Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

DVD Hell

I just got a new RCA DVD Player for Christmas. On the one hand I enjoy the picture quality, the Stereo sound, not having commercials, or having to rewind tapes.

On the other hand the seeming lack of standardized controls is driving me insane. Some videos start with subtitles automatically. On some movies many of the functions on my remote seem to be disabled. And some videos have on-screen instructions with lettering so small that I can't read it on a 20" television.

The kids are watching Chicken Run right now with subtitles because I can't use the control marked "subtitles" to actuate (it works fine on most movies, with Annie it defaults to subtitles but atleast allows me to turn the damn things off). I used the Ir monitor app on my VDX to make confirm that the remote was working.

Is it me, the machine, the remote, or do some DVDs simply have poorly/faulty designed interfaces?

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

quote:

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or do some DVDs simply have poorly/faulty designed interfaces?

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Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

Re: DVD Hell

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
Is it me, the machine, the remote, or do some DVDs simply have poorly/faulty designed interfaces?

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I would start with the DVD Settings... it should be some sort of on-screen display menu that controls the default settings of the player itself. My Pioneer allows me to set Subtitle Off as a system-wide setting, though the manual states "some discs display subtitles even if the Subtitle Display setting is set to off". None of the DVD's we've watched thus far have had auto-subtitles displayed.

I will agree that there doesn't appear to be any standard for the way DVD's are "packaged", meaning every discs' menu structure is different. When even the kids can't figure it out, you know there's a problem.

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God bless America, my home sweet home...

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 443

you're right that some dvds have very poor interfaces. however, i do feel that the interfaces are improving, on the whole, as the media is more widely accepted. on the early dvds, you couldn't skip over, for instance, the trailers or promos at the beginning. nowadays on most dvds, you can. however, no dvds allow you to skip over the fbi warning.

as for the subtitles, it sounds to me like either

a. your player has some default settings which you have not set (turning subtitles off).

b. your player is defective

i have rented hundreds of dvds over the past two years and have never had a disc that i couldn't turn the subtitles off on. i did have one disc (can't remember what it was), where subtitles came on once or twice (for one "speech") and then vanished--but that only happened with the one disc.

i have watched chicken run on dvd and there were no subtitles (my player defaults to "no subtitles").

for the most part, i think the format is fantastic. in my living room i have a beta machine, a vhs, a laserdisc player, and a dvd. dvd is by far the best format, in my opinion. people will argue the merits of resolution and sound till the cows come home but for my money, the convenience, ease of use, and low cost of dvd makes it the winner.

if you absolutely cannot get the subtitles to turn off on your discs (and chicken run is positively able to be watched without them), then your player is dogged. check www.epinions.com or do a google search for your player and model. if the subtitles thing is not mentioned in anyone's review, i'd say your player in particular is screwy. if anyone mentions the subtitles thing, i'd take the player back and switch it for another model.

pioneer and sony make excellent dvd players.

mc

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 832

I've got a RCA, turn it on without a disc inserted and you'll get the menu screen, at least on mine you do - it's 1 - 1/5 years old though

Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Holly Springs, NC
Posts: 124

quote:

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Posted by mensachicken
you're right that some dvds have very poor interfaces. however, i do feel that the interfaces are improving, on the whole, as the media is more widely accepted. on the early dvds, you couldn't skip over, for instance, the trailers or promos at the beginning. nowadays on most dvds, you can. however, no dvds allow you to skip over the fbi warning.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

quote:

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Originally posted by Tonewiz2k


I believe some of the early model Apex players could also skip the FBI warning, but the government got on them about it. These were the same players that did not adhear to the regional codes.

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Last edited by EricG on 01-07-2002 at 12:31 AM

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

quote:

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Originally posted by mensachicken

as for the subtitles, it sounds to me like either

a. your player has some default settings which you have not set (turning subtitles off).
bmc

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas

And the first AOL Subscribing/Harvard Educated marketing genius who boldly proclaims "Hey, we can force viewers to watch all our previews...and some laundry detergent ads too!!" should be hung out and shot.

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

quote:

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Originally posted by EricG

...what you are experiencing with your DVD player is only the beginning.... The (digital) future looks very grim indeed.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas


Has the world forsaken the concept of "Consumer Rights"?

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Last edited by EricG on 01-08-2002 at 06:17 AM

Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Holly Springs, NC
Posts: 124

quote:

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I guess congress is starting to become aware of this issue and may look into it...

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

For those interested, Here is a mention of that news item in The Register, not the same article I read but the same topic:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/23587.html

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"One of the most important things you learn from the internet is that there is no �them� out there. It�s just an awful lot of �us�." -- Douglas Adams

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

quote:

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I guess congress is starting to become aware of this issue and may look into it...

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

I skip past the FBI warning with my APEX DVD player, no customization needed. The only thing that chaps my ass is having spent another $30 for an RF modulator on top of the $75 for the DVD player so I could funnel the signal through my VCR (because my cheap TV only has one RF jack). The signal is still scrambled when the VCR is on - which is irritates me to no end. I'd rather stretch a $5 tape than scratch a $25 DVD.

The asinine thing is: there are dozens of ways I could either acquire or distribute a movie for little to nothing.

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Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

More corporate nonsense:

Studios nearing anti-copying tech for TV

"As broadcast TV turns digital this year, studios are looking for ways to control how shows are recorded and traded, and they are proposing technologies that could ultimately bar consumers from freely recording TV programs from the airwaves. "

This is what I was talking about a few messages back..

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-20....html?tag=mn_hd

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 383

On my computer I can skip over the FBI warning...I believe the DVD on the TV can do it when clicking the menu button...

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

When you wish upon a star..

Thats wishful thinking on my RCA system. Hell, I can't even go straight to the menu screen....Disney forces you to watch the previews (although you can fast forward them, which you can't do for the FBI warning).

One thing thats funny on one of my disks....you get the standard FBI warning...followed by an additional plain text warning that implores you not to copy the material. Its almost like being taunted.

Where are the script kiddies when you need a firmware cheat for your DVD player?

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

Re: When you wish upon a star..

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas

Where are the script kiddies when you need a firmware cheat for your DVD player?

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"One of the most important things you learn from the internet is that there is no �them� out there. It�s just an awful lot of �us�." -- Douglas Adams