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Profile of Christine Tham

Christine Tham

Site Reviewer

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Vital Statistics

Age Group A lady never reveals her age. Let's just say I am old enough to remember (and own) vinyl records, and have seen Star Wars (before it was renamed A New Hope) in its original theatrical run.
Video Likes A sharp and detailed transfer with correct colour saturation, enhanced for 16x9 displays.
Video Dislikes R4 DVDs that don't contain as many features as their R1 and R2 counterparts, annoying film or MPEG artefacts
Audio Likes A crisp and dynamic soundtrack that uses the surround channels effectively. I should be able to not only feel explosions, but hear subtle noises like leaves rustling, birds chirping and other ambient sounds. I prefer higher encoding bitrates and DTS wherever possible
Audio Dislikes Any distortion, music DVDs with artificial surround enhancement, R4 DVDs where the DTS track has been removed.
Favourite DVDs Contact, Fly Away Home, L.A. Confidential, The Matrix, Pink Floyd The Wall, This is Spinal Tap, You've Got Mail, Dark City, GalaxyQuest DTS, T2 Ultimate Edition, Twister DTS — I would also like to include Sound of Music except it has a mediocre audio and video transfer
Least Favourite DVDs Dune, any DVD that omits major extras contained in R1/R2 equivalent (too numerous to mention)
Most Eagerly Awaited DVDs Chariots of Fire, Koyaanisqatsi, Lord of the Rings, BladeRunner special edition, the complete episodes of Brideshead Revisited, Twin Peaks ... I think I better stop here!

Opinions About Specific Movies and their DVDs

Titanic Vastly over-hyped — I thought the special effects and cinematography were good, but the plot and acting were so-so. I have never seen the DVD nor wish to.
The Matrix Exhilarating and the plot is surprisingly deep for an action sci-fi movie. I can watch this over and over again. The DVD is one of my favourites - the extras are really nice, and the sound is fantastic (I duck whenever bullets are being fired)
Terminator 2 Refused to see it in the cinema when it first came out, but have grown to like it over the years. The R1 Ultimate Edition is a superb DVD.
Star Wars Which one do you mean? My personal favourite has always been The Empire Strikes Back, although the Ewoks in The Return of the Jedi are cute. I would strongly consider owning the DVDs if and when they come out.
Godzilla I only saw this once on Showtime (Foxtel). I think if you read my comments on Film Dislikes you will be able to easily guess my position on this film.
Independence Day Bordering on silly but okay. I have not seen it on DVD, but would consider purchasing it if the transfer and extras are as good as people say.

Equipment

DVD Player Custom HTPC (Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005) , using RGB output
Display Sony VPL-VW11HT LCD Projector, ScreenTechnics 16x9 matte white screen (254cm) . Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio Decoder Built in to amplifier/receiver . Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (NTSC).
Amplification Denon AVC-A1SE (upgraded)
Speakers Front and surrounds: B&W CDM7NT, front centre: B&W CDMCNT, surround backs: B&W DM601S2, subwoofer: B&W ASW2500

Top 10 DVDs

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1. Gladiator: Deluxe Collector's Edition (2000)
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2. A Bug's Life (1998)
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3. Thirteen Days (2000)
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4. The Matrix (1999)
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5. Star Wars-Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
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6. The English Patient (1996)
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7. Rocky Horror Picture Show, The: 25th Anniversary (1975)
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8. Pleasantville (1998)
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9. Looking for Alibrandi (1999)
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10. Fly Away Home (1996)

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