This is one page, of the huge Best Buy guide... With the extra fine
products, that give you the best value - in almost every category...
And we include often some vital advice, any really fine alternatives
and explain especially why our recommendation is the best choice!
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On this page... TV sets DVD Players DVD Recorders
(and the next step) Blu-Ray recorders... VHS stereo video
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First page of the Best Buy guide.. Audio Digital
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The advanced HIFI school, that explain everything...
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Video equipment


Widescreen TV sets

You may click here to see exactly how we work... And please click here and email me... If you have NEWS about finer worldwide alternatives, any important information (type extra good or bad qualities) on the products I recommend and naturally, any finer pictures!

A few facts about 3D video... I don't like anything, just because it's "new" or even because it's popular... I prefer quality and 3D does still look lousy, compared to fine 2D video from DVD or better... Many does also complain about 3D and most people who tried both, prefer high class 2D video - even if they sometimes like the amazing 3D effects, as an alternative way to view things... And I specifically don't like the fuzzy and pale 3D result - especially when high class video, already look very close to real life and often as a clear window... Then does 3D trick your brain and eyes, in a way that actually make many sick and there is no major studies on the long time effects... So we will not recommend any 3D equipment here - before they hopefully make light 3D video glasses, with built in OLED screens, which create a crystal sharp Full HD image, with deep colours and make you feel like viewing a perfect 100 inch 3D screen, or much bigger of course ;-)

First three parts about three great future screen technologies...

The amazing OLED display technology This new technology offer many great advantages, over today's TV and computer displays... And OLED will soon begin to replace LCD and TFT screens for notebooks, digital cameras, video cameras, every PDA and advanced mobile phones... But the really great news, is that OLED work also perfect for huge flat TV screens and they are expected to cost only like a old TV set, within a few years...
Click here to read the complete article, about the bright future with OLED displays!

The great LASER alternative... And 2006-10-10 did the Australian company Arasor and their US partner Novalux from Silicon Valley - announce that they have a new laser TV technology - that will be superior to especially LCD and plasma, because the cost will be half the price, the colour space will be dramatically better, it's half the weight and thickness (compared to plasma) and it use only a quarter of the electricity... They did actually display a working 50 inch prototype by Mitsubishi, at the event... Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat, did also declare that todays screens only show 30-35% of the colours you can see, but with a laser TV will you be able to see 90% of the visible colour space... He predict that laser TV soon will dominate the market for bigger than 40 inch screens... And their combination of a unique optoelectronic chip and a laser projection device, will be available by Christmas 2007 inside TV sets made by companies like Mitsubishi and Samsung... So the near future look bright... And you can now see the first LaserVue product below!

The amazing SED display technology This new technology offer many great advantages, over today's large LCD and Plasma screens... SED or "Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display" has been developed by Toshiba and Canon since 1986 and is perfect for flat 36 to 60 inch HD screens... SED work simply like one separate CRT tube, behind every sub pixel - which mean 6.2 million elecron guns, for a HD screen... That combine the absolute precision of LCD and the wider colour space, ultra fast response time, very high contrast and brightness, of a fine conventional CRT tube set... SED will actually give a higher contrast of 50-100.000:1 even if that "only" is 1 to 2% of the 5 million times we can see in real life and a ten years old can see a billion to one... Plus a perfect 180 degrees view angle, both horisontical and vertical... They will also last for 30.000 hours, as the finest CRT tubes... And people who seen the demonstrations at 2006 CES with 42 inch prototypes and just 10.000:1 contrast, was deeply impressed and say with different words, that the extremely natural picture quality goes far beyond anything else... It use also 66% less power, compared with a plasma screen and 33% less than a LCD screen... As example can a 40 inch SED panel be 1cm thick, weigh less than 20 kg and consume around 60 watt... And they have finally develop fine methods to mass produce a HD screen, with over six million micro electron "guns" or "emitters" at a relatively low cost... Partly "using a micro fabrication process from semiconductor manufacturing" revealed mr Fukuma at Toshiba... But active OLED screens offer an even wider colour space, over 10 times higher contrast, can be dramatically smaller (as 1 inch with vga defenition) last up to twice as long and cost clearly less to mass produce...
Toshiba plan was to introduce the first 55 inch screen (with complete HDTV progressive defenition of 1920x1080 pixels and 100.000:1 contrast) late in 2006 according to Takeshi Nakagawa, at almost the same price as a full HDTV defenition LCD display... A 55 inch 1080 screen is big enough to show the finest details, at max 2.2 meters distance... The two companies had also prototype SED panels on show, in October 2004 at the Ceatec exhibition in Japan... They did initially plan to make around 3000 panels 2006 and then lower the price, when the real mass production begins 2007 and in 2010 should about 3 millions be made... But they did not expect that the dramatic price drop for LCD screens, would continue this long time... So they try first to make the production a bit cheaper, before they build the huge new plant in Taishi and they plan to finally begin mass production early 2008 with 75000 screens monthly... The SED technology is anyhow superior, for big screens and even if they end up costing 50% more than state of the art LCD screens (they hope on just 20% more) will they probably be worth that extra money... So within a few years, can you buy a 55 inch ultra sharp flat SED screen with 100.000:1 contrast, (which still is only 2% of the reality, so you will not go blind) almost OLED colours and less than 1 millisecond response (a few TFT has only 3ms delay 2006 but you can't see any improvement under 10ms anyhow) at the same 2005 price of a fine 36 inch tube set!
But then got Canon and Toshiba big license problem with the original innovator, that did delay the plans with some years and the latest news 2009 is that they finally made a deal with the original innovator...

Widescreen TV sets - you can buy today

OBS: We have the PAL system in Sweden, with normally 540 shown lines (of max 576 effective) and the product I recommend may differ dramatically in the NTSC system, that only show you 450 lines (of max 480 effective) of definition...

You should first consider two vital aspects, if you want to invest in a HD system... What is true HD and the right viewing distance??
If you live in Europe should you exclusively buy a 1080 "full HD" screen and forget 720 "HD ready" screens, because the difference between 576 standard definition (that show 540 on a flat screen) and 720 is only 33 percent... When 1080 give 100 percent more details and most 1080 screens, recalculate / upsample also a 540 or 720 picture - so fine that you actually get a 85-95% vision of true 1080 sharpness...
But for people with NTSC is the difference between 480 (that show 450) and 720 impressive 60 percent and that is naturally a clear advantage... Even if 1080 will give you amazing 140 percent more, compared with 450 lines!
Then must you actually sit on half the distance OR get a twice as big screen... To be able to see the finest detail in a true HD picture, with twice as many lines, as 1080 in Europe... And at least sit "clearly closer" in USA with 720 lines...
You can do a very easy "test" and see the optimal distance for any screen, with your own eyes... Step first so close that you can see the separate pixels and move then slowly back, until you can't see any pixels... And observe that you will then see less of the finest detail - if you move back even more, when you can't see the pixels any more!
Many people sit actually too far away, to be able to see the finest details, even in an "old" 576 or 480 standard definition picture... Some exact examples... If you have very good eye sight, can you see a 1mm object max 346 cm away... Which mean, that you should sit 1.5 to max 2.55 meters away, from a flat 32 inch 576 PAL widescreen set... Or the same distance from a 64 inch wide set with 1080 lines... And 1.8 to max 3.1 meters, from a 32 inch flat widescreen with a 480 lines NTSC signal... Or a 51 inch with 720 lines...
And if you want to place your flat widescreen 3 meters away... Do you actually need 31 inch for 480 definition, 37.5" for 576, minimum 50" for 720 and 75" for 1080 to really see the finest details, with very good eye sight... The only fine alternative, is to move the screen closer and simply arrange your furniture in a different way, which also will save a lot of money... You can easy create a home cinema corner, without a table between the sofa and the screen... Or arrange it like I do with a 37 inch 1080 screen.right between me and the left speaker (!!) so the screen come 145cm away from me and 175cm from my friend, in my two seat sofa... Yes, strangely enough do the 5 channel surround work perfect anyhow - even when something move from the left speaker, to the centre (under my tv) and over to the right speaker... But my friend can't see the finest details, if he not lean forward...
Remember also that a flat screen will normally show you 540/450 lines from a 576/480 signal, because the rest of the signal is simply 6% extra "over scan" for curved old tubes... And notice also that you can first reduce the size of an old tube with 2 inch (because they did measure the tube, not the picture) when you compare the inch size, with a new flat screen.

The best value PAL alternative is: The elegant... Philips 47PFL5604H That offer 47 inch Full HD definition (1920x1080p) at amazingly low 9887sek... This may actually be the most elegant model I ever seen from Philips and it has also very happy owners, who love the high picture quality... Even the backside has a nice design... And it seem to have the same qualities (didn't find any deep test) as the 37 inch model below, with deep 0.3 cd/m2 black in tests (finer than many plasma screens) better sound quality than average, 5ms response, very exact colour space, handle 1080p excellent, give smooth gradations, give exact pixel mapping for computer signals and show no annoying delay / input lag, has a nice looking dark grey remote, better sound quality than average, Picture in Picture, 3 hdmi inputs, 2 scart (with rgb) USB, VGA and S-video input, analog & digital tuner and stereo output... And even if this screen don't have 100hz technique (which often produce other problems) does it handle movement very fine, without the irritating "vibrating" effect you normally find with plasma... And 47 inch is big enough to show you the finest 1080 details at 1.88 meters distance... So if you place it further away, will you see less and less details... But it have some kind of soft dynamic auto contrast, that not is possible to turn off and show less effects with HD material... And this model has also a HD tuner...
Then is... Philips 37PFL5604H A splendid 37 inch Full HD alternative, for the much lower price of 6350sek - if you simply place the screen close enough... This may actually be the most elegant model I ever seen from Philips and it offer also very happy owners, who love the high picture quality... With deep 0.3 cd/m2 black in tests (finer than many plasma screens) better sound quality than average, 5ms response, very exact colour space, handle 1080p excellent, give smooth gradations, give exact pixel mapping for computer signals and show no annoying delay / input lag, has a nice looking dark grey remote, Picture in Picture, 3 hdmi inputs, 2 scart (with rgb) USB, VGA and S-video input, analog & digital tuner and stereo output... And it's just 928mm wide, if you have tight with space and the backside has also a nice design... And the perfect choice, if you just sit max 148 centimetres from the screen (to see the finest details) and that is possible, if you arrange your furniture slightly different... And even if this screen don't have 100hz technique (which often produce other problems) does it handle movement very fine, without the irritating "vibrating" effect you normally find with plasma... But it have some kind of soft dynamic auto contrast, that not is possible to turn off and show less effects with HD material... And this model has also a HD tuner...
And then is... Philips 42PFL5604H Exactly the same model with a 42 inch screen, at amazingly low 6990sek...
Why Not?! Some of the latest KURO plasma sets 2008 from Pioneer (except the most expensive models) have made the screen too black (!) so any almost black details get lost (type details in black hair or very dark shadows) and simply become solid black... They have also problem with details in almost white areas... Plus that movements "vibrate" and neither are smooth or sharp... And remember that the best LCD screens, give very similar ultra deep black and show at the same time, the natural details in almost black areas...
And PLASMA screens are still suffering from "burn ins" if you have a high contrast graphic element in the picture, for 4 hours or more...
Then are bigger screens of this high quality, dramatically more expensive and normally not finer, in any clear way... So the only smart and bigger alternative is the and even finer Laser TV set... Mitsubishi LaserVue L65-A90 that is the ultimate screen today, with a wider colour space (type much deeper reds and gold, very close to your eyes limits, for an exceptional natural / accurate vision) than any other screen and the same ultra black as the most expensive Pioneer Kuro (that not cost less) except that LaserVue show more details in deep shadows... But another review (who didn't compare to a Pioneer Kuro) found the "black" to be very dark grey, instead - even if they did confirm all the other advantages... And 65 inch is big enough to show you the finest 1080 details at impressive 260 centimetres distance... Then give LaserVue also slightly higher sharpness and over twice the brightness (compared to the best calibrated LCD screens) according to several reviews... The higher brightness, mean mainly that you can enjoy movies (in extreme high quality) without making the room dark... Or with a truly life like contrast, in a darker room... Type the screen will be like a real window, to another world... The LaserVue system use actually red, blue and green lasers - to archive the amazingly accurate colors and "simply" paint a dramatically more precise picture... The last production series, did also fix the last small problems and that include any tiny sparkle effects... It's also the “greenest” big display, consuming max 135 watts... And the screens top and side bezels, are just 0.5 inch thin... But it is also 10.6 inch (27cm) deep at the middle of the back (without the foot) even if the screen look slimmer at the side... It overscan with 2.5% and is slightly expensive at 7000 usd - even if most other huge flats screens of high class (that not can compete, anyhow) cost more... *** And you may NOT be able to use the version for USA with PAL material... Then should you use the “Low” color temperature setting, that give the industry standard of 6500 kelvin that films are made for... And extreme viewing angles are still better with plasma screens, but up to 130 degrees horizontal give the same result!

A quick quality guide, for TV sets... Look especially for very deep black (maybe after some adjustments) when you compare screens, which was the main problem for LCD screens...Then should details be visible, both in deep shadows and very light part of the pictures... No more tiny disturbance around faces, than other screens you compare with, if they show the same material... Then should slow movements not be more fuzzy (unsharp - turn off any noise reduction) and it must be possible to set a natural (slightly orange and not pink) skin colour... Some models give also different "humming" sounds and a few show strange horizontal "lines" or "bands" in the picture!
When you compare TV sets, remember that you can adjust sharpness, contrast, noise reduction and sometimes even the colour tone... So compare first in several shops and adjust then the two three best models, before you select... The best way to compare, is if you bring a DVD film you are familiar with and another, that need a very good noise reduction... A fine digital comb filter, give sharper picture (with a old tube screen) from an analog source, type tuner and simple videos... Some steady 100hz technique in old TV sets, smear movements (make them softer) and give often extra effects (that can be very annoying) specially on older sets... And some new models, have other ways to give a clearer sharper picture, without smearing... Finally sound most modern TV speakers rather awful, so you should always connect the set to a hifi equipment or at least separate loudspeakers, that may be rather cheap and still give a GREAT improvement!
Hmm... I would personally love to buy ultra light and slim "video eye glasses" with two half inch high and one inch wide full HD OLED screens, at 3500sek... Then would the wide screens, give you the same huge impression of size, as a 120 inch flat screen... But they must then be able to convert ordinary video to sharp full HD and also let you "see over and under" the slim frame, so you not feel half blind... I wrote this at Christmas 2004 with the price 6000sek (but 37 inch screens got dramatically cheaper since then) and hopefully will this dream product come soon... The price should easy be possible, if this glasses was mass produced by Panasonic or any other big company!
And why does we NOT recommend any projector, that give a BIG home cinema view?! Because the "budget" alternatives, offer rather bad quality, with the low contrast and a rather unsharp picture, compared to a fine big TV that cost less than half... And the more expensive alternatives (with fine line doubling) offer anyhow lower quality, compared to a fine flat screen, that cost less than half... Then are they normally rather noisy, need a rather dark room and a special screen (to not give too low quality) and have a VERY expensive lamp, that only last some year!!

DVD Players Is the second finest choice of private video today and the best alternative for most people, because you must have both a full HD screen and sit very close (type max 184cm from a 46 inch screen) to see any finer details... Especially now when even basic DVD player scale up to 90% of perfect Full HD quality, anyhow... And a modern screen scale even better... So if you sit 3 meters away from a 46 inch Full HD screen, will you simply not see any difference with Blu-ray!
DVD give you more than twice as high picture quality, compared to a good VHS video... And one reason, is that one DVD can hold as much information as 28 CD rom's... OBS: We have the PAL system (max 576 effective lines) in Sweden and some details may differ from the NTSC system, that only give you max 480 effective lines of resolution...
The best alternatives are The elegant Sony DVP-NS708 that is 43mm high and basically offer the same qualities as the older famous Pioneer DV-410V (including upconvertion to 1080p) except no USB port and cost (sold out in Sweden) only 878sek... But it was replaced 2009 by Sony DVP-NS718 that seem to offer the same qualities, at 978sek - except that the buttons have a strange location on top of the front edge!
And if you want even sharper upconversion / scaling for standard DVD and can spend little more, are some people extremely pleased with Toshiba XD-E500 that give superior sharpness and smooth stable motion, with help of their eXtended Detail Enhancement (XDE) technology, at the "sharp" setting... The design is rather plastic, but the processing powers are exclusive and almost every reviewer are deeply impressed, even if many state that Blu-ray give even better picture... At 1350sek... But XDE only work through the HDMI connection, some find the tiny sharpening artifacts annoying (they are smaller than with ordinary sharpening and you can turn off that additional feature) and the models above may have slightly better sound quality... * Making the XD-E500 region-free...(1) Press the front ‘open/close’ button, to eject the disc tray (2) Enter the following numbers on the remotes keypad "2, 4, 0, 3, 9, 6, 0, 9" (3) The last number should now show on-screen (4) Press the "open/close" button again, to close the disc tray (5) Press the standby button, to shut down the player and press it finally again, to restart...

About upconversion / scaler's, except Toshiba's excellent XDE processing above... If you have a HUGE screen (with an old / bad scaler) that handle full HD signals and you really sit close enough to view the finest details, type a 60 inch 1080p screen at 2.4 meters distance and NOT just a 37 inch screen at 3 meter (which is too little and far away to see the finest detail even with the "old" 576 signal - see more info in the TV section above) then can a fine scaler (upconverter) in a DVD player, give you a magnificent high resolution view - very close to real HD films...
But the best is naturally to have the finest version of that function - in the screen (or in a box just before) so you can enjoy ANY source, with really high resolution and not just DVD films... And now have fine Full HD screens normally very fine scalers... The second best, is to put a fine scaler in a receiver, even if you then have to connect everything through the receiver, but most receivers with fine scalers are also rather expensive...
Then give some other models from Sony, Onkyo and Panasonic also very high quality... And you should normally select a DVD model without decoder and save some money, if you anyhow have a modern home cinema receiver with Dolby Digital and DTS!

The Digital Dream Machine

Panasonic DMR-HS2 was the first DVD recorder with a Hard Disc (of 40GB) that also could record
on cheap DVD-R discs... The dream machine I was hoping for years, that someone would make!

DVD Recorder, with HDD This machines have both a big HDD and can record on the rather cheap DVD-R discs (who also are compatible with almost any DVD player) and that is the optimal combination... Because the main problem, was the incredible expensive erasable discs, that did cost 4-6 times more per hour (with fine DVD quality) compared with VHS tape... And even if they cost amazingly little today, are there other bigger problems with the disc's as you can see below!
So now can you first record everything for free and with ultimate quality, on the big HDD and then save only the finest scenes (or films) that you really want to collect, on rather cheap "gold" DVD-R discs (see below why you need these) that cost about 109sek plus shipping, for 5 with jewel case... And that's almost as cheap for each hour (with ok DVD quality) as a good VHS tape... So you can easy create excellent DVD discs - of ultra high quality - with "The finest house and gardens" or "Great cartoons" or "Funny stuff" or "Delicious xxx scenes 12" or "Sexy clothes" or "Music videos" or whatever you desire...
There is only one BIG annoying problem, you MUST consider... Recordings on today's cheap DVD-R discs "fade / break down" and will not last forever, or even many years, before you get problem to read them... Mainly because the too fast discs, must have a too sensitive recording layer and become then self destructive... Then is everything on a DVD about twice as tight spaced, too... And customers huge desire (or demands) for faster discs, force the companies to produce faster discs, or simply lose customers to the competition... Yes, the data rate is 8x higher on a DVD than CD so an 16x DVD work actually with 128x CD speed and at that speed, must the recording layer be ultra sensitive and that sensitivity make them self destructive... But there are a few very promising DVD-R choices, that cost just little more and you can find them, at the end of this chapter...
Kurt Gereckle, who is a physicist and storage expert at IBM in Germany, did warn early 2006 that data recordings on CD-R only last 2 to 5 years and the "high" number is the average for high quality discs, that you handle very careful... Type touch only the edges (avoid grease from fingertips or any "point" pressure) wipe from the centre hole, don't use any sticky labels and store them dark (never in direct sunlight) rather dry (10-60% humidity) not hot (under 50C) and standing, in a good case... Any change in temperature is also bad, so don't store them in a freezer... The number of times the disc is played, affect also longevity dramatically... And the disc must naturally be made on a accurate and compatible burner... This sad fact's are confirmed by many home burners, in different forums... Even if many burners actually have fine 10 years old CD-R recordings... But they was made at much lower speed and on rather expensive discs, with more stable dye (recording layer) that only allow low write speed and the factories use simple more sensitive "easy to write fast" dye today...
And the Dutch personal computer magazine - PC Active, was also discovering that 10% of the "fine brand" CD-R they burn 2001 show problems in August 2003 and then did many readers confirm this experience... And the National Archives at Kew, don't recommend CD-R for any archival storage...
Then is DVD-R/+R a lot more sensitive than CD-R and TDK claim "only" a lifespan of 70 years, instead of 100 years... Many home burner does also report that their DVD-R last much shorter than CD-R and some of ten tested recordings, begin to get faulty after just a few months (especially "noname" discs) or about 1 to 3 years (using "fine" brands) except with the best "gold" discs... Meaning that you should only use fine brand name DVD-R discs and anyhow copy them every year, to maybe be on the safe side... Or buy the best "gold" discs (see below) that might last 25 years or longer and test them every second year (after max 4 years) with a good program, so you can copy them before they begin to die... But a photographer who copied 600 of the extra safe Kodak gold "100 years" CD-R discs, recorded just 5 years ago, found that 2% don't work anymore... Then has rewritable "RW" discs, an even shorter lifespan (normally max 1 year) and if you wonder, are even the most reliable tapes only safe for 10 to 30 years, if you almost never use them...
It's rather simple to explain WHY this happen... The laser burn incredible tiny pits, in a recording layer of organic dye and this process is not precise, if you compare with the exact production of DVD films... Higher speed make it even less exact and the result differ also slightly between different players... So if you look at the pits through a microscope, might you think it's a miracle that burning / reading actually work... But you get less errors and especially a better margin for future degradation (deterioration) if you burn at a lower speed and most compatibly problems, occur in the last 10% of the disc, which vibrate most... And different players has dramatically different "reading talents" including how they handle errors, so if you get major problems with a DVD-R might you anyhow be able to read it with some other DVD player... And the clear polycarbonate plastic does actually absorb both moisture and oxygen, so the organic dye and the reflective layer is NOT sealed... Then are the two most common type of organic dye "Cyanine" (normally green) and the clearly worse "Azo" (normally blue) not stable, which make it easy to write finer pits at higher speed and new recordings that look perfect - but then does normal humidity and room temperature, any sunlight and the reading laser, damage this sensitive dye... And that practically kill the disc, in a few months to about 3 years... Rewritable "RW" disc use a very instable "phase shifting" material, that is possible to "change back" and that is by nature even less stable... A science team in Glasgow did invent another DVD-R dye (2005) that is 50-200 times more reliable, but it's not in use yet... Then is it many other quality factors that can make a disc worse - mainly irregular / too thin / too thick dye, oxidating silver or aluminium (that happen fortunately with very few DVD films) not perfect centre hole, irregular edges and for CD-R an aging protective coating, on the label side... And Hard Disc Drives does crash with time, so they are only a safe alternative if you get at least two huge drives (a film need about 4gb) and write everything to both drives... But the rewritable MiniDisc for audio, use a unique stable recording layer, that you only can change with a combination of a hot laser spot and pulses from a focus magnetic beam, which make MD recordings extremely stable!
And we did then begin to search for the best discs, so we can report about them here... We can not recommend any "extra fine" brand name, because the brand name (on the cover) normally let other factories produce the discs and often in different countries... And there are also huge lifespan differences, between discs from the same brand name... But it might be smart to avoid any DVD disc that handle more than 8x write speed, because phthalocyanine (the most stable organic dye / recording layer) don't handle more than max 8x speed, which actually is the same speed as 24x for CD roms and they work safest at 4x speed...
The most promising DVD-R choices, that seem to last much longer...We did first find that Delkin eFilm Gold DVD-R promise to last 100 year (under perfect conditions) but 10 disc's cost 25usd ... Then did we find other discs with both gold reflective layer and phthalocyanine dye, especially the famous MAM-A Archival Grade Gold by Mitsui (cost about 20usd for ten 070901) Emtec Gold, Kodak DVD-R Data Gold 300 years (30sek 071013 with jewel case) and Memorex Pro Gold Archival DVD, that also promise to last 100 years... There is strong rumours that MAM-A make every one of these discs and that make sense, because they own the patent on phthalocyanine... And some advanced long time tests by NIST (National Institutes of Standards and Testing, that is an US government) show especially that MAM-A seem to last over 25 years and possible much longer... But there are also several "insider" and "advanced user" who report, that MAM-A have big problems with the production OR lousy quality control, since 2006 and that it is impossible to make fine 8x speed DVD with phthalocyanin, so they should be burned at max 4x speed... So Verbatim Archival Grade with super azo layer, silver reflection layer and gold protection (plus scratch proof coating, that stop moisture) may actually be the best alternative, even if they only promise double lifespan (wich hopefully mean 10 to 20 years) at 109sek or 9usd (090316) plus shipping, for 5 in jewelcase... Please contact me, if you have any better information about this "burning" matter!
Then was it another BIG problem... Some machines did not let you make a digital copy from a DVD-R to HDD and then back to a new disc... Today can you thankfully do that with most machines and the ones below is reported to let you do back up copies (of your own recordings, not any DVD films) but you should anyhow check that, before you buy and especially if you buy another model... This possibility to copy is also valuable if you want to move a "scene" to another disc, type if you begin to sort music videos in styles and want your old reggae videos on one disc, or separate "home improvement stuff" to Architecture, Gardening and Indoor decoration!
Then can the HDD naturally be in another machine (type a satellite tuner) and offer you the same possibilities, if that one have both in and out, but the connection will then be analog and loose some quality... Except if you anyhow use a separate digital tuner, with a HDD that record the digital signal - because it does not matter if the analogue transfer is before or after the HDD storage... Sometimes will you actually get higher quality, from a digital box with HDD and if you want maximum quality, can you also optimize colours (between a box with HDD and a DVD recorder) and even fix bad tone quality, with an equalizer!
Following machines can also record with variable bit rate, that you select... That give optimal quality, between the standard record time steps, type if you want to save a 130 minutes film... DVD films use "dynamic" variable bit rate, that especially use higher bit rate just when the film need room for more "picture information" and that's why they can be much longer (even in one layer) with perfect quality... This machines play also normal CD, DVD, CD-R plus CD-RW and the only annoying problem is that DVD-R discs goes bad in time, as I wrote about above...
OBS: We have the PAL system (max 576 effective lines) in Sweden and some details may differ from the NTSC system, that only give you max 480 effective lines of resolution...

The best value DVD recorder with HDD is: The elegant Sony RDR-HXD895 and the very similar 870 with 160GB hard disc drive, extra fine conversion of standard TV and DVD signals to 720p/1080i/1080p HD resolution, delicious discreet design (just 77mm high) even the sound quality on fine music is excellent, very silent fan, miniDV cam input, Digital Tuner and many extremely happy owners, at only 3290sek... But they are replaced with the less elegant Sony RDR-AT200 that is very similar, except it have a 250GB HDD is 67mm high, look more plastic and has the buttons at the top edge, at 3415sek...
Toshiba did actually release the first DVD-RAM machine with HDD in year 2000 and we did report about it first in Europe... But that one could not record on DVD-R discs!

DVD Recorder, without HDD Is not a good idea and plain DVD machines may never replace VHS as a time machine, because the short recording time and less stable disc... The rewritable DVD-RW or DVD-RAM discs, that you can use again, give only 2 hours recording, with ok DVD quality... And rewritable DVD discs, are also very instable and begin to make problems after only some years, if you are lucky and never play them, so you can't save anything fine on them... As you can read more about, in the section above... Then cost rather safe "archival grade gold" DVD-R disc (that should be safe for 10 to 20 years) under 22 sek each (plus shipping) if you buy five... But then must you always know in advance, what you want to save... Or first record to a HDD drive... And if you want to copy a DVD film - must first rent the original film, then have a fine separate DVD player and get both machines without any copy protection, so it will normally be cheaper to buy a film direct!
So my old advise was to wait on a recorder with 20-40 gigabyte hard drive (plus tuner and timer) that finally can save on relatively cheap compatible DVD-R disc's and you could find that dream machine above, after two years waiting... The absolute best would be if it also has analog and digital loop (out from the hard drive and in to the DVD-R) so you can adjust colours and stuff before you record... Or that it has a fine colour adjustment function, so you will be able to edit your own DV films and correct strange broadcastings... Plus an extra sound input and mixing, so you can mix the original sound with background music!
OBS: We have the PAL system (max 576 effective lines) in Sweden and some details may differ from the NTSC system, that only give you max 480 effective lines of resolution...
Yes, to make it even more complicated are there 3 separate DVD recordable formats... The first was the unstable DVD-RW that handle 1000 new recordings and is supported by Pioneer and in a way by Sony, that has compatible machines of the third format... They was then followed by DVD-RAM that handle 100.000 new recordings and has a handy caddy, that protecting the disc from dirt and that's good, but it make it impossible to play them in any ordinary DVD player... Some DVD-RAM recorders, can also use DVD-R disc's for one time recordings... Hitachi, Panasonic, Toshiba and Samsung, stand behind this system... Then came Sony and Philips with DVD+RW and some machines from Sony are compatible with DVD-RW puiii... But everything will change dramatically, with the future Blue-ray Disc system, below!!

A few facts about 3D video... I don't like anything, just because it's "new" or even because it's popular... I prefer quality and 3D does still look lousy, compared to fine 2D video from DVD or better... Many does also complain about 3D and most people who tried both, prefer high class 2D video - even if they sometimes like the amazing 3D effects, as an alternative way to view things... And I specifically don't like the fuzzy and pale 3D result - especially when high class video, already look very close to real life and often as a clear window... Then does 3D trick your brain and eyes, in a way that actually make many sick and there is no major studies on the long time effects... So we will not recommend any 3D equipment here - before they hopefully make light 3D video glasses, with built in OLED screens, which create a crystal sharp Full HD image, with deep colours and make you feel like viewing a perfect 100 inch 3D screen, or much bigger of course ;-)

Blu-ray players Yes, I did personally feel it was a crazy waste of money to buy a Blu-ray player, just before the Blu-ray recorders (with a 500gb HDD drive) come... But they never seem to come and it may anyhow be smarter and cheaper to save films on two big hard disc drives, if you are a film and TV enthusiast!
But there is another vital aspect you should consider, before you invest in Blu-ray... You will actually NOT see any difference from DVD if you not sit very close, type max 184cm from a 46 inch full HD screen... Which mean that most people don't need Blu-ray... Especially now when even basic DVD player scale up to 90% of perfect Full HD quality, anyhow... And a modern screen scale even better... So if you sit 3 meters away, from a 46 inch Full HD screen, can you simply not see any difference (!) because a human eye can't see the finest details, on that distance... And you find more information about this fact, in the TV section above... Okay, you can move the TV set or your sofa much closer (or simply buy a gigantic screen, if you are very rich) and then see a tiny difference in the finest details, with Blu-ray.
And the best value Blu-ray player is... The fine looking LG BD370 at only 1845sek that got many very happy owners, fine results in deep reviews and even the remote look fine... Then is the rather similar, but slightly slower and even more elegant Sony BDP-S360 a very good alternative at 2400sek... And it might also have better sound quality for CD music, but that is only a qualified guess from my side - based on the fact that Sony make superb digital to analogue converters and sublime low cost analogue stages.

Blu-ray Disc is the finest video system, for a greater future... The amazing Blu-ray Disc, is the new more advanced standard, that soon will replace the three DVD rewritable formats DVD-RW (Pioneer) DVD-RAM (Panasonic) and DVD+RW (Philips) and we have actually reported here since 2002 02 24 about Blu-Ray!
The first Blu-Ray disc recorder is this machine... Sony BDZ-S77 that was released in Japan on April 10, 2003 priced at 2.700 usd and it came also with a built-in broadcast digital tuner... It have the same high-tech design as the last prototype, record in any quality up to HDTV (about 2 hour with over 1000 lines resolution, 6 hour in DVD quality) with Variable bit-rate MPEG encoding (copyright protection with one generation copy protection) and can play both Blu-ray disc, DVD films, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R, and CD-RW... And the first 23GB RW disc (BF-23G) did cost 30 usd or 3.500 yen, 25 and 27GB disc will come later.
And Sony had also officially announced that they will use Blu-ray Disc technology in PlayStation 3 which will be introduced in Japan March 31, 2005
The second DVD recorder, was Panasonic DMR-E700BD in Japan... This fine machine record also dual layer discs, cost the same as Sony and play Blu-ray disc, DVD films, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, CD, CD-R, and CD-RW...
Then did Sony also present a complete camera system at NAB 2003 based on the Blu-ray technology and with 24 frame and 30P capabilities... But this first version is only for professional use, record as DVCAM video or MPEG IMX and is very expensive (from 20,000 usd) compared to consumers video cameras... But it show anyhow the clear possibility of an extremely fine consumer camera, offering HD quality, no tape problem and ultra fast disc access... And rumours say that Hitachi is developing one!
The Blu-ray standard was invented by Sony, Matsushita (with the trademark Panasonic and main owner of JVC) Philips, Samsung, LG, Thomson, Hitachi, Pioneer, Sharp, Dell, TDK, HP, Mitsubish, Thomson, Dell and Apple Computer... And Sony, Philips, Hitachi, Pioneer, Matsushita, Sharp, Pioneer Electronics and JVC was showing prototypes at the Createc 2002 October exhibition... Seven of the eight major movie studios have (2006) announced titles for Blu-ray including - Warner, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Sony, MGM and Lionsgate... Then are the system also supported by Onkyo, TEAC, Canon, FujiFilm, HP, Kenwood, KonicaMinolta, Memorex, nVidia, Ricoh, Sigma, Texas Instruments and many other companies... They did also begin licensing the format 2004 to other companies...
Toshiba Corp, the DVD Forum leader and DVD format inventor, want another system called HD-DVD but they has much less support and that system has three big disadvantages... They store "only" 15gb in one layer, use more limited sound tech and don't support 1080p... But they was at least cheaper!
The Blu-ray name, point out that the new technology is based on a fine line (405nm) blue-violet laser... Today's red laser have 650nm wavelength... The new 12cm disc will store up to 27 gigabytes of information, on one side and one layer... That is 5.74 times more, than the DVD system... And record over 2 hours of high definition 1920x1080 digital video on one layer, 4-6 hour in DVD quality and more than 13 hours of fine VHS quality... Or show 13 hours prerecorded films (in DVD quality) on one layer... Matsushita, Hitachi and TDK have also demonstrated a 50gb double layer disc, that will be included in the Blu-ray standard... And Blu-ray adopts also a new error correction system, which is both more robust and efficient than the DVD system.
Today's 12cm DVD disc can "only" store 4.7gb data, on one side and one layer... Or max 15.9gb on two sides and double layers... And record max 1 hours of DVD quality (without professional adoptive bit rate processing, that continuously adjust the bit rate to just avoid artifacts) and max 3 hours, of fine VHS quality... Or 133 minutes of prerecorded films (in DVD quality) on one layer...
Blu-ray discs need another laser... So the Blu-ray discs will never be able to play in today's DVD players... But it is possible to make new players, with two lasers, that can play both formats, even if that feature not is included in the standard... The Blu-Ray group was discussing if the disc can be naked or must have a protective caddy, but it was finally decided that they will use the "scratch proof" technology from TDK or similar for naked discs... Some BD-R (but not the "BD-R LTH" version, with an organic dye recording layer) will also use a "dual metal" recording layer, that should be much more reliable than todays DVD-R unstable organic layers and last at least 50 years... And Blu-ray / DVD / CD compatible optical pickups was 2004 developed by Philips, Sony, Samsung and LG
Then can the Blu-ray standard, transfer data up to four times faster (40mbps) than current DVD formats (of 10mbps) and that make high definition live recordings possible... And the Blu-ray standard support three video codecs... First the global standard MPEG-2 Transport Stream compression technology, plus the more effective MPEG-4 AVC (part of the MPEG-4 standard also known as H.264) and SMPTE VC-1 (a standard based on Microsoft's Windows Media Video technology) that every player must handle... Plus six audio codecs, that every player must handle... Each disc will also have a unique id, that will make copy protection possible.
The driving force behind the Blu-ray standard, was the need to record high-definition TV broadcastings, which is new in USA and have been in Japan for over ten years, now enjoying 2.3 million Japanese homes.
But we have strangely NOT heard anything about using Blu-ray for consumer video cameras, except that a 8cm big disc storing 7.8GB was included in the Blu-ray standard...

Stereo VHS video OBS: We have the PAL system (max 576 effective lines) in Sweden and some details may differ from the NTSC system, that only give you max 480 effective lines of resolution... The best alternatives was: Panasonic's VHS that give you clearly better sharpness, from rather expensive 1660 sek 2005... Then had Panasonic and Jvc also some machines with TBC (stabilize the picture) and Super VHS ET that can use ordinary videotapes, but you can't play these recordings on any other videos... Sony's DVC 1000 master video (with big DV tapes) give naturally an even better picture, but that big brute did cost 33tsek and Panasonic nvdv2000 was that good for 18tsek...

Digital Video Cameras

Click any picture, to see the BIG ones and 3 more!

The old Panasonic MX8 in golden light... One of the first compact video cameras - with
Optical Image Stabiliser, sublime low light quality and state of the art sharpness!

Click here to see why, in a new window...

I should also warn about some problems with miniDV tape... Sony miniDV tapes are not very "easy running" and can get stuck in other brands cameras... Then produce some other brands "dust" like dirt (in the cameras mechanism) but we can recommend the miniDV tapes from Fuji, Panasonic and JVC... There is also a big problem with the lubricant, that can get like glue, if you mix different brands and especially Sony with others... You get mainly this problem, if you almost only use one brand and then try another... So never mix, if you want to be safe and clean at least the camera, before you change to another brand...
The DV system was actually invented to replace VHS videos... But the labs soon found out that DV tapes are too sensitive and even a fine tape, last only for 1 recording and 6-9 playbacks, before they begin to get some dropouts (or even less if you don't clean you camera regularly) so you should never re-use DV tapes for anything valuable... The DV system store simply too much information on the tiny tape, to make it possible to use a more stable recording surface and they could not find a solution on that problem... And the LP mode is even more unsafe, so I never record in "half speed" to avoid future problems!
Yes, that is very sad and was naturally the main reason, why budget DV video decks (for the big DV tapes) never was made to replace VHS videos, because people want to record many times on the same tape... Then does DVcam version from Sony, use 50% higher speed just to give less dropouts and handle up to 200 playback's... But that give too short recording time, for most people!
So, why not a DVD video camera?! There are 2 reasons why we can't recommend DVD cameras... They use first another recording format (with max 10Mbps instead of 25Mbps and less resolution) which not give the same quality as a miniDV camera, at the same price... Secondly, are DVD-R disc not stable and refuse to play fine, after only 3 months to about 3 years... And DVD-RW disc's are even worse... You can click here to read a lot more about this sad fact, in a new window...
And you can now finally find video cameras that record to a SSD memory, memory cards or a Hard Disc Drive - which naturally is superiour, if they record with high quality - but very few (that record in HD quality) can compete with HD miniDV in sharpness and the best ones are naturally listed below...

Then what you NOT should buy... Some (or maybe every) Panasonic with Electronic Image Stabilizer, show tiny jumps (about 3 ugly jumps within 20 seconds) from 5x zoom or more... Canon had a history of quality problems, with some older miniDV models... Then need many older 3CCD cameras clearly more light and not less (the prism, that separate the colours, steal light) whish is proved in many reviews... But a camera with excellent digital processing, can actually give better quality in low indoor lighting, than another with bigger lens and sensor... And that explain why most modern 3CCD cameras, handle soft indoor light without any problems!
And we don't write about functions, that you probably never should use, as lousy 200x digital zoom... Many models has anyhow more optical zoom (except pro cameras) than the 12x you easy can hold steady!

A few more vital facts... The second biggest difference is normally how good they handle soft indoor light and the best Standard Definition models (normally with 1 CCD) need 20 to 100 lux for a fine picture quality with clear sharp red and almost no noise, in the shadows... Even if most cameras specify a much lower minimum lux value, that give a useless result... A normal living room at night, with generous 120 watt roof lights, deep shadows and some 25 watt side lights, give you around 22 lux in the areas with light... Or around 88 lux in the area with light, from a 40 watt wide spotlight, at 150cm distance... Stronger lights, give first harder shadows (or less shadows, with soft diffused lights) and then a hard ugly sterile light... So only the best of the best, give you fine result, in soft indoor light... Then is average city street lighting at night, only 11 lux!
Click here to email me... If you have any NEWS about finer worldwide alternatives, important information (type any extra good or bad qualities) on the products I recommend and naturally, finer pictures... You are also very welcome to test your camera, if it is one of the best, with help of the system you find below... And you can click here to see how to test and select a video camera...

The finest low budget standard definition "memory card" video camera, seems to be... Canon FS100 that records on SD cards with a huge 37x Optical Zoom (as 47.1 to 1,743mm at 16:9 F2.0) front microphones, mic in, headphone out and great battery life (over 3 hours) and a 2.7 inch screen (123t pixels) at 2672sek for the newer Canon Legria FS200 model that seem to be exactly the same, with nicer design... This camera handle soft indoor light at 60 lux, with fine quality - except little too much noise... And you will never get any engine noise or band trouble, as you may get with a miniDV camera...
But it was replaced 2009 by FS200 that I not found any deep reviews on, yet and you get only 350 lines sharpness, as the best budget Standard Definition cameras and that is normally NOT acceptable, especially when you got up to 515 lines with the finest 2003 miniDV cams... Yes, it seems like they try to force you to buy a HD camera instead and we must really recommend you to do just that, even if you only want high SD sharpness... And the best low cost HD cams cost fortunately just a bit more, than this low cost camera... Then is from 47mm is not wide and you can't select a bigger battery, even if you naturally can carry several... Then does the Electronic Image Stabilization handle hand vibration well, but not bigger movements...

And the finest full HD video camera (at a good price) is... The shiny black Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 that especially give amazing low light quality and even record in 1080p with 60 frames per second and give smooth sharp motions, for the first time in a compact camcorder... With a smart "pistol grip" that make it easy to use with one hand and a bright 16x optical video zoom (as 44.4-710mm f1.8 to 2.5) with a tread for 40.5mm filters... Okay, you get 650 lines (of the height) smooth sharpness and the exceptional Canon VIXIA HF10 below give you about 15% more sharpness - but HD2000 offer perfectly clear video, with very accurate strong colors (not slightly pale as HF10) rather low noise and 570 lines sharpness at only 60 lux (as normal home light, which is amazing) with 60fps and that's clearly finer result, than you get with the alternatives from Sony and Panasonic... You get also the same smooth (not staggering or stairy) curves as HF10 and that is another great aspect... And this camera need only 11 lux (as very soft indoor lightening) for a rather fine results, but it is naturally not a "night vision" camera... So if you film many scenes in "soft light" and want them in very high quality, then is this masterpiece the best compact alternative today... Type you need a really HUGE clumsy "pro" camera, to get even better result... You get also most manual controls (including one push manual white balance) 3.5mm headphone and 2.5mm microphone jacks (the external mic has 5 step volume) an accessory shoe and it record simply to SD/SDHC memory cards, saving video as ISO standard MPEG-4 (AVC/H.264) and audio in the fine AAC format... Every "shooting" connection (as the DC input) is on the camcorder and the rest on the docking station... The manual focus with a joystick, work with one hand operation and it has a fine exposure compensation option... Then can you also take 8.1 million pixels photos, that are very sharp (about 2200 lines) but also slightly over sharped and has 20% too low saturation, which is easy to fix in editing... It's compact at 549cm3 (or max 90x112.6x54.5mm) the special grip work also excellent for left hand shooters and it has a 2.7 inch screen of 230t pixels... You can also take still pictures, while you film... At max 550usd or only 4970sek - with docking station, remote and separate charger... ** And you can also buy the sister model, that actually seem to have some advantages, at incredible 4420sek... Yes, Sanyo Xacti VPC-FH1 was released at the same time and has the same fine CMOS sensor - except that it has a classic camcorder grip, are much more compact (only 317cm3 or 53x57x105mm) has a 3 inch screen (still 230t pixels) a very similar lens (as 41.7-667mm) the microphones at the front (also better) with fine sound quality and is rather sexy in back or light gold... But it has no jack for an external microphone or headphone, may not work perfect with any SD card (the card need to be extra fast, to handle the highest quality) and I have not found any really deep review (only 3 short and many happy owners) so this version might have some other bad side - even if many owners LOVE this delicate camcorder and I want one... See also the similar "but" for the sister model, in following part!!
But the electronic "image stabilizer" give actually worse result (for both video and photos) so you should turn that function off and just move as smooth as possible instead, you must also buy a 20MB/s (or faster) SDHC card to use the top quality mode and 8gb store 43min of fast progressive Full HD (cost December 2009 from 375sek) the zoom action work too fast (so you can't zoom slowly) if you take photos is the autofocus slighlty slower than on separate digital cameras (which sadly is normal for videocameras, with about 1.1sec focus and fine 0.1sec shutter delay) the lens is not very wide (just 46 degrees - but you can buy a wide angle lens) you get "only" 10x optical zoom for photos (as 38-380mm and for video, does it use a part of the 8.1mp sensor to give you true 16x optical zoom) there is no numerical zoom scale, the big lens have not any auto lens cover (you can easy protect it with a fine daylight filter) the sometimes slow menu system seem to be overly complicated or confusing, there is no wind-cut filter and the smart "pistol grip" style, may feel strange the first day and then make you happy... It use also ISO standard MPEG-4 (AVC/H.264) codec at max 24Mbps for video (instead of the different AVCHD codecs) plus the fine AAC format for audio and this alternative work with most video editing program, plus is more easy to import / move - but you must anyhow find a fine edit programs, that really work with this file formats and you need a rather powerful computer, plus save the film on "dual metal" BluRay discs (or double hard disc drives) which is the only methods that should last 50 years or more... Then is the microphones placed on the front of the screen (on this version) so they are normally directed forward (which is very good and there is no zoom noise) but not perfect if you turn the screen upward and lousy if you turn the screen forward... The removable battery last 1 hour and 51 minutes in test (better than average) but it's a part of the handle, so you can't change to a bigger one... And it has no 24p setting for film like effects, but you can normally get that in editing...
And the finest HD video camera was...Canon VIXIA HF10 from 2008 in delicious black, that give clearly finer sharpness and records 1920x1080 exact pixels on 16GB built in memory (over 120 minutes at highest quality) plus SD/SDHC cards (from class 4 speed) with a rather bright 12x optical zoom (as 42.9 to 515mm at 16:9, f1.8 to f3 and auto lens cover) almost ok Optical Image Stabilisation, a delicious black body that only is 603cm3 tiny (or 73x64x129mm) front microphones, 2.7-inch wide angle vivid widescreen LCD screen (211k pixel) the zoom toggle feels rather loose but you can zoom slow, it has adjustable audio level, mic in, headphone out, almost every manual setting, the auto modes (as exposure and white balance) work very accurate and rather fast, you can choose smooth or "instant" auto focus, it has the battery that last 55min (or 83min in one test) at the back (so you can invest in a bigger 2 hours battery) and it can "quick start" in less than one second (just activate and close the screen, for stand by) at only 640usd or 7774sek (now sold out in Sweden) This is the first AVCHD video camera (of the third generation for Canon and with a bit rate of 17 MBps) that give the same excellent quality as the best miniDV cameras, with 750 fine lines sharpness (of the height) and very accurate colours... The resolution / sharpness is actually the highest ever, for a consumer camera and actually higher than most portable broadcasting cameras and even the edges are very clean in a smooth way (not staggering or stairy) just like Canon's finest still cameras... It handle also rather soft indoor light, down to 60 lux with fine colours and fine "nice" noise and only the ten times bigger Canon XH A1 give a slightly better result... And this camera need only 15 lux for a rather ok results, but it is naturally not a "night vision" camera... Yes, this is the first video camera that I prefer over my excellent Panasonic MX8 that you can read about below... And you will never get any engine noise or tape trouble, as you may get with a miniDV camera... ** You could also choose the cheaper HF100 (sold out in Sweden) in titanium and silver (that not have any built in memory, so it's almost as expensive with 16 gb SDHC of class 4 or higher) or the more expensive HF11 (sold out in Sweden) with 32GB built in memory, plus a slightly higher quality on some edges... You can also improve sound quality with the optional DM-100 mini shotgun mic, with a furry wind shield that is as big as the camera...
But this fine models are now sold out in Sweden and was replaced by HF-S10 (not the more simple HF20) that suddenly got much more expensive...The Optical Image Stabilisation help just a bit, type 38% in one test... Then must you find a fine edit programs, that work fine with Canon's AVCHD (as the great Sony Vegas 8 is reported to do without any problem) and you need a powerful computer (even if Sony Vegas normally need less) plus save the film on "dual metal" BluRay discs (not the "BD-R LTH" version with an organic dye recording layer) which is the only method that should last 50 years or more... Cnet did find more fringing (purple edges / chromatic aberrations) than usual and several reviewers observe that the automatic wind filter, not is very effective... Then is 43mm is not very wide, 12x zoom is not incredible (especially when most budget cameras offer twice as much) and it's easy to forget the power button, so you get an empty battery... Still pictures (max 2048x1536) take a very long time, both to take and show... The Optical Image Stabilisation handle hand vibrations rather good, but bigger movements worse than Panasonic... The zoom scale don't show a value, which make it harder to duplicate a shot... You can not select standard definition, only lower quality HD that you naturally should avoid... And you should not use the "dumb" easy mode, that lock out most of the advanced settings!

One great older SD (standard definition) MiniDV cameras...
And the finest handy DV cam until 2006 was the amazing Panasonic NV-MX8 (in Europe) but this model did end production (with no similar replacement) winter 2003 and is very hard to find now... This masterpiece offer both excellent video and picture quality, with 515 visible video lines (at 30% contrast and not at 0% contrast, as in fact sheets) perfect auto exposure (that don't get too bright sometimes) and superior handling of soft indoor lighting (with strong detailed colours and no hint of noise) even with only 66 lux from a 40 watt wide spotlight, 150cm away and no roof lights... Click here for my first exceptional test pics and many more examples...
In USA is Panasonic PV-DV852 the same camera, with 2.5" side screen and in Japan is NV-MX1000 the same, with 3.5" lcd... Then has MX8 a fine optical stabilizer (which also work for photos) and the pictures get extra sharp (740 visible lines) and extremely noise free, even if they "only" are 1280 pixel wide... That is 10% sharper, than the wider Sony trv30/pc115/pc120 pics... And you get a very elegant design, many manual options (focus, white balance, shutter, iris and gain) and 10x optical Leica Dicomar zoom (F1.8 as 41-409mm on a 35mm camera) at 16200 sek 2003 (in the last shops that had it) or incredible 958 usd for PV-DV852... Then are the ergonomics very fine with a very stable grip, even if the zoom control is little too slow or sensitive (but Sony's is clearly worse) and you must select more things in the menu... The automatic functions are also excellent, with fast accurate focusing and amazing natural exposure, with lovely colours... And you get clean open audio recordings, without any hint of engine or zoom noise and you can select wind filter... But you must turn up the bass (while editing) to get it perfect... Then has MX8 a high class 3" screen (with 200t pixel) that give perfect colours, in almost any angle and a good 113t viewfinder... The 52cm2 front area is very discreet and the camera is only 1068cm3 big (66x87x186mm, plus the tiny mode selector and viewfinder hood, or max 1247cm3) weight 640-720g, take big to huge li-ion battery, has a separate multi voltage battery charger, every video and sound connection (even analog to digital pass through) progressive photo shutter system, 1/8000 high speed shutter for video, web movie mode, pop-up flash (that you never need) for stills and it take both SD and MMC memory cards... You get 120 photos (see more on the sample page) on a optional 32mb MMC card and 30% less on SD cards... Off to filming take 5.2sec and the rec delay is 1.7sec... It can even take (and film) ultra macros of only 32 mm wide objects (that is superior to most digital cameras, Minolta Dimage 7 cover as example 55mm and other up to 12 cm) and it have a metal tripod socket... But the filter tread is plastic, you should remove the battery between use (as with Sony) because the camera is never completely off (that's plain silly and I refuse to obey) and the still pix need (as with the best digital cameras) some adjustment, to be perfect... Mainly because the camera save the pix with extra safe contrast, so the white never get over exposed...
This camera give you also five big advantages over most "standing" vertical models - you can turn up the viewfinder, the screen is clearly bigger, you get a more natural grip, the fine mic is at the front (at the target) and the front is only half as high, making the camera more discreet when you film... And remember that 3.75 times zoom with this camera, give the same number of pixels (on the object) as a 2mpix camera with 3x zoom, 7.5 zoom equal a 2mpix with 6x zoom, 4.8 as a 3mpix with 3x and 5.4 zoom give even more pixels (on the motive) than a 4mpix camera with 3x zoom... So if you zoom in 6 times (or more) to fit a boat in the frame, will you actually get a sharper pix, than if you crop the 3x zoom pix from a 4mpix camera!! Panasonic have made many other very elegant and very compact models, at low prices... But Panasonic Electronic Image Stabilizers are NOT good and show often tiny jumps (about 3 ugly jumps within 20 seconds) from 5x zoom or more!!

What to TEST on a video camera and vital functions!

Almost no products, is more complex than video cameras and even some basic functions and qualities, are strangely enough very different between them... And even the best review sites, seem to miss some basic qualities... So you might really help me, if you know a great test site OR if you have one of the best DV cams and can test following qualities, for me...
Simply copy this text and put () after every separate aspect (quality) before you grade with 0 for not 1 lousy 2 not ok 3 acceptable 4 fine and 5 excellent 6 ultimate pro quality...
And begin your test report with a short summary, of the main qualities, like this... Panasonic MX8 - Sharpness (5) Colour (5) Low light (5) Ergonomics (5) Automatics (5) Sound (5) Functions (4) Click then here to email me...
The check list, begin with... The sharpness with stabilizer, that can be from only 260 to 525 visible lines for Standard Definition at 30% contrast (when you can see a difference and not 0% contrast, when everything is a grey blur) but that, can you only see in the finest magazines... Around 270 lines get 1 point, 330 lines 2, 390 lines 3, 450 lines 4, 510 lines 5 (max for SD) 570 lines 6, 630 lines 7, 790 lines 8, 850 lines 9 and 910 lines get 10 points....
The colours should be very accurate and natural, after correct setting and clear (with details and absolutely not messy) for a 5 grade... Grade the automatic white balance below...
The possibility to film in normal soft indoor light, of 20-80 lux... For a 4 grade, must you get fine low noise shadows and clear sharp red in areas with light, with only 120 watt (type 2-3 light bulbs) in the roof and a 40 watt wide spotlight at 150cm distance, which give you 88 lux and nice deep shadows... And for a 5 grade, fine quality in areas with light, without the extra spotlight and that give you 44 lux of very soft light...
Even the basic ergonomics, which always should be perfect on any video camera, use to be very different... The vital for 5 grade quality is: Grip (should be good, very stable and fit your hand, with a not too hard recorder button, that has "click" feeling) Viewfinder (sharp, in colour and so you can see the whole picture, with glasses) View angle (the best is both a big screen and a viewfinder, you can turn up directly) Nose room (should not fight with big batteries, when you use the viewfinder) Quick on (some cameras are strangely complicated to activate) Quick review (to check what you just recorded) Zoom feel (should works very smoothly and also in medium speed) Quick exposure adjust (of the light in the recording, which often is hidden deep inside a menu) separate charging (so you don't have to charge the batteries, in the camera and of international travel type) End find (both when you film and play) plus a front mic, that simply is directed in the same direction you are filming... Yes, then is more buttons better, so you don't have to dive deep into a menu system, for the basic functions!!
The automatic should work fast and exact, in six ways... This ways are, with 5 grade quality: * Auto focus (from 1 to 15 meter in 0.5 sec, never "seeking" and get visible unsharp, perfect panning if you turn 180 grade in 5 sec and fine focus in normal soft indoor light) * White balance (fine in any normal light, only change from slight red to slight yellow skin tone, same colour in viewer and screen) * Exposure (never too bright or dark) * Contrast (black black, details in both dark shadows and in very light parts, white white and not a grey look, on everything) * Stabilizer (no tiny vibrations even at 10x zoom) * And stable sound volume, with great distance to noise...
You can't even turn slowly around and keep a sharp picture, with some cameras... But it might only be unsharp, on the cameras screen... A few "seek" often focus and many "seek - change" from slight purple to slight green skin colours!!
The sound quality, is finally the biggest difference... You should (for a 4 grade) get a clear sound, with some bass and fine treble, even if you record music from a fine loudspeaker... And not more than very soft engine noise (even with zooming) if you film low speaking, at 2 meters distance... Plus normally very little "wind" noise, outdoors...
Vital functionality, you need for a 5 grade: A 3.5 inch side screen, 3 inch is 4 and 2.5 inch a 3 grade... The camera should handle big batteries, of the lithium type and be able to work at least one hour (that's 4 grade) with screen and a rather small battery... DV out is vital, for fine computer editing... Analog video and sound out, is also vital for simple editing... Digital zoom reduce the sharpness and give shaky films, so it should be possible to turn off ... And you should be able to attach a wide angle adapter lens, if you like to film buildings or party's!
Finally have we some additional functionality, you note separately as extra qualities... A megapixel photo function (with memory card and usb connection) is very nice to have and 1280 pixel wide (of high quality, type 660 visible lines) give you rather fine 10x15cm photos, after little optimizing... Optical stabilizer is then a GREAT plus, because it work also for stills... Over 160t pixels side screen... Over 140t pixels viewfinder... Analog and DV input (video and sound) is very good for editing, but you may simply rent another camera with that function... Stereo mic in and headphone out, is also good and a must if the sound quality is below 4 grade... Sound level adjustment... Both 16 and 12 bit sound, for dubbing on a separate stereo track... Zebra pattern, as over exposure warning... True high quality 16:1 widescreen... And time code is very practical, if you like to edit your films... It's also practical if you can load the tape, when the camera is on a tripod, if you use tripods... Easy adjust of the depth of field, type make the background soft, is very nice... Just as crystal clear still and slow motion... And more than 10x optical zoom, is naturally a great extra... Finally is analog input great (best with S-video, but you may rent a camera with that function) if you have old analog material, you want to make digital, to make the video clearly more stable and then possible to copy, without any quality loss... Then have we many more smaller functions and qualities, but this is enough to test... Yes, video cameras are extremely complex!!

Other sites You find also a great collection, with helpful REVIEWS of almost every audio and video product, in eCoustics big free website... Click here to explore... And click here for links to the finest reviews, of digital cameras!

195 excellent Film's - to enjoy and collect

This recommendations, are naturally very subjective and some of my grades will even change... But I am very selective (or demanding) and my friends use to love the films I like!
A few vital words about my selection... If you want to collect films, must they naturally be great to view several times... So my special grades, show how many times a film should be very interesting to view, the first 10 years... So 18 mean almost two times, every year (!) and 05 every second year... But you may naturally view a film more often the first years, then less often and continue to enjoy them (now and then) for over 30 years... This does also mean that many great films, that are very easy to remember OR have rather few great scenes, get a rather low "view again grade" and some magnificent films, are only great to view once or maybe twice!
And I always try to explain, why I like the film - as exact as possible - without revealing the story... Then do I really enjoy films with many interesting scenes, so I like a few films that some people hate, type the modern crazy comedy "Who's that girl" and also films that is extra good, within a special theme... Like the sea thriller "Calm sea" the great fairy tale "Prinsess Bride" and "Caligula" about the insane Roman emperor...
But I don't like boring drama films, action without extra interesting scenes (as Lethal Weapon) silly comedies or too strange stuff... Yes, the story must feel a bit realistic!

The film's with have I on DVD may I get later and are NOT released on DVD yet!!
* 6 top DVD quality, 5 fine DVD quality, 4 top rent tape (ok DVD) 3 top copy (bad DVD, ok rent) 2 ok copy 1 bad copy * Stereo sound, Ztereo (of low quality) Mono * Number of channels * DolbySurround DolbyDigital * Disc Sides * Ntsc, Pal system * Wide screen, VeryWide!

18 The great Race (comedy adventure action 1965, 160-150min) Amazing, magnificent and extremely funny adventure... About a great car race around the world, set in 1908 with famous stars as Tony Curtis and lovely music by Henry Mancini... Features the largest pie fight ever, several great fencing scenes and possible the biggest saloon fight... The magnificent castle scenes, was shot in real European castles, but the Arctic scenes, was actually shot in a blazing hot California... The film is loosely based on the real race and Leslie's white car, look partly like the "Thomas Flyer" that won the real race... (5s6dd1nvw 160min)
15 Léon / The Professional (action romance 1994, 136-109min) French drama, about a lonesome professional killer and a very young curious girl... With many truly memorable scenes, intense action and great music... A real masterpiece by Luc Besson, with Reno and 12 years old Natalie Portman... The director thought first she was too young, but she did then convince / seduce him with a brilliant performance... Was 2009 on the 34 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1nw 133min Integral Version)
14 Raiders of the lost ark (adventure action comedy 1981) The greatest adventure action film ever made, with everything and little more... Was 2009 on the 18 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pvw 111min/play 116min/film)
13 Story of "O" / Histoire d'O (erotic drama 1975, 105-97min) The most elegant film I ever seen, based on the famous book by Dominique Aury and directed by Just Jaeckin... The fascinating and deeply sensual story, describe how a young woman become a slavegirl, by pure lust and intense inner desire... With dreamy music by Pierre Bachelet, but lousy sound quality... The latest short version, have only some "slow parts" removed and this is the finest erotic film ever made... (3m2dd1pw 93min/play 97min/film soft focus version by Arrow, 5m2dd1pw 101min/play by Swedish Atlantic)
12 Indiana Jones, the last crusade (action adventure 1989) Non stop action and great adventure, on splendid and exotic locations... Was 2009 on the 106 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pvw 127min)
10 Pretty Baby (drama erotica 1978, 109-106min mono) Fascinating romantic story, set in 1917 New Orleans and directed by Louis Malle, with Brooke Shields as a child prostitute and lovely film work... (5m?dd1nw 109min)
10 The Great Gatsby (romantic drama 1974, 146-144min) A magnificent movie about elegance, romance, deep love, mystery and death... With Robert Redford (5s6dd1pw 138min/play 144min/film)
10 Highlander (adventure action 1986) Magnificent, intriguing and amazing adventure, with mythical sword fighters and a wealth of unforgettable scenes... Story by Gregory Widen, Directed by Russell Mulcahy (4s6dd1pw 111min/play 115min/film)
10 Gladiator (historic action adventure 2000, 171-155min) Epic masterpiece about a general, that become a gladiator and want revenge... Directed by Ridley Scott... Was 2009 on the 112 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pvw 164min/play 171min/film)
10 Princess bride (adventure comedy 1987) A very amusing "hero save princess" story, with a lot of extraordinary scenes... A great fairy tale for everyone... Was 2009 on the 186 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pw 94min/play 98min/film)

09 Kelly's Heroes (war comedy adventure 1970) A gang of American soldiers, decide to grab a Nazi gold treasure, far behind enemy lines... Excellent made and almost too funny! (5s6dd1pvw 138min/play 144min/film)
09 Stargate (sci-fi adventure 1994, 129-121min) A gate to another planet, with an ancient Egypt civilization... Brilliant made by Roland Emmerich and the finest science fiction film, ever made (5s6dd1pw 124min/play 129min/film)
09 Secretary (erotic drama 2002, 112-104min) Brilliant story about a "gray" girl, who become mr Gray's secretary and discover her inner submissive desires... Extremely well made, with many great scenes and interesting twists (6s2dd1pw 107min/play 112min/film)
09 The Hitcher (thriller drama 1986, 99-97min) The most frightening thriller, ever made and with Rutger Hauer... Warning - there is also a clearly worse remake... The next one "Dead Calm" is the same basic story, at sea... (4s?dd1pw 95min/play 99min/film)
09 Dead Calm (thriller drama 1989) The second most frightening thriller, ever... And "Hitcher" just above - is the same basic story, in a empty landscape... (5s2dd1pvw little noisy 93min/play 97min/film)
09 Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the ring (adventure, fabhle, fantasy 208-185min) Amazing adventure, with magnificent settings, truly magic special effects and great music... And it's extremely well made, in every detail... But the main story line, is very simple - Frodo get the ring, is hunted and must destroy it's dark power - even if this only is the first part of the trilogy... Was 2009 on the 20 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pvw 178min/play 185min/film)
09 Gwendoline / The perils of Gwendoline (adventure comedy erotic 1984, 106-87min) A spectacular and fascinating "Indiana Jones" style adventure, with many sexy and comedy scenes... Loosely based on a bondage comic and directed by Just Jaeckin (6s6dd1vwp 100min/play 104min/film)
09 Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (comedy adventure 1965) Fantastic comedy set around 1910 about a big airplane race over the English channel, with many great scenes (5s6dd1nvw 137min)

08 Who's that girl (wild comedy 1987) Madonna is like a wild cat and you can enjoy tons of great scenes... But some people really HATE this film and it's not a comedy of great silly gags! (6s6dd1p 89min/play 93min/film)
08 Time bandits (adventure comedy 1981) A boy and a gang of dwarfs, make an amazing journey in time... With some of the most fantastic scenes in film history... The finest film from the Monty Pyton gang, written and directed by Terry Gilliam (6s?dd1pw 116min/play)
08 The Rock (mega action 1996) One of the most intense and "well made" action films ever, with many great scenes and Sean Connery in an exceptional cool role... (6s6dd1pvw 131min/play 136min/film)
08 Titanic (historic adventure 1997, 197-194min) Elegant epic masterpiece, of the ultimate tragedy... With a cute love story and many great scenes (6s6dd1pvw 189min/play 197min/film)
08 Battle Royale / Batoru rowaiaru (drama action 2000, 119-114min uncut 127-122min soft version) Unique drama where a school class in Japan get a steel collar and the order "kill your friends or die" when the collar explode... The story is actually very advanced, with many very "fine" and some really horrifying scenes... And the kids are very different inside, as everyone is - so their actions and reactions, cover the entire spectrum from true innocence to an insane killing frenzy... But the filming is partly rather bad and the blood does not look dark red, as in real life... (5s6dd1pw 113 & 122min/play 119 & 127min/film)
08 Blade Runner (sci-fi drama action 1982) One of the greatest science fiction films ever made, with a wealth of delicate scenes and amazing scenery, but the dark film need a high quality viewing equipment to reveal it's fine details... Was 2009 on the 113 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1nw 112min/play 117min/film)
08 Air America (comedy adventure war 1990, 113-107min) A very amusing masterpiece, based on a real story, with magnificent flight scenes and Mel Gibson... But it show a dark side of USA and has a strange plot, so some people hate it (6s?dd1pw 108min/play 112min/film)
08 Monty Pyton's The Meaning Of Life (comedy adventure 1983, 115-107min) A series of great scenes, that try to illustrate the meaning of life (6s6dd1pw 103min/play 107min/film)
08 Octopussy - 007 (action adventure 1983) The most exotic and elegant James Bond adventure (5s?dd1pvw 126min/play 131min/film)
08 The World Is Not Enough - 007 (action adventure 1999) Many great action scenes and amazingly well made, with delicious Denise Richards... But the main story is about oil pipelines (6s6dd1pvw 123min/play 128min/film)
08 Das Boot (war 1981) Magnificent and deeply fascinating German submarine drama, set at 1942 and with many great scenes... Was 2009 on the 65 place in the IMBD quality top list (5s6dd1pw 282min/play 293min/film)(5s6dd1pw 216min/play 225min/film)

07 Rambo, First Blood II (war action 1985) Fascinating "one man army" film, with a fine story and incredible action scenes... (5s3dd1pvw 92min/play 96min/film)
07 Peter Pan (animated adventure, fairy tale 1953, 77-73min, mono) A wonderful magical movie and a truly classic masterpiece, by Disney (6s6dd1p 74min/play 77min/film)
07 The hunting party (western drama 1971, 111-106min) The most effective anti violence film I ever seen... With Oliver Reed, Gene Hackman and more stars (5m1dd1nw 111min)
07 Red Sun / Soleil rouge (western 1971, 112-103min mono) East meet wild West, when a Japanese sword get stolen... A thrilling, cool and amusing western with Bronson, Alain Delon and Toshirô Mifune (4m1dd1p 112min/play 117min/film)
07 The Mummy (adventure 1999) Magnificent adventure in 1930 Egypt, with many exceptional scenes, but a slightly too "clean" hero... (5s6dd1pvw 120min/play 125min/film)
07 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (adventure 1991, 155-143min) Great film with a wealth wonderful scenes, even if I don't love Costner... (6s6dd1pw 149min/play 155min/film)
07 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone (adventure 2001) Incredibly well made masterpiece, with many great and amazing scenes... Even the actors is perfect, for the parts... (6s6dd1pvw 147min/play 153min/film)
07 Emmanuelle 2 - The anti virgin / The joys of a woman (soft-erotica adventure 1975, 94-73min) Lovely filmed and delicious scenes, but maybe little soft and slow... Directed by Francis Giacobetti in the original style by Just Jaeckin, with romantic music by Francis Lai... But I prefer a more closer faithful love life (5s2d1nvw 92min, region world)
07 Interview with a vampire (drama 1994) The most "well made" movie I ever seen and it get very interesting, even if I normally hate vampire films... With lovely music and fabulous scenery (6s6dd1pw 118min/play 123min/film)
07 Amadeus (music drama 1984, 180-153min) Great scenes from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life and dead... Directed by Milos Forman... Was 2009 on the 89 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pvw 173min/play 180min/film)

06 Blues Brothers (action music ultra-comedy 1980, 148-127min) They give "cool" a deeper meaning, with a lot of epic scenes and many legendary musicians... Even the great music and the two magnificent car chase's are exceptional!! (5s6dd1pw 142min/play 148min/film)
06 1941 (crazy comedy 1979, 146-118min) The crazy night when a Japanese submarine attacked California, with John Belushi as Wild Bill Kelso... This amazing comedy is actually based on real events (with the Japanese submarine, the zoot riot and more) that did occur 1942 to 1943 and include many wonderful scenes, directed by Steven Spielberg... But many North Americans consider this movie unpatriotic and HATE it! (5s6dd1nvw 146min)
06 Elvira Madigan (romance 1967) A slightly dreamy and extremely beautiful film, that almost is too lovely for life... Based on a real event, about true impossible love, with an amazingly lovely girl, as the tightrope dancer... Set around 1890 and possible the most romantic film, ever made... This masterpiece is clearly more exquisite made, than most of the movies today and don't look old in any way, even if it was made an incredible long time ago... And a piece of Mozart's music, was actually renamed because of this film... But the man was also a worm who left his wife and kids, some scenes are slightly slow and the story is little too easy to remember, to get a higher "see again" grade... (5s?dd1pw 87min/play 91min/film)
06 Up the creek (action comedy 1984, 95min) Hilarious teenage comedy, with the delicious babe "Heather Merriweather" a few sexy scenes and a GREAT thrilling river race... ** Incredibly not on DVD yet and maybe never... More info!
06 Sliver (thriller drama 1993) Deeply intriguing story, with a richness of details and Sharon Stone in a very erotic role... I love the cute restaurant scene... (6s6dd1pw 103min/play 107min/film)
06 The spy who loved me - 007 (action adventure 1977, 129-125min) The most magnificent Bond story, with many great scenes... (5s6dd1pvw 120min/play 125min/film)
06 Never say never again - 007 (action adventure 1983, 138-121min) Sean Connery did actually return once as James Bond and it became a truly great film... With the babes Kim Basinger and Barbara Carrera (5s?dd1pvw 132min/play 138min/film)
06 The Incredible Adventures of Wallace & Gromit (animated comedy adventure 2001) Three long "short films" with many amazing scenes and great fun... (6s6dd1p 82min/play 85min/film)
06 Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the WereRabbit (animated comedy adventure 2005) A hilarious vegetable horror films, featuring rabbit hunting and weird machinery... (6s6dd1pw 81min/play 84min/film)
06 Pirates (adventure comedy 1986, 118-107min) Another incredible pirate film, with truly great scenes and delicious Charlotte Lewis, who you can enjoy at right... By Roman Polanski (4s2dd1p 108min/play 112min/film)
06 Yellowbeard (pirate comedy adventure 1983, 99-96min) A magnificent and completely crazy Monty Python film, about a wild pirate and his treasure... (5s?dd1nw 96min)
06 Purple Rain (music drama 1984) Thrilling music and partly interesting drama, with Prince (5s6dd1pw 107min/play 111min/film)
06 Total recall (sci-fi action thriller 1990) Brilliant three dimensional story and many exceptional scenes... With Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone, but this film are partly sloppy made... (6s6dd1pw 108min/play 113min/film)
06 Pale Rider (western 1985) A slightly strange, but very interesting western, with and by Clint Eastwood... Would love to kiss Megan's generous lips! (5s6dd1pvw 111min/play 115min/film)
06 The Road Runner Vs. Wile E. Coyote (cartoon 97-94min) Fourteen great scenes
06 Rising Sun (action crime drama 1993, 129-125min) Murder mystery... With many fine scenes, Sean Connery at his best and a rather interesting side story, about Japanese domination in USA (5s5dd1pw 124min/play 129min/film)
06 Gone in 60 seconds - the great original (car action 1974) Thrilling, intense and extreme car action, with one magnificent car chase that is over 40 minutes, by Halicki... Warning for the alternative version "Deadline Auto Theft" that replace vital parts of this film, with a silly Sheriff plot and the next film "The Junkman" is partly interesting, but the car chases are much less spectacular... (5s6dd1pw 93min/play 97min/film)
06 Jurassic Park (adventure 1993) The ultimate monster film... But except the inventive old man behind the project, is all the other 5 main roles played by actors I don't like, of different reasons and that's strange... (6s6dd1pw 121min/play 126min/film)
06 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (sci-fi adventure 1983, 138-126min) Many great scenes, in a magnificent adventure... A rumour say that a different ending was shot but never used, where Leia and Han Solo get married!! (5s6dd1pw 133min/play 138min/film)
06 Valmont (romantic drama comedy 1989) Brilliant and very amusing, except the slightly pale "hero" in 1788 France... Directed by Milos Forman (3s2dd1pvw with some strange fringes around faces 132min/play 137min/film)
06 Terminator 3 (sci-fi action 2003) The last and magnificent final episode, with a amazing car chase and many excellent scenes... But the basic story is very sad, for the future of mankind... (6s6dd1pvw 109min/play 114min/film)
06 Terminator (sci-fi action 1984, 108-102min) A cyborg from the future, want to kill Sarah... Thrilling scenes... Was 2009 on the 179 place in the IMBD quality top list (5s6dd1pw 102min/play 106min/film)
06 Terminator 2 (sci-fi action 1991, 154-137min) The story continues, with a twist and even more amazing scenes... Was 2009 on the 50 place in the IMBD quality top list (5s6dd1pvw 147min/play 153min/film)
06 Caligula (historic adventure erotica 1979, 156-103min) The spectacular drama, about the most insane and perverse Roman emperor... Yes, many scenes are truly impressive, the acting is great and the story is historical correct... But the "very explicit" sex scenes are actually boring, the film work is sometimes rather bad and the sound is lousy... (4s6dd1nw 156min)
06 Lara Croft Tomb Rider (action adventure 2001) The first film... That is extremely well made, with a great mix of a modern female "Indiana Jones" style adventure and "James Bond" action... But it's actually no sexy parts and the very fast pace film, get better the second viewing... Trivia: Angelina Jolie did almost every stunt in the movie and the training robot is named Simon, after the director... The Illuminati was (or is) a real secret society, with origin in the 1700s or earlier and some serious experts say it still exists... (6s6dd1pw 96min/play 100min/film)

05 Under Siege (action war 1992) Terrorists take control of a US Navy battleship, where our hero is a cook... With many exquisite action scenes, a thrilling soundtrack and the sexy babe Erika Eleniak (6s6dd1pw 98min/play 102min/film)
05 High Road to China (adventure 1983) Set 1920 with airplanes, a nice story and many fine scenes (4m1dd1p 106min/play 110min/film)
05 Golden Eye - 007 (action adventure 1995) Many great action scenes, very well made in classic Bond style and with a rather interesting story (6s6dd1pvw 124min/play 129min/film)
05 Casanova (comedy adventure erotica 1987, 122min) With many lovely scenes, many lovely ladies and Richard Chamberlain, in his possible greatest performance... Fabulous story and very well made, except some simply filmed parts... Was directed by Simon Langton, exclusively for TV and it's sad that I can't find any DVD release... Beware of the silly 2005 version of Casanova with Tennant, that is relatively lousy!
05 Lawrence of Arabia (drama war 1962, 227-187min) Epic masterpiece, about an exceptional man that become a legend... Was 2009 on the 41 place in the IMBD quality top list (5s6dd1pvw 218min/play 227min/film)
05 The Lover / L'Amant (drama romance soft-erotica 1991, 115-103min) A lovely young French girl take a older Asian lover, in this slow passionate story, with great moods and the young babe Jane March (5s2dd1pw 111min/play 115min/film)
05 The Duellists (adventure drama 1977, 101-95min) Great story, about two Napoleons officers that become long time enemies... Lovely filmed and directed by director Ridley Scott (gladiator, blade runner) and naturally with master duelling (5s6dd1pw 96min/play 100min/film)
05 Pirates of the Caribbean (adventure comedy 2002) Crazy pirate movie, with many splendid scenes... Just slightly too crazy... (6s6dd1pw 137min/play 142min/film)
05 Flyboys (airwar comedy 2006) Amazingly interesting air war film, based on the first American volunteering pilots in the first world war... (6s6dd1pw 133min/play 139min/film)
05 Young Sherlock Holmes - Pyramid of fear (adventure 1985) Amazingly well made, with many fine scenes... (5s6dd1pw 104min/play 109min/film)
05 Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome (sci-fi adventure 1985) Mel Gibson is a hero, in a future wasteland with a barbaric town... Many great scenes (5s6dd1pvw 102min/play 106min/film)
05 The Rocketeer (adventure action 1991) Amazing story about a flying innovation, set at 1938 and excellent made, in the "Indiana Jones" style... (6s6dd1pvw 104min/play 108min/film)
05 Star Wars I - The Phantom Menace (sci-fi 1999, 135-133min) Great adventure, with magnificent scenery and thrilling race scenes... It grow also slightly better each time and even the silly Jar Jar Binks, get less annoying! (5s6dd1pvw 130min/play 135min/film)
05 The First Great Train Robbery (crime thriller comedy 1979) A very interesting story with Sean Connery, set 1855 in Victorian England and inspired of a real event (slightly noisy 5s6dd1pw 105min/play 109min/film)
05 Indiana Jones, Temple of Doom (adventure comedy 1984, 118-112min) Spectacular beginning and many interesting scenes, but also a few irritating details... (6s6dd1pvw 114min/play 118min/film)
05 Hot Moves (sexy teen comedy 1985, stereo 85-81min) Four nice Venice Beach boys, make a pact... With many really funny scenes and very sexy teen girls, who do very sexy stuff - with and without bikinis... But some acting is lousy, the original film quality is partly horrible and I would never ever say no to Heidi in heat... Came finally, but very late on DVD (4m1nw 85min)
05 History of the World: Part 1 (comedy adventure 1981, 92-90min) By Mel Brooks, with a lot of exceptional scenes, that are very funny or sexy... Especially the King's ladies... But it's partly sloppy made and 69% of the jokes, are not really funny... (5s3dd1pvw 88min/play 92min/film)
05 Mad Max 2 - The road warrior (action sci-fi 1981, 96-91min) Epic wild action, in a future desert land... (5s6dd1pw 87min/play 91min/film)
05 Tomb Rider - The cradle of life (action adventure 2003) The second film with a great mix of a female "James Bond" action and a modern "Indiana Jones" adventure, very well filmed... And the only way to stop an attacking shark, without any weapons, is actually to hit it's nose... But it's actually no sexy parts... Trivia: One of Angelina Jolie's stunt doubles was a man and the film was banned in China! (6s6dd1pw 113min/play 117min/film)
05 Chicken Run, by Wallace & Gromit (animated comedy adventure 2000) A gang of chickens try to escape, with help of a stranger... Hilarious funny and extremely well made (6s6dd1pw 84min/play 88min/film)
05 Kill Bill, volume 1 (action drama 2003) Interesting "revenge" film, with several incredible furious fighting scenes... Was 2009 on the 145 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pvw 106min/play 110min/film)
05 Kill Bill, volume 2 (action drama 2003) Not as great as the first part, but the rest of the story... (6s6dd1pvw 131min/play 136min/film)
05 Sahara (adventure 2005, 124-123min) Amazing and very well made film, with many nice scenes... But the story is slightly too incredible (6s6dd-dts1pw 118min/play 123min/film)
05 National Treasure (adventure 2004) Very interesting puzzle action, to find the greatest treasure in mankind... But once you seen it, you seen it and it got a lot of silly running around in the middle, that could be cut down by 75% (6s6dd1pvw 125min/play 131min/film)
05 xXx (action 2002, 132-124min) Extremely intense action adventure... (6s6dd1pvw 119min/play 124min/film)
05 I jomfruens tegn / In the Sign of the Virgin / I jungfruns tecken (erotic comedy 1973, mono) Lovely film, with a lot of young cute girls and hilarious scenes, in an idyllic village... Danish, by Con Amore film (5m1dd1pw 88min/play 92min/film)
05 Returner (action sci-fi 2002) Interesting mix of Terminator and Matrix from Japan, with a fine story and the babe was only 14 years old.. Definitely not a remake, as Hollywood love to do (6s?dd1pw 111min/play 116min/film)
05 The Collector (drama 1965) A facinating story about a man who collect butterflies, win a lot of money, buy a country eastate and capture a young lovely lady, he dreamt of for years... With excellent acting and perfect settings - but strangely little erotic actions or undertones, just as in the book, which make the man look slightly too dumb (5m2dd1nw 119min)
05 An American Tail (animated adventure 1986, 81-77min) Magnificent fable, with a lot of lovely scenes... Fievel was also the name of Steven Spielberg's grandfather (6s6sd1pw 80min/film)
05 Ratatouille (animated comedy adventure 2007) The wild adventure of a rat with taste for fine cooking... Also extremely well made... Was 2009 on the 169 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pvw 108min/play 112min/film)
05 Wall - E (animated sci-fi adventure 2008) Amazing science fiction adventure about a cute robot, that eventually save the human race... Was 2009 on the 42 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pw 95min/play)
05 The Count of Monte Cristo (adventure 1998 by Josée Dayan) Magnificent mini series, with Gérard Depardieu and the Latin beauty Ornella Muti... Very well made and possible the finest mini series ever... But the DVD is little soft, has artifacts around the huge English text and you must turn up the color.(4s2dd2pw 384min/play or 6.5 hours and 400min/film)
05 TROY (historical drama 2004) A great and interesting adventure of war, but without the deep passion of Gladiator. (5s6dd1pvw 156min/play 163min/film)
05 In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (crime action 1988, 95-92min) Made for television... But show closerly a true and very interesting crime story - that is both intense, brutal and thrilling (4s???1n 95min)
05 Cars (animated adventure 2006) Many great scenes and an amazing animation technique... (6s6sd1pw 116min/play 121min/film)
05 RoboCop (sci-fi action 1987, 103-78min) A deadly wounded cop, become a powerful cyborg... (4s?dd1pw 99min/play 103min/film)
05 Live and let die - 007 (action adventure 1973) Bond fight a drug lord, at exotic locations, with many stunts... Bit it feels little sloppy made... (5m1dd1pw 116min/play 121min/film)
05 Finding Nemo (cartoon comedy adventure 2003) Many great scenes, in a fascinating setting... Even if the coral reef in the beginning, was too colourful... Was 2009 on the 162 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pw 96min/play 100min/film)
05 Falling Down (drama thriller 1993) A man get very frustrated, react on life and take violent revenge - or just defend his rights, with epic scenes (6s2dd1pw 108min/play 113min/film)
05 Bullshot (action comedy adventure 1983, 85min) Extraordinary adventure, with the ultimate hero Captain Bullshot Crummond, set about 1915-25 and with many great scenes... Was on DVD but are sold out and may never be on DVD again... More info!
05 The Hidden (horror action sci-fi 1987, 98-96min) A parasite alien turn people to maniac killers... Very thrilling, with amazing scenes (5s6dd1nw 98min)
05 The emerald forest (nature adventure 1985, 114-110min) Amazing film, based on a true story, with extraordinary scenes and nude nymphs from Amazons jungle (5s?dd1nvw 114m)
05 9 1/2 weeks (erotica drama 1986, 117-102min) Soft but thrilling sadomasochistic adventure, with lovely scenes... But partly slow (5s3dd1pw 112min/play 116min/film)
05 Emmanuelle (soft erotica 1974, 105-94min) Lovely scenery and a few delicious scenes, but very soft... Directed by Just Jaeckin (5m1dd1pvw 90min/play 94min/film)
05 The Blue Lagoon (1980, 104min) The romantic masterpiece, with lovely Brooke Shields - about two kids, who got stranded on a tropical island and grow up there... This film got actually a lot better, in high DVD quality (6s?dd1pw 100min/play 104min/film) Yes, the DVD is in stereo, even if the cover show the mono symbol!
05 Private resort (sexy teen comedy 1985) Two friends visit a dream resort, with Jonny Depp, many sexy babes and many silly funny scenes... (5s?dd1nw 82min)
05 Overboard (comedy 1987, 112-100min) A mean rich bitch fall overboard and loose her memory, which our hero really take advantage of... Great fun! (5s3dd1pw 108min/play 112min/film)
05 The Illusionist (romantic adventure 2006, 110-108min) A wonderful story about great forbidden lifetime love and some truly magic illusions... Very well made, even if the main "hero" look a bit thin... Observere that the most amazing tricks, does seem to be impossible and just film effects - but the orange three as example, is a real stage trick (5s6dd1pvw 104min/play 108min/film)

04 Speed (action thriller 1994) A smart psychopath set up a bomb in a bus, so it can't slow down... But the the totally unrealistic bridge jump scene, is the most silly scene in movie history and almost destroy the film, that otherwice would get 5 points (5s5dd1pvw 111min/play 116min/film)
04 Streets of fire (music action 1974) Wild music and action, like wild west in the city night (5s3dd1p 90min/play 94min/film)
04 A Nightmare On Elm Street (horror 1984) Freddy come and kill you, in your dreams... A famous horror masterpiece (5s6dd1pw 87min/play 91min/film)
04 Escape from New York (sci-fi action adventure 1981) The President crashes into Manhattan, that now is a giant "prison" and our hero is sent in to rescue him... Was extremely interesting when it was made, but is now little slow and simple... (5s6dd1pvw 94min/play 98min/film)
04 Die Hard (action 1988) Bruce Willis in an extremely intense "cat & mouse" fight, with ultra violent criminals, destroying a very luxurious business tower... But avoid the too short German TV and video version... Was 2009 on the 117 place in the IMBD quality top list (6s6dd1pvw 127min/play 132min/film)
04 Star wars: Episode IV (sci-fi adventure 1977, 125-112min) The epic first masterpiece, that many say is the best one... (5s6dd1pw 120min/play 125min/film)
04 Bugsy Malone (music comedy 1976) A typical Mafia musical, very elegant filmed, where kids play all parts... Many great scenes, but some DVD versions are in mono! (5s?dd1pw 93min/play 97min/film)
04 Stunt man (drama action comedy 1980, 135-110min) Smart story within a story, with famous stunt scenes and Peter O'Toole (5s7dd-dts1pw 130min/play 135min/film)
04 Wicked Lady (adventure drama soft-erotica 1983, 98-95min) An evil lady in 1800 England, with some great scenes and lovely scenery, even if I don't like Faye Dunaway... Sadly not on DVD yet and maybe never... More info!
04 Goldfinger - 007 (action adventure 1964) The finest "classic" Bond (5m1dd1pw 105min/play 109min/film)
04 Salo - The 120 days of Sodom (drama 1975) Based on Marquis De Sade's book and made to illustrate the fascistic nature of evil... It is mainly a story about the corruption of absolute power, in a society with twisted moral... With the most extreme scenes in film history, like shit eating, many ways of torture and a lot more... By Pier Paolo Pasolini (4m1dd1pw 112min/play 117min/film)
04 They call me Trinity (western comedy 1971, 109-105min) Cool western comedy, with incredible fighting scenes (3m1dd1pw 109min/play)
04 Blue velvet (drama mystery soft-s/m-erotica 1986, 121-120min) A young man in an ordinary town, get curious on a young lady, with very dark desires... (3s2dd1pvw 115min/play 120min/film)
04 The Fifth Element (sci-fi adventure 1997 by Luc Besson) Partly magnificent and partly silly future adventure... (5s6dd1pvw 121min/play 126min/film)
04 Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection (cartoon) A great collection of the classic and extremely funny "cat & mouse" chasing shorts, that would get a higher grade if I and everone else haven't seen most of them so many times... Vol one (5m2dd1n 322min 2dvd) Vol 2 (5m2dd1n 320min 2dvd) Vol 3 (5m2dd1n 240min 2dvd) totally 882min / over 14 hours... Yes, I did order part one and got the rest by mistake!
04 AtlAntis - The lost empire (Disney animated adventure 2001, 92min) Magnificent story, very well animated and with many splendid scenes... But the "thrilling" roller-coaster pace, with many "explosions" of even more intense action, was often annoying the first time... And some parts was so incredible or over sized, that the story got slightly silly... Otherwise could it be one of the greatest animated films, ever! (6s6dd1p)
04 Tex Avery's Droopy (cartoon comedy) The ultra cool dog Droopy, in 24 adventures - many is truly exceptional and some is not (6m1dd2n 200min)
04 Conan the destroyer (adventure action fantasy 1984, 103-101min) A real fantasy adventure, with many great scenes and a wild Grace Jones... (4s2dd1p 97min/play 101min/film)
04 Rambo III (war action 1988) Rambo fight the Russian army in Afghanistan... Rather incredible, but well made and with great scenes! (6s3dd1pvw 97min/play 101min/film)
04 Beverly Hills Cop II (crime action 1987, 107-100min) Eddie Murphy come back to stop a crime wave, with fine action scenes (5s?dd1pw 99min/play 103min/film)
04 Avenging Force (action 1986, 104-99min) A group of "important" men, with extreme political ambitions, have a private hunting club and they hunt people... They try also to kill a friend, to our hero and kidnap finally his cute little sister... And that lead to some intense, thrilling and interesting man hunting, at the beginning and end... But the story is partly silly (4s3dd1p 99min/play 103min/film)
04 Die Hard 2 (action 1990, 128-124min) Hired soldiers take control over an airport... Great action scenes (5s6dd1pvw 123min/play 128min/film)
04 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon / Wo hu cang long (drama 2000, 120-119min) A very romantic sword fighting film (6s6dd1pw 115min/play 120min/film)
04 Last Samurai (historical drama 2003, 154min) Spendid, with some interesting scenes and lovely filmed... (6s?dd1pvw 148min/play 154min/film)
04 Show down in Little Tokyo (action 1991) Many great action scenes, when Dolph Lundgren fight a Yakuza drug lord (5s2dd1pw 76min/play 79min/film)
04 ROME (historical tv series 2006, 600min) A fascinating and extremely well made series, that show ancient Rome more accurate than ever and I love the final scene... But most of the actors are slightly boring, even if some of the females look very good and there is many soft sex scenes... Then has it not the deep passion or lovely film style of Gladiator... And over half the series concentrate on the life of two rather ordinary fictive soldiers, instead of the more interesting legendary characters... (6s?dd5+1pw about 600min/play)
04 ROME second season (historical tv series 2007) See above... (6s?dd5pw about 572min/play)
04 Cleopatra (historical mini series 1999, 180min) A magnificent film about Cleopatra's time as queen of Egypt, with many beautiful scenes and a true beauty playing Cleopatra... The film has especially excellent costume and settings, except a few models that look incredible cheap, even if it was made for television... The events in the film are also more historically accurate than usual, even if some details are wrong... They forgot especially to mention that she got 3 children with Marcus Antonius, who actually committed suicide when she message him that she died... And the film would get a clearly higher grade, if they did show the last hours sad and boring events, in fifteen minutes and more of the interesting events, before that... (5s6dd1p 173min/play 180min/film)
04 Memoirs of a Geisha (historical drama 2005, 145min) A fascinating film of delicate beauty and romance, with a slightly sad story (6s6dd1pvw 139min/play 145min/film)
04 20.000 leagues under the sea (adventure 1954, 127-118min) Walt Disney's mighty, magnificent and memorable under sea adventure, with the evil genius captain Nemo! (5s6dd1pvw 122min/play 127min/film)
04 Barb Wire (action adventure erotica 1996, 109-94min) Pamela Anderson play a mercenary and the wild sexy mistress, of a rock bar... And the cute story is partly very inspired by the classic movie Casablanca (6s6dd1pw 95min/play 99min/film)
04 Casanova (romantic comedy 2005 by Lasse Hallström) Delicate romantic adventure, that take place in Venice and the film is also extremely well made... But the story is new and false, type not from original diaries and get silly at the end, that even declare there was two Casanova's (6s6dd1pvw 107min/play 111min/film)
04 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (adventure fable comedy 1988) Amazing and quite impossible story, with many incredible scenes... (6s2dd1pw 121min/play 126min/film)
04 Die Another Day - 007 (action adventure 2002) Many great scenes, but a rather crazy and mainly unbelievable story... (6s6dd1pvw 127min/play 132min/film)
04 Dangerous Liaisons (romantic drama 1988) Lust, seduction and revenge... With John Malkovich and the same story as "Valmont" above... (5s6dd2pw 115min/play 120min/film)
04 Brotherhood of the Wolf / Le Pacte des loups (adventure 2001, 151-142min) A very well made and interesting historical drama, based on real events about a huge wolf like creature that was killing people 1765 in France... Many great scenes, but this film is also so different that it feels slightly strange (6s6dd1pw 137min/play 142min/film)
04 Mechanic (action drama 1972, 100-99min) Fascinating story about a contract killer and his new apprentice, with no dialog for the first 15 minutes... But it feel sometimes very old and outdated... (5m1dd1pw 96min/play 100min/film)
04 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (sci-fi comedy 2005, 109min) Very "space out" story, with many incredible scenes and it is extremely well made... But it's a rather silly fable (5s6dd1pw 104min/play 108min/film)
04 Highlander 3 - The Sorcerer / The Final Dimension / The Final Conflict (adventure 1994, 102-99min) A fine story with some excellent scenes, but slightly slow sometimes... (5s???1p 95min/play 99min/film)
04 Wild Wild West (adventure western sci-fi comedy 1999) Very strange story, with many fantastic scenes... And extremely well made... (5s?dd1pw 102min/play 106min/film)
04 King Kong (adventure 2005, 180min) Jacksons version offer many splendid views and could be magnificent... But it start rather slow, before you get to the island and then are many action scenes incredible "multiplied" and speeded up, in a silly way... And most of the guns sound as popcorn popping! (6s6dd1pw)
04 View to a kill - 007 (action adventure 1985, 127min) Many great scenes and Grace Jones almost nude, but the plot is little strange (5s6dd1pw)
04 Flash Gordon (sci-fi adventure 1980) With ultra delicious Ornella Muti, in some amazing clothes... Would love to kiss her and more, a lot more... But this is otherwise the worst made "A" class film I ever seen! (5s2dd1pvw 107min/play 111min/film)
04 Moonraker - 007 (action adventure sci-fi 1979, 128-121min) The most spectacular Bond film, with out of space - over the top scenes... (4/5s6dd1pvw 122min/play 127min/film)
04 Star Wars II - Attack of the clones (sci-fi action 2002) The conflict leads to war, with two thrilling chase scenes and many magnificent views... But too theatrical speaking in some parts, that otherwise could be very romantic... (6s6dd1pvw 137min/play 142min/film)
04 The Fast and the Furious (car action 2001) A fine high speed street racing film, with some silly action scenes... Trivia: Two of the girl stars had no driver's licenses when they got the role and something happens after the credits end... (6s6dd1pvw 102min/play 106min/film)
04 2 Fast 2 Furious (car action 2003) Another fine high speed street racing film, with more silly action scenes... Trivia: The scene when the Corvette crashes into the Mustang on the freeway, was not planned and the Asian girl star had no driver's licenses, when she got the role... (6s6dd1pvw 103min/play 107min/film)
04 Great Balls of Fire! (music drama romance 1989) The great TRUE story of the wild musician Jerry Lee Lewis and his scandalous marriage with a real Lolita, played by the lovely petite Winona Ryder (5s3dd1pw 106min/play 110min/film slightly noisy)
04 Give my regards to Broad Street (music 1984, 109-108min) Silly "plot" but plenty of lovely music and some fine scenes... (5s4dd1nw 108min)
04 The Sting (comedy drama crime 1973) A great story, where Robert Redford sting (con) a gangster, in the style of 1936 with Scott Joplin's delicate witty ragtime music... This is actually an exceptional well made movie, but I just don't like the characters enough to give a higher grade... Was 2009 on the 99 place in the IMBD quality top list (5s?ddpw 124min/play 129min/film)
04 For your eyes only - 007 (action adventure 1981) The softest Bond film, with Roger Moore... (5s6dd1pvw 120min/play 126min/film)
04 You only live twice - 007 (action adventure 1967) An maginificent but very dated Bond film, with Sean Connery... (4m1dd1pvw 112min/play 117min/film)
04 The man with the golden gun - 007 (action adventure 1974) A partly very interesting and partly strange Bond film, with Roger Moore... (4m1dd1pvw 120min/play 126min/film)
04 Napoleon Bonaparte (historical mini series 2002, 375min) A deep insight in Napoleon's life as general, Emperor and lover... With three delicious ladies, as his greatest mistresses and last wife... A splendid film, about a rather boring man... (5s6dd2pw 360min/play 375min/film)
04 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (adventure 2005) Well made, with great and amazing scenes... Even the actors is perfect, for the parts... But it feels like more of the first film.. (6s6dd1pvw 150min/play 156min/film)
04 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (adventure 2004) Well made, with great and amazing scenes... Even the actors is perfect, for the parts... But it feels like more of the first film.. (6s6dd1pvw 136min/play 142min/film)
04 Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies / Monte Carlo or Bust (comedy 1969, 125-120min mvw) A hilarious film about the 1920 Monte Carlo international rally, with many funny scenes... But it's often VERY sloppy made... 5s2dd1nvw
04 Gone in 60 seconds - the remake (car action 2000, 124-117min) Thrilling, intense and deep car action, but the original was much better... (5s6dd1pvw 119min/play 124min/film)
04 The Phantom of the Opera (musical) Magnificent and very well made, but partly strange and slightly boring... (6s6dd1pvw 136min/play 142min/film)
04 ¡Átame! / Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (drama romance comedy 1990, 111-101min) A peculiar Spanish love story, with bondage and passion... (5s2dd1pw 97min/play 101min/film)
04 Paradise (adventure romance 1982, 100-95min) The truly delicious teen babe Phoebe Cates, get lost in an Arabian desert with a boy and they find a lovely oasis... The film is clearly inspired by Blue Lagoon and partly very elegant filmed, with many nude scenes and some cute love making, but it's also partly slow and boring (5m2dd1p 91min/play 95min/film)
04 Frivolous Lola (soft erotic comedy 1998, 105-102min) Very cute erotic comedy, by Tinto Brass about a slightly wild young babe who love to tease and especially want to know her fiancees capacity, before she marry him (5s?dd1pw 98min/play 102min/film)
04 La Chiave / The Key (erotica drama, 116-106min) Italian erotica with a quite interesting (but also very soft and slightly slow) and elegant story about fantasies and games, directed by Tinto Brass... But the "Arrow" transfer to DVD was exceptionally bad, which was sad (4s?dd1p 105min/play 109min/film)
04 Reform school girls (comedy erotica action 1986, 94min) Very sexy and violent prison action - when it was made - with the wild pop star Wendy O. Williams (4??dd1nw)
04 Cherry Falls (horror comedy 2000, 94-88min) A very black horror teen comedy, with a wild twist... A mad sadistic killer begin to kill virgin teens, from a small town high school and everyone decide it's best to loose the virginity... Actually a very well made film, that is much more interesting than "Scream" with a cute heroine and a curious crime story - but it was also slightly too much violence for my taste, even if a lot worse scenes was cut out (6s3dd1pw 90min/play 94min/film)
04 The Prestige (drama 2006, 107-105min, mono) Two rival stage magicians engage in a lifelong duel of magic tricks, with many great scenes and very well made... Was 2009 on the 82 place in the quality toplist of IMDB (6s6dd1pvw 125min/play 130min/film)

03 Man on Fire (action drama 2004, 149-146min) An interesting drama documentary, based on a real kidnap event... Were a bodyguard truly revenge the kidnapping of a young girl... With many intense action scenes, but without any really great one and many short parts, are filmed in a very annoying "jumping" arty way (5s6dd1pvw 140min/play 146min/film)
03 The Godfather Trilogy (crime drama) A bit slow and too easy to remember, for a higher "see again" grade... But this epic trilogy is a magnificent story - about how a strange moral and greed, can create extreme violence (5s6dd3pw)
03 The Three Musketeers (adventure 1973, 107-105min, mono) The greatest version, with many fine scenes... Directed by Richard Lester (5m1dd1pw 103min/play 107min/film)
03 Revenge of the Ninja (ninja action 1983, 90min) B film with a rather fine story, advanced fighting scenes and a sexy babe... But some fighting scenes are plain silly, most of the dialog is "woody" and some music is annoying (5m1dd1n 90min/film)
03 Sky Bandits / Gunbus (adventure comedy 1986, 105-90min) A hilarious crazy adventure that begin as a western, with two dynamite crazy bank robbers and our "heroes" continue soon as pilots, in the first World War... Some parts are made rather "sketchy" like a comic strip and the film is clearly inspired by "Indiana Jones" but the strange story, is amazingly interesting and offer many great scenes... It would get a higher grade, if it wasn't for some too silly elements, especially in the air battle at the end... Trivia - They built enormous sets for war scenes and not just models, many real airplanes similar to those used in 1917 and constructed even complete buildings to explode... Not on original DVD yet and may never be!
03 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (adventure 2003, 251-201min) Part three of the saga... With some great moments and several magnificent fighting scenes, if you love massive slaughter of orcs... But it get a bit boring, when the hero crawl incredible slowly up the mountain... (6s6dd1pw 192min/play 200min/film)
03 Quills (drama 2000) A very interesting drama about the last year of Marquis De Sade, with Kate Winslet as a lovely laundress girl... But the extremely well made film, is very loosely based on De Sade real life... So most of the "action" did never happen, De Sade did not commit suicide and sweet Magdeleine Leclerc was absolute not a virgin, even if she actually was 17 years old at the end... And she didn't die, either... She was in fact De Sade's last mistress, since she was 13 and they had often soft sexual "pleasures" of the classic type, even if he was 69 years old... He did also teach the young girl to read and write... And his older female companion Constance, who was free to come and go as she wanted, did serve him faithfully to the end and had even a connecting bedroom... The theatre acts De Sade set up, was really terminated first one year before his death, but was mainly played by professional actors and he had also a private library, could continue to write, arrange balls and freely receive guests... They did actually hope (in vain) that he would be released soon and was planning to move together, with Magdeleine mothers approval, when he suddenly got sick 74 years old and died quietly in bed... So I suspect the film would been much better, if it was accurate and simply cover a bigger part of his adventurous life... (6s6dd1pw 119min/play 124min/film)
03 Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith (sci-fi adventure 2005) The last story from the second trilogy, get together with the last (but first made) three films and the action are partly magnificent... But I did not find any really great scenes and some key parts of the story, felt very strange... (6s6dd1pvw 134min/play 140min/film)
03 Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Back (sci-fi adventure 1980, 129-119min) A lot of slightly great scenes, but it's tame compared to the others... (5s6dd1pvw 124min/play 129min/film)
03 A little shop of horror (musical 1986, 94min) Lovely, funny and terrific, with great music...
03 Honey I shrunk the kids (comedy 1989, 101min) A splendid crazy scientist comedy...
03 Addams Family Values (comedy 1993, 94min) Hilarious "romantic" comedy and horror... (6s6dd1pw 90min/play 94min/film)
02 Home Alone (comedy 1990, 103-99min) Wild scenes, when a boy protect his home from burglars...
02 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (comedy 1988, 110-106min) Incredible amusing, in elegant settings and with Steve Martin...
02 The Image / The punishment of Anne (erotic drama 1975, 94-89min) A romantic S/M story, that is elegant filmed and show naughty games with a beautiful young lady (a lot more lovely, than she look on the DVD cover) but it's partly too slow, has only a few interesting scenes, some S/M scenes are silly (type not authentic) and the deeply fascinating masterpiece "The Story of O" is dramatically better in every way, even if that one show much less ordinary sex and many critics regard this film, as the ultimate S/M erotica! (5s?dd1nw 94min)
01 Maniac Cop (crime action horror 1988, 92-81min) A man in a cop's uniform, starts killing people... (5s2dd1p 90min/play)
And a friendly WARNING about...
00 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (adventure 2002, 223-179min) Part two of the saga, that actually is incredibly boring and strangely enough, without any fine scene... Even the "magnificent" war at Helm's deep, is nothing compared to the last part... This piece will naturally make the story slightly more complete - but you will miss very little, except walking trees and many boring scenes, if you skip this part... (6s6dd1pw sold it)
00 Quantum of Solance That only has a cool name, but is the worst Bond film I ever seen... The only reason for the action is an "ultra secret" group of international bad guys, that is more dangerous than the British Secret Service and the only pale "mega bad guy" we get to see (of the very very secret group) is so incredible evil that he finally get his hand on 60% of a poor country's water supply... Yes, that is exactly what the story is about....And the ugly new "bond" is bloody 25% of the movie and reply less verbally than a dead parrot - type when he get accused by his boss (several times) for acting crazy (and get huge problems as result) does he not even try to give any basic explanation - except looking like an angry seven years old and running away!!

By the way... Films run 4% faster in the PAL system, so a 100 minutes film, play in 96 minutes as PAL video... Roger Moore is actually older, than Sean Connery... You may publish any part of this list, with a clear link... Copyright from 1996 by BB at Vantage Tech Magazine

Other sites Click here for the 250 highest rated films, by thousand of film enthusiasts.... But they are NOT graded in "great times to view" as above... And even if I really did like most of the top twenty, would I only like to see a few of them twice!

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