poll
District 9: Who's gonna see it? (Page 2)
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pooka
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Aug 15, 2009, 09:22 AM
 
Sheesh, I must be easy to please... That movie rocked some serious ass. How can you guys do anything but sing it's praises?

 

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Eug  (op)
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Aug 15, 2009, 09:48 AM
 
Originally Posted by pooka View Post
Sheesh, I must be easy to please... That movie rocked some serious ass. How can you guys do anything but sing it's praises?

 
Heh. Even in the darkest moments, there was just a pinch of humour. I liked that too.

P.S. Here's a good video interview with the director, Neill Blomkamp.

And here is the short Alive in Joburg which inspired the movie.
     
jokell82
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Aug 15, 2009, 09:48 AM
 
Saw this one last night. I was really looking forward to it, and it exceeded my expectations. I loved how it showed humanity as the royal dicks that we are, as uncomfortable as that was to watch at times. And having a protagonist that you sometimes root against was great.

That said, I really hope they don't make a sequel. I think this movie stands on its own quite well, and I'd hate to see the story ruined by
 
Leave it open ended.

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Eug  (op)
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Aug 15, 2009, 10:21 AM
 
That's the great thing about sequels. You don't have to watch them if you don't want to.

Making a sequel doesn't take anything away from the original movie.
     
jokell82
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Aug 15, 2009, 12:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
That's the great thing about sequels. You don't have to watch them if you don't want to.

Making a sequel doesn't take anything away from the original movie.
No, but it takes away from the overall story. Sometimes everything doesn't *need* to be explained.

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analogue SPRINKLES
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Aug 15, 2009, 12:20 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
That's the great thing about sequels. You don't have to watch them if you don't want to.

Making a sequel doesn't take anything away from the original movie.
Um, when it ends on a cliffhanger yes it does.
     
Eug  (op)
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Aug 15, 2009, 12:52 PM
 
Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES View Post
Um, when it ends on a cliffhanger yes it does.
Like I said, nobody is forcing you to watch the sequel. This wasn't a true cliffhanger ending IMO. The movie stands by itself just fine.
     
ShortcutToMoncton
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Aug 15, 2009, 01:47 PM
 
They definitely shouldn't take away from the original movie, but sequels definitely can. Sometimes lots of things are better left to imagination.

Best recent example I can think of is The Matrix; for me the tripe that followed that movie definitely takes away from how cool that movie actually was.

Great example of a recent movie that could have a sequel, but would be completely ruined if it did? Children of Men.

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Aug 15, 2009, 02:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton View Post
They definitely shouldn't take away from the original movie, but sequels definitely can. Sometimes lots of things are better left to imagination.

Best recent example I can think of is The Matrix; for me the tripe that followed that movie definitely takes away from how cool that movie actually was.

Great example of a recent movie that could have a sequel, but would be completely ruined if it did? Children of Men.
Matrix is still good, and sequels have done nothing to diminish that IMO. Same goes for Blade.
     
jokell82
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Aug 15, 2009, 02:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
Matrix is still good, and sequels have done nothing to diminish that IMO. Same goes for Blade.
Matrix is still good, but I can't watch it anymore without thinking of how horrible the sequels were and how they ruined that story. I'd hate for that to happen to this movie too.

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Aug 15, 2009, 04:25 PM
 
Originally Posted by jokell82 View Post
Matrix is still good, but I can't watch it anymore without thinking of how horrible the sequels were and how they ruined that story. I'd hate for that to happen to this movie too.
At the risk of sounding repetitive... Then don't watch the sequel. Simple as that.

Personally, I'm glad T2 came along, even though I preferred the original Terminator.
     
nonhuman
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Aug 17, 2009, 10:03 AM
 
Wow, just saw the film last night. Totally blown away. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time (although we also saw The Time Traveler's Wife this weekend which was also an excellent movie). Probably going to have to see it again in the theaters which is really saying something, as I'm rarely willing to shell out the money to see any movie in the theater even once. Truly and old school Sci Fi masterpiece.

I've got to say I'm somewhat tempted by the idea of a sequel. Obviously the movie leaves the possibility of one, and I would love to see the continuation of the story. But considering what the sequel would have to be, I have a very hard time imagining it done well. A proper sequel to this movie would basically have to defy every Hollywood convention out there in order to not suck. A friend of mine suggested that it would have to have a really unhappy ending, which I think is probably true; otherwise it would completely lose it's value as social commentary which, I think, was part of what made this movie to mind blowing.
     
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Aug 17, 2009, 11:17 AM
 
Originally Posted by nonhuman View Post
I've got to say I'm somewhat tempted by the idea of a sequel. Obviously the movie leaves the possibility of one, and I would love to see the continuation of the story. But considering what the sequel would have to be, I have a very hard time imagining it done well. A proper sequel to this movie would basically have to defy every Hollywood convention out there in order to not suck. A friend of mine suggested that it would have to have a really unhappy ending, which I think is probably true; otherwise it would completely lose it's value as social commentary which, I think, was part of what made this movie to mind blowing.
It could be a prequel. It could also be a well-written sequel with a moderately happy ending and still be good. It doesn't have to have an unhappy ending not to suck, as long as the plot and writing are good.

Put it this way, if before you saw District 9, someone told you they could make a sci-fi movie about alien apartheid with Nigerian voodooish criminals for $30 million, would you have expected this or would you have expected some ultra-B-class half-assed shoot-em-up fest?

Furthermore, the director said he would have had no problem spending $100 million on District 9, but he didn't have that budget. Just a bigger name cast alone would have cost him over $10 million more (which is a third of the budget of this movie).

BTW, estimates are that D9 took in $37 million in the first weekend (#1), which means that it's already generated more revenue in the first weekend than the entire production budget of this movie. GI Joe in its second weekend generated a paltry $22.5 million, with the equally poorly rated Time Traveller's Wife coming in with 19.2 million.

I'm hoping for District 9 to hit $100 million domestic, although that might be a bit tough of a target to reach.
( Last edited by Eug; Aug 17, 2009 at 11:29 AM. )
     
sek929
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Aug 17, 2009, 05:56 PM
 
Loved it. Took on a serious subject with an air of not being to serious and it wasn't predictable at the least.
     
carterx
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Aug 17, 2009, 06:19 PM
 
See this on the weekend. Was a great film though I would not mind seeing this "District 9" film
     
nonhuman
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Aug 17, 2009, 08:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
It could be a prequel. It could also be a well-written sequel with a moderately happy ending and still be good. It doesn't have to have an unhappy ending not to suck, as long as the plot and writing are good.
A prequel's a good idea. I think that would give them a lot more freedom to explore the story.

I agree that it doesn't have to be an unhappy ending, just that it would be easier to make a good sequel that way.

Put it this way, if before you saw District 9, someone told you they could make a sci-fi movie about alien apartheid with Nigerian voodooish criminals for $30 million, would you have expected this or would you have expected some ultra-B-class half-assed shoot-em-up fest?

Furthermore, the director said he would have had no problem spending $100 million on District 9, but he didn't have that budget. Just a bigger name cast alone would have cost him over $10 million more (which is a third of the budget of this movie).
Totally. For $30m, this movie was amazing. I'm really happy they went the route they did and put the money into actually making the movie, not buying the biggest name talent. Using unknown actors, I think, made it a much better movie.

BTW, estimates are that D9 took in $37 million in the first weekend (#1), which means that it's already generated more revenue in the first weekend than the entire production budget of this movie. GI Joe in its second weekend generated a paltry $22.5 million, with the equally poorly rated Time Traveller's Wife coming in with 19.2 million.

I'm hoping for District 9 to hit $100 million domestic, although that might be a bit tough of a target to reach.
Time Traveler's Wife was poorly rated? My wife dragged me to that on Friday, and I actually thought it was really good. No District 9, but I really enjoyed it.
     
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Aug 17, 2009, 09:45 PM
 
I went out to see this by myself today (the wifey isn't interested in this type of movie), and I was impressed. I was skeptical at first about how believable the aliens would be, but that was put to rest quickly. There was plenty of action, and even though I knew a little of what would happen ahead of time, I still couldn't peel myself away and wanted to see what happened next.
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Eug  (op)
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Aug 18, 2009, 04:10 AM
 
Originally Posted by nonhuman View Post
Time Traveler's Wife was poorly rated? My wife dragged me to that on Friday, and I actually thought it was really good. No District 9, but I really enjoyed it.
District 9 and Time Traveler's Wife were both initially tracking to open in the mid 20s $ for opening weekend receipts. However, actuals have District 9 at $37.4 million, which is way over expectations, and Time Traveler's Wife at $18.6 million, which is way under expectations.

Sony Pictures' sci-fi movie produced by Peter Jackson and Warner Bros.' adaptation of the bestselling book are both tracking to open in the mid-$20 millions domestically and at least one could, executives with access to prerelease audience polling say, hit $30 million or more.

"District 9," an independently financed, effects-heavy tale from first-time feature director Neil Blomkamp about aliens living in apartheid-like conditions in South Africa, is tracking almost exclusively with males and will likely draw a big fanboy audience on Friday. Those interested in the weepy romance "The Time Traveler's Wife," which stars Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, are primarily women.


I suspect the reason for this is the reviews. The numbers are a bit different now, but the current numbers do reflect the early reviews for the most part.

District 9
Metacritic: 81
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Consensus: Technically brilliant and emotionally wrenching, District 9 has action, imagination, and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic.

Time Traveler's Wife
Metacritic: 47
Rotten Tomatoes: 36%

Consensus: Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness.

Interestingly, the reviews for District 9 were positive not only from male reviewers. The early reviews from female reviewers were also almost all positive, with many glowing, while at the same time female reviewers were giving Time Traveler's Wife thumbs down for the most part. So while tracking for District 9 had almost exclusively men wanting to see it, when it came to the actual numbers, 36% were women. That doesn't seem like that much, but it's certainly way better than the 24% of men going to see Time Traveler's Wife.

"You could feel the ground moving," said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony Pictures about the buzz for "District 9." Bruer expects "District 9" to expand beyond its male base in the days ahead.

"It absolutely will," Bruer predicted. "There is a tremendous amount of emotion in this film that women will embrace."
     
nonhuman
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Aug 18, 2009, 09:38 AM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
District 9
Metacritic: 81
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Consensus: Technically brilliant and emotionally wrenching, District 9 has action, imagination, and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic.

Time Traveler's Wife
Metacritic: 47
Rotten Tomatoes: 36%

Consensus: Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness.
That's interesting. I really expected to hate The Time Traveler's Wife, but ended up liking it a lot. I also didn't find the plot to be particularly contrived or the narrative illogical, though perhaps that's because I was approaching it as a sci-fi fan watching a movie about a time traveler. Most people who watched it were probably expecting something totally different and approaching it from a completely different point of view.

Interestingly, the reviews for District 9 were positive not only from male reviewers. The early reviews from female reviewers were also almost all positive, with many glowing, while at the same time female reviewers were giving Time Traveler's Wife thumbs down for the most part. So while tracking for District 9 had almost exclusively men wanting to see it, when it came to the actual numbers, 36% were women. That doesn't seem like that much, but it's certainly way better than the 24% of men going to see Time Traveler's Wife.
This definitely tracks with my experience. My cousin and I basically had to drag my wife along with us to watch it, but she ended up loving it almost as much as we did. She also dragged me to TTW and I was surprised by how much I liked it, but I don't think it even came close to balancing out.
     
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Aug 18, 2009, 09:45 AM
 
Argggh... It seems that Cineplex Odeon has really shafted District 9 for digital showings. There is only 1 theatre within 15 km that is showing it in digital (which is probably the one analogue SPRINKLES saw it in I'm guessing). The ones that are more convenient for me are digital theatres, except they're showing that horribly reviewed G-Force guinea pig extravaganza on the digital screen.



And for the one local one that has two digital screens, the second one is Julie and Julia. I hear Julie and Julia is good, but that's one movie that doesn't scream out for digital projection.

Anyways, I'm considering going again to that one theatre downtown for the digital showing, just to see what analogue SPRINKLES was talking about with regards to the hyper-sharp RED ONE camera shots. Or maybe I should just go see The Hurt Locker instead.

     
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Aug 19, 2009, 06:55 PM
 
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Aug 19, 2009, 08:56 PM
 
I saw the movie again at a digital theatre. It was soooooooo much clearer. Details could be seen that I just didn't see in the film print version.

If you have not seen this movie yet, and you have a choice of the type of theatre, definitely go to the digital version.

It's gonna look great on Blu-ray.
     
Hawkeye_a
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Sep 9, 2009, 06:32 AM
 
Just went to see it yesterday. Friggon awesome movie. definitely rekindled my love for the genre.

The main dude's acting was extremely good imo. The story was great, and technically the special effects.... just awesome(it didnt cross my mind more than twice that what we were looking at was CG)...the compositing was probably the best i've ever seen.

Great story, and imo, the best Sci-Fi flick since the original Matrix.
     
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Sep 9, 2009, 08:33 AM
 
I saw it two weekends ago, and was very impressed. I think the biggest thing that impressed me was the number of "recognizable faces" in the film. One. In ONE shot there was one of the stunt guys from LOTR. Everyone else was fresh, which made the film much easier to believe.

The effects were great, the story though predictable from one point of view, was really very ingenious and innovative. I didn't even have problems with accents, though it looks like they were "genuine" and not watered down or minimized for a North American audience.

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Sep 9, 2009, 12:50 PM
 
Pretty enjoyable except for the Hudson Scene.
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Hawkeye_a
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Sep 9, 2009, 02:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by olePigeon View Post
Pretty enjoyable except for the Hudson Scene.
<spoiler alert>
I assume you're referring to the scene where the control module goes down, right ? i have to admit that thats the one scene that stood out like a sore thumb...it didnt ruin the movie, but definitely took the emersion factor away from the movie imo, everything from the point where it was emerging (the debris moving out of the way looked horrible) to the point where it hit the ground.
     
olePigeon
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Sep 9, 2009, 02:57 PM
 
Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a View Post
<spoiler alert>
I assume you're referring to the scene where the control module goes down, right ? i have to admit that thats the one scene that stood out like a sore thumb...it didnt ruin the movie, but definitely took the emersion factor away from the movie imo, everything from the point where it was emerging (the debris moving out of the way looked horrible) to the point where it hit the ground.
Yes. Seems like ever since ALIENS, if the movie has big guns, they have to have a scene imitating Hudson. It worked once, and it only worked in ALIENS. Now it's become cliché and annoying.

I would like it if they'd stop using all-CG scenes and effects. I don't want a movie that's "good enough." It completely destroys the effectiveness of the movie. A nice mixture of props + matting + CG is the way to go, and only if done correctly. There were times during District 9 where I just cringed. I'd rather someone in an elaborate suit than the horrible animation. The all-CG scenes were annoying and kept dropping me out of the movie.
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Sep 9, 2009, 03:07 PM
 
     
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Dec 16, 2009, 11:45 PM
 
Looking forward to District 9 on Blu-ray next week.



According to the original trade ad (which includes a listing of the Blu-ray extras) it wasn't supposed to come out until Dec. 29, but they've moved it up a week to Dec. 22.

P.S. It also says it's coming out on PSP. I had thought movies on PSP had long since died, but it seems I'm mistaken.
( Last edited by Eug; Jan 1, 2010 at 11:07 AM. )
     
exca1ibur
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Dec 17, 2009, 01:46 AM
 
1st day purchase here, as well.
     
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Dec 17, 2009, 09:42 AM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
According to the original trade ad (which includes a listing of the Blu-ray extras) it wasn't supposed to come out until Dec. 29, but they've moved it up a week to Dec. 22.
Hmm... It seems I cannot link the trade ad directly. It just defaults to the front page. However the article with the trade ad is here. Click on the image to get the full trade ad image.

The disc will include:

Deleted scenes
Filmmaker's commentary
Three-part filmmaker's log
Four featurettes. (Note that one featurette is on Apple's District 9 trailer page.)

Exclusive to Blu-ray is:

Interactive map of Johannesburg
iTunes copy
cinechat < - Chat with your geek friends while watching the BD at the same time as them.
movieIQ <- Access cast info etc. from the movie.

--

The annoying thing for us Canadian buyers. The cheapest price I can find it listed locally is CA$26.99. It's US$17.99 at Amazon.com (CA$19.29). Curiously, Amazon.com's BD price is only $1 more than the stripped down 1-disc DVD version, and is actually $5 cheaper than the 2-disc DVD version.

There is also mention of a GOW III game demo on the disc:

# movieIQ (use logo): connects you to access real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
# cinechat
# BD Exclusive: Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9 - Interactive Map
# Director's Commentary
# Deleted Scenes
# The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log -- Three-Part Documentary
# Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus
# Innovation: Acting and Improvisation
# Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9
# Alien Generation: Visual Effects
# God of War III Playable Playstation 3 Game Demo
     
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Dec 17, 2009, 09:58 AM
 
Could possibly be my first blu-ray
     
Eug  (op)
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Dec 17, 2009, 10:13 AM
 
Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a View Post
Could possibly be my first blu-ray
Do it. Several decent current generation name brand players are now under US$130 from major (r)etailers.

I'm waiting for a name brand CA$99.99 Blu-ray player before I buy my third player.
     
Hawkeye_a
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Dec 17, 2009, 10:25 AM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
Do it. Several decent current generation name brand players are now under US$130 from major (r)etailers.

I'm waiting for a name brand CA$99.99 Blu-ray player before I buy my third player.
Still pondering about it. Trying to decide between an AppleTV, WD HD TV Live or PS3. If the PS3 supported HFS+ drives over USB for video/music/photos, it would't be an issue. Chances are ill end up with a PS3 by the end of January, just for the BR.
     
Eug  (op)
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Dec 17, 2009, 10:29 AM
 
If you just want to watch Blu-ray movies, forget the PS3. Just get a standalone player. If you want to watch Blu-ray movies and play PS3 games, then get a PS3.

I personally have absolutely no interest whatsoever in AppleTV, but that's just me.

That WD HD TV Live seems interesting, although I've never tried it. If it lives up to the hype though, a combo of that with a standalone BR player would play more stuff than a PS3, and would be cheaper.
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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Dec 17, 2009, 02:23 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
If you just want to watch Blu-ray movies, forget the PS3. Just get a standalone player. If you want to watch Blu-ray movies and play PS3 games, then get a PS3.
Na, I know a few people who never play games who got a PS3 just cuz it is far better than ay stand alone BR player and you get way more value. After all, you got the Xbox/HD-DVD, Powerline network monstrosity setup for some reason coming in at about $800 even though you don't play games.

Standalone BR player for $130-$150 gets ya:
1) Play BR, DVD. CD's.
2) There is no 2

The "Advantages"
• BR disks load MUCH slower than on a PS3
• May or may not be Live enabled
• Prob no Wifi
• Ugly box
• It only does one thing so it must do it very well in ones mind (not so much, see PS3)

PS3 Slim for $299 gets ya:
1) Play BR, DVD, CD. ALso one of the best up-converters.
2) Play PS3 games (if you are into that)
3) Surf the web on your TV in HD
4) Internal HD audio decoding so your AV receiver doesn't need the feature
5) Built in Wifi and ethernet
6) Built in hard drive (To copy your music or movies if you want)
7) Rent HD movies from Sony
8) View your movies, pictures, music from any computer in the house
9) USB ports for peripherals, or memory sticks with movies on em.
8) Bluetooth for headsets, remotes and to chat online
9) Email
10) Social Networking
11) Movie trailers
12) Download game demos, classic titles etc.
13) Themeable
14) Use your iPod/iPhone to control with some disks
15) Firmware updatable to 3D TV's on all PS3's.
16) Upgradable hard drive

Remember how you downloaded Star Trek as a BR Rip and your Mac couldn't play it? Well with a free mac/pc program your PS3 would have played it right off your mac through wifi perfectly on your home theatre. No such luck with a stand alone. But I know you are itching to burn a BR disk and play it in the standalone as somehow that would be better I guess?

So the real biggy is the Media server that your PS3 will also act as. Not a single day goes by where I don't use my PS3 for things other than games and disks. I have all my TV shows and many movies storied on my airport extreme with a hard drive attached to it. I run PS3 media server on my Mac Mini which is always on and it serves everything I want right to the PS3. All i have to do is turn on the PS3, connect to the disk with the files and I watch everything in perfect HD rips without a stutter. In the near future I am going to take all my TV shows I have on DVD and convert them to MP4's and just store them on the disk as it is more convenient and faster to pull them up when needed.

So if a $150 difference in price isn't worth those bonus features with a PS3 yes get a stand alone as if you have all this other fancy equipment anyway this is the part to cheap out on. :/
     
Eug  (op)
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Dec 17, 2009, 03:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES View Post
Na, I know a few people who never play games who got a PS3 just cuz it is far better than ay stand alone BR player and you get way more value. After all, you got the Xbox/HD-DVD
I never recommended an Xbox HD DVD setup to your average person. Just like I don't recommend a PS3 to the average person.

I got the HD DVD player because it was a $200 addition to what I already had, when standalone players and the PS3 were both three times the price.

Powerline network monstrosity setup for some reason coming in at about $800 even though you don't play games.
??? Powerline was because wireless didn't actually work, either for my Xbox 360 or for my laptop. Obviously, given that, I suspect it wouldn't work for a PS3 either. I needed to expand my network cuz as you know my house is quite large, and powerline actually worked. However, since then I just drilled a bunch of holes in my walls and ran (waterproof) CAT5e along the outside of my house.

The powerline adapters were about $60 for the pair by the way, and I still use them today (albeit in a different spot of the house).

Standalone BR player for $130-$150 gets ya:
1) Play BR, DVD. CD's.
2) There is no 2

The "Advantages"
• BR disks load MUCH slower than on a PS3
• May or may not be Live enabled
The biggest disadvantage of a standalone is slower disk loading. However, it's much better than it used to be.

• Prob no Wifi
Meh. Like I said, in my case, having Wifi on the PS3 would have been totally useless, since the Wifi signal didn't reach where the PS3 would be used. So, why pay for it?

• Ugly box
That's personal opinion of course, but I've never really liked the look or shape of the PS3. The biggest problem with its design IMO is you can't actually stack anything on top of it.

PS3 Slim for $299 gets ya:
1) Play BR, DVD, CD. ALso one of the best up-converters.
2) Play PS3 games (if you are into that)
3) Surf the web on your TV in HD
4) Internal HD audio decoding so your AV receiver doesn't need the feature
5) Built in Wifi and ethernet
6) Built in hard drive (To copy your music or movies if you want)
7) Rent HD movies from Sony
8) View your movies, pictures, music from any computer in the house
9) USB ports for peripherals, or memory sticks with movies on em.
8) Bluetooth for headsets, remotes and to chat online
9) Email
10) Social Networking
11) Movie trailers
12) Download game demos, classic titles etc.
13) Themeable
14) Use your iPod/iPhone to control with some disks
15) Firmware updatable to 3D TV's on all PS3's.
16) Upgradable hard drive:/
Heh. I knew you'd say that. The PS3's everything including the kitchen sink approach does have its merits, but it's still significantly more expensive than a $125 2009 Blu-ray player, and doesn't actually play Blu-ray any better.

3D = Meh. It gives me headaches.

I'm not a social network guy. I don't do themes. Rentals are potentially useful, but seriously, have you ever done it? I've never rented a movie on iTunes or on my Xbox. I'd rather just rent the BD because the quality is way better.

Remember how you downloaded Star Trek as a BR Rip and your Mac couldn't play it? Well with a free mac/pc program your PS3 would have played it right off your mac through wifi perfectly on your home theatre. No such luck with a stand alone. But I know you are itching to burn a BR disk and play it in the standalone as somehow that would be better I guess?
No, not really. What I have burned are HD videos (on DVD media) from my Canon EOS 7D camera, and they work just fine on my Blu-ray player.

That BR rip played on the MacBook, but for some reason there were a couple of hiccups in a couple of spots. And no, Wifi wouldn't have worked. See previous comments re: wifi range. I do admit having the Star Trek rip early was nice, but the stuff I'm really interested in I do buy anyway. And yes, the quality from the BD is indeed noticeably better than the Star Trek rip. Even my GF noticed it. The rip is full of artifacts in dark scenes and shadows, which is not surprising.
( Last edited by Eug; Dec 17, 2009 at 03:35 PM. )
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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Dec 18, 2009, 07:00 PM
 
You're a ding dong

Case closed.
     
andreas_g4
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Dec 18, 2009, 07:24 PM
 
There is no internet on the PS3. There is some pre-2000 clunky ***-sh*t that is unusable on the PS3, nothing more.

But, District 9 is being released on Dec. 28th, and I can't wait to see it again (on my PS3, of course!)
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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Dec 18, 2009, 07:32 PM
 
Originally Posted by andreas_g4 View Post
There is no internet on the PS3. There is some pre-2000 clunky ***-sh*t that is unusable on the PS3, nothing more.
Ya it's the case with all devices other than Safari or webkit.

Anywho, never use it to surf but it does come in handy as it links straight to live websites for boards/support etc.
     
turtle777
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Dec 18, 2009, 08:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES View Post
3) Surf the web on your TV in HD
5) Built in Wifi and ethernet
6) Built in hard drive (To copy your music or movies if you want)
7) Rent HD movies from Sony
8) View your movies, pictures, music from any computer in the house
9) USB ports for peripherals, or memory sticks with movies on em.
8) Bluetooth for headsets, remotes and to chat online
9) Email
10) Social Networking
11) Movie trailers
12) Download game demos, classic titles etc.
13) Themeable
14) Use your iPod/iPhone to control with some disks
16) Upgradable hard drive
Guess what ? My Mac does it all.
It's an awesome piece of equipment.

-t
     
Eug  (op)
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Dec 18, 2009, 10:04 PM
 
Indeed. The right tools for the right job.

Anyways, District 9 is coming out Dec. 22 here in North America, not Dec. 28. Is it being released later elsewhere?
     
Eug  (op)
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Dec 19, 2009, 02:19 AM
 
BestBuy.ca has a more expensive BR version ($3 more) with production notes.

FutureShop.ca has a more expensive BR version ($3 more) with a Steelbook cover.



Hmmm... That might actually make me spend the extra $3.

( Last edited by Eug; Dec 19, 2009 at 02:25 AM. )
     
downinflames68
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Dec 19, 2009, 04:11 PM
 
Saw this last night. Blew my mind. Wow. Was not expecting this at all. I had only scene the trailers, and did not know the story at all. Simply amazing. A+
     
Buckaroo
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Dec 19, 2009, 11:07 PM
 
You forgot the option, "Not yet. I'll wait to download it online".

hehehehehe
     
andreas_g4
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Dec 20, 2009, 10:21 AM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
Indeed. The right tools for the right job.

Anyways, District 9 is coming out Dec. 22 here in North America, not Dec. 28. Is it being released later elsewhere?
In Germany it's release is somewhen in March. I ordered the UK Version from Amazon, where it's released on the 28th.

Amazon.de - District 9
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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Dec 23, 2009, 03:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
FutureShop.ca has a more expensive BR version ($3 more) with a Steelbook cover.[/img]
I have 3 movies which are steelbook from them. For me totally worth the cost as they are very nice cases and unique.

If you are not there by noon though they are sold out forever. Do yourself a favor and order it online and pickup in store or you're shafted.

I got to the store at 1pm on a weekday and they totally sold out of the steelbook of star trek

Anywho, on the topic of BR again for some reason:
I Don't Think You Understand How Cheap Blu-ray Really Is - Blu-Ray - Gizmodo
     
Eug  (op)
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Dec 23, 2009, 04:03 PM
 
Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES View Post
I have 3 movies which are steelbook from them. For me totally worth the cost as they are very nice cases and unique.

If you are not there by noon though they are sold out forever. Do yourself a favor and order it online and pickup in store or you're shafted.

I got to the store at 1pm on a weekday and they totally sold out of the steelbook of star trek
I bought the Steelbook one last night. Seems nice.

Anywho, on the topic of BR again for some reason:
I Don't Think You Understand How Cheap Blu-ray Really Is - Blu-Ray - Gizmodo
I think prices came down reasonably quick (despite the BDA's attempt to keep prices high) partially because of the existence of HD DVD, and because of subsidized hardware.

I'm not sure how comparable DVD is since early on the large bulk of Blu-ray adoption was through subsidized hardware. DVD was not. Blu-ray pricing "fell" because the PS3 got launched. The PS2 in North America was not a dominant driver of DVD sales. In contrast, the PS3 was the main driver for Blu-ray sales.
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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Dec 23, 2009, 05:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
I think prices came down reasonably quick (despite the BDA's attempt to keep prices high) partially because of the existence of HD DVD, and because of subsidized hardware.

I'm not sure how comparable DVD is since early on the large bulk of Blu-ray adoption was through subsidized hardware. DVD was not. Blu-ray pricing "fell" because the PS3 got launched. The PS2 in North America was not a dominant driver of DVD sales. In contrast, the PS3 was the main driver for Blu-ray sales.
I'm not so sure as this shows that BR prices fell as fast as DVD yet DVD had nothing to compete with. With or without HD-DVD the prices would have come down by now regardless.

I remember that HD-DVD's were selling for that magic "under $200" price point and BR's were still $600 on average easy so I don't remember a price war that wasn't in ones head. Not to mention even the price didn't help HD-DVD much as it seems the #1 problem was nobody wanted either until the war was over.

Like it or not the PS2 made a huge impact for DVD sales (especially in Japan) even though DVD players were out for years without much interest. We THINK that since people already had a PS2 why not get DVD's as gravy, it Japan it wasn't the case. As with the PS3 people actually but the system because BR is a big selling point as is the gaming part.

"Thanks to a combination of strong brand recognition, a low, Sony-subsidized price point and impeccable timing, the PlayStation 2 became the movie player of choice for millions of consumers ready to advance past the decades-old VHS format. For a time, PS2 hardware was selling better than PS2 software in Japan, suggesting that many early buyers were ignoring the system's game-playing functions altogether. More than any other product, the PS2 drove DVD adoption in the format's infancy, driving down prices on hardware and software through sheer volume and force of corporate will."

The Escapist : High-Def Battleground

This time around it seems North America was pushing the adoption of BR through the PS3.
     
downinflames68
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Dec 24, 2009, 12:21 AM
 
? That there article is from 2007.
     
 
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