Redux: lack of smooth playback with blu-ray

Yesterday I purchased the Panasonic DMP-BD55 blu-ray player because our DVD player started to show some weird defects. In a previous post I wrote about my experiences with the combination PS3 and blu-ray movies. I was very annoyed to see a stuttering playback in slow panning shots.

 First thing I did when I fired up the panasonic was to put the output from automatic to 24p and 1080p. My TV supports both. I also connected the panasonic with a high end Monster HDMI cable to the TV.

 Then the test. First Disneys Cars. What an amazing quality! And no sign of stutter effect in slower moving scenes.

 Then a "real" movie: 10.000bc
Superb imaging, and no sign of stuttering either. The movie itself is enjoyable, not extremely good, but nice to watch anyway.

 Last one was old but very good "The Goonies". This old material even looks better on blu-ray. Maybe they used the original movie reels to create a blu-ray version? Anyway, the movie is a classic and didn't show any signs of stuttering either.

 I can only conclude that either the PS3 isn't very good for blu-ray playback, or the used TV doesn't really support 24p.

 I also found out that the used hdmi cable actually *does* matter for better playback quality, so I opted for the high end Monster 1000ex cable.

 In any case the stuttering isn't inherent to the blu-ray standard, which I was afraid of.

 But one should really be aware of what components to buy. And double, triple check those manufacturer specs to be sure your TV actually support the right settings.

 My perfectly working combo:
Player: panasonic dmp-bd55 (299,- euro)
TV: samsung le37a656 (1199,- euro oct 08)
Cable (hdmi): monster 1000ex (120,- euro)

 Yes, 399 euro would give me a ps3 but I really (and I do mean REALLY) don't like the bulky ugly casing. And I truly believe the ps3 has been surpassed in blu-ray movie playback by the other players in the market. Since I'm more of a casual gamer, the gaming aspect is not important to me.

 Media center? Well, I think an Apple TV will be next :-)

Silence

I'm currently recovering from an accident I had with the scooter last Friday. My shoulder is broken and was operated last Wednesday.
I am using my iPhone one-handed for Internet and twitter (@marcofrissen), but full keyboard action is impossible for a while, so I'm taking a short break from posting at Posterous.

Hilarious! When your credit card signature fun backfires

Manager: OK, I'm going to decline the signature and have you sign it again.
Manager: Sir, your signature...heh...umm...doesn't match the signature on your card.
Kingpin: I know and there is a good reason for that.
Manager: (quietly) You drew a penis on my credit card machine.
**The guy behind me bursts into laughter.**
Kingpin: Yeah, I didn't think this would happen. I've been trying to see how far I could go with my signature before the credit card company did something about it.
Manager: I guess you learned your lesson.
Kingpin: Yeah, the credit card doesn't accept penis.
**The guy behind me now can't stop laughing.**
Kingpin: Fair enough.
Manager: This time, really sign it.

via drunkrepublic.com

I thought the story on the above site was hilariously funny!

Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) is closing in..

via science.nasa.gov

I love astronomy, and have a big 250mm Dobson telescope. However, I'm very picky and usually won't go out unless something special is about to happen. I'm one of those people who rarely watch something else than comets. Well, February is a good comet month (actually the past month has been too), with comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) getting brighter and more beautiful each day.. eh night.

Check out the NASA site above for more info including a link to the discoverer's blog and ephemeris for the comet.