High-Def Digest: The Bonus ViewJosh Zyber, Author at High-Def Digest: The Bonus View

Sorry, We’re Closed

Josh Zyber — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 12:00:01 +0000

Nothing can last forever, I suppose. Regrettably, after more than 8,000 posts and nearly a decade of writing about all manner of movie, TV, and home theater topics, the Bonus View blog at High-Def Digest must close its doors effective today. In the early days of its life, High-Def Digest was devoted almost exclusively to...

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Anamorphic Lens in a Modern 4k Home Theater, Part 2 – The Panamorph Paladin DCR

Josh Zyber — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 20:00:15 +0000

After installing a 4k projector in my home theater, I questioned whether an anamorphic lens is still the best way of achieving Constant Image Height display. Although my first tests using an older model suggested that I was better off without it, our friends at Panamorph were gracious enough to lend me a new Paladin...

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Unboxed: The Terminator Series from Laserdisc to Blu-ray

Josh Zyber — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 12:00:52 +0000

As the Terminator franchise rolls out a new movie, I’m compelled to revisit the earlier entries across the multiple home video formats I’ve collected. I’m not going to pretend to have a comprehensive Terminator collection. I’m sure some hardcore fan out there must own every video edition known to man (as I must with certain...

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Dolby Atmos Beyond 7.1.4 – Part 6: Reconfiguring Everything (Again)

Josh Zyber — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 17:00:17 +0000

My seemingly never-ending project to incorporate an absurd number of speakers into my home theater has undergone another major overhaul since I last provided an update. While, no, I haven’t squeezed any more speakers into the room, I have rewired and re-assigned several of them – hopefully for the better. Most home theaters are content...

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Blu-ray Highlights: Week of October 27th, 2019 – All Monsters Attack!

Josh Zyber — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 12:00:57 +0000

This Halloween week is inundated with monsters, ghouls, and beasties on Blu-ray, plus sparkling new 4k makeovers for a couple of genuine classics. October closes, however, without a single recent theatrical release of note – at least none I recognize. Ultra HD I have dutifully upgraded The Wizard of Oz through every video format from...

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Weekend Roundtable: Best Movie Endings

Josh Zyber — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 17:00:36 +0000

It may be true that all good things must eventually come to an end, but unfortunately not all good movies end well. Some do, however! Brace yourself for some spoilers, because we’re about to give away some of our favorite movie endings. Deirdre Crimmins Not just my favorite ending to a film, but also my...

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Bringing Old Game Consoles Back into Service

Josh Zyber — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 15:00:52 +0000

Lately, I feel like my home theater is moving backwards. Despite upgrading to a high-end 4k projector, I’ve also felt compelled to pull some very old equipment back into usage. First was a Laserdisc player, and now a bunch of my old video game consoles. I’ve mentioned in this blog plenty of times before that...

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The Walking Dead 10.03 Recap: “Peanut Butter, Meet Jelly”

Josh Zyber — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 12:00:32 +0000

Ah crap, annoying Henry is back on The Walking Dead this week. Even beheading the twerp isn’t enough to make him shut his damn, whiny mouth. To be fair to the show, Henry’s appearance is part of a dream/hallucination sequence. It’s not like somebody stitched his zombie head back onto his body to keep him...

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Watchmen Pilot Recap: “Trust in the Law”

Josh Zyber — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 12:00:07 +0000

Considering the glut of superhero stories we’re experiencing in movies and TV, right now is either a great time to revive Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ legendary Watchmen comic, or perhaps the worst. The TV spinoff’s premiere episode leaves me feeling conflicted on that question. HBO clearly intends Watchmen to be its new major event...

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Blu-ray Highlights: Week of October 20th, 2019 – Ingonyama Nengw’ Enamabala

Josh Zyber — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 12:00:02 +0000

Time passes and all of last week’s notable releases step back to make room for a hot new batch of Blu-ray and Ultra HD discs. That’s just the circle of life in the home video world, folks. New Releases (Blu-ray) The Lion King – After the huge success of his Jungle Book remake, Jon Favreau...

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Weekend Roundtable: Best Movie Villains

Josh Zyber — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 17:00:47 +0000

Everybody wants to be a hero, but villains have so much more fun. As Maleficent slinks back into theaters this weekend, let’s look back at some of our other favorite icons of evil from the movies. Deirdre Crimmins My favorite villains are those who are justified in their actions. They may be jerks or have...

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Treadstone Pilot Recap: “I Guess I’m Not Feeling Myself Lately”

Josh Zyber — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 12:00:17 +0000

The Jason Bourne franchise didn’t exactly have a ton of success the last time it tried to launch a Bourne-less spinoff. Nevertheless, Heroes creator Tim Kring somehow convinced the USA Network that the concept would work better on TV. Does Treadstone actually tread water, or sink like… well, like a stone? (Yes, I’m straining for...

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