Recommended Links & Rules (DVD Recording & Discount eVouchers)

[Cemetery]

DVD Writers/Recorders & their uses + Posting of Promo e-Vouchers

We are all aware that with the prices of dvd writers that they are becoming more common & as such there are more & more threads about them. That is fine, however under no circumstances will it be allowed to talk about the ripping of, or copying of copyrighted dvd films. That IS illegal no matter what people think, unauthorised copying of dvd media is against the law, just watch the start of the dvd & you can see that for yourselves.

What you use your dvd hardware for is up to you, however any mention of copying films etc from dvd is not allowed and your accounts could be at risk because of it.

Following edited in by Juggler...

Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 - an update to copyright law to bring the UK up-to-date in conjunction with the European Union Copyright Directive.

More information here.

You are not legally authorised to make a back-up copy of a CD/DVD/etc for any reason in the UK.

IT Week, news - 31/10/03

Just copying one CD or DVD for personal use can make you a criminal under EU directive.

The EUCD, or Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003, amends the Copyright Designs and Patents Act of 1988 and is the EU's attempt to update copyright protection to the digital age and combat software piracy.

Indivuals who make a copy of a copyrighted DVD, CD or music file, whether for back-up or for use on another device such as an MP3 player, are committing a crime.

ZD News UK - Oct 31 2003

The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003, drafted by the UK's Patent Office, is modelled on the controversial EU Copyright Directive, broad legislation designed to protect content makers from the growing phenomenon of digital piracy that has ravaged media and software companies.

The United Kingdom joins Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Italy in ratifying the legislation, whose deadline for adoption passed 10 months ago.

Fair use
Civil liberty advocates, meanwhile, have urged lawmakers to adopt new laws that protect consumer freedoms, many of which are written into law in the form of "fair use" exceptions for protected works.

In some countries, including Germany, consumers are permitted to make backup copies of a purchased CD, for example. In the United Kingdom, however, no such fair use provision exists.

The United Kingdom has adopted what many consider to be Europe's toughest digital copyright law, seeking to protect a media industry that exports many of its works to overseas audiences.

The posting of any Promotional/Discount/etc e-Vouchers is not permitted.

Other forums have had to deal with legal issues with the company running a promotion via electronic vouchers.

The main reason being that these offers are sometimes issued to specificly selected customer groups and not for use by/publication to the general public (advertised across forums for example!) as per their terms and conditions. We obviously can't run the risk of falling into the same troubles


J

 

[Juggler]

DVD, Home Cinema & Hi-Fi Recommended Links

DVD, Home Cinema & Hi-Fi Recommended Links

Do you have new links to add that you can recommend? Are the links dead? If so, mail me or post in this thread! Links will be added to the list asap & your posts will vanish after the tidy-up!

Contents

1. Hardware Suppliers
   [*]PC DVD Player Modifications - Region Free Firmware & Other PC based Utilities
   [*]Cable, Stands & Accessory Suppliers
   [*]DVD Comparisons
   [*]DVD Suppliers
   ~ DVD Rental
   ~ Regions 1, 2, 3 & 4
   [*]Reviews - Hardware & Software
   [*]General Film Sites
   [*]Other Forums
   [*]Guides
   [*]Sound/Video Format Info[/list=1]
   
   
   
   1 - Hardware Suppliers
   Head-Fi - headphones/amps
   Headwize - headphones/amps
   HyperFi - DVD / Audio / TV (NOTE: Hyperfi may not have stock available for products actually being advertised = a long wait!)
   MultiRegionMagic - multiregion dvd players/recorders/portables
   Richer Sounds - TV / Video / DVD / Audio : popular
   Robertsons Online - TV / Video / DVD / Audio
   Smarter-Shopping - general electrical
   Sonel - macrovision defeater
   TiVo land - Buy A & B grade TiVo boxes
   Wilmslow Audio - speakers (kits) / spikes / cables / capacitors
   
   
   
   2 - PC DVD Player Modifications - Region Free Firmware & Other PC based Utilities
   DVDProfiler - Catalogue your DVD collection
   DVD Region Killer - region free PC playback (multiregion player required)
   The Firmware Page - region free updates & firmware
   dts/dd trailers (.vob format) - selection of downloadable trailers
   
   
   
   3 - Cable, Stands & Accessory Suppliers
   HiFi Cables
   Optimum2000 - shelving/racks
   Posi-Lock Connectors
   SoundOrganisation.net - hardware storage, performance shelving
   Stands Unique - stands/supports/storage
   
   
   
   4 - DVD Price & Region Comparisons
   DVD Compare - compare Region differences
   DVD Price Check - compare DVD supplier prices - all regions
   Happy Hunter - CD & DVD price comparisons
   
   
   
   5 - DVD Suppliers
   
   
   
   DVD Rental (UK only)
   DVD Options
   LoveFilm.com - (previously DVDsOnTap.com)
   Screen Select
   
   
   
   
   Region One (US, Canada)
   ABSound
   CD-Wow.com (£)
   CD-Wow.net ($)
   DVD Box Office
   DVD Planet
   FutureEnt.com - (NOTE: check their "DVDs missing in the post" guidelines before ordering!)
   Movietyme
   PlayUSA
   R1dvd.com
   
   
   
   
   Region Two (Europe, Japan, the Middle East, South Africa)
   CD-Wow.com (£)
   CD-Wow.net ($)
   Choices Direct
   HMV Japan - for Japanese R2 releases (click here for original language version!)
   DVD.co.uk
   
   
   
   
   Region Three (Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong)
   CD-Wow.com (£)
   CD-Wow.net ($)
   
   
   
   
   Region Four (Australia, New Zealand)
   AtlanticDVD
   CD-Wow.com (£)
   CD-Wow.net ($)
   Devoted
   EzyDVD
   Family Boxoffice (FBO)
   
   
   
   6 - Reviews - Hardware & Software
   Audio Review
   DVD Review
   Home Cinema Choice
   The Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
   TNT-Audio HiFi
   What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision
   
   
   
   7 - General Film Sites
   spielbergfilms.com
   Dreamworks SKG
   Dreamworks Fansite
   TheRaider.net - Indiana Jones
   
   
   
   8 - Other Forums/Sites
   DVD-Swaps
   audioasylum
   AV Forums
   AVS Forum
   The Criterion Collection Official Site
   Criterion Collection Forum
   The DVD Forums
   DVDTimes.co.uk
   EpicDiscs
   Groovehandle
   Hi-Fi Choice
   Naim-Audio
   
   
   
   9 - Guides
   DIY speaker cables/interconnects
   DIY Cat5 Speaker cables
   
   
   
   10 - Sound/Video Format Info
   Dolby
   dts
   Digital Bits guide to Aspect Ratios
   
   
   ..and finally, a thanks to all the contributors!

 

[Tesla]

Contents

• Video Connections
  - Component
  - Scart
  - SVideo
  - Composite
  - Coax
  
• Resolving Sky ghosting/interference
  
• Sky+ Planner Rebuild
  
• Wolfies Guide to Customs
  
• Bi-Wiring
  
• DVD Recorder Technologies

 

[Tesla]

Video Connections

Component

Component – Better quality than RGB Scart
A component video connection is superior to RGB scart. It must no be confused with composite video which is much inferior.

Component video is funnily enough made up of three comoponents.

Y – The luminance signal (brightness/black & white information)
Pb or Cb – How much blue there is relative to luminance.
Pr or Cr – How much red there is relative to luminance.

Green doesn't need to be transmitted as a separate signal since it can be inferred from the "Y, Pb, Pr" combination. The display device knows how bright the image is from the Y component, and since it knows how much is blue and red, it figures the rest must be green so it fills it in.


Scart
Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs

Scart - Gold plated, shielded scart leads ensure optimal performance.
A Scart connector is the European standard connection type. It can be used to carry Stereo sound and an RGB video signal. Lesser quality video signals can also be carried.

Scart plug diagram with pin numbers


Definition Of Pin Numbers

1. Audio Output Ch2 (R)
2. Audio Input Ch2 (R)
3. Audio Output Ch1 (L)
4. Audio Ground
5. Blue Ground
6. Audio Input Ch1(L)
7. Blue
8. Switching Voltage
9. Green Ground
10. No Connection
11. Green
12. No Connection
13. Red Ground
14. Blanking Ground
15. Red
16. Blanking
17. Video Output Ground
18. Video Input Ground
19. Video Output
20. Video Input
21. Ground
    [/list=1]
    
    
    Svideo
    
    
    
    
    SVideo - Similar quality to a RGB Scart connection
    Svideo connections are very popular as the video out on a PC graphics card. They offer a very similar image quality to that of RGB Scart.
    
    
    
    
    
    Svideo pin diagram
    
    Definition Of Pin Numbers
    1. Luminance Ground
    2. Chrominance Ground
    3. Luminance Signal
    4. Chrominance Signal

 

[Tesla]

Video Connections

Composite

Composite - A basic video connection
Composite video connection on the whole is poor quality. It is better than a coax connection. However, far inferior to Svideo or Scart.


Coax

A coax connection. Ancient technology!
A coax connection is the poorest quality of all connections. It is however the most common. Primarily because it’s used to connect an aerial to various equipment.


Fitting A Coaxial Aerial Plug
Coaxial cable (coax) consists of a central wire surrounded by an insulator. This in turn is surrounded by a copper screen (mesh). The whole is covered with a pvc layer.

During assembly:

• Keep your iron clean and tinned
• Avoid nicking the wire
• Avoid leaving whiskers (stray ends of wire)
• Avoid melting the insulation

Start by removing 1 inch of the outer sleeving, 3/4 inches braid and 7/8 inches of the inner insulator.
Slide the clamping nut and collett onto the cable.
Unravel and spread the braid out OVER THE OUTSIDE OF the collett, trimming it to the same length as the collett.
Push the centre conductor through the plug pin as far as possible and solder and trim.
Assemble tightly.

If you have a meter check for continuity between both ends of the cable.
Ensure that there are no short circuits between the inner wire and the outer mesh.

You dont need to solder but signal quality benefits.

 

[Juggler]

Resolving Sky ghosting/interference

Originally posted by Simian

If you'r only gonna use the RGB out of the box... just remove 'pin19' from the TV end (only) of the scart lead (Try it with a 4quid cheapo jobbie first to check!!.)... this sounds like the sort of interference I used to get with both Sky and me DVD using RGB, I could still see a scrolling ghost of terestrial TV... I believe pin 19 is summut to do with the Return loop of the s-vhs bit in the scart lead which interferes with the RGB signal!... and as you'r (and anyone else!!!) using the RGB this ain't needed...

I found this a while ago by spending nearly an entire day on 'google'...

Hope that helps!...

 

[Juggler]

Wolfies Guide to Customs (original post by Werewolf)

Originally posted by Werewolf

When importing any goods from outside the EU you may face additional charges.
These are normally imposed when the declared value of the goods is over £18 (below that and shipping charges aren’t counted, over that and they are).

If you’re package is caught by customs and charge (not all are, normal and air mail packages often aren’t, couriered packages usually are), you will face

Import Duty (varies depending on the item, DVD’s are about 3.5%)
VAT on the the total (goods + shipping + duty).
You may then find you have to pay a “handling/admin fee” to the courier/post office.
this varies greatly
DHL - £1.25 or 2% of the cost of the goods whichever is greater
UPS - £10
Royal Mail - £3.85
Parcel Force £8
These are for deliveries to home addresses/residential customers (DHL may charge £10 by mistake, if so ring and they will normally change it, the £10 fee is their business rate)

Effectively when importing something over £18 allow 21% of total cost for customs fees.
Then allow another £5-10 for courier "handling" fees.
You might not get charged it, but allow for it.

Please note that I have been informed that Customs do not allow the £36 gift limit if the package is from a company, it is only applicable if you are receiving the package from an individual.

HM Customs & Excise site, their general information on internet shopping/imports, the official HMCE FAQ’s.
HMCE phone number 0845 010 9000 for information/advice about import duty etc.

DHL’s official site, it has some usefull information

 

[memphisto]

Bi Wiring Explained

“Bi-wiring” is a controversial topic. Some people are quite certain it makes an audible difference. Some others are convinced that it can’t actually make any difference at all. The purpose of this analysis is to try and decide whether it is at least theoretically feasible that bi-wiring can make any difference.

To define what is meant by “bi-wiring”, and understand what effects it may (or may not) have, we can start by considering the situation illustrated in Figure 1.

This shows an amplifier connected to a loudspeaker by a standard cable made from a pair of connecting wires. For clarity, only one channel of a stereo pair is shown. The loudspeaker consists of two drive units. – a high-frequency (HF) unit often called a “tweeter”, and a low frequency (LF) unit often called a “woofer”. Loudspeakers generally employ a “cross-over network” to direct low signal frequencies to the woofer, and high frequencies to the tweeter. In the example shown here this network is split into distinct HF and LF sections. This split permits the loudspeaker to be bi-wired. (Not all loudspeaker cross-over arrangements will permit this without modification.) In practice, as shown here, loudspeakers designed to permit bi-wiring have extra sets of input terminals which may be joined together when bi-wiring is not employed.

In the conventional wiring arrangement shown in Figure 1, the HF and LF input terminals are wired together in parallel at the speaker, and just one pair of connecting wires are employed to link both speaker units to the amplifier. In most cases “bi-wiring” means using an extra pair of connecting wires (i.e. another cable) so that the signals for the tweeter and woofer are sent from the amplifier to the speaker by separate routes. This bi-wiring arrangement is illustrated in Figure 2. In this new arrangement, Cable 1 carries the signals destined for the tweeter, and Cable 2 carries the signals destined for the woofer.

Various arguments have been presented for this bi-wiring arrangement by adherents who feel it alters the sound. For example, it may be claimed that each of the two cables may now be optimised in some way for the limited range of signal frequencies it now carries, and hence act more effectively. Alternatively, it is sometimes claimed that separating the signals for the tweeter and woofer means they do not now ‘interfere’ in some manner which may arise when they share the same cable. Unfortunately, these claims are generally unclear in technical terms, and there is a general lack of any reliable analysis or measured data to support the claims. This makes it questionable whether the claims are justified. It is also unclear whether the alternative arrangement in Figure 3 might also be “better” than the conventional arrangement. The arrangement in Figure 3 is also bi-wired, but the pairs of wires are now joined at both ends of the signal connection from amplifier to loudspeaker.

In the modified arrangement shown in Figure 3 both cables are used “in parallel” to connect signals to both speaker units. The question now becomes, “Are the arrangements shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, all going to produce exactly the same results in use?”

Detailed analysis of the three arrangements is made difficult by two factors. Firstly, the electrical properties of the items involved can be quite complicated. The networks used in loudspeaker crossovers may contain a number of components and have a complex behaviour. Similarly for the actual speaker units. As we have seen on the webpages on cables, even the behaviour of simple twin-feed connecting cable can be more complicated that we might expect.

The second problem for a precise analysis is that the actual details of the loudspeaker crossover, etc, will vary a great deal from one model of loudspeaker to another. Hence we can expect any results to depend upon the choice of loudspeaker, cable, etc.

To make understanding these questions easier we can address a simpler question – i.e. we can ask, “Is is possible for the changes between the arrangements in Figures 1 - 3 to make any difference, or not?” To answer this question we need only look at a simplified example. If, in that example, a difference can be show to be possible, then it implies that a difference may appear even in more complicated arrangements. If no such difference is shown, this does not necessarily resolve the real issue, but at least we have progressed part of the way to a better understanding. With the above in mind we can now form a electronic models of the above arrangements, simplify them as far as seems reasonable, then compare their computed behaviours.

 

[Tesla]

DVD Recorder Technologies

What's this all about?
We are currently seeing the modern day war between video and betamax. Except this time around it's two formats called DVD-R and DVD+R.

DVD-R/-RW

On DVD-R/-RW data is sequentially stored. Similar to a standard CD. This has it's limitations.

If you fill a DVD-RW with recordings, say 3 episodes of Top Gear. However, you want to delete the first episode you recorded you can do this. But you will not be able to use the space now freed-up untill the entire disc is formatted.

A DVD-R is a once write read many media. It is ideal for putting home videos onto DVD or recordings of sport events etc...

DVD-R/-RW is the cheapest avaliable media.
OcUK sale cake tubs of 25 DVD-R discs from just £6.11!
A Big advantage of DVD-R is that the majority of standalone players will read the discs you record.

DVD+R/+RW

DVD+R/+RW is similar too DVD-R in that if you erase a program from a +RW disc then you cannot use that space untill you format the entire disc. Data is stored sequentially.

DVD+R/+RW have little in difference other than the price. +R/+RW media is a little more than DVD-R/-RW.

Many people say that DVD+R/+RW is more compatible than DVD-R/-RW. This means that if your DVD player can indeed play +R/+RW discs then it will play +R/+RW discs from almost any manufacturer. On the other hand -R/-RW discs can be quite fussy with regards to which manufacturer produced them.

Personally, sticking to the main brands for either format should yield in problem-free recording and playback.

DVD-RAM

Just to make it a bit more confusing there is also DVD-Ram. I don't count this media in the war between +R and -R as it works completely differently.

As the name suggests DVD-RAM can be randomly accessed. Benefits of this include being able to record a program whilst your watching it at a delayed time.

If you delete a recording off of a disc then you can re-use the space without formatting the disc.

It's only let down is it's compatibility in standalone players. The majority of panasonic players will play DVD-RAM without a hitch.
It will be around for a long time as it is also widely used in PCs as a removeable HDD due to its RAM nature.

So, What's the best format?

I really can't say which is the better actual technology between +R and -R.

-R is much more compatible with other players which would make it more favourable. It is also a bit cheaper to purchase blank media. I would go with -R to produce permanant recordings.

DVD-RAM is a fantastic format for recording. It has many features the other two formats technically cannot do. However, it is not designed to produce permanant recordings.
I would go with DVD-RAM instead of either of the RW formats to be used for temporary recordings.

 

[Zod]

The description of biwiring above, while comprehensive, doesn't match my experience or understanding. 99% of loudspeakers with more than one driver have a crossover. Biwirable loudspeakers have the same crossover, but also have two sets of terminals to allow the crossover to be bypassed and the speakers to be biwired. If speakers with two sets of terminals are not being biwired, the terminals of each channel need to be bridged. The difference that biwiring makes is the exclusion of the loudspeaker's crossover.

Whether that is beneficial or not is a matter of conjecture.

 

[Hamish]

I'm putting this here because every time I need this I have to search for about 10 minutes on google to find it. If your sky+ is using more disk space than it should be or having a lot of failed recordings try the rebuild planner option.

---------------------------------
Sky+ Service Menu

There is a hidden service menu on Sky+ units which gives you access to engineer functions. If you have been having problems recording using the Sky+ system and the screen has been reporting there is a fault it may be worth doing using the system reset option from this menu.

Please Note this WILL loose all of your previous recorded programs and your recording schedule. Once you have performed a full reset, you should wait 5 minutes before trying to use the Sky+ system.

To access the menu push the following buttons on your remote in turn (i.e. press Services, then release the button, then press 4, ....)

* Services
* 4
* 0
* 1
* Select