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Bonus View Digest - May 25, 2012
Fri May 25, 2012 at 01:30 PM ETTags: Bonus View Digest, Aaron Peck, The Bonus View, Fun Stuff (all tags)
May is coming to a close and ushering in the heart of the summer movie season. Many of you might be outside enjoying the nice weather, but we here at The Bonus View are huddled over our computers, working to bring you the latest and greatest in all things high-def. Let's see what happened this week.
Josh's Week of Audio
Josh Zyber took a trip to California, and while he was there he took in a few different audio presentations from companies like Dolby and DTS. There are four articles up right now that discuss, in extreme detail, what it was like listening to the demonstrations of audio that a few of these companies are coming out with in the near future.
In Part 1, Josh visits Dolby and learns about 96k upsampling. Part 2 he visits Dolby to find out what Dolby Atmos sounds like. In Part 3 Josh heads on over the DTS and experiences what he calls a "game-changer in home theater audio." In Part 4 he visits the SRS Labs and gets to listen to what they call Multi-Dimensional Audio.
If you're at all interested in the ins and outs of home theater audio then you'll want to read each of these entries to find out exactly what you can expect from these companies in the near future.
TV Madness
This week in the tournament Jack Bauer took on Echo from 'Dollhouse' while Fox Mulder fought Seven of Nine. Check out the results and stay tuned for our Friday matchup, Raylan Givens versus Spartacus.
Blu-ray News
Check out what movies hit Blu-ray this week in our Blu-ray Highlights post. Tom Landy gives us the rundown on the new 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' steelbook that we can expect upon its Blu-ray release.
Theatrical News
This week sees the opening of another hopeful summer blockbuster, 'Men in Black 3.' Luke has seen it. Find out whether or not it was worth rehashing this old idea.
Aaron Peck discusses the latest movie posters that are hitting theaters near you in his latest edition of Posterizing.
TV Recaps
In case you've been missing out, you really should be reading our recaps of 'The Killing.' They're enjoyable, even if you haven't watched the show.
We also have recaps for shows like 'Game of Thrones,' 'Grimm,' and 'Fringe.'
Special Features
In our Weekend Roundtable we asked which board games should be made into movies next since we already have 'Battleship.' In the Mid-Week Poll we asked a very important question, "Do Spoilers Ruin Movies For You?" Let us know.
That's it for this week. We'll be back here next week. Same time. Same place. Until then, be safe and watch good movies.
Sickbay to Security: HDD Attends 2012 Calgary Expo Q&A with Star Trek's Gates McFadden and Denise Crosby
Thu May 24, 2012 at 05:05 PM ETTags: Fun Stuff, Star Trek, Tom Landy (all tags)
By Tom Landy
As this year marks the 25th anniversary of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' (expect the complete first season to debut on Blu-ray on July 24th), the bridge crew from the TV show have even joined in on the celebration. On the last weekend of this past April, all nine principal cast members beamed down to the annual Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo held in Alberta, Canada.
The first 'Star Trek' panel High-Def Digest was able to attend during the Expo was with Gates McFadden and Denise Crosby -- the U.S.S. Enterprise-D's Dr. Beverly Crusher and Security Chief Lt. Tasha Yar. Since 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' both actresses have starred in several films and TV shows, and they continue to work together on stage in Gates' L.A. theatre company.
Below you'll find a transcript of the panel that I attended which was moderated by Teddy Wilson -- one of the hosts of "Innerspace" on Space (Canada's sci-fi network).
---------------------------------------------------
TW: Please welcome Denise Crosby and Gates McFadden!
(Applause)
TW: Here are some microphones for you. There you are. Ladies how are you?
DC: Dandy.
GM: Jim Dandy!
DC: Wow this is like being a rock star here.
GM: So were these seats up in front too expensive?
(Laughter)
GM: Oh! There are people sitting there!
(Laughter)
TW: (Inaudible) ... a lot of TNG cast members see each other from time to time, but you two especially since you work together in theatre in L.A.. So is it a bit strange to do that and then to come here and be with each other in this different context?
DC: No.
GM: No.
DC: Theatre is really normal.
GM: Theatre is very normal.
DC: I mean, not that this isn't normal, believe me, but I mean it's very much a part of who we are as actors and what we like to do as artists and it was just this unique, rare opportunity. I don't know anybody else who's had the chance to do a kind of iconic television show and then years later do... you know.
GM: I remember...
DC: She's my boss! She's the artistic director of the theatre company that I, you know, get to belong to and work in.
GM: It's been really fun. You should Google our company 'cause actually we'd love to hear feedback from you and you can always e-mail us and everything, EST-LA Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles and we just built -- there's another sister company in New York City and I'm a member of that and some of us migrate back to L.A. for television shows, and so we built, we started...
DC: we built a new space.
GM: The company's been going for about 15 years (inaudible) so we just did our first year of (inaudible) this past year and won lots of awards and Denise, I directed Denise in a play and she was AMAZING!
DC: Thank you.
(Cheering)
DC: And Gates was an amazing director. I truly -- I was just thinking about this last night, you know, I really want to say this and I want to say this in front of everyone, that you really brought us as actors into finding our own (inaudible). A very extraordinary original play we did about JonBenét Ramsey and, I don't know if you guys, I'm sure you know of her as well. She was a young beauty queen in Colorado in America and was found murdered in her own home and they never discovered who did it. So it was an extraordinary look…
GM: Denise wore one of my wigs. Seriously. She played--
DC: I played the mom. And boy did I use that wig that Gates happened to have lying around by the way. But anyway, you were just an extraordinary director and I really regret that I didn't get to be on the next (inaudible) that you were directing because that would've been extraordinary.
GM: Actually, I think that was my favorite time in the whole seven years was directing that episode. Genesis, yeah. I know it wasn't the classic Star Trek episode, but I mean seriously, I got to direct an iguana and a Spot really...
(Laughter)
GM: And it was kind of a cool, like creepy fun show. I don't know, the makeup was extraordinary what Michael Weston did. He really should have won an Emmy for that.
TW: Which is harder to direct: a cat or an iguana? Or Denise Crosby?
DC: Or me? With a wig on.
GM: No, no. I don't want to hurt her feelings. The iguana -- I just felt I had trouble reaching the iguana.
(Laughter)
GM: I thought he was very, you know, I was just like okay fine, just do it your way.
(Laughter)
GM: But with Spot, Spot I could definitely, you know we did a little. Whatever. And he always helps. Always helps..
TW: Okay we're going to ask the floor for some questions and the way it's going to work is there are a number of intrepid mic runners running around. Give it up for the mic runner volunteers.
(Cheering)
TW: So if you want to put up your hand just put it up and they will find you with the microphone. So don't be shy and feel free to toss in a question.
Q: I want to ask, you've probably got a fun answer to this, and I want to ask you as well Denise, you've both gone on to do amazing work. Was there one thing that you took with you that you learned in your roles on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' that you really carried with you as an actor?
DC: Never wear spandex!
(Laughter)
GM: And I actually really learned how to handle that spaceship. So that's helped me in a lot of things I've done since then.
(Laughter)
GM: No I actually had someone, seriously, who said where do they park the spaceship when they aren't using it?
(Laughter)
GM: And I said, oh no, it's pretend. Well I know it is, but where is the ship part when they aren't using it? Like okay...
(Laughter)
TW: I'm sorry I just never thought about it before that's why I asked you.
DC: At Paramount!
TW: Okay so we got a question on the floor and it's mic #4. And it's to the right -- Joseph. Can you give us a big wave so we can see you there? Where are you Joseph? Oh there! Hey Joseph!
GM: Hi Joseph.
DC: Hi Joseph.
Q: Denise the question is for you, was, was, was your death... planned on the show?
DC: I'm sorry, what? Was it planned my death?
Q: Yeah, when your character diiiiied.
(Laughter)
DC: Wow (laughing) yes it usually is! When someone dies it's planned. Once it was decided--
GM: They just decided to kill her that day.
DC: Right. You know, I'm going to break it to you. I would not sleep with Gene Roddenberry so...
(Laughter)
DC: You guys are the first to hear it and I've been sitting on it for 25 years and it's finally come out.
TW: Well that explains why Gates was not killed off.
(Laughter)
DC: I'm not touching that.
GM: You gotta do what you gotta do. Thanks for bringing it up.
DC: (Inaudible) for women, OK? You do what you got to do. No, once it was agreed upon that I was leaving the show Gene Roddenberry had the idea that he wanted to kill this character. Not to punish me, per se, but to make it so radical and dramatic as no regular character had ever been killed. But, I wasn't really killed... as we saw. I mean, I'm still here now, right?
(Laughter)
TW: What was it like to come back in the Yesterday's Enterprise episode when you came back in that alternate timeline?
DC: You know, first of all that episode, for me, was my favorite episode that I did. But also (inaudible) it was a complete a surprise and was so well written and I just had so much fun. And I never thought that would ever happen. And so it just opened the door for the character Sela, and so you know, I just got to keep on being a part of it in a way that I had never anticipated and in a way that made a lot of sense for me.
TW: What did you think when you read the script for Skin of Evil -- the episode where Tasha Yar dies?
GM: I thought it was about time.
(Laughter)
GM: No, I thought but I can SAVE her! Just give me a chance! I can save her! I brought someone else back, some other creature from some planet, but they just didn't let me use that vial. Remember all those vials I had in sickbay? There were very interesting things in those vials. But you know.
DC: A true alchemist.
GM: It was actually a memorable night because we were all there, we stayed really late so we could all, you know, (inaudible) by the camera, like our scenes had already been shot and she was there looking at us and it was nice. It was nice. But you know what was really interesting, and we talked about this, we didn't know each other very much at all on the show because it really wasn't written for women to have scenes together and we were kind of like something else, and it was the guys, we had scenes with the guys or my son, and so I didn't really know Denise and we got to know each other later. And then she became a member of the company and both worked together. It's been a blast. And we were like, why didn't we get scenes together? You know? It was interesting. And now we're really close friends. But then, you know, we didn't have any scenes together.
DC: Then I was dead.
(Laughter)
DC: She tried to save me. She did her best.
(Laughter)
TW: We've got another question on the floor, mic #5 on the left, it's Sherry. Hey Sherry!
Q: Hello. I was just wondering if there was a certain genre that you guys like to act? Do you still do drama or do you like to do comedy, or what do you really enjoy doing now in theatre?
GM: In theatre? Specifically in theatre?
DC: Or anything? Wow. You know, to me it's about the writing. And what is provocative writing and what I can bring to this that excites me and I'm excited about and can transfer to the audience. And so if it's comedy it doesn't matter.
GM: And I echo that. I think a lot of the work that we've done -- Carol Churchill -- a play in New York, a lot of different things actually, even Taking Care of Business, I like it when it's mixed, when there's some comedy and there's drama. I don't think they have to be separate. I also do happen to really love stupid comedy -- I love slapstick. And so I like to do all that kind of stuff.
DC: Yeah, I mean, that's so true with Gates. I mean she has a clown background so, you know, what was wonderful about the play we did together, this specific one, was finding the humor in absurd dark moments. I mean, I loved when that would happen and we were able to find some very uncomfortably weird comic moments in some very dark material.
GM: And yeah, and we got to do things, dark things, and there'd be this funny little car that would actually drive on stage and there was lots of multimedia and I worked with an animator from Seattle named Drew Christie -- he's totally brilliant you should check out his animation he's a brilliant guy, and we had animation because it was a very dark subject matter and I wanted people, it wasn't to be so much of the story of Patsy -- I mean JonBenét Ramsey, it was more looking at the way parents exploit their children in these child pageants. It was also about bullying, there was another character who was bullied by these gorgeous looking men called the Apollonian Boys, and everyone just always looked at how beautiful they were and all the athletics they did so they never saw how they were also bullies. So anyway, it's things like that, it's subjects that matter that really gets me. And I love it when it's -- that's what I love about Star Trek. Star Trek was the same thing. We're in a morality tale and deal with things that really make you think. Like what would I do in that situation? What if there wasn't money anymore? What if? What if? And that's what gets people to think. And it's a good thing, I think.
(Applause)
TW: Uh, mic #2, right there. Yes?
Q: Hello Beverly and Lieutenant Yar...
(Laughter)
Q: I was just wondering in the period you and the other actors were in Hollywood did you have trouble sometimes finding other jobs because people thought they would identify you with your characters on Star Trek? And also what does it take to get into your theatre company? Do you do lessons and stuff for actors?
GM: The theatre company you have to kind of be (inaudible) by us. You have to participate we have to see, know your work. I would say it's a very high level. We have a lot of people who've done a lot of stuff -- Broadway, off-Broadway, film, television, but we're always open to new members and we also have an affiliates program where people can audition and take classes but it's generally people who have already done a fair amount of work. And for me, the other part, when I didn't come back in the second season I went off and did a play in New York and did a movie. I mean, I think yes there are times when that happens, but I think for me it had more to do with I had parents who were ill and I was raising my son so therefore I wasn't going out on jobs that much because, you know. I don't think it really held most of us back for being seen in these roles. Maybe, I don't know. But I don't think so. I didn't feel that.
DC: I think that Hollywood tends to compartmentalize easily. And if you're known for comedy, they oftentimes write you on the comedy list. If you're known for drama, well she can't come in and read for this because she does drama. Which is absurd. So there's always a kind of trying to prove them wrong going on quite a bit. For me personally, with Star Trek, once I left I fortunately got work right away. You know? Right away I went and did Pet Semetery. Then I did another series called Key West which was a very odd comedy. So I was trying to shake it up quite a bit. What I didn't do was go right back into a sci-fi thing. But I've had times where people have just made assumptions, well she's so fierce or strong or driven like Tasha Yar (inaudible) so I've encountered that a little bit.
GM: But it is fun, right after I did Star Trek, I did a series, I think they showed the first season, it was Richard Greico and myself, and it was like this is a real boohoo story, they sent me to Hawaii. I had never been to Hawaii. And they put me up in an incredible house right on a protected reef. And we had to shoot in a gorgeous location every day and they had to pay me a lot of money and I had my three year old and he could come with me every day because it was so beautiful there. It was so amazing. I love the island. And I fell in love with the island and the people and then something happened and they didn't go on with the series. And I can't believe the life that we had. It was extraordinary to first have done the cast with Next Gen and we are friends and we do get along and we see each other and it's really fun. You know? We do a yearly Christmas thing. We often see each other during the year and Brent supports the theatre, Patrick is a big supporter of the theatre and donates money. And it's really great. And I go over to see Patrick. LeVar and I went to go see him do The Merchant of Venice which was, to me, absolutely brilliant. It's my favorite thing I've ever seen Patrick do was The Merchant of Venice. It really was incredible. So I don't know, I feel very blessed with everything that's happened and I think it's still going on, you know? There's like new material we're reading, we're talking about next year what we're going to be doing, it's great. Life is good, we've been very lucky.
TW: You got through that tough assignment.
GM: I got through that tough assignment.
TW: What do you guys do at Christmas when you get together?
GM: Well we usually, one of us has the party and then we, you know, it's just casual. It's like friends and we sort of do the Star Trek...
DC: We try to reenact a couple episodes.
(Laughter)
GM: We pull out our action figures...
DC: We take out our action figures and play with each other.
(Laughter)
DC: And, you know, it's what you guys do.
(Laughter)
GM: You know, that new action figure of me, I swear to god, that face looks like Erin Gray. I swear to god! It's got my uniform on, but I don't know...
DC: You should talk to Erin. She's here.
GM: I'm going to have to. Yep.
(Inaudible)
DC: I look like a transgender gone wrong.
(Laughter)
DC: So we need to talk whoever these people are. Something's gotta give here, folks.
TW: We'll make a call.
DC: Okay.
TW: There's another Eric, on mic #4 on the right. Is this a new Eric? A new Eric!
GM: Hi! You're so far back. Yes?
Q: Hi folks. As women in Star Trek, I know that if we go back to the sixties, the short dresses and such, how do you feel you portrayed the role of women on Star Trek: The Next Generation? Do you feel you guys were role models for women looking forward to the future (inaudible)?
GM: I think we were more role models for men.
(Laughter)
GM: You know, I absolutely, I mean to be serious listen, I've met so many, so many women who were inspired to go on and be nurses or doctors and I think it was fantastic to have female role models in the way they were in the show. I know that's true because there were so many little girls who are now full adults and I'm just an old lady...
(Laughter)
GM: And I see that it really has made a difference. In the same way that I think it's extraordinary that people of my son's generation really don't see color in the way I grew up people saw color. I don't know what color, he's got friends of every color, and everyone's color blind which is FABULOUS. So go Star Trek! I think the world's getting better hopefully that way.
(Cheering)
TW: Have you met any security chiefs? (To Denise) .
(Laughter)
DC: Um, the last time I spoke to NASA, you know, I mean look, that was a great way to go to make the chief of security a woman. I mean, there's no question, you're bending, gender bending at that point. However, I feel that... they didn't go far enough, personally. You know? I don't think it's enough to say that it's 1987 or whatever and of course a woman should be made chief of security, but you still better make her ass and tits look good. And there's gotta be some... some... and I'm not against sexuality! You want to be sexy and you want to still have that color in your rainbow, of course. (Inaudible). But you also want to actually do your job and be a decision maker and I don't feel that we went far enough.
GM: I think, we've talked about this, I agree with you about this, it's a wonderful having iconic roles for women. But on the other hand, when you look at the scenes, whenever the women would be together, like they finally put Troi and I in a scene and we were like exercising in a workout place. You know, it's like come on?
(Laughter)
GM: And I have to say that one of the reasons I've argued with one of the producers and that was one of the reasons why I fired was because after the first season I felt I was a mother and I've taken care of children a lot in life, I was a governess and I taught for 40 years -- that's how old I am. Oh my god. But at any rate...
TW: You started when you were two...
(Laughter)
GM: Yeah, I know. It was amazing. But I think (inaudible) people don't, like the way the relationship with Wil Wheaton's character was, I felt it was always the men giving him sage advice, yet my character was the one who raised him. Single, single raised him. And obviously there was advice he could have come to me for because, you know, he only just met these guys and he was always saving our ass every single episode...
(Laughter)
GM: So I felt why am I only the worried mother kind of thing? What about also really having a talk like the way my son would and the way your son would which is really talking about things that mean a lot? And I felt that was always given to one of the male characters. So there definitely were places...
DC: Yeah.
GM: In fact we didn't have a scene. On the other hand, I think I did get, as Dr. Crusher I did get to have authority and I got to fly that ship a couple of times anyway and that was fun.
DC: Yeah, yeah. I got to kick some butt on occasion and that was okay. And it wasn't just about that, though. You know? But anyway. We always brought all that we could to these roles and that was our job as actors and, you know, intelligent actors looking in that direction. What I always like to do with these things is I always call it acting in white spaces. It's not really the lines, it's what is going on in between there so we try to fill these characters with complex personalities.
GM: And also I don't know if anybody realizes it, but one of the hardest things as an actor, I would think most people would agree with this, when you have a lead character come on and give lots of speeches -- yes, it's a lot of things to memorize, yes. But to have a clear through line and it's very clear the intention you're playing, when you just have an occasional line here and there, there's a lot of that white space and it's actually really hard to stay part of it and think the intention. To have a tiny role at something can be actually really challenging. You know, like sometimes. Right?
DC: Yep.
GM: Or boring.
(Laughter)
TW: Um, mic #3 to your left. We have Sarah. Hey Sarah!
Q: It's Sar-rah actually.
TW: Oh Sar-rah. We're using this intense Microsoft word system.
DC: Wow.
TW: The future is now. It's like Star Trek.
DC: Very.
Q: Um thank you both so much for coming and I was wondering what your favorite episodes were to be in and why?
GM: For me, let's see, it sort of shifts sometimes, I think one of the ones I really had the most fun doing, as I said, was directing Genesis. But then I loved doing, I loved the dancing doctor and I was almost four months pregnant when I did that so it was fun to do something different. That was, the choreography, we had this amazing tap dancer Chance, I forget his last name who was Brent's double, and he was awesome.
TW: And you were pregnant?
GM: I was pregnant, yeah. (Inaudible). But then I really loved the one, I keep forgetting titles pardon me, but the one (inaudible) what is love? The one that introduced the Trill, I thought that was a beautiful episode because it really did question what is the nature of love? I also love the episode that I hardly had any part in called First Contact which later, you know we went further with the movie. And I think the philosophical questions that got brought up by the shows were quite wonderful. So anyway those were two of my favorites.
DC: Uh for me, as I mentioned before, Yesterday's Enterprise for me as an actor was the most fulfilling and complex sort of storyline for my character and kind of gave me some redemption. Apart from the fact that I had such a great time working with Christopher McDonald who played my love interest in that, we went on to do two -- one movie and one other series together. Yeah, we played husband and wife in (inaudible) film called The Divorce -- a contemporary western, and then he was doing a law series where he was a lawyer -- not Private Practice but LA Practice or something and I was a guest star. We had one of those relationships where we couldn't look at each other without cracking up. It was really bad and we actually broke up one of Patrick's long speeches in the back, we weren't even in this scene with him we were in the background and Patrick had this long monologue and I started pretending I was coughing and Chris covered for me. It was really... scary.
TW: How did Patrick react?
DC: Patrick just thought I was choking to death but little did he know I was laughing my ass off and wetting my uniform.
(Laughter)
DC: Over nothing, over just looking over at this man's face. So Yesterday's Enterprise was great for me, but I also like the pilot oddly enough, Encounter at Farpoint, only because it's so tacky.
(Laughter)
DC: And we didn't know what we were doing. And if you look at some of those early episodes, I, at least for myself, our designer Michael Okuda, who designed all the props and gizmos and bridge stuff, and we were so deliberate. I remember the first time I pulled out my phaser I dropped it. And then I pulled it out a second time and actually made a sound: Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
(Laughter)
DC: And you know, I didn't know what...
TW: You made a sound?
(Laughter)
DC: I made a sound! It was soooo ridiculous.
GM: The prop stuff was really hard. And like with the medical stuff you had to press something that no one was supposed to know you were pressing so you couldn't hold it like you really were pressing it but that's the only way the light would come on. And then you'd have to do something and couldn't touch the plastic because for some reason anything you hit that was plastic you'd have to reshoot, you'd have to dub it.
DC: I used to push like a bazillion buttons on the horseshoe and Michael Okuda finally said to me, " I believe by then you'll only have to hit one."
(Laughter)
DC: To launch first strike, or something. Okay Captain, I've got it! (Pushing lots of buttons). And then later in the season, I would just go aye-aye, Captain. (Only pressing one button).
(Laughter)
DC: We didn't know what we were doing. Pressing communicators...
GM: That too.
DC: You had to press them so hard.
GM: It really was bad because in The Naked Now, I got in so much trouble for unzipping the front of my spacesuit because zippers don't exist in that century and I didn't know that.
(Laughter)
GM: So I was just like, what can I tell you? And they were like, NO ZIPPERS! Don't ever do that again. And I'm like, okay sorry.
TW: What were you thinking??!
DC: Speaking of The Naked Now, that outfit was like literally glue and spit so I couldn't even...
GM: Oh come on, the chief of security for Obama wears the same thing.
(Laughter)
DC: Exactly. Exactly.
GM: No, those were the prostitutes...
(Laughter)
GM: They work with Obama. I know, I know. (Inaudible)
(Laughter)
TW: You've been talking about cracking up on set was there another regular cast member that you had that same dynamic with?
DC: We all did.
GM: It was very funny. We would do things, the hours were LONG, especially when you to cover for everybody, so we would be looking at the same thing and there was this guy named (inaudible) who was adorable and he would read every... alien... like... this... and he would do all of the alien voices and we would be having to react and he was so slow we were like, we'd just start laughing. We'd be pretending we're looking at something like (inaudible) and one director took a stick and would have us look at it and we're all in a line, all of us and we'd be like this (looking up and down and up and down). And we did it for about 30 seconds, you know, and we just all lost it.
(Laughter)
DC: Oh god. My favorite of course was when the ship encountered a storm and got hit and you had to go... (shakes back and forth).
(Laughter)
DC: And everyone had their own thing with that. So that, you know, Jonathan would barely, would just go (barely shakes).
(Laughter)
DC: Everybody would have their own wiggle. I can't tell you how idiotic it felt.
GM: But then you'd go out, go to the ocean or something, and you would lay down and maybe you were in Maine or I don't know where, maybe Alberta, and you'd look up and I'd see all these stars and go, "oh my god!" It's like (inaudible).
(Laughter)
GM: Are there really Rockies around here? Because when I came in I swear to god there were none. There was nothing but fog. My son said there were Rockies and everyone has told me but there aren't really, are there? Are there?
(Cheering)
GM: Are there? Okay. Because I have not seen them I just want you to know, okay? I'll go on your word.
TW: Holodeck mountains. We've got to wrap up. Time flies, unfortunately. But I wanted to ask you after all of these years, it's been 25 years since the first episode back in 1987, what is your fondest memory -- what's the one thing that you've really kind of carried with you, is there one thing or one event or (inaudible) that after all of these years you look back on and it kind of fills your heart?
DC: Um...
GM: No.
(Laughter)
GM: Actually I'd say it was absolutely because I was involved with the show, but I think it was when we had a Make-A-Wish child -- we had quite a few Make-A-Wish children who came in -- but there was a particular six-year-old who came in and was a huge fan. And he loved the doctor. And he was so happy and parents were so happy. And I just got, I wanted to be able to do what Dr. Crusher did, to fix him up but I couldn't and I just realized -- his parents said, "that's okay he just believes in it, that's all right." And I just felt wow that's pretty cool that that could help someone who's going to die and they could still believe in a future like that, the parents. I was so impressed by this little kid that I've never forgotten. And that would not have happened had I not done Star Trek. So I had a lot of things like that that really changed my life.
(Applause)
GM: And you know what? And also when I did a (inaudible) tour in Bosnia, I did it solo by the way, and it was incredible to see soldiers who had carried Star Trek stuff on their backs, like a book of Star Trek things or something, and to see how important it was to people really blew my mind. And I felt kind of privileged to be involved in something I hadn't appreciated until I started meeting some of you all. And I hope to meet more of you today.
(Applause)
DC: You know, that I thank you for saying that because I really you know, doing the show as an actor is one thing, I've been so grateful to be able to earn a living in the profession, the only profession I've ever really wanted to be in. And I'm always, always grateful whenever I continue to work. And I thank you you guys for that. So that's that, but then there's this whole other aspect to doing this particular show and that is the interaction with the fans. And it's been an ongoing, and will continue to be, relationship. And when you mentioned Bosnia, it reminded me -- one of the most profound things that happened to me and I actually hadn't left the table because I was so emotionally moved by this -- was when I was making 'Trekkies' the documentary...
(Cheering)
DC: Thank you. Thank you. I had the unbelievable gift of going to Serbia to shoot, and when I was first contacted by some fans because I put it out on the Internet that I was looking for unusual fans, big fans who wanted to tell their stories about Star Trek, I got an e-mail back from a guy in Serbia. And I thought... really? Because this was just after NATO had lifted the embargo in the world -- United Nations, you know, people were allowed to go back into Serbia. So I began this relationship with this group of Star Trek fans in Serbia which then led me to get there with my film crew. And they of course had never had a Star Trek convention, nor did they ever believe they would ever have a Star Trek convention. And they set it up in the university in Belgrade, and I was the only person there and in begins to walk some Serbian fans. And in comes this giant guy. I mean, his hands were the size of catchers' mitts. And he was a Serbian farmer. And he comes up to me and shakes my hand with this grip and looks me in the eyes with tears... (tearing up) and said that they were being bombed... and that this show saved their lives. And it was right then when I realized this is not just a TV show. This is -- this reaches into people's hearts and into their minds and it keeps them going. He told me that the show gave him faith in humanity. That this bombing would eventually stop and people would find peace because it said so on the TV show. If they can do it, we can do it!
(Cheering)
DC: And (inaudible). So I thank you. All of you.
GM: Thank you everybody very much for coming and listening to the panel. And come see us and I'll be, there's a special (inaudible) from the theatre company Denise and I have and all the proceeds go to the theatre so check it out if you want to.
DC: Yes, please come to our table...
TW: Thank you so much for coming.
(Applause)
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(Pictured left to right: Denise Crosby, Gates McFadden, and Teddy Wilson)
If you're a big fan of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' be sure not to miss our previous Q&A transcripts with Jonathan Frakes (2011 Central Canada Comic-Con) and Michael Dorn (2012 Winnipeg Comic and Toy Expo).
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LG's 55-Inch OLED Will Run Around $10,000
Thu May 24, 2012 at 01:15 PM ETTags: LG, OLED TVs (all tags)
The finalized design reveals an even slimmer TV – just 4mm thick.
We're nearing closer and closer to the big day – the day when a relatively reasonably priced OLED hit the market. LG's 55" set design has been finalized and LG has even given a price estimate of approximately $10,000.
One of the cool new features of the TV that was added between E3 and now is a carbon fiber backing, which allows LG to take a millimeter off of the thickness. The 55EM9600 is now coming in at a miniscule 4mm.
There's no word yet on when the set will be released, but LG says that the initial July estimate is unlikely.
Source: Engadget
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Mitsubishi Introduces New DLPs Starting at Under $3,000
Thu May 24, 2012 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Mitsubishi, DLPs (all tags)
The cheapest of the bunch runs $1,599 and gives you 73" of screen.
You're not going to find DLP sets anywhere else, but Mistubishi seems to be pretty okay with that. Having 100% of the market isn't exactly a bad thing.
Their latest additions to their lineup offer absolutely massive screens at entry-level pricing. For 82", a six-color processor and a 120Hz sub-frame field you'll only be shelling out $2,599. Of course, the price starts to go up if you're looking for 3D or Smart TV features.
The 642 series gives you 3D, while the 742 comes with a built in emitter, Wi-Fi capability with an add-on adapter, Vudu, and iOS control. The new 92" version comes in at $4,999.
The 842 series features everything the 742 does but adds a 16-driver speaker array and subwoofer output, has three new additions. You can get the 742 in 73", 72" and 92" starting at $2,199.
Source: Electronic House
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Sim2 Launches Trade-Up Program for 720p Projectors
Wed May 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Projectors, SIM2, 3D Projectors (all tags)
You'll get what Sim2 refers to as "a generous trade-in value" but no exact amounts are specified.
Sim2 makes some fancy projectors, but that doesn't stop them from getting a bit out-of-date. Of course, they're aware of that, and have decided to offer customers a chance to upgrade at a discount. If you have a 720p Sim2 projector, you can trade it in and get a new Lumis 3D-S UNO, Lumis 3D SOLO, Lumis 3D SOLO HC or the passive Lumis 3D Duo at a discounted price.
"Our 720p projectors were the top of the class in their time, however the stunning improvements made to our LUMIS Series will leave customers speechless when they see the difference," says Sim 2 executive VP Alberto Fabiano, adding that the Summer Olympics are a great reason to step things up.
Source: Electronic House
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LG Creates a New Plant to Produce 55-Inch White OLED Panels
Wed May 23, 2012 at 10:00 AM ETTags: LG, OLEDs (all tags)
Just how these panels will be used in TVs is a bit of a mystery.
The folks at LG have opened up a new plant to create 55" panels, but there's a bit of a mystery surrounding them as the OLEDs will simply be white.
OLED-Info suggests that these white OLEDs may be used as backlighting for traditional LCD panels, just as LED is regularly used today. The other option is that LG may be using a color filtering technology that they recently acquired from Kodak.
Whatever happens, the plant is expected to be mass producing panels by the end of this year at a rate of 72,000 a month.
Source: OLED-Info
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Hulu is Launching 10 Original Shows This Summer
Tue May 22, 2012 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Hulu, Streaming, Kevin Smith, Spoilers (all tags)
Things kick off with a open-forum movie review style show from Kevin Smith.
The folks over at Hulu aren't slowing down with their original content acquisition and have announced that they'll be debuting 10 new shows this summer, starting with a new series called 'Spoilers' by actor/writer/director Kevin Smith. The concept of the show is to get fans involved with movie reviews while mixing in opinions from "pop culture icons" as well as some animated shorts. 'Spoilers' begins airing on June 4th.
'Up to Speed' is another of the shows that Hulu is going to be pushing. It's a travel documentary in the spirit of 'The Cruise' and 'No Reservations.' The show stars Timothy "Speed" Levitch and was created by Richard Linklater.
"At Hulu, we want to offer exclusive shows and make original TV programming that speaks to a passionate group of fans," says VP of content Andy Forssell, "because today, you don't have to settle for watching something mildly entertaining."
Source: Engadget
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Panasonic's VT50 Wins the Value Electronics HDTV Shootout
Tue May 22, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Three plasmas and three LED sets went head-to-head and Panasonic came out on top.
It may not be the biggest competition around and you probably won't see Panasonic advertising the Value Electronics HDTV Shootout win. Nonetheless, the contest is one worth checking out, especially if you're in the market for a new high-end set.
Robert Zohn, owner of Value Electronics, set up the competition. The Shootout pitted six of the best HDTVs around – two Panasonic, two Samsung, one LG and last year's Shootout winning Elite PRO 60X5FD. The sets were calibrated by a trio of ISF technicians, who also helped to not only set up, but explain test patterns to the audience.
After a night of thorough testing, the votes were tallied and the Panasonic VT50 came out on top, with Samsung's 8000 series plasma coming in second. Official results for each category have not yet been posted.
Source: Big Picture Big Sound
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HDD Demos Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD Advanced 96K Upsampling
Mon May 21, 2012 at 03:05 PM ETTags: Dolby, Michael S. Palmer, Industry Trends (all tags)
By Michael S. Palmer
Before we get to the good stuff, the SEC, FCC, NCAA, or some governing body says the following disclosure is manditory. NOTE: this article exists because Dolby Laboratories bought me a round trip airfare to San Francisco, housed me in a hotel I probably couldn't (or wouldn't) afford normally, and stuffed me silly with meals and beverages of adult and/or caffeinated varieties. Take that for whatever value you apply, but at the end of the day, I'm just a guy -- probably a lot like you -- who loves home cinema and was fortunate enough to see what the pros are cooking up for our next generation theatrical and home theatre auditory experiences.
Second disclosure. I've been to Dolby Laboratories three times now. It's terribly depressing. Sorry, that's not true; these trips have been the most explosive audio experiences I've ever had, whether sitting in Mix Room A, which features seven Pelonis Signature Series Model 110P 2-way Passive Reference Monitors and a Velodyne Model DD-15BG Subwoofer, or the Dolby Cinema Lab, which is completely isolated from the rest of the building and set up for 26.3 surround sound. No, the depressing part about Dolby is returning home, flipping on my consumer surround sound system (Denon powering 7.1 KEF iQs), and realizing it all sucks-to-my-asthmar compared to the sonic bliss my spoiled ears had grown accustomed over the previous couple days.
Oh well, such is life.
Fidelity Forum 2.0 was a two day event with over 20 journalists and bloggers from a variety of sound hobbies. Everything from the guy who bled for the San Francisco Symphony and high-resolution stereo audiophile recordings, to guys like me who wants his action blockbuster Blu-rays to be swirling infernos of percussive chaos. HDD's own resident technical guru, Josh Zyber, also attended and, from what I understand, is writing up a couple articles as well. For our purposes here, consider this piece a general introduction and mini-review of what I experienced. In layman's terms, "on a scale of awesome to lame, how much should I get it up?" Josh will attempt to go more in depth with the technology itself.
Dolby TrueHD Advanced 96K Upsampling
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Day one was dedicated to Dolby TrueHD Advanced 96K Upsampling, which has just been announced to the public. From my minimal experience getting to know the Dolby culture, it's evident how much Laboratory best describes this company. Their engineers and neuroscientists and craftsmen of all types seem to be driven by one simple question:
How can we make an audio experience better?
In our first demo, the question was, how can we improve Dolby TrueHD? But the challenge was where to make the change. They can't upgrade Blu-ray itself because the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) has strict product specs. You could put new chips or software into Blu-ray players or AV Receivers, but that could be terribly expensive for the consumer or processor heavy on the gear itself.
Then it hit them, what if the key to improving Dolby TrueHD was at the encoding level? What if there was an improvement that not only fits TrueHD's current capabilities -- up to eight full-range channels of 96 kHz/24-bit audio and six full-range channels of 192 kHz/24-bit audio -- but also works with gear consumers already have sitting on shelves and in closets?
I'm probably about to butcher this explanation, in terms of the science, but when sound is digitally recorded at 48 kHz, artifacts are introduced into the sound files. One of these is called Pre-Ringing; think of it like digital noise that shows up a millisecond before the real sound, and is most commonly found in things with fast attack rates -- drums, gunfire, explosions, glass breaking, etc. At 96 kHz, this phenomenon is apparently minimized.
What's important to remember here is that most (if not all) television and theatrical motion picture audio is recorded at 48 kHz. Because multi-track soundtracks are so complicated, and because source materials are recorded in many places, upgrading the mixing process to 96K would take a lot more gear and storage. But what if the professional sound designers could keep their current workflow, but still produce a better product?
Because TrueHD can natively handle 96K, Dolby thought if they could upsample finished audio from 48K to 96K, there would be a noticeable fidelity upgrade. But, again, what's the best way to make this happen? Sure, some AV Receivers have DACs (digital to analog converters) capable of such upsampling, but in a 7.1 mix, it requires a lot of horsepower. Also, up-resolution algorithms introduce their own flaws, which can only be fixed with expensive "apodizing" filters. How expensive? Consider Meridian Audio's 808.2 Signature Reference CD Player. It does everything we're talking about here…for $16,000.
Dolby realized that the only way for them to increase the fidelity of soundtracks and reduce digital artifacts while not making it more expensive for movie studios or consumers is after the mix, but before the TrueHD encoding process. So Dolby licensed Meridian's apodizing filter technology and cooked it into the latest version of their professional encoding software. This means we're about get all the benefit of 96K recordings from 48K source material without having to change anything in our systems (assuming your AVR is capable of doing 96K digital to analog conversions).
Okay, I've butchered the behind-the-scenes long enough. The most important questions are, does this really matter to the average consumer (the will I care quotient)?
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To be honest, I was pretty skeptical. I can tell when someone's playing a low res .mp3 file on a nice home or car audio system because it sounds tinny and harsh, but Blu-ray sounds awesome as is. 48K has to be good enough, right?
To be fair, 48K is good enough and will most likely remain a standard for most Blu-ray presentations. But when you hear 96K, you might just hope studios encoding in TrueHD will click literally one button, in the encoding software bundle, and instantly upgrade all their Blu-ray soundtracks. Is it change-the-world dramatic? Not always. Sometimes the difference is subtle. And, it affected each listener a little different.
As a demo, Dolby played back-to-back recordings at 96K and 48K straight out of ProTools so there would be no difference in volume levels between the demos. We sampled scenes from 'The Lost Bladesmen', 'The Dark Knight', 'Kung Fu Panda', 'Flowers of War' and a couple music selection. To be very clear, the only demo currently slated to appear with Advanced 96K Upsampling is 'Flowers of War'; the other clips were for test purposes only, courtesy of the various studios.
To my ears, because I'm an action-junkie, 'The Dark Knight' scenes had the most impressive improvements. We heard the scenes where Batman HALO jumps into a Hong Kong skyscraper as well as Batman riding the Batpod (I mean to say motorcycle, whatever that's called) through the mall, an alley, and racing towards the Joker in the 18-wheeler (though sadly, the clip ended before it flipped). What I felt and heard, as we jumped back and forth between 96K and 48K, was akin to listening to the sound in a large room with lots of echoing surfaces, and then listening in a smaller room that had been professional calibrated. The 96K material sounded warmer and precise. Gunshots and shattering glass seemed more lifelike and realistic. At 48K, those sound were still pretty excellent (the speakers for this demo looked very expensive), but those percussive, explosive moments had much more noticeable harshness and edge to them.
As long as the studios don't charge a crazy-premium over standard Blu-rays -- they shouldn't because it doesn't cost extra, save for a little more encoding time -- I personally cannot wait to pick up Advanced 96K Upsampling Blu-ray titles.
In terms of what's available now, you can currently pick up 'San Francisco Symphony at 100' as well as the Joe Satriani concert film 'Saturated: Live in Montreal'. Also, as I said a moment ago, the Asian market release of Christian Bales 'The Flowers of War' (from Best * Original Production Limited) is slated to release this summer in the format; I'm not sure about the North American Blu-ray. To tell whether or not a title has this technology, look for the special gold badging, which will appear as a circular sticker (pictured), a gold bar along the lower portion of the Blu-ray's front cover, or as a technical specification on the Blu-ray's back cover.
For more information, be on the lookout for Josh's blog posts, read this detailed .pdf from Dolby, or check out these two videos. First, we have a short piece on the ' San Francisco Symphony at 100' Blu-ray Disc:
San Francisco Symphony at 100 Blu-ray Disc In Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96K Upsampling from Dolby Laboratories on Vimeo.
And, here's the full 45 minute Saturated Panel from Fidelity Forum 2.0:
Saturated: Live in Montreal Panel from Dolby Laboratories on Vimeo.
Dolby Atmos
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On day two of Fidelity Forum 2.0, we finally heard the technology I've been most excited about: Dolby Atmos. Atmos was announced a couple weeks ago and, if you don't know what I'm talking about, have a look at this short video explaining the technology:
As I said above, we went into the Dolby Cinema Lab for this, which is set up for 26.3 surround sound, including six speakers on each side (two of which are full range), five rear speakers, and six overheads. The Atmos logo trailer was mixed at Dolby Burbank in a 38.1 speaker array, the Atmos launch demo took place in Las Vegas in a 47.3 configuration, and Skywalker Sound just built a new Atmos-capable mixing stage in a 41.3 setup.
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Sounds complicated, right? Atmos actually begins with a 9.1 based configuration (the current Dolby 7.1 format plus stereo height channels), which sound designers will mix in a familiar workflow. However, what makes Atmos amazing is that it includes "object" mixing. Meaning, any individual sound effect or music clip can pan anywhere in a 180-degree hemisphere. The Atmos cinema processor -- which can be configured for any professional theatre -- will place that object discretely in as few or as many speakers as the filmmakers intend. What's particularly impressive is how scalable it all is for any venue. In terms of technical requirements, Dolby suggests a pair of height channel speakers for every pair of side channel speakers, full range surrounds because of added LFE capabilities, and individual speaker amplification (this allows for more discrete placement).
So how does it sound?
We were fortunate enough to demo the Atmos logo trailer (created by Erik Aadahl, best known for his sound work on 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'), four sound only clips, the climax of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes', and a secret clip about which I may not write despite it being the presentation highlight. Overall, when I first heard 7.1, I felt as though I had been sucked forward towards the screen. With Atmos, it sounds like you're literally in the world of the movie; the height channels are a big part of this, but the precision with which bullets ping and helicopters fly is impressive and perhaps the most lifelike I've ever encountered. But remember, all of these demos was designed to call attention to the new format; like anything, Atmos can be as aggressive or subtle as needed.
The Atmos logo sounds like a cross between the THX and 'Transformers'. It has a wide dynamic range with heart-stopping base and an incredibly immersive surround experience. The four sound-only clips were fun as well. A thunder and rain sequence was akin to sitting in a covered porch during a summer storm; I could hear the individual drops of rain hitting the ground, while others dripped off a roof. It was incredibly realistic. Next, they panned a song 360-degrees around the room, first in 5.1, and later in Atmos. The 5.1 had gaps, uneven levels, and bled across multiple speakers at a time. In Atmos, a single voice traveled in an exact line.
Then, Dolby took two conversations from 'The Dark Knight' and played them at the same time on the same side of the auditorium. In 5.1, you couldn't understand anything. In 7.1, things were clearer, but the conversations sounded on top of one another. In Atmos, it was like sitting at a restaurant and isolating two other tables conversing around you.
The last sound-only demo was originally created for Vodaphone commercials in the U.K. It began on a in-flight jetliner. After a terrifying crash sequence, a man swims to safety and encounters cannibals on a jungle island. While not as good as 'The Grey' plane crash, this was also incredibly immersive. Fellow passengers opening overhead bins sounded like they were doing so above you. In a moment where we were bobbing up and down under the water, you could hear the water rising up around you and receding. It was pretty cool.
'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' wasn't my favorite demo, but the sequence where the gorillas leaps into the crashing helicopter was pretty good. Perhaps in its current form a little too chaotic and not as discrete as the other clips, especially the finale that followed, which was perfect.
When properly mixed, Atmos is an unmatched force in theatrical motion picture sound capability, but when and where will you get to hear it?
Dolby just went over to Skywalker Sound to do a "test-mix" on Disney/Pixar's 'Brave'. If all goes well, Atmos will debut on 15 screens in the US when 'Brave' hits cinemas on June 22. Though the official list hasn't been released (look for that in the next couple weeks), these select cinemas will all be in major cities. AMC's "ETX" auditoriums, which already have built-in height channels, are likely conversion candidates.
Again, this is mostly a test. Atmos doesn't officially debut until next year, when Dolby is planning to run a "Road to 1000" campaign in hopes they'll have 1,000 Atmos screens by the summer of 2013. In the meantime, they plan to work with Hollywood's top filmmakers to mix the biggest movies in the format for next year.
To learn more about Atmos, here's the Launch Event and Panel:
Dolby Atmos Launch Event & Industry Panel from Dolby Laboratories on Vimeo.
Fidelity Forum 2.0 Wrap Up
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Visiting the Laboratory is an aural treat. Despite the amazing demos, my favorite part was probably the visit to Mixing Room A, where we sampled the B.O.B. (featuring Halley Williams) song Airplanes and the Owl City song Fireflies in 7.1. Not only was the equipment drool-worthy (sorry about the puddle, fellas) and the room perfectly tuned, but we were able to isolate vocals and other track elements and learn how mutli-channel audio is mixed. Fascinating.
As for the other technology explored, Dolby TrueHD Advanced 96K Upsampling is a fun new home theatre improvement. I could hear it and I look forward to hearing as many movie soundtracks in the format as possible. Since I've already got the gear, why not, right? I suppose the only potential downside is the inevitable studio double-dip release, but that would probably happen anyway. Dolby Atmos won't be in our homes anytime soon, but as a theatrical experience, I'm eagerly waiting for 'Brave' and whatever follows.
Will either change the movies forever? For some, yes; for others, no. But at the end of the day, what's most important is Dolby, and many other companies out there, won't settle for what's "good enough."
Because they always need to make it better.
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DirecTV Will Launch TV and Broadband Bundles
Mon May 21, 2012 at 12:00 PM ETTags: DIRECTV (all tags)
Starting later this year, you'll be able to get a 10Mbps connection through your satellite.
One of the oddities that comes with satellite television providers is that you need to go through another company for your internet. By the end of 2012, that won't be a problem.
DirecTV has announced a plan to launch bundled internet with its satellite subscriptions, giving you up to a 10Mbps download speed. This uses the Gen4 technology pioneered by Hughes and ViaSat.
"We look forward to offering every single DIRECTV customer access to fast, affordable broadband options through DIRECTV, no matter where they live," says senior VP Oswin Eleonara. "With greatly improved capacity and speeds, satellite broadband services provided by ViaSat and Hughes will fully support our customers’ connected home experience."
Details will emerge later this year as the service comes closer to launch.
Source: Electronic House
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