This is the final part of the three part series :
1. The Big Picture
2. The Specs Explained
3. Shopping Tips
Shopping Tips
Ready to put together a home theater of your own? Here are PC World’s recommendations for displays, DVD players, and speakers.
Go with HD:
Choose a widescreen high-definition TV in the size most appropriate for your room. Only if you’re on a very tight budget or have a very small room should you consider anything else.
Look for HDMI or component video inputs on the TV: These inputs will allow you to connect high-definition and progressive- scan sources and will produce the best possible picture quality. The set should also have composite-video and SVideo inputs for sources such as VCRs and camcorders. And a set of A/V inputs on the set’s front or side will make it easier to hook up a camcorder for viewing home videos.
Opt for progressive scan:
It’s hard to find a current DVD player that doesn’t include progressive scan, which produces a sharper, flicker-free picture. However, the TV you use will need to have component inputs that support the progressive scan signal as well. A high-definition Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD player will provide an even better picture; it also will require a component input—or, better, an HDMI input. Some regular DVD players will upconvert their outputs to pseudo-high-definition resolution, but since this does not actually increase the amount of detail in the picture and duplicates a function built into most TVs that can accept a high-definition input, it is seldom a genuinely useful feature.
Start with three speakers:
If you can’t afford the full surround sound setup, start with the center, left, and right speakers. You can always add the subwoofer later if you miss the extra bass, and you can buy the satellite surround speakers if you want a full surround-sound effect.
Use 100 watts as a guideline: A receiver than can produce 100 watts per channel (RMS, not peak power) will be more than adequate for most home theater systems. Make sure the receiver you buy includes Dolby Digital decoding. Dolly Pro Logic II is highly desirable as well, to provide surround sound from videotapes and from ordinary stereo music sources such as CDs.
This is only a brief outline as to how you can go about setting up your own Home Theater System. Look out for more on this series soon.
Part 1 - The Big Picture | Part 2 - Specs | Part 3 - Shopping tips
This is the second part of the three part series :
1. The Big Picture
2. The Specs Explained
3. Shopping Tips
Part 2 - The Specs Explained
You’ll find a plethora of displays, DVD players, and speakers at any home electronics store. Distinguishing one from another can be difficult.
Here are a couple of questions you should consider before you buy :
How big is the room you want to turn into a home theater?
You don’t want to buy a television that’s too big for the room. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t sit any closer to your TV than twice its screen diagonal; if you have a 40-inch TV, for example, you should be no closer than about 7 feet from the screen.
How much do you want to spend?
Do not look at entry level players if you wish to drive high resolution displays.
To be continued.........
Part 3 - Shopping tips
Part 1 - The Big Picture | Part 2 - Specs | Part 3 - Shopping tips
Movies can provide an immersive experience, as sight and sound blend together to take you to a place far, far away. For years you could get that complete escape only in a cinema, with its huge screen and monstrous speakers. Now, with a home theater, you can enjoy a full-fledged cinematic experience in your living room. This guide, courtesy of PC World India looks at three key components of a home theater system: the display, the DVD player, and the speakers.
This Guide is comprised of three parts :
1. The Big Picture
2. The Specs Explained
3. Shopping Tips
Part 1 - The Big Picture
A home theater can do a remarkable job of mimicking the multiplex experience. DVD players and newer televisions can produce detailed high-resolution pictures, offering realistic portrayals of everything from the largest explosion to the smallest teardrop. And with a high-quality surround- sound speaker system, you’ll almost feel the rotor blades whirring by as you watch a helicopter pass overhead. With the right setup, your living room will become a movie-watching cocoon.
To get the crisp picture, you’ll need a DVD player. DVD video outputs up to 540 horizontal lines of resolution, compared with about 200 lines on the VHS tapes your VCR plays. And you can see the difference, as the higher resolution produces a noticeably smoother and clearer picture. Most major consumer electronics companies, including Philips, Sansung, LG, Onida, Pioneer, and Sony make DVD players. Prices for basic players range from Rs 2,500 to Rs. 6,000, but you can pay a lot more for DVD players with lots of features.
Entry level players are good enough if you will be using them with standard definition televisions. While buying a player look for the audio/ video decoder specifications, as well as the outputs that it can provide. The video decoder in a player should be at least 10-bits, the better players come with 12- to 14-bit decoders Digital to Analog converters(DAC). Also pay attention to the speed at which the video decoder operates— the better ones are rated for 108MHz. The audio decoder should be 24-bit. All DVD players can read music CDs; most can play MP3 music on recordable CDs, and video on one or more of the various recordable DVD formats (such as DVD-R and DVD+R). Some high-end models can also play one or both of the high-resolution, multichannel audio formats, DVD-Audio (DVD-A) and Super Audio CD (SACD). At the top of the heap are players for the new high-definition videodisc formats, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, which currently sell for $800 or more; but you’ll need a high-definition television to take full advantage of them..
Picking the Right TV
While you can watch DVD movies on any television, wide-screen TVs work especially well because most DVD movies use the wide-screen format. Wide-screen televisions have a 16:9 (width: height) aspect ratio, which is closer to the shape of theater screens than the 4:3 aspect ratio of normal TVs is. In addition, the 16:9 aspect ratio is standard for high-definition television, which produces much sharper and clearer pictures than does conventional PAL) television. As a result, almost all TVs available today with a diagonal screen measurement greater than 29 inches are wide-screen models, and most (though not all) of them are capable of displaying high-definition images.
For your home theater, you probably don’t want to consider anything other than a wide-screen TV. For the first 50 years of television’s history, essentially all sets used cathode-ray tubes to display the picture. Today, other display technologies dominate at screen sizes larger than 29 inches, and CRT-based TVs will likely disappear from the market within the next decade. TVs appropriate for home theaters now divide into roughly three categories: flatpanel TVs, rear-projection TVs, and front projectors.
Flat-panel TVs are just a few inches thick and can be either wall- or stand-mounted. LCD (liquid crystal display) panels are available in sizes ranging from portable units of a few inches diagonal to wide-screen models measuring as large as 65 inches diagonal. Plasma panels start at about 42 inches, and models measuring more than 100 inches diagonal have been demonstrated. Except for small LCD TVs (usually 20 inches or less), almost all flatpanel TVs are wide-screen models, and most have HDTV inputs and resolutions. Where plasma and LCD screen sizes overlap, the LCDs usually are more expensive, sometimes by a large margin.
Generally speaking, LCDs are more suitable than plasmas for brightly lit rooms, but plasmas typically can produce deeper blacks and truer colors. Rear-projection TVs cast a video image onto the inside of a translucent screen by means of internal mirrors and lenses. Most rear-projection TVs (or RPTVs) available today are wide-screen HDTV designs.
Some budget models still use CRTs to create the projected images, but advanced ones now rely on more compact DLP (digital light projection), LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon), or LCD light engines. Although bulkier than flat-panel TVs, rear-projection sets using these new technologies are usually no more than 16 to 18 inches deep and weigh only about 60 kg. Screen sizes for rear-projection TVs range from about 42 inches to more than 70 inches diagonal.
The Sound of Movies
While the visual element is at the forefront of a movie’s appeal, sound is what really immerses you in the experience. To achieve theater-quality audio, you’ll need more than the speakers built into your TV or the two bookshelf speakers that came with your mini stereo system. A complete surround- sound system from a company such as Definitive, Infinity, Bose, JBL, or B&W includes center, left, and right speakers, as well as two satellite speakers (intended for placement at the sides or somewhat behind the seating area) and a subwoofer for rumbling bass. These six speakers work together with audio formats such as Dolby Digital and DTS. You don’t need all the elements to enjoy a good listening experience, but at a minimum you should have center, left, and right speakers.
Most home theater systems also include an A/V receiver— a box that acts as the hub for all audio input from the various components of the system, decodes surround-sound signals, and amplifies and balances sound before sending it to the speakers. Popular brands include Sony, Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer, Marantz and Harman Kardon—with price ranging from Rs. 40,000 and more. As more people decide to set up a home theater, vendors are making the task easier. Many companies now offer “home theater in a box” setups that include a DVD player integrated with a receiver, plus a full set of six speakers.
To be continued......
Part 2 - The specs explained
Part 3 - Shopping tips
Movie Makers have always seen the potential of sequels, and sequels of sequels. And rightfully so, even a decade back, there have been a good number of movies (or should I say, movie franchises) which have made use of this.
Case in point :
The Friday the 13th series, the Godfather series and who can forget the Star Wars franchise.
But it is only in recent times that movie studios have come to make full use of the sequel mania. Every major Hollywood studio is into making sequels, trilogies and whatnot. Disney, Newline, Revolution, everybody is making them. Why, the Terminator franchise, supposedly the most successful movie franchise till date is gearing up to make a Fourth installment of the Human Vs Computer War.
Even the Indian film industry has woken up to the money machine that the making of movie series are. Granted, you can count on your one hand the number of sequels/trilogies/series ever attempted, but there is definitely an effort, feeble as it may be. One reason for this state of affairs may be the budget, or may be the lack of it. Making a movie series, or the very least, a sequel means serious money, and though budgets for Indian movies are getting higher and higher, they are nowhere near than the typical Hollywood product.
A prime example of this would be the recently hyped to sky high and released "Dhoom 2". The first installment "Dhoom" was itself neither original nor groundbreaking. But it had some things going for it, namely a somewhat taut storyline, good casting, great music and slick editing. While this was the case, one would expect the sequel to be even better, especially as it boasted of a much bigger budget, better music and a fantastic star lineup of A-list actors, bollywood's best. But unfortunately, the movie sucked big time, riddles with so many plot holes that you would think it is a sieve. And some of the characters had no place in the story, wafer thin as it was. The only thing that the movie had going for it was the rocking soundtrack, everything else was just eye-candy, nothing more. And to make matters worse, the makers are planning a third movie in the series.What I am trying to say is that when everybody and their second cousin is making sequels and trilogies, not everyone is cut out for it. While Hollywood has gotten pretty good at this art, the Indian film industry has a long way to go. Doubly so as in the case of most mainstream Indian movies, they are simply a mish-mash of a pool of Hollywood films or in some cases, a straight copy-paste product. Making sequels/trilogies or a movie series is more than big budgets, big stars and bigger SFX sequences. It is a labor in art, where only a very minuscule percentage come out on top. It would be a favor to us all, and to the grand institution that is cinema, if movie makers realize this before they even think of embarking upon one.
yours truly, Ar'Nath Read the rest of the story >>
The Rag-to-riches is not a phenomenon exclusive to America. Mani ratnam's "Guru" is a testimony to the fact that ambition, determination and perseverance can be a winning potion for any aspiring person, irrespective of nationality. The movie charts the life of Gurukanth Desai, the disowned son of a school headmaster, and his rise to the helm of the Indian business world from frugal and humble beginnings.
The Story
Guru starts off in a small Gujrati village. Young 'GURU' KANT DESAI (played by Abhishek Bachhan) can't pass his exams but he dreams big. He leaves for Turkey against his fathers wishes. There he delivers oil gallons. But this genius is not interested in mundane works; he dreams big and wants to earn for himself rather than work for somebody else. In between Mallika Sherawat sizzles as a belly dancer; delivering her oomph which will sure earn the applause of front rows (I was sitting in back rows). Young Guru gets a promotion in the job, but instead he decides to move back to his village to start his own bijness (that's what he calls business).
He returns to India, but his father criticizes him for even thinking about starting a bijness. Meanwhile Guru is looking for a partner to start his bijness. He finds his childhood friend Jignesh (Arya Babbar) who doesn't have sufficient money because his father is saving money for his daughter's dowry. In turn Guru agrees to marry his sister (for starting a business). But luckily for him the girl turns out to be who else, but Aishwarya (Now, even I don't need any dowry, I am totally against dowry). Guru leaves with Aishwarya and Arya to chase his dreams. But he sees that the system is full of restrictions, which hampers starting of any bijness. He is a lay man who has no information of any taxes, laws etc. All he wants to do is earn money, but License Raj is at its peak. Business is full of heavy import duties, rules and regulations. At this point Guru finds a friend in Mithun Chakorbarty, who owns a newspaper. His newspaper stands for truth and Mithun stands by his values all throughout the movie. Mithun gives a very riveting performance (those who despise him, please see this movie to see a great performance by the dancing prince). He helps Guru to start his textile bijness when he publishes an article about contract system in textile market and exposes the system. This is beginning of building of an empire which will soon have 30 lakh shareholders and will be India's largest company.
Soon Guru moves on to bigger things, instead of trading textile he wants to make textile. His company Shakti floats its IPO (shares) and builds its factory in Gujarat. The Company starts earning huge profits and Guru becomes highly popular. Soon Guru starts manipulating the system. He bribes, evades import duty, manipulates share market and does all other unfair things known to mankind. He only has 1 motive. To earn money. But righteous Mithun gets to know of Guru's deeds and he starts bringing his misdeeds to public. Helping Mithun in this is Madhvan( who also delivers a very good performance). Madhvan tackles Guru with his own weapons. He exposes Guru's every misdeed. In between we see Vidya Balan(looking very pretty), she is crippled from her legs. She is Mithun's granddaughter and shares a daughterly relationship with Guru. Madhvan falls in love with Vidya and they both marry, knowing fully well that Vidya only has about a year to live(she suffers from a deadly disease which has crippled her legs). Madhvan starts publishing articles which completely destroys Guru's reputation and leads to closure of his factories. Guru is dragged to court. And from this moment movie becomes very engrossing. How Guru faces the court and how he deals with a death of a near person comprises the rest of the story.
The Good
First of all let me start by mentioning Abhishek Bachan's role, as this is the role that Guru is built upon. If there ever was a movie where one actor dominated so completely I would only compare Kamal Hassan in Nayakudu/Nayakan. Abhishek should be very proud of what he has accomplished in Guru, it is something that some actors haven't or will not achieve in a life time. He is impeccable for the hardest of critic to comment. His histrionics are brilliant and the way he lost and gained weight during different parts of the movie demonstrate how serious Maniratnam and Abhishek were in making this movie. Keep the awards ready please...Abhishek Bachan has his name stamped on them.
The story is quite simple; it is the narration and the characterisation that makes this movie so unique and interesting. it's about a common mans journey to build India's largest company with the help of its share holders by whatever means possible. In Guru, Guru Kanth Desai is not portrayed as an invincible man rather he is played as a very good business man who can talk and do right things at the right time. The narration of the story is so tight you never flinch. (This applies only to serious movie watchers, not the ones who cannot do without masala and comedy in a film) Maniratnam is one the best story tellers in our country if not the best, and he does that perfectly again.
A word of mention...
Aishwarya Rai has a very strong role in Guru; strong roles are very scarce in Bollywood these days...especially for female artists. Aishwarya stays with Guru throughout the movie and stays on the top of Bollywood by doing that brilliantly. Mithun & Madhavan are the adamant characters that fight for the right, when I say adamant they really are in the movie and you feel their willingness to stay on the right side of things all through the movie. Maniratnam has made a wonderful movie full of strong characters, great screen play, brilliant music and marvellous photography by Rajiv Menon. He needs to be commended for this effort. It is no wonder he takes two years to make out one movie.
The Bad
The predictability of the screenplay.
Everyone knows its a bio pic of Dhirubhai Ambani, still it didn't need to be so predictable. The biggest disappointment was that there was no evolution in the the protagonist as he grows from being a common villager to India's biggest industrialist . Abhishek didn't age at all, physically or otherwise ! The only physical differences on Abhishek and Aishwarya were some coloring in their hair, to depict the passaeg of time, and some dark circles under their eyes. Obviously, one was no expecting the magic and mastery of Nayagan here, but at least there was potential to get somewhere close to that. There was no insight, revelation or the plotting that made Guru the man he was. Lots of instances in the movie is happenstance. Guru bumping into Mithunda on the road, winning the contracts, deciding to make polyester or even meeting Aishwarya for the first time.
Glorification of Guru.
The end glorifies Guru as the messiah ,as the best gift to mankind and the masses. While the film maker has every right to express his opinion on the protagonist, the glorification clearly plays to the galleries and all those who had confronted him for a right reason are totally forgotten ! ( the BIL, Madhavan, Mithun etc )
The relationship with Mithun.
The movie hinges on the relationship between Mithun and Abhishek. Some of the best moments in the movie are their scenes together. It so wonderfully set up leading to the interval and subsequent scenes of Abhisheks aides trying to bash up Mithun and the Aishwarya visiting Mithun at his house, leading you to hope that this is heading somewhere. But Alas! the movie ends with an elaborate court drama and Mithun who is a defacto father figure is conveniently forgotten and sidelined.
The Vidya Balan & Madhavan Track.
It had absolutely no relevance to the movie. Why was Vidya Balan a handicapped person ? What does she really think about Guru ? Her elaborate death scene had no connection with the plot, it only served to drag the movie even further.
The Music.
A.R.Rehman and Mani Ratnam have always created magic. But here, the songs are just plain ordinary. Every one of them. Both Maiya Maiya and Ek lo Ek Muft would feature in the bottom 10 songs of Rehman of all time. Even the background music is pedestrian, and this includes the gung ho "GuruBhai" track.
The works of Mani Ratnam, Rajiv Menon and A.R.Rehman in Tamil are miles ahead and far more better than in Hindi. I don't know why this is so. Overall , Guru is not a bad movie , but I was just disappointed that it didn't deliver what it promised.
The Point is...( Rating | 6/10)
It is most definitely worth a watch, though don't keep your expectations as high as the hype it generated. If you ask me what is the one reason why you should watch "Guru", i would say that Mani Ratnam has made Aishwarya act.
yours truly, Ar'Nath