In the XBMC, select SYSTEM button, and start to check for problem from there. Go to Audio set up and do make sure it select a proper audio device. Sometimes it put there as Default, but in your Window OS that audio device by default could be turned off by mistake. So check both ends.

Hope it helps.

Tampopo

I first watched it in late 80's, remembered vaguely about the film, but forgotten its title for quite many years. Until recently.

So first thing I did was to retrieve this film, which to me, was a masterpiece. This film was all about food. Its about food which associate with everything in life, either its birth, death, sickness, happiness, obsession, sex, everything. As you can imagine, anything with food can only be light, comedic at times, which is rather unique. This is definitely one of those that only movie buff can enjoy. Whereas those who are in for quick actions can only remember its bits and pieces.

Strongly recommended for movie lovers. And I do warn all to stock up some Maggi mee at home before watching it. You will most likely want to make a bowl for yourself after watching it.

I enclose a small funny clips for all :

XBMC is pretty advance, able to decode or pass through HD Audio channel with built-in driver. Simplicity of use can be achieved by configuring them once you install on your HTPC.

My XBMC runs on A6 chipset with win7. My unit still can run full HD with no lagging whatsoever.

I suggest you to reinstall win 7 with latest released version of XBMC. If possible, try not to install other unnecessary software on that PC.

What is HF distortion ?

LOL, your poor kids would have enjoyed the film. I don't think they will detect any difference in HF distortion or mono audio. Its a very enjoyable animation.

Comes to think of it, I watch movie in a cinema mostly alone. So far I only walked out of a movie once. That is the 'crouching tiger hidden dragon'. The reason: they cinema I went showed it in Cantonese dialogue. I was furious. And to this day I still don't know why on earth a cinema would want to deliberately showed a mandarin movie in canto dialogue, watching all the lip-sync in agony. Its not as if Malaysian Chinese are all foreign to Mandarin. In fact, all dialect group read mandarin in Chinese school. So I walked out after just a few minutes. Only to find out that in the whole Malaysia, only Midvalley cinema showed the film in its original language. So I went in again, enjoying all the glory of its music, dialogue, Ang Lee's masterpiece in its original form.

I hope the cinema operator do not make the same mistake again.

This post has been edited by peter32: Mar 2 2014, 03:53 PM

Do you like Martin Scorsese in general ? If you do, what do you think of this one, as compared to his previous feature films ?

I haven't watched it yet. LOL. But Martin Scorsese's film is always on my list. Some commercial pieces are pretty good, eg. The goodfella, Casino, Cape Fear, raging bull. While his style is unique, what brought me more to his film was his cinematography and editing. I do enjoy those minor details from his film. The only one film I do think he'd better avoid in future would be 'The Age of Innocence'.

His editor Thelma Schoonmaker did a lot of good for most of this stuff. So I can't wait to watch his latest offering. I think I will post up a minor review once I did.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Broke into two days to finish the film. Despite the length I think for a film which was intended to be a mini epic of the life of a ruthless stock broker, such length is necessary. No doubt there are lots of soft porn, unnecessary drug taking scenes, foul language in every minutes perhaps. If taken into context I also enjoy some of the dialogues that were essentials to build the character of the main actor/actresses.

However, I have to say that Martin Scorsese can do it better than this. His typical narration style of story flow does serve its purpose. Which is very similar to his good old '... as far as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster.' right in the beginning of his well acclaimed 'Goodfella'. Somehow, Wolf is not as good as his previous film. I do have a feeling that he may just want to make this film out of fulfillment of his obligation, rather than out of his passion of film making.

DiCaprio acted well, but not dis-similar to his recent film eg. Django, Aviator etc. He is eccentric right here in this film, just like any others. He should win praise for his role here, without which this film will lose his soul. I love some of the script here. But loath lots of foul languages. I do have a cousin who works in a financial district of London, but I don't think I want to facebook message him to watch this film, unlike the earlier Margin Call.

The best part of this film is still the amazing editing skill of Thelma Schoonmaker, who managed to paste up lots of split seconds clips that is very typical of Martin fast paced story flows.

Overall I think this film is rated only 3/5, with warning to all about its raw nature of the story depictions. I don't think being raw is just pure commercials, but its typical of martin scorsese. However, its a wee bit too much.



An excellent Martin Scorsese style short commercial, with 60's music & cinematography.



This post has been edited by peter32: Mar 19 2014, 12:31 PM

Whats wrong with Gravity ?

Good question. Have you ever wondered why Gravity won the best sound editing for this year's Oscar ? It should have been silent right ?

What the sound effect editor did was to predict what the astronaut would hear when they were outer space. Since sound does not transmit through the space, if you watch the film closely, you will notice that the deep rumbling sound we frequently hear from the film, is actually sounds mimicking audio transmitted to the ear via her arms only when the main actress touches the item. No matter what went on to the space station, sounds only appeared when she touched the space station.

The whole film's audio tried to resemble physics of that sort. That is not only revolutionary, but brave from the point of view of the production. The music add on to the event to fill up the silence when the main actress was floating, which in effect, supposed to be silent. Go back and watch it again, and see what I meant.

The other effect is more like 'directional audio', which the audio of the person will appear from the rear surround if the scene was meant to be so. So yes, this film has to be watched in a cinema, or with a full set home surround system in full function.

Another example of this is from a movie done as early as 1968(?).

In 2001 A Space Odyssey, there was one scene where the spaceman was sucked into an almost vacuum space chamber, which was in complete silence. The moment after he was sucked in, and the automatic door shut itself, that shutting down immediately coupled with a loud bang along with all the gas fizzing noises.. such was the ideal, serious, scientific way to depict a hypothetical situation, only done in a well made film.

Somewhere In Time

1980's production featuring still abled Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Its a classic love story that transcend beyond time. What brought me to it was entirely the soundtracks (again). John Barry managed to capture sentimentality with its easy to remember main theme, with no lack of slow beautiful melody which has haunted me for about 25 years !

Only now I finally get down to watch the film. And I am not disappointed, even though I am not really a love story fan.

The story is about a couple that is destined to be together. The trouble was, one exists decades earlier. So somehow, for Reeve to fulfill his love destiny, he must and managed to find way to go back in time. The love story is simple, pure and full of passion. Somehow both of them knew they were destined to be together, perhaps that made life easier for Reeve.

For many years, C. Reeve's Superman impersonation always stick with me. But for Jane, her classic beauty is just beyond word. One of the reason why I would go and watch this film, other than the music which I can hum with ease (the whole album, not just the main theme), was one fine day I came across this youtube. Elise's(Jane Seymour) portrait is just simply out of this world. I knew that I must watch this one day.

Recommended for couple who want to spend a good saturday evening on the couch.

Yup, I was meant to write that question earlier.

I suppose its all a movie. But if its all inside CR's imagination, why on earth would Elise's at her tender age of probably 80 went to approach him in present day.

Anyway the movie was not meant to be logical.