Cees Alons
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 1997
- Messages
- 19,789
- Real Name
- Cees Alons
In 1997 a new medium for movies was about to appear. Better, perhaps, than laserdisk. Called DVD.
But during the first period, new films on DVD would only be available through a limited number of sellers in the USA and from a limited number of studios.
So what to do? I succeeded in ordering a DVD-player on the (pretty new itself) Internet. Then I found a retailer (Digital Eyes) who was willing to sell (and send!) me several of the new titles that would appear. I even had contact on Telephone with Mark Harrill, the owner. And I started to look for sites and forums where the new medium was discussed.
I found DVDresource (by - the now late - Steve Tannehill). Shortly after receiving the first movies on DVD I realized that my TV-set had a button labeled "compressed", which then displayed the "anamorphic" side of the DVD correctly (and without loss of resolution!). After I posted that information there, it went (as we would call it now) "viral". People asking all over the net for 'setting codes' of many TV-sets and many brands which didn't have a separate function button for it (only very few mentioning my post, though ).
Soon I found a reference to "our friends on The Home Theater Forum" on Digital Eyes' site. I went there, lurked a couple of weeks and then registered as a member. This was the reply:
The rest is history.
I never sent that last mentioned e-mail.
Completing the tone started in the title of this post:
It's wonderful to be here
It's certainly a thrill!
(And I also still don't know exactly who Billy Shears is - or was.)
Cees
But during the first period, new films on DVD would only be available through a limited number of sellers in the USA and from a limited number of studios.
So what to do? I succeeded in ordering a DVD-player on the (pretty new itself) Internet. Then I found a retailer (Digital Eyes) who was willing to sell (and send!) me several of the new titles that would appear. I even had contact on Telephone with Mark Harrill, the owner. And I started to look for sites and forums where the new medium was discussed.
I found DVDresource (by - the now late - Steve Tannehill). Shortly after receiving the first movies on DVD I realized that my TV-set had a button labeled "compressed", which then displayed the "anamorphic" side of the DVD correctly (and without loss of resolution!). After I posted that information there, it went (as we would call it now) "viral". People asking all over the net for 'setting codes' of many TV-sets and many brands which didn't have a separate function button for it (only very few mentioning my post, though ).
Soon I found a reference to "our friends on The Home Theater Forum" on Digital Eyes' site. I went there, lurked a couple of weeks and then registered as a member. This was the reply:
The rest is history.
I never sent that last mentioned e-mail.
Completing the tone started in the title of this post:
It's wonderful to be here
It's certainly a thrill!
(And I also still don't know exactly who Billy Shears is - or was.)
Cees