Charles Hamel.com

Ipod Nano 6th Gen

Charles Hamel — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:40:07 +0000

Apple does it again with a complete redesign of the Ipod Nano 6th Gen line of MP3 players. I have provided a picture of the 5th gen and the Ipod Nano 6th gen side by side for your comparison, so you can see the dramatic change.

ipod nano 6th gen

The new Ipod Nano 6th Gen is sleek with a colorful new take on the nano, It changes things up with a tiny 1.48? x 1.61? x 0.35? anodized aluminum case and a multi-touch interface for controlling your tunes.

Also with the newest Ipod Nano 6th Gen comes a new version of Apple Itunes with a new social network added called “Ping”. I have been known to be a big fan of Apple products, but they are just so damned cool. Shoot me already..

Check out the new Ipod Nano 6th Gen and you will definitely not be disappointed.

Charles Hamel

Resistance 3

Charles Hamel — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:34:13 +0000

res_fallofman_two

My all time favorite first person shooter Resistance and Insomniac games has just released a trailer for the newest version Resistance 3, and it guarantees to put a smile on many faces.

Resistance 3 plot involves a despicable alien race coming to earth and converting humans, with a chemical process to their kind. But this wont happen as long as I have a gun in my hand. Resistance 3, looks badass.

If you have never played Resistance, now is a good time to start with

Resistance 3.

My all time favorite first person shooter Resistance and Insomniac games has just released a trailer for the newest version Resistance 3, and it guarantees to put a smile on many faces.
Resistance 3 plot involves a despicable alien race coming to earth and converting humans, with a chemical process to their kind. But this wont happen as long as I have a gun in my hand. Resistance 3, looks badass.
If you have never played Resistance, now is a good time to start with Resistance 3.

Charles Hamel

Nokia X3 Touch and Type

Charles Hamel — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 04:18:38 +0000

nokia-x3-touch-type-phone-0

Nokia revealed Touch and Type S40 lovingly named as the Nokia X3 Touch and Type. This new technology phone presents a unique combination of a touch screen and a traditional T9 keypad. Nokia X3 Touch and Type is the first combination touchscreen Qwerty S40 phone that includes a 5 MP camera, and Wifi.

The Nokia X3 Touch and Type is a awesome new addition to the Nokia cellphone lineup.

Charles Hamel

Amazon Kindle 2 Accessories

Charles Hamel — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:23:22 +0000

Since getting an Amazon Kindle 2 E-book reader I have started looking for a cover for it and assorted other Amazon Kindle 2 Accessories. The first day I started searching for a cover that would protect both front and back and close with a clasp when I wasn’t using it I discovered a brand new cover coming out that included a retractable reading light built in, that gets it’s power from the kindle itself. What could be more perfect?

Blue Amazon Kindle 2 Cover

Red Amazon Kindle 2 Cover

Green Amazon Kindle 2 Cover

Pink Amazon Kindle 2 Cover

Orange Amazon Kindle 2 Case

Black Amazon Kindle 2 Case

Leather Amazon Kindle 2 Case

As you see they come in a wide variety of colors and will be available on the 27th of August 2010. The design with the light is the best part for me.

Light draws power from Kindle device. No batteries required
Built-in, retractable LED reading light pulls out from the back cover when needed, and slides away to become invisible when not in use
Stylish genuine leather exterior. Soft, grey, microfiber suede interior protects Kindle

New Kindle 2 cover with book light

Amazon Kindle 2 cover with light

Another cool Amazon Kindle 2 Accessories that I ran across are gel skins that protect the front and back and also jazz up the plain white frame of the awesome E-book reader. A company by the name of Gelaskins has come up with some very artistic Amazon Kindle 2 accessories. My favorite was a fantasy themed girl, but they had hundreds to choose from.

Amazon Kindle 2 accessories

So if you are in the market for some absolutely drop dead cool Amazon Kindle 2 Accessories I suggest you head on over to the Amazon Kindle 2 Accessories store and check out what might catch your eye and provide an adequate protection for your Amazon Kindle 2.

Amazon Kindle 2 retractable reading light

Charles Hamel

Gardening 2010

Charles Hamel — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:12:38 +0000

vegetable-gardening

Had some emails recently asking me if I had a garden this year, so I decided to make a video response and show you what I have going on this year at the Hamel Homestead.

Charles Hamel

Unboxing Amazon Kindle 2

Charles Hamel — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:36:25 +0000

amazon-kindle-2_1

Recently I have been debating on getting an Electronic Book Reader, but first let me explain my reasoning for this. As most of you know I live in Japan, and being an English speaker living in Japan I have limited options on books that are in English. Here in Hokkaido there is a small foreigner community compared to Tokyo so there is just not much in the lines of books in English. The libraries are scantily stocked with books in English along with the retail bookstores.

Also Books here in Japan are about double the price as they are in America, and if you order them online you have to pay enormous shipping prices and wait for it to arrive. Amazon’s electronic book service is purchase now and get immediate delivery through a download. Also the prices on Amazon’s electronic books are about 40% cheaper than the physical book price.

Next pro is that electronic books take up no space, and are eco friendly no trees no paper. Getting an electronic book reader was pretty much a no brainer for me, especially being the avid reader that I am. The next decision was what electronic book reader should I get?

I started researching and boiled it down to two, one was the Apple I-pad and the second was the Amazon Kindle 2. Of course the Apple I-pad is a book reader and so much more, while the Amazon Kindle 2 book reader is basically just a book reader. The apple I-pad stands at about $500.00 and the Amazon Kindle 2 just dropped in price to $189.00. In September when my contract with my current cell phone provider ends, I will be changing to an I-phone, so I decided I don’t need an I-pad and a I-phone so the choice was the Amazon Kindle 2.

This post is about Unboxing Amazon Kindle 2.

You can get your very own and let me see your Unboxing Amazon Kindle 2

So far after the Unboxing Amazon Kindle 2, I am delighted with it’s performance and very happy with the quality of the product. It is easy on the eyes and comes with Free Wireless access using cell phone tower technology. At first I didn’t think it would work here in the country where I live, but I was pleasantly delighted to find out it works perfectly. Not only does it do electronic books, but also plays mp3′s and has a browser to surf the net.

After Unboxing Amazon Kindle 2, I wonder how I lived without it. It was a great purchase and I highly recommend it to anybody who loves to read books. There are tons of free books on Amazon including most of the classics and many new releases that are being promoted by the author or publisher.

Charles Hamel

Snowboarding Weekend

Charles Hamel — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:52:53 +0000

snowboarding_06

Me and the oldest son took a visit to the ski slopes this weekend and caught a few videos..

Enjoy! It’s been snowing for 2 days straight here and I have a smile on my face

Charles Hamel

Snowboarding Hokkaido

Charles Hamel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:42:00 +0000

Wanted to give a update on the snowboarding Hokkaido season here, we find ourselves in mid March having been on the slopes sixteen times and we are not finished just yet, although sadly we have to convince ourselves, no matter how much we don’t want to admit it, that the season is winding down.

Even though it is possible to snowboard hokkaido and ski until late June in some places, most of the major locations will be shut down for the season. Farmers are spreading out the black sand to help melt the snow in anticipation of beginning another growing season, and most of the streets are now snow-less.

It has been a great second year for me and the family with ungodly amounts of deep powder that have broke records from long ago. I gained two new family members as snowboarding partners this year so all in all I must say it has been a excellent winter season.

Coming up on my second anniversary of living in Hokkaido, I must say that winter season is by far my favorite time, luckily it lasts for a good 6 months. I also must admit that it is a sad time for me to know that my weekly snowboarding trips with my son will be coming to a halt soon, and in it’s place will be mountain hiking trips.

Even though I come from a land with very few undulations I have the mountain life in my blood, and have never felt more at home in any place I have lived than where I am at now. The sights are breathtaking and sometimes I wonder which is better, the actual snowboarding Hokkaido, or just being on the mountain taking in the life changing views.

In retrospect I came to Hokkaido thinking life in the extreme temperatures and heavy snow would be a challenge, but have realized that your body adapts so quickly to different environments that it is no harder living here than any place else. In fact, I can’t think of any other place I would rather be. I have found home, and if the Kami Sama’s are willing I will be here until the ghost is tired of this body.

Every-time one of my fellow foreigner friends leaves to go back home I feel a bit of sadness, because I know if I was ever in the situation where I must go back it would be a life changing emotional roller coaster. Luckily for me, as long as I keep my nose clean I can stay forever.

Living in Hokkaido is a dream come true, a place where people pay thousands of dollars to come and visit for a short time and then have to return to the reality of their everyday routines. Hokkaido is pagan in the primitive sense, here man is one with his natural environment. Trees, stones and mountains are as much real beings as man, and according to the Shinto belief, all are divine.

I think life would be such a waste to live a life span and not experience a truly spiritual and magical place as Hokkaido is.Yes it is Japan, but is every bit as different from the main island of Honshu as Hawaii and the main land of America is.

Hokkaido is full of immigrants from the main island, you will find a large majority of them artisans, artists, ecco friendly environmentalists and people with a general Bohemian mindset. This is what makes Hokkaido so unique and one of the number one travel spots for main landers.

How awesome is it to look out your bedroom window and see snow capped mountains, to see wild deer in herds crossing through your yard, to see wild foxes searching for the next meal right outside your window, and to always be aware that we live in bear country, and a chance meeting is just as possible as catching a rainbow trout in the nearest river.

I have found my heaven and can think of no other place I would rather be, wont you come for a visit and check it out for yourself? Snowboarding Hokkaido will almost guarantee that you will leave a changed person.

Kamui Lift

Wanted to give a update on the snowboarding Hokkaido season here, we find ourselves in mid March having been on the slopes sixteen times and we are not finished just yet, although sadly we have to convince ourselves, no matter how much we don’t want to admit it, that the season is winding down.

Canmore Lift

Icecicles

Cross Country Exercise

Skier

Me and Ollie

Charles Hamel

Oldest Son

Youngest Son

Even though I come from a land with very few undulations I have the mountain life in my blood, and have never felt more at home in any place I have lived than where I am at now. The sights are breathtaking and sometimes I wonder which is better, the actual snowboarding Hokkaido, or just being on the mountain taking in the life changing views.

Boarder Friend

Shy Friend

Shinto Shrine Winter

Shinto Shrine Snow

Me at Kamui

My Best Side

Youngest Son

Typical Winter Day

Kamui Top

Ski Lift Family

Kamui Top Lift

Kamui Top

In another life you might have found me in front of the computer all day very rarely taking a glance outside, but that person is gone now and life is too short to be spending it indoors when you live in paradise. I have found my heaven and can think of no other place I would rather be, wont you come for a visit and check it out for yourself? Snowboarding Hokkaido will almost guarantee that you will leave a changed person.

Charles Hamel

10 Must Have Blu-Ray Discs

Charles Hamel — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:22:36 +0000

Since I have acquired a Playstation 3 during the Christmas season, Blu-Ray DVD’s have become more of interest to me lately. I have always been a big film buff but have never experienced the magic of Blu-Ray, until watching the Transformers movie on Blu-Ray and surround sound. All I can say was that it was Amazing.

I have decided to add the subject of Blu-Ray Movies to my website and composed this post on the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

Lets start our countdown with 10 and work our way to number one.

Curse of the Black Pearl

#10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl [Blu-ray]Pirates of the Caribbean “The Curse of the Black Pearl”

The first and in my opinion the best of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies is an early on Blu-ray Disc that set the bar for the quality of transfers and excellent audio. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is a must have title due to the clarity and sharpness of the image and the theater quality uncompressed PCM audio that begs you to crank up your 5.1 surround system.

In a ideal setup this movie is stunning to watch, with vistas and visuals that are as clear as they are breathtaking. The audio representation is also top notch — cannons roars, the pirates yelling and cursing as if they are all in the room with you not to mention the haunting score that envelopes you.

The best thing is that the movie is fun to watch and is the best of the series, introducing us to Jack Sparrow/Will Turner/Elizabeth Swann, and making us all wish we were seafaring pirates (anti-hero versions like Jack Sparrow and not mean, dirty ones like Barbossa).

There is a second Blu-ray filled with extras (most displayed in 480i unfortunately) such as games and activities, a movie showcase, a backstage special, a “making of” feature and a blooper reel.

The 10th top 10 must have Blu-Ray Discs.

underworld

#9 Underworld (Unrated) [Blu-ray]Underworld “Unrated”

I really enjoyed Underworld although it is not a great movie, it is good fun and is very watchable multiple times as the action and storyline lend it to a fun night of entertainment especially with the extras.

Underworld is a story about a war between vampires and werewolves, but the deeper message is one of a forbidden love, honor, and revenge. Kate Beckinsale is a surprising action hero in this film and really makes you believe she is an almost unstoppable immortal vampire.

The real star of the show in this package though is the video representation of this film on Blu-ray, presented in a stunning AVC encoding format (it was filmed in Super-35 and scanned in 2K resolution to digital format, then cleaned up).

The surreal blue-tinged lighting effects and incredibly crisp visuals are a treat to the eyes and the audio is full, rich, and well balanced. It is presented in uncompressed PCM 5.1 format. Underworld Unrated is an amazing Blu-ray that is still a demonstration quality title for the format.

The movie comes in at number nine in our list of 10 must have blu-ray discs.

The Fifth Element

#8 The Fifth Element (Remastered) [Blu-ray]The Fifth Element (Remastered)

At the time of it’s original release, The Fifth Element was a groundbreaking film with an original take on a futuristic society that is on the brink of destruction from a malevolent entity.

The movie was a full helping of eye candy with over-the-top action and acting, and it’s still a great ride and very enjoyable to watch to this day. This remastered version is a high quality encoding from the masters and it shows in nearly every scene.

Fine details in faces, clothes, and backgrounds are very sharp and evident, black and white levels are superb, and the film grain is reproduced exactly. I would venture to say that this home version in many ways looks better than it did in the theaters years ago due to advanced displays in the home.

The audio is presented in two formats, Dolby TrueHD and uncompressed PCM 5.1 formats, both versions offer immersive and dynamic sound that will blow you away.

If you want to demo your Blu-ray setup to someone, load this in the tray and skip to the opera scene to see and hear what high definition is truly like.

Number 8 in the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

SunshineMoviePoster2_000

#7 Sunshine [Blu-ray]Sunshine

Sunshine is a fairly unknown movie with a plot premise of a Sun that is decaying with a group of scientists and astronauts that need to reignite it with a bomb the size of Manhattan.

While this could have been another Day after Tomorrow the movie is very dialogue and character driven, which completely overshadows and overtakes the premise.

Sunshine is a movie that needed to be on Blu-ray — the transfer quality of this film is nothing short of striking. Both interior and exterior (space) shots are dead on with white and black levels that are perfectly balanced.

The audio on this disc is perhaps even stronger than the visuals, presented in both core DTS 5.1 and DTS HD MA formats (for the handful of people with receivers that can process the format). The sound submerges you as you watch and experience what is happening.

The audio is both subtle and heavy but always discernible, surround effects/audio are present almost throughout the movie and are incredibly effective. Sunshine is one of the first 1.1 format Blu-rays to market and utilizes the PiP feature for the extra features as well as some advanced sound mixing. This is a great movie in presentation and content with tons of extras to keep fans busy.

A definite must have for number 7 in the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

Troy

#6 Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]Troy (Directors Cut)

Troy was a movie that was originally made to be a monstrous box office hit theatrically and critically but it failed to deliver due to the studio mandated cuts that changed this amazing R-rated film to a PG-13 release that, instead of drawing a larger audience, lost the audience it needed.

Wolfgang Peterson presents to us the way the movie was originally intended to be seen in this amazing Blu-ray release that has the cut he wanted featuring more blood, battles, and back-story to actually make you understand and love this film.

Troy, of course, is the story of Helen, the beauty who launched a thousand ships and the battle for the walls of Troy by the conqueror Agamemnon. Achilles is the action star of the film and is the central focus in this version of the tale.

Troy is a reference quality transfer, meaning it is a stunning example of what high definition movies should look like on the format. Color levels, fine detail, film grain, every aspect is crisp and almost three-dimensional. It helps that the cinematography, locales, and costume designs are top notch; the movie simply looks fantastic.

The audio is presented in uncompressed PCM 5.1 format and a Dolby Digital track; hopefully your receiver can handle the lossless format because the surround experience and general sound experience here is phenomenal and needs to be experienced as cleanly as possible. There are a number of short featurettes that go behind the scenes and are appreciated in the fact that they are all presented in 1080p. While Troy is definitely not true to the literature it borrows from it is a great movie and is a top notch Blu-ray to own coming in at number 6 on our 10 must have blu-ray discs.

MATRIX

#5 Matrix [Blu-ray]Matrix

It may be hard now to isolate The Matrix from its two lesser sequels (not to mention all the spoofs, parodies and knockoffs that have come along since), but this original mind-bending film was the very definition of cool when it came out back in 1999.

Yes, you read that right. It’s been a full decade since we first learned the answer to the question: “What is the Matrix?” In that time the film has become a bona fide classic, and with good reason. No one (not even the Wachowski brothers themselves) has been able to match its pop-culture resonance or its balance between ambitious style and engaging storytelling.

What’s nice about this edition is that you can pretend those films don’t exist and enjoy the original on its own merits. Overly ambitious sequels aside, The Matrix still holds up as an action-packed thrill ride, even if you can see every bend and loop in the track ahead.

The once groundbreaking special effects and camera tricks – like the infamous “bullet time” sequences and the freeze-frame 360-degree maneuvers – may not seem as original or startling now as they were a decade ago, but they still fit within the context of the film. It’s refreshing to see that the Wachowski brothers’ confident and distinctive visual style hasn’t lost any of its panache after all this time. And that lobby shootout is still just as awesome as ever.

A big 10 must have blu-ray discs.

5144tL9CUsL._entertainment-reviews_

#4 Spider-Man - The High Definition Trilogy (Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 / Spider-Man 3) [Blu-ray]Spider-Man the High Definition Trilogy

I have decided to throw in the whole Spiderman trilogy here as the Spider-Man entry to the list as it is a fantastic bundle and really showcases the evolution of the series. The original Spider-Man was a great movie and pulled us into the fantastical world of the webslinger and his discovery of his powers and epic first battles.

Spider-Man 2 showed us a more mature but troubled character and is the best movie of the series with Dr. Octopus nearly stealing the show. Spider-Man 3 ended the current trilogy with a good movie; it is the worst of the three, but still very good.

In this final chapter we have Peter facing a crisis on many fronts, his friends turn from him, new villains arise in Venom and the Sandman, and he needs to battle his dark side in the form of the black suit.

I don’t believe anyone could have done the series better justice then Sam Raimi as the director and the great cast and effects teams he led. The trilogy is truly a sight to watch in the Blu-ray format; the first film is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio while the subsequent two are framed in 2.40:1 and all look amazing.

In almost every aspect of the movies the detail, color, and depth of image are represented in a way that needs to be seen to be believed. Sony should be commended for the care they took in these transfers and they are a high water mark for action films to emulate. Audio is presented in many ways, English: PCM 5.1 English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Portuguese:

Dolby Digital 5.1; all language tracks are mixed amazingly well and sound stunning. The mixing is truly the high point of the audio, sound levels are just right, and the channel usage is bang on across the board. Any of these films are a must have on Blu-ray, but the Trilogy edition is the true star. While there are minimal extras considering the trilogy aspect, the ones they have are relevant and entertaining.

Number 4 in the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

2001BluRay-thumb-330x438-29227

#3 2001: A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray]2001 A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey is a groundbreaking masterpiece in films and is a classic sci-fi movie. The movie centers around two astronauts on a mission to Jupiter and their AI-driven computer HAL who controls the ship.

The movie is complex, interesting, and a true treat to watch as the astronauts discover something is wrong with HAL and try to survive the journey. This movie is Stanley Kubrick at his best and features his signature amazing cinematography and beautifully used cinematic score.

The movie has been restored to a pristine state on Blu-ray and since it was originally filmed on 70mm in the 2.2:1 aspect ratio it is perfectly suited to this high definition format. Every color, detail, and light level is crisp and spot on.

This disc is true reference grade for the movie and needs to be owned by any fan. On the audio front it is presented in uncompressed PCM as well as Dolby Digital 5.1; while it sounds amazing, the mixing is front heavy so there is not a large amount of surround exposure; regardless, this movie sounds great.

Finally on the extras front the disc is loaded with documentaries, making of entries, and a great commentary by the two principle actors. All of these features are great and they add a huge amount of depth to the movie. 2001:

A Space Odyssey is a true classic and thanks to the great care given to this Blu-ray package it is truly one of the Blu-rays you MUST own, and is number 3 on the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

61UuM4DakzL

#2 Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]Blade Runner (Ultimate Collectors Edition)

Blade Runner is a powerful movie that speaks for itself and the fact that in the past 25 years many imitators have tried to replicate the look and tone of the picture.

Blade Runner is the story of Dekkard, a specialized police officer, called a blade runner, who hunts replicants (artificial humans) who have rebelled. The hero is not perfect — he has failings and often is at a loss in a situation; he is a real person who we can all relate to and in fact the movie sheds doubts on his very humanity.

The villains are not really good or evil, they are a group of people for whom time is running out and they are trying to find a way to not only stay alive but prove in fact that they are alive and deserve to live.

The movie is genre-defining and now 25 years later the faux future looks almost real with giant animated billboards, congested dirty streets, and people seemingly on the edge of despair.

The version we will focus on is the new version of the film, the amazing Blade Runner: The Final Cut. The video presentation of this version of Blade Runner is nothing short of spectacular. Ridley Scott has an insert and an introduction that explains this was a revolutionary 4K scan of the 35mm master and it shows. The black levels, the optical shots, and the color levels (especially the neons and the billboards) are amazing and true to life. This is a dark film (not a single bright-as-day scene aside from interior lights) and thankfully the levels are perfect and make this look like a recent film and not one that is over 25 years old. Audio is breathtaking with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 versions to choose from and the audio really takes advantage of the formats. Directional audio is abundant and bass is utilized to amazing effect, the sound levels are always great and the background noise is presented in a way that convinces you that this is truly a crowded and busy place Dekkard lives in.

Finally the extras — wow, if you are lucky enough to get the Ultimate Edition (I was) there are physical extras, but on the discs there is an amazing amount of material. Unbelievably Blade Runner is a five-disc collection, yes five discs, and it can be found for under $30 at most retailers. On the discs we have four extra versions of the film (on top of the final cut) all restored to the best level they could (original, international, director’s cut, and work print); these are all different versions, some subtle and some pronounced changes.

We also have many commentaries, a making of documentary that runs over 200 minutes, a number of making of featurettes and a look at the versions from work print to final. This is a staggering amount of material and is, I believe, the high water mark for Blu-rays both from a movie restoration/quality level and the extras that were included. Blade Runner: Complete Collector’s Edition is the must have and every single person who owns a Blu-ray player needs to have this collection.

Coming in at number 2 on the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

542050blu-ray_close_encounters_of_the_third_kind

#1 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This is my all time favorite movie and comes in a two-disc Blu-ray set which is the definitive homage to Steven Spielberg’s classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The movie centers around an everyman who sees a UFO and explores what would happen if real people were to have an encounter of the third kind (meeting the aliens).

It is a movie that explores the nature of the human race as well as our viewpoints toward others and the potential for life on other worlds. This package contains the never before on video theatrical release, the theatrical re-release special edition, and the 1997 director’s cut. The movie is groundbreaking (even today), heartwarming, and a true classic, science fiction at its best.

The video presentations in these versions are equally stunning, presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The film grain from the original print is perfectly represented (thankfully they didn’t digitally clean it). The color levels, blacks, and flesh tones are spot on and this release demonstrates how older films can still look amazing if handled correctly.

The audio is very strong with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 versions on the discs. The sound mixing is excellent with deep bass reproduction and effective surround levels; in particular the communication scene at the end is truly wonderful to listen to.

Finally we see a large amount of very high quality extras from interviews with Spielberg to an immense behind the scenes photo gallery to a documentary on the film and its impact. One of the coolest extras is the ‘view from above’ feature which flashes icons on screen to tell you when a scene came from an alternate version of the film. It is a neat feature that fans will love as it ties in directly with the included fold-out map that shows the differences in the versions. The film is amazing as is the presentation and extras, this is a must have for any Blu-ray owner.

And there you have in this authors opinion of course the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

Related Blogs

Nendoroid 09 Haruhi

Charles Hamel — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:15:32 +0000

Nendoroid 09 Haruhi

The ninth release in the Nendoroid line of products is Nendoroid 09 Haruhi from the ever so popular Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Anime. The unbelievable demand for this soft, adorable figure has compelled Good Smile to reissue the Haruhi Suzumiya Nendoroid again! With three interchangeable faces and numerous extra parts, the Nendoroid connoisseur can pose her pointing her finger, arms akimbo or even sticking out her tongue! All these detailed, lovable and incredibly silly features are truly what make the Nendoroid series fun both to play with and to display! In fact, she seems to scream “Every one of you should buy three of me!”

Nendoroid 09

In fact the original that was released will be almost impossible to find from any place other than a collector, although the good news is that Figma decided to re-release the awesome figure of Nendoroid 09 Haruhi and it can easily be found at Amazon. The original release was in June of 2007 with the sculptor being Yukiwo Ageta and is going for $39.95 at the above link.

Nendoroid 09 Haruhi Suzumiya

Nendoroid 09 Haruhi is a great addition to your collection of the Figma Nendoroid figures and is one of the most popular Nendoroid’s ever released.

Charles Hamel.com

Ipod Nano 6th Gen

Charles Hamel

Resistance 3

Charles Hamel

Nokia X3 Touch and Type

Charles Hamel

Amazon Kindle 2 Accessories

Charles Hamel

Gardening 2010

Charles Hamel

Unboxing Amazon Kindle 2

Charles Hamel

Snowboarding Weekend

Charles Hamel

Snowboarding Hokkaido

Charles Hamel

10 Must Have Blu-Ray Discs

Curse of the Black Pearl #10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl [Blu-ray]Pirates of the Caribbean “The Curse of the Black Pearl”

underworld #9 Underworld (Unrated) [Blu-ray]Underworld “Unrated”

The Fifth Element #8 The Fifth Element (Remastered) [Blu-ray]The Fifth Element (Remastered)

SunshineMoviePoster2_000 #7 Sunshine [Blu-ray]Sunshine

Troy #6 Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]Troy (Directors Cut)

MATRIX #5 Matrix [Blu-ray]Matrix

5144tL9CUsL._entertainment-reviews_ #4 Spider-Man - The High Definition Trilogy (Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 / Spider-Man 3) [Blu-ray]Spider-Man the High Definition Trilogy

2001BluRay-thumb-330x438-29227 #3 2001: A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray]2001 A Space Odyssey

61UuM4DakzL #2 Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]Blade Runner (Ultimate Collectors Edition)

542050blu-ray_close_encounters_of_the_third_kind #1 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]Close Encounters of the Third Kind

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Nendoroid 09 Haruhi

Charles Hamel

Curse of the Black Pearl

#10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl [Blu-ray]Pirates of the Caribbean “The Curse of the Black Pearl”

underworld

#9 Underworld (Unrated) [Blu-ray]Underworld “Unrated”

The Fifth Element

#8 The Fifth Element (Remastered) [Blu-ray]The Fifth Element (Remastered)

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#7 Sunshine [Blu-ray]Sunshine

Troy

#6 Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]Troy (Directors Cut)

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#5 Matrix [Blu-ray]Matrix

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#4 Spider-Man - The High Definition Trilogy (Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 / Spider-Man 3) [Blu-ray]Spider-Man the High Definition Trilogy

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#3 2001: A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray]2001 A Space Odyssey

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#2 Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]Blade Runner (Ultimate Collectors Edition)

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#1 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]Close Encounters of the Third Kind