I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

One of our best test DVDs and one of my personal favourite has been given a Blu-ray make over... and what a makeover it is as well.....

Every breathtaking frame of the new Blu-ray version of Apocalypse Now was personally supervised by Francis Ford Coppola..... Encoded via AVC, in 1080p and 2.35:1, this is about as perfect an image as one could hope for, especially for a film that is now over 30 years old
An incredible upgrade in detail and colour this new Blu-ray reveals. From the first yellow haze shots of the jungle exploding in flames to the final, devastating shot of Willard leaving Kurtz's compound on his boat, Apocalypse Now fairly bristles with detail. Look for example at the scene with the backlit Willard in profile examining the dossier on Kurtz: you can literally count the hair on Sheen's neck, so clear is the image. Grain is completely natural looking, never obtrusive, but apparent and giving the film and nice depth and texture. Contrast and black levels are nothing short of exceptional. The "Brando act" of this film, swathed in darkness as it is, is a revelation, with brilliant delineation between the bald head of Kurtz and the inky black background. The colours throughout this film are astoundingly vivid and beautifully saturated. No source element damage of any major import is noticeable, aside from some very minor blemishes which are very transitory. Simply a superior job all the way around.

If I say its safe to surf this beach, Captain, then its safe to surf this beach! I mean, I'm not afraid to surf this place, I'll surf this whole fu€king place!
 

One of the reasons we use this film for testing is for the sound. This film pretty much invented modern 5.1 sound mixes (ok Star Wars helped) and the attention to detail here is simply mind boggling. That first iconic sequence, which starts with sound before we even get an image, is a perfect example. The weirdly synthesized helicopter rotor noise clearly starts in the right rear channel and then careens around the room channel by channel until finally The Doors' music kicks in. But it's not just the action and battle sequences that are alive with surround activity. Even small scale dialogue scenes, such as when Willard is given his mission, are filled with ambient effects and simply awesome channel separation. Fidelity is exceptional, with Carmine Coppola's synthesized score has never sounded better (or stranger). The soundfield here is one of the most consistently brilliantly realized pieces of art (yes, art) in film history, and this lossless track is, to put it plainly, reference quality.

I will not hurt or harm you. Just give me back the board, Lance. It was a good board... and I like it. You know how hard it is to find a board you like...

As you may tell I am quite taken aback by this Blu-ray release and shall be using it to demonstrate new installations of a home cinemas.....Although if the original DVD was anything to go by we will need to have a few copies in stock, as after seeing a couple of the more memorable scenes our clients tend to want to ´borrow´ the film to watch it in its entirety......and I can´t blame them........

Disneyland? Fu€k, man, this is better than Disneyland!

The Rocky Horror is 35 years old........

The Rocky Horror Show has been giving the blu-ray treat to celebrate it´s birthday....
If you have never seen this movie then you are in for an over the top, camped up performance.....
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is without doubt the definitive cult movie. Now 35 years old, this film adaptation of Richard O'Brien's stage musical is more popular than ever, still drawing in the crowds as it plays at midnight screenings across the US and UK.


It probably doesn't hurt that it's also a marvellously madcap piece of cinema, packed with outrageous performances, big laughs and catchy songs that stick in your head forever. So what are you waiting for? Isn't it time you give yourself over to absolute pleasure...


Brief overview of the story line is that the newly engaged couple Brad and Janet encounter a problem when they car halts in the rain. They both look for contact only to find themselves at the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter a transvestite. A place to stay is offered, but will Brad and Janet want to remain there? Especially when a large group of Transylvanians dance to the 'Time Warp', Dr. Frank-N-Furter builds his own man and a whole host of participation for the audience to enjoy...........


So gather a few friends around your home cinema and treat yourself to a night of Rocky Horror, for an evening of outrageous hilarity  .....

And don´t forget your props.......
Rice and Confetti.... check...
Newspapers...check
Water pistols....check....
Candles or lighter....check....
Rubber cloves...check.......
Party whistles ....check....
And a party hat... check.....

LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!

No tricks, just treats.......

Throughout the Luna month of November (October 23^rd to November 21^st) the lunatics have defiantly got out of the Future Lifestyle asylum..... They have gone on a rampage decapitating prices....

Our Design fee* has been scythed in half......

Projects over a certain size or complexity require good planning where the use of architect’s drawings form part of our design pack alongside, cable schedules drawn up and schematics created. If you engage our services before the 21^st of November 2010 we will waiver half of the design fee, which could save you €€€€€

Prices for flat brackets, projector mounts** and all HD connectors like HDMI cables*** have been hacked to pieces by the FL demons and are completely free when supplied as part of an installation package carried out by one of the ghoulish engineers.......

For these and more horrific horrors contact a member of the sales team on +34 902 107 227 or sales@futurelifestyle.es......if you dare............ 

*The design fee discount only applies for one off projects or houses and is not applicable for developments or multiple units. 
Any prices of products or installations referred to here will ONLY be valid for 30 days from date of issue.

**Offer includes ONLY manual mounts. Motorised mounts are available. Contact a member of the sales team for further information sales@futurelifestyle.es

*** HDMI leads 5m or less will be supplied free of charge with any flatscreen purchase. If longer cable is needed we can offer a range of HDMI solutions including HD over Cat5 cable.

Future of Home Entertainment part 2

Following on from our media player basics here is part 2. 

In this post we will cover what you will need to start unleashing your media from your PC. If you already have an internet connection and a computer then you´re half way there, why not contact Future Lifestyle to help you get the most out of the internet and your stored media.

The great thing about this form of entertainment is that it can be retro fitted into your home using wireless routers and extenders. However if you are about to build a new house or undertake some renovation work on your home, a little forward thinking about your home network will ensure you will get the best out of next generation of home entertainment. 

Here is what you’ll need:

  

Digital media files. You´ll need content—photos, and/or music and movies.  

Content can come from any number of sources: 

• Download photos and movies from your digital camera or digital camcorder. 
• Download photos from friends and family from photo sharing websites like Picasa or from emailed photos.
• Copy music CDs, or use a device to record from vinyl record albums or cassette tapes.
• Download movies from the Internet, or digital versions of movies included on DVD/Blu-ray Discs. Note: digital versions of movies may be copyright-protected and may not be compatible with many network media players.

Storage. The content must be stored on your computer(s) or a networked attached storage (NAS). When deciding where to store your files, consider:

• The benefit of a media server or a NAS is that you don’t have to leave your computer turned on in order to access your files.

• If you store your files on your computer, you will also need to turn on media streaming or acquire special software:  

A router that connects to the computers you want to include on your network. A router is a device that creates a path for all of your computers and network devices to talk to one another. The connections can be wired, wireless or both. 

Most internet providers will supply you with a modem / router combination, however these standard routers are not always the best for coverage or handing large amounts of data transfer. So spending a little on a good router is always advisable, you wouldn´t build your new home on an unstable foundation would you? 

Connection to the router, either wireless or wired. Connect your computers and devices to the router either with Ethernet cables or wirelessly.  Most laptops come with a built-in wireless card. For desktops and NAS devices, you will probably need to connect by means of cables.  

If you connect devices or computers wirelessly to see each other and communicate, they all must be on the network of the same name.  The available networks will appear in a list of selections, both on computers and when setting up a wireless connection on a network media player. Make sure you have the correct network name and any passwords when setting up the connection.

Forego Configuration Hassles by Using a Wired Connection

The easier and more reliable way to connect is to use an Ethernet cable to connect your device or network media player to the router.  If you have a newer home with whole-home in-wall Ethernet wiring, you will simply connect your Ethernet cable to your device or computer and then plug the other end into the wall outlet.

However, if you don’t have built-in Ethernet cabling in your home, it is doubtful that you would want to add cables running from room to room.  Instead, consider a powerline Ethernet adaptor. By connecting a powerline adaptor to any wall electrical outlet, it sends data over your home’s electrical wiring as if it were Ethernet cables.

Once you have set up your network, connect your media player to your TV and loaded your content you are ready to start enjoying what we believe is the way we will all watch TV in the future. There will be no more need for huge satellite dishes on your roof or the picture breaking up due to bad weather, the power of the internet and world wide entertainment will be at your fingertips.

To find out more about unleashing the power of the entertainment on your PC or the internet contact the Future Lifestyle team on +34 902 107 227 or email them at info@futurelifestyle.es.

Future of Home Entertainment

So here is the problem... you’ve got all these cool movies, photos & music stored on your computer but you don´t want to sit at your desk or with your laptop to enjoy them.... it is a little like still being at work..... so what do you do???

It´s time to set your digital media files free and enjoyed on your TV and quality music system. 

 

So what do you need??? A network media player that retrieves the media from your computer or other network devices thet plays your movies, music and photos on your home theatre.

We have mentioned on here before about AppleTV and the new Google TV, but it struck me that not everyone knows these products or what exactly they do......So today we´re going back to basics.........

Here are a few terms that you may be familiar with, but as we are doing the basics we may as well cover everything.....

Network: - You (or your internet provider) probably set up a “home network ” to enable all of the computers in your home to share one internet connection.  That same network makes it possible to share files and media that are stored on one connected computer, viewing them on other computers, your TV or even your smart phone.

Media: – This is the term commonly used to refer to movies, videos, TV shows, photos and music files.  Certain network media players may play only one type of media.  When choosing a network media player, you will want to make sure that it can play the types of files you have stored on your computers.

Player – While the definition of a “player” may be obvious to you, it is an important distinction for this kind of device.  The first function of a player is to connect to your computers or other devices and to play the media it finds. You can then watch what it is playing on your TV screen and/or listen on your home-theatre audio/video receiver. 

Many network media players not only have internal hard drives for saving media (1Tb is not uncommon) but also can stream movies, music and photos from the internet.  You no longer need to browse the web on your computer to enjoy videos from popular websites like YouTube or Netflix; to hear music from Pandora, last.fm or Rhapsody; or to see photos from Picasa and Flickr. 

A number of manufacturers make network media players—Roku box, Seagate, Western Digital, D-Link’s Boxee Box, Popcorn Hour—that are stand-alone devices. Their sole function is to stream music, movies and photos from other sources to be played on your TV and audio/video receiver and speakers.  

These set-top boxes connect to your home network, either wirelessly or by using an Ethernet cable.  They are often small, about the size of a thick paperback novel.

A network media player makes it pretty easy to share your media on your home theatre. Whether you choose a dedicated-network media-player device, or a TV or home-theatre component to enjoy your media, be sure you have what you need to set up your home network and network media player.  

But you need more than just a network media player to make it work, click here to check out part 2 in our the Future of Home Entertainment.....

It is getting nearer..............

Unless you have been living under a technological rock you should be aware that Google threw its hat into the internet TV ring sometime ago.... with promises of a full interactive web service for your TV .

Google and Intel have teamed with Sony to develop a platform which is based on its Android operating system for cellphones. This they hope will encourage software developers with the same creativity that the consumers have seen in phone apps.


Well it is getting closer to becoming a reality .... last week  Sony has unveiled its first products based on Android technology, using Google to add Internet functionality to TV and BD models.
The Google TV system comes with a hand-held RF QWERTY-type keypad remote control incorporating an optical mouse to simplify content navigation.

Launch partner Logitech announced a Google TV set-top box, along with remote control handsets and keyboards. The Google TV system runs the Google Chrome browser and features an Intel Atom processor. It's designed mainly to enable searching for TV content across the Internet, using technology developed in part by Rovi. Other built-in applications including Netflix, Android Market, CNBC, Gallery Player, Napster, Netlife, Facebook, Pandora and Twitter.

Sony's Mike Abary said "We're combining the power of HDTV, the power of the full Internet, and the power of apps to create a seamless experience. TV and Internet together at last. Systems in the past have failed because they held back the success of the Web on TV."

Features include support for customised homepages, Google-powered playlists of favourite videos and music, creation of personal radio stations via Pandora, access to music via Napster and photo galleries using photo-sharing sites or mobile phones.

Although not a new idea, the muscle behind this product should surely set the standard of future  home entertainment. Not set for a European launch until next year, all eyes will be on the states to see how successful this new interface will be.

To keep up to date with all of the new technologies for your home why not sign up for the Future Lifestyle newsletter or browse our website to see how we may help you upgrade your lifestyle.......

Being green can also be funky......

Check out these light bulbs from Hulger Plumen. Not only are they incredibly funky looking but also good for the planet and your pocket.

This wonderful bulb has a lifetime of up to 8 years, and uses 80% less energy than the conventional bulb.

There is now no need to hide your light bulbs away, as these is ones you would want to show off.  It screws into any standard bulb fitting, gives off a warm white light. You can put a shade over it... but really would you want to??

These Hulger Plumen 001 Light Bulbs definitely make going green appear even more appealing.

For other ideas on how to make your lighting more energy efficient check out the lighting section of the Future Lifestyle website or contact us to find out how we can help.....