Numanoid

The release date of January 28th and prices are now listed for the Futurama Season 1 Box set at Amazon U.K. and Blackstar.

Features included:
* Full commentary for each episode.
* Deleted scenes.
* Trailer for Season 1.
* Interactive gallery of stills/concept art.
* Animatics for 'Space Pilot 3000'.
* Script and storyboard for 'Space Pilot 3000'.

Cool! Already got my pre-order in.

codefree

32.00 BP at Bensons World - probably the best deal since this price includes free international shipping. Their service is awesome as well!

http://www.bensonsworld.co.uk/detail...=7000000067414

Josh Z

I don't want to put a damper on anyone's enthusiasm, but I know that there are a lot of Malata owners in this forum. Thought I should put out the warning that the Malata does not covert PAL-encoded 30fps animation to NTSC well at all, regardless of what filter setting you choose.

I have the Family Guy R2 release. The options are to choose the SMART setting and put up with horrible shimmering artifacts in every shot, or choose the STILL setting and put up with even more horrible combing artifacts in every shot. None of the other settings are any better.

AdamGott

Or choose camera 1 and that works pretty well (at least it does for the South Park dvd's)...

Maybe the Family Guy dvd's are different but for South Park discs 7-15 the camera 1 setting works great. Try this and let us know what you find, please.

lwdog

In this instance I think it may not be entirely the Malata's fault: I have a PAL television, and the Family Guy still looks weird and overly edge-enhanced.

Josh Z

Neither Camera 1 nor Camera 2 shows any reduction to the shimmering artifacts on the Family Guy disc. I would like to think it could be just this disc (I've been tempted by those South Park sets also), but from my understanding of how the process works, converting material that was originally animated (or shot on video) for 30fps NTSC to PAL and then back again is highly problematic. That is why the Malata handles material that started out film-based (which is allowed to play out at 25fps in PAL without 3:2 pulldown) much better, but doesn't do so well for television animation or shot-on-video material.

I should point out that I am watching on a standard NTSC interlaced display. Perhaps if I upgraded to a progressive-scan display I might see an improvement?

AdamGott

I watch on a standard NTSC interlaced display as well and I have the same problems as you with the South Park discs, unless I use Camera 1 as the setting. When I use this it is near perfect, although there is a very slight shimmering effect on some edges, as there seems to be with most PAL discs using my setup. When I use SMART or one of the first two settings I get FLICKERING, which is quite a bit more severe than some minor shimmering.

I guess I should also add that I use a 32 inch tv. I have noticed that many errors are far less pronounced on this small of a screen compared to the sizes that some people use (or compared to the 55 inch tv that my ex-wife now has!).

Josh Z

Thanks for the info. Now I'm going to have to purchase some more PAL animation titles to see if I have the same results.

GatorDeb

It seems my DVD player that I got from Total Movie Entertainment is region free.

Is it legal to own and view Region 2 DVDs in the US? If so, this is a must buy!

codefree

Keep in mind European DVDs like Futurama, are PAL and not NTSC as used in the U.S. Your player would need a PAL-->NTSC converter for these DVDs to be viewed on a U.S. television.

lwdog

It is very legal to buy and own R2 DVDs.

(though my understanding is that some countries do have parallel import laws concerning the selling of the discs by retailers.)

RichardW

When someone with a Malata player gets this set, can you post a quick reply on the setting you use to watch this as well as how much shimmering is present? Thanks!

lwdog

If someone has a PAL television that has got the set, it would be appreciated if you can describe the picture quality as well, just as a 'control' for comparison.

Numanoid

Great News!
Just got my Futurama box set and I'm happy to report that there is no sign of the shimmering which plagued the Family Guy disc. (I'm using a Sampo 620 player.)

This is a sweet package. A slip-on plastic cover goes over the cardboard box and each disc has a different alien on the label side (with an amusing twist on the image on the discholder when the disc is removed).

Looking forward to watching with the commentaries (and maybe even with the French or Italian soundtracks!)

flashburn

I heard that the "shimmering" on the family guy set was the way they were produced in season 1? Anyone verify that this is or isnt true?

Cornfed

I've been wanting to get the Family Guy set. Is the shimmering really that bad to the point where it's unwatchable?

Josh Z

The Sampo and the Malata use different PAL-to-NTSC conversion processes. Can someone who has a Malata check this out? It may exhibit artifacts that the Sampo does not (whereas it will retain the correct picture geometry while the Sampo won't).

Josh Z

First off, let me clarify that I see the shimmering artifacts using a Malata player. I do not know whether other PAL-to-NTSC machines (Sampo, Apex, etc.) will exhibit the same problem, or whether they will have the problem to the same degree. Also, I am watching on a standard interlaced NTSC television. Perhaps the problem may be reduced on a progressive scan display.

That said, the Family Guy disc on my Malata is not unwatchable, but the shimmering artifacts are present throughout the disc no matter which filter setting is chosen. They are distracting, but after a certain point you get used to them and just watch the show.

Giles

I have an Apex (please no comments) and the shimmering problem on my copy of South Park Season 4 is really distracting, yet the Family Guy disc doesnt have this problem, what gives? I am a little worried about my Amazon order with the Futurama disc I ordered - fingers crossed!

bcelmins

I just got a malata today and was watching my R2 Family Guy. I noticed the shimmering, but so much was made of it that I was actually pleasantly surprised when I saw that it isn't actually that bad. It is noticeable, but after you watch for about 5 minutes you just stop noticing.

Brent

farscape66

Use the still video filter for PAL, should fix your problem.

Josh Z

That only works on film-based content. Animation and video-based programs are not improved by the Still filter.

toot

don't any TV's in the US/Canada accept PAL anyway? i find it strange as nearly all TV's here (england) work with NTSC and PAL.

Josh Z

In general, no. US televisions are NTSC-only. It's one way of preventing foreign competition in the electronics market.

Jay G.

Also, TVs have never been manufatured in the US with PAL capabilites because there's never been a huge demand for it. Us americans get so many films released domestically that there's no need to import a PAL copy for 99% of the population. BY leaving out a feature almost nobody would use, the TV manufacturers save money.