Red Dwarf DVD commentary – a question

[Richey]

I’ve just finished re-watching series 1 and 2 over the last few days, with the cast commentary on. I can’t help but notice how much of a prick Norman and Danny are being towards each other. What’s the deal here? Do they genuinely have a problem with each other or was it tongue-in-cheek banter that just happens to come across as being vile towards each other?

Topic

[Ben Saunders]

Also, something somebody pointed out to me earlier today is that the divide between UK and US culture has really shrunk recently, and it’s typified by those videos — there’s always two or three of the “biggest songs” that I have never heard in my life, huge in the states but just not over here. Vice versa, a lot of our indie failed to break the States.

I like the Red Dwarf commentaries, they’re fun. I wish I didn’t have to whip out the discs to watch them (skill issue, I know) since computers don’t have DVD drives anymore — another sign of the times.

[RunawayTrain]

I wish I didn’t have to whip out the discs to watch them (skill issue, I know) since computers don’t have DVD drives anymore — another sign of the times.

External disc drive, MakeMKV then … oh wow I’ve totally lost the words … Handbrake is the next step, to make the ripped MKV smaller.

But that only works if you have enough storage on your laptop or computer, also a sign of the times that so many only have small storage.

[Dave]

Yeah, even with music storage current computers don’t have room for an extensive library, so I’ve had to whittle down my complete collection of Prince albums to a single record. Again, Sign o’ the Times.

[tombow]

Yeah, even with music storage current computers don’t have room for an extensive library, so I’ve had to whittle down my complete collection of Prince albums to a single record. Again, Sign o’ the Times.

with “controversy” as an extra bonus track…right? Right?

[International Debris]

Get a Mac, they said. They’re better than PCs, they said. Course, then I started buying BluRays, only to realise that Apple don’t support them, meaning I currently have no way of watching loads of my Doctor Who extras. I can rip them, but each boxset comes to several hundred GB, meaning even with a bunch of external HDs, I don’t have room for all of them. I’ve taken to ripping a box, watching the whole thing, then deleting it, but that’s not very useful when I just feel like putting on a couple of Behind the Sofas or whatever. 

[Flap Jack]

Makes me feel grateful that I’m able to rely on a classic Blu ray Player + TV set up.

For what it’s worth though, playing Blu rays on Windows isn’t exactly a picnic. I tried to do it some years ago, and I had to hunt for way too long to find a free media player software that was able to play Blu rays successfully, and even the one I found was pretty dodgy with it. Maybe the landscape has changed since, but it seemed like PC users generally weren’t expected to want direct Blu ray playback.

[RunawayTrain]

For what it’s worth though, playing Blu rays on Windows isn’t exactly a picnic. I tried to do it some years ago, and I had to hunt for way too long to find a free media player software that was able to play Blu rays successfully, and even the one I found was pretty dodgy with it. Maybe the landscape has changed since, but it seemed like PC users generally weren’t expected to want direct Blu ray playback.

I haven’t found anything free that claims to be able to play them recently either.  I sometimes look for an external Blu-ray drive because my current external CD drive is extremely temperamental – otherwise I’d happily play discs rather than rip them – but they’re blooming expensive and I can never work out if they need any of the extra software that I can’t seem to find.

I do have a Blu-ray player that would plug into a TV screen but no real way of using it in my current circumstances.  Plus when I’m watching a favourite programme I like to be able to take screenshots of little observations, or for memeability, which can only be done on a computing device not the TV.

[Technopeasant]

 but that’s not very useful when I just feel like putting on a couple of Behind the Sofas or whatever. 

Ironically the main features I do not bother to watch, and yes I realize those make up a sizable chunk of what are new to the Blurays, but I don’t own any of the DVDs so….

I am on the verge of buying a full external NAS drive just for storing rips of the Doctor Whos though.

I do have an external Bluray player, but prefer not to stress the discs if I can avoid it.

[Jenuall]

Can’t you just use VLC to play blurays?

[Flap Jack]

Apparently it is possible, but it’s a pain. You need to add in a bunch of extra libraries and plugins and codecs and shit, including a way to circumvent the DRM protection on the disc.

[International Debris]

You can use MakeMKV through VLC, but the discs have to be part of a library of DRM codes, and it’s remarkable how few seem to be in them. I’m sure if you’re watching some big films it’s fine, but none of the Who ones I tried were recognised.

I don’t even have a telly, nor anywhere to put one, so that’s not really an option either. It’s all a massive pain in the arse.

[Ben Saunders]

At least PlayStation have had Blu-Ray support since 2006 and Xbox have had it since 2013, so if I really wanted to I could watch a Blu-Ray. But I don’t think I ever have.

[tombow]

I’ve noticed blu ray players popping up in charity shops lately

[Dave]

I’ve noticed blu ray players popping up in charity shops lately

Feels like the modern version of this:

[Flap Jack]

Honestly there’s a good chance my PS5 has spent more time playing movie/TV Blu-rays than it has playing game discs.

[Technopeasant]

Yeah, Blurays are getting fairly common at ValuVillage and Goodwill thrift stores in North America the last few years.

[Moonlight]

Honestly there’s a good chance my PS5 has spent more time playing movie/TV Blu-rays than it has playing game discs.

That’s not surprising considering the PS5 has no games.

[Flap Jack]

[Ben Saunders]

[Dave]

[Moonlight]

I don’t actually know or care if the PS5 has exclusives, I just find people saying it has no games very funny.

[Dave]

It definitely seems like big top-tier blockbuster games that can sell a console are increasingly rare as the console generations go on. Although that might be because these game are so much more complex now that each one takes years longer to make.

[Jenuall]

Astro’s Playroom, a free game that launched with the system, remains the best thing on PS5 and that will probably only change when the new Astro comes out.

[Jonathan Capps]

Sony are basically releasing all their first party games on PC, which I’m very grateful for, but it doesn’t seem likely that will ever extend to Astro, which is a massive shame.

[Dave]

A big part of Astro was showing off the new DualSense features, so I guess it makes sense that they want to keep it as a proper PS5 exclusive. 

[Jonathan Capps]

Very true. Same with their PSVR titles, I guess. Then again the DS5 does work with PCs, including the fancy features, so who knows. Until then I have God of War Ragnarök and then hopefully Spoderman 2 to look forward to.

[Dave]

I enjoyed both of those. Spider-Man 2 seems to have caught a bit of backlash for some reason, but as a lifelong fan of Spidey I thought it was great.

[Jonathan Capps]

I fucking love the Spider-Man games so I imagine that won’t change for 2.

[Dave]

It is everything that was good about the first two games, but even better. I’m also a big fan of the Venom storyline and it works really well for the game.

[Jonathan Capps]

Excellent. Now I just need to patiently wait for the PC version

[Author]

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