Well, recently we discovered yet another reason to love the service. In some cases, it’s actually better than the real thing.

Let us explain. Take for example, the title Annie: Special Anniversary Edition. The DVD release in 2007 was universally flogged for taking an original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and cropping it to fit in a full frame, 4:3 presentation. We guess Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, which released the DVD, didn’t have much faith in the escalating high definition television sales of their parent company, right? Now imagine the horror experienced by every dad educating their children on the virtue of widescreen presentation, and all of a sudden – gasp - appears something right out of the 1990s! Call the Smithsonian!

Three years later, there still isn’t a widescreen release (in print, anyway) of this seminal broadway-to-hollywood conversion. Thank goodness for Netflix, and their agreement with Starz.

Today, the title is available on the streaming service, and although it doesn’t have the DTS 5.1 audio track from the DVD, nor does it have the special features – and we expect you agree with us that no parent has the time and no child has the patience to watch special features – it does take advantage of that widescreen format television you spent all that time convincing your wife that you absolutely needed to buy it. Kinda like blue balls for the married man.

We took a couple of screenshots from the same scene as a comparison. Here’s the scene from the DVD release:

Now examine the same scene from the Netflix streaming version:

See the extra picture available in the streaming version? Especially on the right-hand side, the entire stairwell railing is in frame. The extra picture available enhances the viewing experience, especially during those elaborate song-and-dance numbers that make this film.

Now, there is a catch. The original theatrical aspect ratio, as mentioned above, was 2.35:1, and this streaming version courtesy of Starz is clearly enhanced for today’s 1.85:1 widescreen HDTVs. So yes, there still is some picture that’s missing. The only way you can catch the movie as it was originally intended is either find a theater screening an actual film print, or buy it from Amazon’s VOD service, which seems to be a direct transfer from the original 2000 DVD release. However, although we love Amazon VOD there isn’t the same support from playback devices as with Netflix, so there may be some difficulty getting to watch it on anything other than your PC. The Roku HD Player does have Amazon VOD support, and even if you already have one for your Netflix streaming access you’re still stuck paying Amazon $9.99 for the privilege to watch the film properly – and that’s on top of the monthly cost you already pay for Netflix, mind you. Hey, we might be aspect-ratio snobs but we’re still parents – we sometimes have to make these tough decisions.

We’ve seen other instances of this across Netflix’s streaming service, so be on the lookout for where streaming your favorite film trumps the physical disc. It’s just another added benefit to an already stellar service which appeals to kids and parents alike.

]]> http://mydadisageek.com/2010/08/netflix-streaming-better-than-physical-disc/feed/ 0 http://mydadisageek.com/2010/08/mdiag-psa-the-land-before-time-on-netflix-streaming/ http://mydadisageek.com/2010/08/mdiag-psa-the-land-before-time-on-netflix-streaming/#comments Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:13:48 +0000 Jeremy Rutz http://www.mydadisageek.com/?p=552 Continue reading →]]> Yes, we know it’s summer. It’s supposed to be a time to play outdoors with your friends, soaking in the abundance of sunlight and seasonal temperatures while they last. That’s what our wives would tell us. But we’re geeks. The sun and heat are our enemy, and even though it’s inevitable we spend some time outdoors, there is a time when we need a break from Mother Nature and partake in some good, old-fashioned AC. These are the stuff for which Netflix instant streaming was made.

On that note, we would like to alert our readers to a new title which appeared on the service this morning, the classic 1988 animated film The Land Before Time. This has been on the HBO HD channels for a while now, and had been the only place to experience the film in widescreen HD the way it was intended. Sadly, although the DVD has a warranted DTS audio track, it is presented in horrific full-frame standard definition. This streaming version comes courtesy of Netflix’s partnership with Starz, and although it’s not in HD or even 5.1 surround, it is in it’s widescreen presentation. We’ll take what we can get.

Why is this geek-worthy? First, because it was directed by Don Bluth, who gave us the classic Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace LaserDisc video games of our youth. Second, because it was executive-produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, ’nuff said.

But third and most important, it is an enchanting movie that appeals to kids of all ages as well as adults, with a hauntingly beautiful score by James Horner. And frame-for-frame, it holds up and even surpasses what Walt Disney Animation Studios was producing at the time, of which Bluth was a former employee before he set out on his own. You could say the apprentice became the master, in that case. Sorry, we couldn’t resist making another geek reference…

Link: The Land Before Time on Netflix

In the meantime, we’ll catch you up by embedding our videos to the site periodically. Here’s the latest, a quick booth tour of the Marvel Super Hero Squad toys you’ll see on store shelves shortly and over the next few months.

Amazon.com offers a Video Games Deal of the Day each and every day, and usually there’s some great bargains to be had. Today’s deal is for Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii versions are all being offered for the low, low price of $14.99.

We know this game received a lot of hype leading up to it’s release, and was reviewed well enough, but we all know the allure is our undying love of the franchise above all. All versions have voice acting from the original cast, including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and William Atherton.

Which version should you get? It all comes down to your console of choice, and the way you want to relive the classic. Want great graphics? Go for the Xbox 360 version – the PS3 version is famous for having sub-par visuals, although a post-release patch was able to remedy this, partially. If you want to share the experience with your kids, the Wii version has Wiimote controls as well as a totally different, cartoony graphic style akin to The Real Ghostbusters TV show. Whichever version you choose, Amazon is ready to believe your credit card, until midnight PT tonight.

“The More You Know…The More You Spend.” That’s what our spouses like to tell us, anyway.

Link: Amazon.com Video Games Deal of the Day: Ghostbusters: The Video Game

If we ever got off our butts to write that stellar review of Cartoon Network’s Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated series (yes, it really is that great, just so you know), we’d say something like, “the world needs more age-appropriate scares to share with our kids.” Well, thankfully, we may have one more, thanks to Scholastic Media and their popular I SPY media franchise.

I SPY Spooky Mansion will be released for the Nintendo Wii in October. Here is a description of the game from the official press release:

After being trapped by a clever skeleton, players of I SPY Spooky Mansion are challenged to find a secret way out of the mysterious old mansion.  First-person exploration of each room of the house reveals 33 I SPY riddles – each featuring interactive mini-games.  Additionally, players will play brain-teasing games and embark on scavenger hunts throughout the mansion as they search for an escape out of the house.

What we know, aside from a release date in time for Halloween, is that the game will retail for $29.99. We also know it was also released for the iPhone last September for 99 cents and for the iPad earlier this year for $3.99, so this had better be the freakin’ bees knees version or we’re crying foul. Being able to play with a Wiimote on a big TV is undoubtedly a great experience, but all things being equal we think kids would have an easier time using their finger to intuitively swipe their way through the brain teasers and hidden object puzzles. We’d say that’s just us, but we really are looking out for our kids.

And then we can put that $25 savings toward more candy. Trick or treat!

Stay tuned, we’ll be live-blogging the latest in Super Hero Squad at Hasbro’s San Diego Comic Con Marvel panel!

And we’re live!

They are flying through the Super Hero Squad news, but we were able to snap a few shots. First the Super Hero Headquarters Heli-Carrier, expected this fall for $29.99. It plays the SHS theme music!

Toys ‘R’ Us will be offering an exclusive Asgard collectors pack with Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Loki and others.

All these are going to be released to retailers in 2010. Also, in October Marvel is doing Marvel Mania month, with $1 off coupons for SHS 2-packs.

Now for the 2011 news. Here’s a showcase of the 2-packs expected in 2011. Red Hulk and classic Wolverine, schnick schnick!

War Machine, action Spidey and Iron Man in Cap’s clothes!

All those SHS figures need some vehicles, right? Two new Squad Cruisers were debuted. Here’s Captain America’s Cruiser:

And they saved the best for last – Blackbird with Cyclops and Wolverine!

The way Hasbro was talking, these new SHS 2-packs and Cruisers will be tied into the second season of the animated series.

2012 seems to be a busy year, not only for the tie-in with The Avengers and Captain America movies, but with The Avengers animated series as well and the fourth Spider-Man film. So expect many more great SHS and other figures in 2012 and beyond!

And that’s all she wrote. Thanks for reading along.

From left to right: Scott Schultz, Christian Jacobs, Lance Robertson, Kevin Lee, J. Torres (Oni Press), Matthew Loux (Oni Press)

Today’s kid-packed Yo Gabba Gabba panel provided many cool stories about the origins of the series and insight into the production of the show, as well as a couple of newsworthy items. It even had a Dancey-Dance Off for prizes! Here’s the scoop.

J. Torres and Matthew Loux from Oni Press were on hand to talk about the upcoming Yo Gabba Gabba comics. There will be three books due this year. The first will be a 128 page oversized anthology in the fall, and the other two will be shorter comics in the ideal board-book format for younger fans. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve bought traditional comics for our toddlers, only to have the pages ripped out before we got them home. Board books are great, except for those teething who like to chew on those thick cardboard pages!

Next announcement, Vans will produce a line of Yo Gabba Gabba shoes. No date was given on when we would expect to see them in stores, but they did say they were kids sizes only – no adult sizes! Christian mentioned, “We tried to talk Vans into it, and they were like ‘what are you talking about, this is a kids show’!” The audience was instructed to email Vans to let them know we want the Yo Gabba Gabba shoes in adult sizes (you could also contact them on Facebook or Twitter as well).

The follow-up album to last year’s “Music Is Awesome” CD  was formally announced. “Music Is Awesome 2″ will be released this August – just right around the corner! And expect to see official Halloween costumes this fall as well.

And lastly, yours truly asked Christian and Scott about the oft-discussed Yo Gabba Gabba movie, and it seems it’s pretty far off. “We were developing it last year with Jason Reitman – ‘Up In The Air‘ Jason Reitman – and his daughter’s a big fan of the show”, said Jacobs. “And his schedule got so crazy once he became ‘academy award winner’ Jason Reitman. It seemed like it got really hard to get meetings, and so we amicably decided to not develop the movie together anymore, because he’s got things he’s doing. It was not a bad thing, but we’re continuing to develop it on our own, and maybe that might be a better way to at it.” At least they are still working hard on it – maybe there will be some progress at next year’s con.