I’m so glad HMV have been able to bounce back somewhat after going into receivership a few years back and we’ll done to them embracing the wider range of vinyl, tech and merchandise. This is a great store and I wish them all the best- for those of us who still crave the act of buying physical media and all that goes with it, I am glad they can still find a place.
It is rather exciting that the tide appears to have been turned. But it has made me realize that I do need to support them whenever I'm looking to buy something and I always look to see if HMV have it now. Had to buy one 4K from Zavvi about a year ago and that was the film Super 8 that Zavvi had exclusively in the most beautiful steelbook. As Zavvi don't have shops in this country that's all the custom they've had from me. John.
Thanks john, your home cinema looks brilliant, the screen changing size wow, as a kid seeing the screen go wide at the local cinema, you knew you were going to see something special. All the best👍
If we do manage to get the home cinema room enlarged I expect to re-work all the masking to go wider for 'Scope films because we might be able to finally get back to a ten foot wide projected image or maybe a little bigger than that. Probably still have to close up a top and bottom mask but nowhere near as far. John.
I cherish my local HMV (York), it was on the brink of collapse not long ago and they desperately tried to keep on going until the very last minute when they were miraculously saved. I think we, as lovers of film, would miss HMV beyond words if they were to close. This video was a very pleasant watch, thank you John.
Thank you Otis. It was nice to be able to make a promo for HMV even if only on a small scale. I did it out of appreciation for the stores and nothing more. It's gone down very well so far and HMV is getting a lot of positive comments on here which has to be a good sign. John.
I have to admit John when I see videos like this I really do get jealous. I could spend hours in there. We just do not have anything like that over here. I was talking to a few lads on a stream last night and I was telling them that Halloween kills and Resident Evil Welcome To Raccoon City are the only movies that I physically bought in 3 years. It was great that the staff allowed you to interview them for a few minutes and I thought you put the video together beautiful. Your Theatre room looks truly special and I hope someday me and Ellen can come over and sit down and watch a movie with you and Susie. Thanks again John for the shoutout. You are one of the main factors to why my channel has grown so fast and I really do appreciate everything you've done for me and my channel. Take it easy my friend. All the best
For sure, we have got to have a gathering when all this health nonsense is fully behind us. We had Susie's mum here for a week and she rather got into watching the TH-cam videos from Mondo Chelloveck Movies and Euphoria Pictures. I don't think she fully understood that it wasn't television as she's always known it but it made me realize that it is amazing that we can put something together ourselves, upload it to the web and then people all over the world can watch it. For many months we all struggled somewhat to find an audience but now we're having to be increasingly professional as the audience seems to get bigger and bigger. You deserve all the success your having and so does John P. By the way, after I made my opening comment about the masking working properly at the start of my video I came downstairs to find the bottom mask had snapped off! Somehow I didn't fancy mentioning that in the video. John.
Lovely to see your enthusiasm and support for HMV. Here's hoping HMV bounces back in Australia one day. We had them from 1989, until mid-2010 when they collapsed into administration. The flagship store in Pitt St, Sydney, was huge. I have so many fond memories of going there in my lunch breaks, mostly to buy CDs, when I worked in Sydney. Most people just seem to forget them after they're gone, but some iconic retailers are part of our cultural history. I still have a few HMV bags and even a couple of store catalogues from the mid-late 1990s - tiny bits of ephemera that I somehow kept, when everyone else threw them away. Perhaps I have the very last ones. I was amazed to see HMV in the UK stock so many Arrow titles - that's great, and wish they were available on retail shelves here! (We can only order them online). The only major retail stockists that we have left, of DVDs,, CDs, Blu-rays etc, are JB Hi-Fi and Sanity.
HMV are now part of the Sunrise Records group so perhaps they'll get hold of JB HiFi and the stores will get an HMV or F.Y.E. style of makeover so Australia can get back to a little bit of normality and go to shopping centres to simply browse for something unknown to purchase and enjoy. When HMV last went bust here it really did look like we'd lost them completely for a while but Sunrise Records came in and saved the day and the stores seem to have done well during the pandemic, probably due to everyone purchasing from their on-line store which has been wonderful over the past two years. But you can't beat going into a real shop and choosing something at leisure. John.
I'm just a town or two over, in Reading, where the store has almost closed completely a couple of times in the last few years. I'm impressed that they've now refocused their stock onto stuff that I assume sells better. Even if it does mean more figurines and t-shirts which don't really interest me, I'm glad there's a place in town to pick that stuff up and still a place in town to pick up physical media. Their greatly expanded vinyl section is great as well. I do make an effort to pick something up every time I pass by.
I've spent quite a lot of money in the Reading branch over the years. It was on the list for closure the last time the company went bust so it was a nice surprise to see it survived the axe when I was next in town. That whole arcade that it's in is very nice and I'm sure having an HMV in there swells the overall footfall because just about all the other shops are the same everywhere now. This Newbury store is bigger than it would have been but that means they can sell all the other items that will hopefully help to make it successful. I suspect it's the start of a big HMV nationwide revamp. John.
Thanks for the video, I like to see support for HMV as I wouldn't want them to disappear. My local HMV in Worcester closed a few years ago which lead to me having little interest in visiting the high street after that, though I still buy from HMVs in other cities if I can. In 2020 I spent hundreds of pounds on HMV online as there was little else to do, and to support HMV in the absence of my local store!
I really started spending with the HMV on-line store two years ago too so we're probably two of many Ross and does seem to explain their renaissance during the pandemic. I expect record sales have helped too as there are presumably good profits to be had selling LPs these days... and turntables for that matter. Long may it continue. John.
Perhaps it's the sort of shop that will get youngsters back into town and thinking of having belongings rather than keeping all they have on a mobile phone. I suppose many of them have got into records so it's not as bad as I've made it sound but I expect you know what I mean. John.
I have bought 99% of my movies at a "Store", going in a store and looking around is so much fun. Almost every time I find a Treasure I was looking for OR "I was not even looking for". Websites are ok, but not as fun....thanks for the tour, it was really great to watch.
At 9 Minutes are saw "Last Night in Soho" which I have not been able to find to buy or rent yet here in the USA. Still trying to watch it after you review. Did watch "The Green Knight" in 4K with my son who is getting a Movie Degree from Arizona State Univ, the "Making of...The Green Knight" was incredible.
I haven't come across The Green Knight Bob. I will keep an eye out over here now you've mentioned it. Will it help me to get a Movie Degree in Arizona State too? Last Night In Soho must surely be coming soon over there. Perhaps it was so unpopular in cinemas that no one is stocking it. There are copies here with slip cases but the Newbury HMV didn't have those, just the basic case in cellophane. But there's a cinema just off Leicester Square in London showing a 35mm print so I'm going to try to get in to see that... and Death on the Nile in 70mm almost next door at the Odeon Leicester Square. Then maybe a trip down the road to the genuine IMAX but only if they're screening a film print. John.
@@moviecollector5920 "The Green Knight" is a slow, but artist movie. Really enjoyed the Extra "Making Of Feature", it made me appreciate the movie more. I might have loved the art even more if I watched the "Making of..." first. Went to see "Death on the Nile" in IMAX tonight for Valentines. Not as good as "The Orient Express", in terms of casting, filming and plot...but I did love it and I am glad I went to see it. -"The Orient Express" & "Knives Out" are my Favorite Who Done It movies of all time, so it would have been hard for Nile to beat either one of the movies. -Really like how you learned more about the main character...his background and pains. ***Had the plot figured out and completely nailed it, drives my wife crazy when I tell her...but I had to so she would know I was right.
I've just shot a tour of the most successful of all video stores Ian so you should see the Covent Garden 'Fopp' on here soon. I've been in there many times but I appreciate it more and more nowadays. The variety and volume of stock is astounding. Anyone heading for London needs to make a bee-line for this little store! John.
Hi John, I think it's amazing that hmv is the last man standing after all the others and supermarkets have given up on physical media. Long may they continue.
They nearly weren't standing Clive but thankfully they manged to cling on and now seem to be doing well again. Perhaps the resurgence of vinyl records saved the day. John.
It seems that the new owners of HMV have realized the business cannot survive on the old staples of music and movies alone. I like the new basis for business and if people get to know these stores exist and are interesting to visit and browse then they could help the high streets all over the nation as people who would not normally bother to go into the town centre may do so. John.
@@Ahriman13 HMV was too focused on music and video but didn't take advantage of the position they had because they surely should have cleaned up with digital downloads. But you need the right people with the right outlook to know where markets and trends are heading. Evidently they didn't have those people or the management didn't want to listen. Or both! John.
@@moviecollector5920 Well a quick search shows why the change to UK HMV happened since they were bought out by the same company that took over the old Canadian locations. It explains why HMV is so similar to Sunrise Records.
Nice part of the world, I visited a Client office in Newbury about 4 years ago. My nearest store in Liverpool moved last year and is now in a similar format to the Newbury one. Home cinema looking great!
Newbury used to be a bustling, thriving town but If the town council ever realize the error of their ways and re-open the Newbury high street to traffic maybe it will be again one day. Politicians get a bee in their bonnet and will keep going and going and going despite the suffering it causes because they don't like to admit when they've got something wrong. Closing the high street years ago killed the town almost overnight; business moved out and took their customers with them. Then again, it may serve as a lesson to other towns and cities across the nation and they won't make the same mistakes... but I doubt it! Maybe having a new style HMV there will start to draw some reluctant shoppers and visitors back. John.
Good on you for giving some exposure to this new HMV. Hope they last at least a bit. Their idea of hosting in-store shows for bands and artists is an effective one as my local physical media stores have done the same, and my band has performed at a few. All the HMVs in Canada closed a few years ago sadly. I filmed my last visit to the Toronto flagship store as a memory. Masking and curtains look amazing, John! Best - Andrew
Good to hear from you again Andrew. HMV are now under the ownership of Sunrise Records who own other stores such as F.Y.E. across the USA so you never know, the HMV name may just return to Canada again one day. First of all we have to keep supporting them over here so they continue to do well and expand. The curtains ended up better than I anticipated when I first had the idea of sequin outer curtains as it turned out the. sequin material was available in a near identical colour. Funny how things work out at times. John.
@@moviecollector5920 The red and sequin in the light is a great look. And yep, a few of the smaller HMV stores here turned into Sunrise Records due to their new ownership. I was just happy that those locations remained record stores in any capacity. Best - Andrew
@@GuitarGuy5000000000 Aha, I didn't know that some of the HMV's in Canada became Sunrise Records. Shame they didn't keep the 'HMV' identity but at least the stores survived. Could be a legal reason why they had to drop the HMV name.in Canada but not over here. John.
I think they've done a good job with this new store in Newbury. I hope it will do well. As for the USA, apparently F.Y.E. come under the same owner of Sunrise Records to perhaps those stores are worth a look. John.
I've been told on here that the current owners of the HMV brand also own For Your Entertainment (F.Y.E.) in the USA and other outlets so it's possible that if the recent trend continues they could start to look at other markets. World domination is coming! John.
Thanks for your home cinema update John :) HMV is really nice and I wish we had one where I live. Unfortunately, many of these types of stores have closed down over the years here in Sweden. The closest thing to HMV we have in my city is Bengans, an over 30 year old record store that have managed to survive. That record store also has a nice café.
A cafe in a record store is a good idea and that's probably the main reason why they've survived. Book shops are doing that over here these days. HMV seems to be doing well here now and that's not been the case for a long, long time. The pandemic may well have fuelled their web store and now they're updating their shops in preparation for the future so it's actually looking quite promising. We all just need to get out there and support high street shops once more now that Covid-19 is coming to an end. John.
Congratulations on 16k subscribers John ! I remember the old hmv on the corner of Tottenham court rd and Oxford st, it was massive you could get lost in there. I bought my first ever dvd The Straight Story in there. Such a shame it isn’t there anymore.
Aha, that one was the Virgin Megastore Danny and I spent a lot of time in that one. The HMV was further up Oxford Street where there is now a Sports Direct. That was a fabulous store and the escalator taking you up to the first floor to spend all your salary on LaserDiscs and VHS tapes was right at the front so there was no way you could avoid it. Those were the days. John.
We used to have a massive HMV in Birmingham situated over 4 floors that was connected to a shopping centre called The Pavilion but it closed a few years back and got converted into a massive Primark. I was very saddened when it closed as have many nostalgic memories of the latter HMV.. But I suppose we are lucky that there is 2 HMV’s here in Birmingham city centre. One in the Bullring shopping centre and the newer one literally a 3 minute walk from each other in Dale End which has a stage for Live Acts.
Birmingham's doing alright by the sound of it StarLord. The fact that the original HMV on Oxford Street in London was closed and remained closed following the last bankruptcy and buyout suggests the business model really was outdated. That the all-new resurrected HMV appears to be thriving is good news for high streets and shopping centres all across the UK. You just can't beat browsing the shelves in an actual shop. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I totally agree with you there John, I love to browse and look at all that there is to offer and even when I may not actually be buying something on that day but for like a future purchase still get that enjoyment. I feel very fortunate to be able to have 2 HMV’s within a stones throw of one another in Birmingham city centre. I was saddened by the news when it was announced on the news when the original HMV Oxford Street had closed as was feeling like to loose such a iconic store which I didn’t have the pleasure of visiting yet made me feel it could be the end like with so many other famous stores like Woolworths and BHS.
@@InLoveWithGamora The original store on Oxford Street may make a return as I believe it's still there with the HMV identity on it so perhaps it's just mothballed. Apparently there are announcements coming for new store openings in London so it may be one of them. Fingers crossed. John.
@@moviecollector5920 that does sound very promising John with such a iconic building for HMV’s history and origins to have the possibility of reopening would be such an amazing thing to happen. I’ll definitely keep my fingers crossed 🤞 maybe if they ever did open it up some time in the future we could all try and have a subscriber meet up to mark the occasion. You could document it John for your channel and give your review.
@@InLoveWithGamora Now that is a darned fine idea. I'll see if HMV start to be a little more communicative following this video and if so perhaps they'll start letting me in on some trade secrets such as which stores are opening. If Oxford Street re-appears then I'll be there! John.
Hi John. It seems that Keith's experience with "Dune" exactly replicated ours (also on an OLED) - thank goodness for that and thanks for pointing me in the direction of his channel - his enthusiasm is infectious. Hope you enjoyed "Spencer". PS "Witchfinder General" was extremely good - not sure why but I'd always had it down as a "Hammer" production, which obviously it's not. Easy to see why Ogilvy was a top contender for Bond in the days following Connery's departure.
Keith did indeed have the same time with Dune as you Dan so I think we've proved that all our systems vary, no matter how good they may be. I first suspected this when John at Mondo Chelloveck Movies was not impressed with Murder on the Orient Express. As that's still the best 4K I've seen (and so it should be as it's a 65mm modern fine grain film stock shoot) it makes no sense that it wouldn't look anything but top-notch on anyone's system. Dolby Vision and HDR is another variable that makes a difference. But Dune is soft for quite a lot of it and it is too dark in places which was evidently a deliberate approach but I strongly suspect the darkness was exacerbated by the 35mm transfer jiggery pokery. Another colleague has really analyzed all the various versions of Dune through his short throw laser projector and he's even turned the lamp up another 25% and it's still too dark in places. This release has been a lesson for us all and I for one will be even more careful in future about releases that don't look quite up to par on either of my systems. Actually, you may have noticed that I was very careful in the review of Dune. John.
@@moviecollector5920 A valuable lesson indeed - I certainly feel like I've gained some useful insights into how and why viewing experiences may vary even when we are all singing from the same proverbial hymn book. Have you considered making a Patreon page? I'd certainly like to throw you a few quid for your future trips to HMV!
@@danhardcastle Very kind of you Dan but no, I don't want to do anything other to let the advertising revenue that comes in fund the purchases to review on the channel. TH-cam is supposed to be fun so I'll try to keep it that way. John.
And the bigger branches carry even larger variety and stocks. It's lovely to just be able to browse. I could spend a long, long time in these shops. John.
HMV prices actually seem reasonable, what a cool shop! Beetlejuice in the 2 for £30 section is something I’ll never see here in the states, except maybe on a Black Friday deal or something. And £10 for Murder on the Orient Express?? I’ve been hopelessly unable to find that one!
Beetlejuice was just a tenner a few months ago Timothy so it will probably be cheaper again in a while. As for Murder on the Orient Express, I put it on for friends to take a look at briefly on Friday and it's still the best video quality I've ever seen. The detail in the distance of that film is astonishing. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I won’t give up! I’m going to keep looking. $40 for used is the cheapest I’ve seen recently and I just can’t do it, but I’m determined!
The Prestige was one of my earlier 4K purchases and one of my favourite Nolan movies. It absolutely needs a rewatch to see all the clues and hints throughout the film you weren't watching for before you saw the ending. Very clever film and superb cast, based on a book by Christopher Priest. I've bought from HMV before, including a steelbook or two, but I find some films a bit pricey and pick them up cheaper at CeX.
So many people have asked me to review The Prestige that I finally succumbed. Well, you can't go into an HMV without buying something! I do buy from CEX too but don't spend anywhere near as much as I do with HMV. I suppose I'm mainly purchasing 4K discs these days for review on this channel. It's made me skint at times but it's been a lot of fun. John.
I wanted to get back to the branch in Truro before we left Cornwall but I didn't have a chance. It would have been nice to feature that little store sometime but the Newbury one is a nice surprise because it's a different type of HMV that might just stand a chance in the modern world. John.
Wow, this is great, I haven't been anywhere in Europe for years now, and thus in such nice stores, so thank you for the video tour! Jackie Brown is a great soundtrack too (and the best Tarantino film in my opinion)! Still sad about Virgin Megastores closing in the US, after I left the country, loved them, especially the two-story one on Sunset.
Aha, the two storey Virgin Megastone on Sunset Boulevard is where we purchased our CAV box set LaserDisc of Alien. $100 plus local purchase tax. Also got the US LaserDisc of Highlander the same day in the hope that I could use it to re-record my Super 8 feature print. Alas, the US version of Highlander was cut to shreds. John.
Great video! Theres still a hmv in near me in glasgow city centre and its always great going into it buying dvds still, im still amazed people buy cds there especially young people !
I went into the Newbury HMV the other day Kasim and came out with three 4K discs. We'll be having a look at the 4K of the second Dune film this evening as a result. Expect a review in a few days time but I've already got a good idea of what it will look like having seen one of the dozen 15/70 blow-ups struck for the world. Apparently youngsters do arrange group meets in the record sections of HMV stores around the country so we're pretty unique in the world just to be able to do that. The best news of all is HMV are still expanding and are now back in Canada within Toys-R-Us stores. They've also opened in Dublin and Brussels but there may be others around the world by now. John.
I think i have to cry, since it has been 3 years since i have been to a physical store. I was at time trying to grab some of the movies... Nice update on your home cinema👍
@@moviecollector5920 Its so great that you still have video stores to go to. Here in Norway basically all shops are closed unless you live in Bergen or Oslo where you can find the two remaining shops in the country. "Two 2"!!
Really like your down to earth videos! We had a store here many years ago called Tower Records, I used to like just browsing through all their movies and music, definitely miss that.
We had a local Tower Records too, on Piccadilly Circus. We used to love heading into the video floor of that store via the Underground station which could take you all the way into the Trocadero too back when it was at its height. Those were the days. Spent a lot of money in Tower Records both here and in America on Sunset Avenue in Los Angeles. John.
The previous HMV in Newbury closed about 7 or 8 years ago so this really is a story that they've now opened a new, more extensive branch there. Could be coming soon to a town near you! John.
Pretty cool that HMV support Physical Media like this. In the US Im not sure we have much like this anymore. Dune is definitely not a reference disc for picture quality. However, it's a reference Dolby Atmos disc, that's for sure.
@@hdmoviesource I've been looking at the Blade Runner sequel again and I think that may have led to the film grain experiment for Dune because the Blade Runner video is excellent quality but lacks the reality of the original film and it suffers as a result. Transferring a 2K video to film and back again could well have been an attempt to rectify that failing but I don't think it worked. I thought I was looking at video noise owing to the low light levels. Given what was done though it is amazing that the final product for Dune ended up looking as good as it did. Take out the last 25 minutes where it's clearly too dark on most systems and they might have gotten away with it. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Good point John. I think you're right. I'm pretty picky about film grain. I like fine and detailed film grain. Anything blurry, blocky, or thick I tend not to like. 16mm film for example. I really don't like that film grain because it's thick and blocky, typically. When grain is blocked, blurred, or unfocused I tend to think that I'm missing something. I don't think there's a workaround for digital and film. If you film using digital cameras then you have to embrace that it's digital. If you want a flimic look then directors need to start filming on film, instead of trying to make it look like film when it's digital. Just my two cents.
@@hdmoviesource My two penneth worth is that this term of 'digital' when something has been shot using video cameras is to make people think it's better than film which of course, it isn't. It's cheaper, puts the cost and onus on cinemas in terms of distribution and means cinemas have to regularly shell out big sums for a newer video projector. Cinemas that proclaim 'digital' are basically telling the customers that they are now using cheaper video projection. The downturn in picture quality in the West End when all this was going on was depressing and I stopped going about 2004/2005 because the huge screen at my favourite cinema, The Empire, made it look like I was watching a video projection - which I was. Things have improved a lot since then but not for all cinemas who can't afford to keep upgrading to something better. And what does 'digital' really mean? Binary. Somehow it doesn't quite have the same ring to it. 16mm film looks excellent these days owing to the fine film grain but it always looked pretty good even when it was being mass produced and turned out as cheaply as possible. The grain was not as evident when the film was projected so it's largely caused by the modern scanning process making it all visible. That and the projected and television pictures being so bright now which probably makes film grain even more obvious. When film is being projected the film actually diffuses the light to help give a more natural look to it. Video projection doesn't do that and that's another reason why I think it can look too harsh at times. John.
Just as I get the new home cinema fully sorted we'll probably get the builders in and then I'll have to do it all again! But if all goes to plan the cinema room will be a little longer so that will make it easier to fit everything in and get back to using a painted wall to project onto. John.
Good to hear from you John. I'm still following your channel and excited to see you get a BIG audience with the girl band heavy metal reaction videos. Some of those tracks are great! HMV is owned by Sunrise Records who I'm told own F.Y.E. in the US so in a way, I think you're shopping at HMV occasionally anyway. Keep up the good work and say 'hello' to Janay and Michael. John.
Hi John your cinema room is looking great and and it's great HMV are opening new store's. I bought three 4k movie's last week in the 3 for £30 and I got BLADE, JAWS and The THING, and I was amazed The THING was on sale all ready and the picture was just as good as the Arrow Video Blu-ray.
I think a few people have reviewed The Thing 4K Andrew and said it's not very good but that's probably another example of how video displays differently on different systems because it looks fabulous on mine and just like watching a 35mm print I think. Jaws is one of the best despite being from anamorphic 35mm but I believe it was transferred at 5.6K and that may have made the difference to ensure it was as good as it could be. Apocalypse Now is the next best 35mm I've seen but some say it's even better than Jaws. John.
So envious to see a store like that. My home town (Vaasa, a university town in Finland with a population of about 60000) lost its last record store about ten years ago.
You're not alone there Zwerker because a lot of comments are telling me there is nothing left in their part of the world. Maybe HMV will continue to do well and expand back out to the rest of the world. John.
The theater is coming along very nicely. I've got Dune coming in a couple of days, so I'll let you know what I find on my setup. It's not ideal, my projector is a non-HDR 1080p DLP (and my receiver doesn't pass HDR anyway) but I can still get a pretty spectacular picture with some tweaking -- my 4K player has built-in picture settings that can be adjusted on the fly. But, man, I wish we had a place like that HMV here in the States. Closest thing we have here in New England is a chain called Newbury Comics (no relation, it's original location is Newbury St. in Boston). But their movie selection isn't nearly as expansive as what you showed there.
I bet the name of 'Newbury Street' came from Newbury in Berkshire over here. New England is full of English place names and part of the shared history of our two great nations. Dune will be okay however it looks Tom but just be prepared that it's going to appear dark in places, particularly after the sandworm appearance about 25 minutes from the end and for ten or fifteen minutes thereafter. Most of us seem to report the same results so far but others are not experiencing the problem. John.
I love your tours been watching your videos a while didnt know you knew pete and trevor that's so cool I been to hmv's you went to as I dont live to far from there it took me a while yo find hmv in Newbury's town brilliant series
The Newbury store is a really interesting design; a warehouse that's actually an HMV. Whenever we're over there now, visiting in-laws, I go along and empty my wallet! John.
We have a store similar to this near me called FYE. Its about the same size and located in a mall. I know there used to be more of them but they've slowly faded away. Too many people shop online these days. Something tells me that once many of these stores close up their doors, people will miss it. Maybe it'll make a resurgence like vinyl records.
Vinyl is probably a big part of the reason that HMV have made a successful comeback. There are good profits to be made on records and record decks and hopefully 4K discs too. John.
Thanks for the tour! If I ever visit the London area, I know where to go. I don't think there's an equivalent retailer anymore in the States. Love your home cinema!
In the centre of London on Shaftesbury Avenue there is a subsidiary of HMV called Fopp. It's a three-storey smaller scale shop stacked up with videos and music. That's the only remaining HMV in central London now but it's possible the original store on Oxford Street could return as I think it's still there with HMV identity on it, just left empty since it closed years ago. John.
@@GA-1st And if we're not careful, we'll lose what still remains of our old lifestyle. I know people who go into shops and compare prices with on-line shops on their phones while they're actually in the shop. If everyone did that it would all be over in a matter of months. John.
HMV is a great place. I've visited some locations in HK and Tokyo in the past and I wish they had them back in the United States. The closest think to it was Suncoast Video back in the 90s or Sound Warehouse in the 80s.
HMV seem to have done rather well during the pandemic Reynaldo and now they are part of Sunrise Records group so we may just see the name return on an international scale in the future as a result. Time will tell. John.
John thanks for another brilliant Video, and thanks again for igniting the HMV flame in me again over the past year or so. I was in the Lancaster branch with my Wife and Niece over the weekend. I picked up some goodies for my Birthday including the last two Tom Holland Spiderman movies, Tenet (3 for £30) and thanks to you 2010. For my Birthday yesterday I also acquired Shawshank, Dune (2021) & Halloween Kills. All on 4K aside of 2010. HMV should drop you a thanks for all the business you're pushing their way. I was having a look through my Laser Disc collection yesterday, reminiscing about picking a lot of them up from HMV Manchester and Andy's records in Bolton. Its nice to get back into a HMV store rather than just buying on line, it good for the soul.
i had an email from the Newbury HMV this morning. Sarah typed me a lovely note so that's made this little video all the more worthwhile. That I've helped to get you back into buying in HMV stores over the past year or so is the icing on the cake. I think it took the pandemic for me to fully realize quite how much I enjoy visiting an HMV store and simply browsing to select a few titles to take home and enjoy. Buying on the web just isn't the same but I have spent an awful lot of money through their web store over the past two years and that's been rather exciting when we've not been able to get along to a physical shop. Postie delivering a package from HMV proved to be an occasional highlight during a pretty awful time for the world really. John.
Great tour of your local HMV 👌. Unfortunately the store we had near where I live closed a few years ago and never re opened spent every week in my lunchtimes browsing that store some wonderful memories. That's a good deal on the 4K 2 for £30 but I went one better with a well known online store that was doing 3 4ks for £30 plus an extra £5 off so at that price I couldn't turn it down. HMV do some cracking collectors editions though so regularly visit their website .Nice to hear your local store will promote local bands a good platform, everyone has to start somewhere. Great video 👍
Greetings Matt. The Newbury store is quite a way from us but we were visiting a relative so I spoke to Kitty the manageress on that first visit and went back on Friday to shoot the video (and spend some more money!). There were 3 for £30 4K titles but I'd already got most of the titles in the selection. There are going to be new store announcements over the coming year so you never know, you may get a new branch sometime in the not too distant future. John.
i wish a store like this would open in my country but that would never happen. all the video stores closed down about 2 years ago. everything is online and it sucks. i like to be able to take a day out in town and visit stores. just ordering stuff online is boring and un inspiring to be honest. very cool store :) btw i was lucky enough to buy 2 copies of that blade runner score when it was first released on vinyl for the first time back in 2012 or 2013 with the red vinyl. i have one that i play and the other one is still sealed and framed. the re issues are black vinyl i think. but it's a must have in the collection for sure!
That Blade Runner is still calling to me all those miles away so it's not leaving me alone. It would be nice if it was red vinyl though so now you've got me thinking. If HMV can make a success of the new style of store here then who knows where it could lead in the future. Apparently the new owner also owns the For Your Entertainment chain of F.Y.E. stores in the USA so if they all do well you just never know where they might expand into. John.
Evening John. Good to see HMV flourishing, it's a highlight of a shopping trip. I bought the 4K of Last Night In Soho in there last weekend, not got round to watching it yet though.
@@moviecollector5920 Evening John. Last Night In Soho is in my to watch pile next to the telly. It seems to be getting out of hand that to watch pile. House Of Gucci out next week so that'll be going in the pile.
Apart from the curtain motors, the corded curtain tracks and the roller blind I made it all Abdul. I have detailed it in a couple of recent videos of the process since moving here two months ago but prior to this I did a tour of our last home cinema which was all the same equipment and material. I had to extend the top and bottom mask and lengthen the side masking but it really is all mainly done with string and sticky tape. The plastic frames I made up to attach cardboard with black velvet covering to has screws and bolts securing it all together but there's plenty of sticky tape to strengthen it all and ensure it stays together. Because the masks are now ten foot across the bottom one flexes and so I have four guides along the bottom and one of them you can see in the video as a straight white piece sticking up because I haven't covered it in black velvet yet. Another guide can be seen right at the far right and that's just two cheap shelf brackets bolted together and screwed to the side wall. It's all surprisingly basic really. Look up X10, X10 Transceiver, X10 Appliance Module and X10 Lamp Module and that's how all the automation works. Can be done by hand until you get that all installed and working which can take as much as ten minutes! John.
Oh and I made a special, and quite pricey trip to the Leicester Square Odeon yesterday to watch the 70mm presentation of Death on the Nile. While the 12 y/o and I were a bit far back from the screen to really appreciate the full effect, it was a very good experience and a great movie. Very sumptuous visuals, wonderful costumes and a talented cast. I'll look forward to getting it on disc to watch at home in the future.
Whoa, I wish I was there. I hope to get organized and make the trip in the coming days. Maybe I'll be able to get into the projection box but I won't hold my breath these days. The Odeon is cavernous and they probably need an even bigger screen these days because I think the existing 'Scope screen is a measly 52ft! John.
@@moviecollector5920 It was your letting us know about it that alerted me to the 70mm screening. I definitely recommend getting closer to the screen than the Upper Circle! You'll enjoy it very much. Brannagh is great, as is the supporting cast with lovely locations and production and it keeps you guessing. :-) Will look forward to your summary/review :-)
@@Kings_Gambit One of my all-time favourite films is the 1978 Death on the Nile so I think I'll know the conclusion of this latest version without having to think about it. I have the original film on Super 8 and have watched it so often that I almost know the script by heart. I love Peter Ustinov in the role of Poirot but it was pairing him with David Niven that made him perfect. Kenneth Branagh is only second to Ustinov because of that teaming up with Niven. I put the 4K of Orient Express on yesterday to show friends how good video can be and it is still the best quality video I have ever seen. John.
Hey John, glad you took us to the HMV that’s a really cool store we used to have a couple like that but they’re all pretty much gone at least around here Tower records and FYI to name a few I do miss them you could spend hours there without even thinking about it. Did see death on the Nile in Chicago Saturday night tryed to find a theaters showing on film but no luck but I did see it in AMC is top-of-the-line Dolby theater and it looked and sounded outstanding and more importantly it was very well done. I personally like the original murder on the Orient express better than the remake but this one was pretty close to the original I would not argue if one thought it was better than the original but that’s just my opinion everyone has one you’re home cinema it’s looking great have a good one as always john
I really must get a trip to London sorted for the 70mm of Death on the Nile. Apparently Last Night In Soho is running in 35mm just along a bit too so it's a film lovers dream in the West End of London right now. If the genuine IMAX down the road at Waterloo is running an IMAX film print that would be the icing on the cake. I love the 1978 Death on the Nile which is one of my all-time favourite films and I do think it's actually in my top ten. Whatever I think of that one though, the fact that the new one was shot 65mm should ensure it's special even if it's unlikely to have a pairing to match Peter Ustinov and David Niven which I consider to be the best pairing in a film ever. Those two were just perfect in that film and the rest of the cast wasn't bad either! John.
Glad to know you thought the same of Last Night In Soho Pascal. It does seem to be getting extremely positive reviews and feedback so it's got a chance of doing well now despite it's poor draw to cinemas. John.
I live in rural Idaho and have never seen that many 4k's in one place before. Crazy. Of course I am surrounded by majestic views of the American west... not sure which one I prefer.
I've never been to Idaho Cody but I've travelled a lot of America and actually shot entire documentaries over in the US. After England it's got to be my favourite country and if things had have turned out a little differently some years back we'd have had a place in Colorado. Apparently HMV is now part of the group that owns the US chain of F.Y.E. (For Your Entertainment) so next time I'm over I'll see if I can visit one or two of those to see how they compare. Certainly HMV have a new business model here and I expect that it's come from the US F.Y.E. business model. John.
They might be almost identical but there is also a CEX in Newbury in the Kennet Centre just about five minutes walk away and I've turned up some great bargains in that particular CEX. John.
The cinema setup looks better each time you show it. I used to buy DVDs from HMV in Oxford Circus (before it closed down) but now I mainly stream online as it saves me a lot of space and money. However, if I really do like film I still would will go out and purchase it on 4K/blu ray.
There is something special about going into a shop, browsing all the 4K discs in stock and selecting a few titles to take home and enjoy. The trouble is, I'm still thinking about that Blade Runner record and that's the sort of cost that's going to clear me out! John.
@@moviecollector5920 you hit the nail right on the head there. Would you believe I still like going out and browsing for laser discs and other media (and I have quite a collection already)
@@Gazza636 Being able to browse in a shop is something we've all taken a little too much for granted in recent years. I tend to purchase from HMV even if they are a little more expensive at times simply because I appreciate being able to go into a store like HMV. All the other similar retailers have gone and only HMV remain. John.
I have to admit that I struggle to work up enthusiasm for Citizen Kane but if I see it singing like a bird (i.e. going cheap) then I may just succumb. John.
HMV have been taken a bit for granted over here Mike so we've just got to hope enough people get out to their local stores and support them over the coming years to keep them going. I remember stores like this across America in the 1980's and 1990's but I suppose you had the same problem as us and the values of the goods they sold weren't considered worth it and so they all closed. Maybe now that records are back and 4K discs and a lot of Blu-rays are sought after they'll have a bright future if asking prices are able to generate enough of a profit. Stores like this get people into high streets so it helps other shops too. John.
Great stuff as always John. I had a bit of a spend in out local HMV on Saturday too. Picked up The Thing 4k as part of the 3 for £30 deal. Been wanting that since it came out not so long back. I also couldnt resist picking up the Back to the Future trilogy on 4k as it was 30% off. Ive found that quite often the deals in HMV are as good as, if not better, than Amazon if you go at the right time.
I think a lot of us on here are supporters of HMV Chris and appreciate their importance on the high street. The Thing is a cracking 4K disc and so is Back To The Future so you're going to have a great time there. What great value too. John.
So, Universal Soldier gets a nice 4k release but Disney can't seem to squeeze out Heat for love nor money. Still, hardly HMVs fault. Nice vid John and agree with you on the high street shopping. Not always more expensive either.
I haven't seen Heat since its theatrical release when I saw it in a cinema in a tiny little town in Colorado. It might get the 4K treatment one of these days but every title is going to have to wait its turn as it takes thousands of manhours to create every single 4K release. HMV is getting a lot of affection on here. Wonderful! John.
Apparently HMV are owned by Sunrise Records who also own FYE in America Adrian so perhaps JB HiFi is another company in the Sunrise portfolio. That or one of them has copied the other. John.
You are so knowledgeable and do very informative videos, great home cinema set up, I buy almost all my physical media from HMV we have the largest HMV store in the country in Birmingham its brilliant, keep up the good work,
You're a good chap Dale. I think more and more of us have learned to appreciate HMV and other specialist shops over the past few years. When they're gone, they'll be gone and that will be awful so the longer we can put it off the better. I hope things change somehow and the high street can actually compete with on-line. HMV seem to be doing pretty well in that regard. John.
I always make sure to make a few trips to HMV a month to keep it alive. Although a factory fire in my hometown caused horrendous traffic so trying to get Dune on release day after work was a failure, had to resort to Amazon. Made up for it by getting some 2 for £30 4K and The Hobbit Trilogy in 4K yesterday.
Well done Luke. Sorry you had trouble getting Dune on the day but hopefully it was worth the wait. Never had such variable result reports on any previous release than for Dune but those variable results really do appear to be genuine. I've mainly been supporting HMV via their web store over the past two years and I don't think I've ever spent so much with them before so perhaps it took a pandemic for me to fully appreciate the importance of being able to visit a store and actually browse for a purchase... or two, or three or a hundred! John.
@@lukekingsland5851 I had a colleague check the 3D copy on his laser projector and given the variable results he really went through every version of Dune thoroughly and for all 3D discs now he's going to put the lamp brightness up by 25% as a result of what he established with Dune. So it's not all been a bad thing by any means. John.
Wow John brilliant video and tour of that lovely new HMV store in a hard time for the high street it's great to see HMV finding some success and with supermarkets not selling media anymore it looks to help them even more. Yeah HMV maybe a bit more expensive but you can't beat the experience of exploring the shop and actually touch the items in your hand and also finding other items you hadn't intended on buying. Also that new 3 4Ks for £30 offer is great. Wonderful update to your Cinema it's certainly a dream come true for any movie lover. Keith is such a brilliant guy and a top friend, he'll be coming onto my channels livestream on Wednesday night so looking forward to chatting to him again. Take care John, looking forward to the next video
Pete, I need to watch your livestream on Wednesday. Make sure Keith knows I'll be watching him to make sure he puts the correct contribution in Ellen's swearbox! HMV is getting a lot of love here in the comments which is wonderful. Maybe they have a good future ahead. John.
Thanks Roy. I'm always looking to make something a little bit different and have thought about a proper sort of HMV promo for some time. Usually the people that work in HMV aren't interested but as soon as I spoke to Kitty on our first visit she smiled and was enthusiastic. That makes it all worthwhile. John.
The store tour was incredible, I could spend hours and much moola there!! ... I love those type of stores and your editing was superb, nice music to go with the video! Thx for taking us in the store with you. It's Superbowl Sunday here in the states which is unofficially a holiday... Just thought I'd take a break and say hey!
These HMV stores are dangerous Gilbert! But I can't stop thinking about that soundtrack LP of Blade Runner so I reckon I'll be skint the next time I visit... or at least, by the time I leave the store the next time I visit! We don't really follow American football over here but I was in Colorado when a quarterback by the name of Joe Montana almost single-handedly won the superbowl for San Francisco Giants against Denver I think. That would have been January 1989 and he was incredible. The last throw of the game... but goodness only knows why it's called 'football'! The Mean Machine in 1976 with Burt Reynolds was great though wasn't it? John.
@@moviecollector5920 That store reminded me of Hastings which closed all their stores several years back... The result of online shopping I suppose! They had a section of used movies and music and I remember spending many hrs checking out the inventory.. Bought alot of gems their! That Blade Runner LP soundtrack you are lusting for is a gem and won't last long! All foreigners ask the same thing about the name "Football" in America, I don't know the origin but over here it's a religion! Joe Montana played for the SF 49ERS and is considered one of the best QB'S to ever play and the Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds (movie back in the 70:s) was a great football movie... "mean machine, mean machine, mean machine"!
@@gilbertrios5283 I expect American Football was a re-working of Rugby because that gets called 'Rugby Football' and it's so similar to American Football without all the stoppages and body armour. San Francisco 49Ers... that's the team. I ended up watching that game right until the end and it was jolly exciting. A few years later when we changed aeroplanes at Minneapolis the Superbowl was in town and all passengers were greeted with cheering and girls with pom poms, that sort of thing. Football over here now, the game sometimes called 'Soccer', is not my type of thing any longer as it's all about money. I played up until I was in my 40s and loved to play it. If I'd have been offered a place with one of the top teams I'd have played for nothing. Not possible these days of course as you spend all your time training but basically I'd have been honoured to play for one of the league teams. John.
Hi John, great look around HMV there mate!! I'm going to sens the link to Steven who works in the Metro Centre branch so he can take a look at how this one is set up 👍👍 great that they let you film in there, one thing is they should have written FILUM on the wall 🤔🤣🤣 was great to see the masking working on the wall and the settings with different aspects was very clever!! 🤩 Great video John and Keith really did NOT like Moonfall 🥴🥴🤩🤩👍👍
Yes, I really want to see Moonfall now. This is what happens when someone says a film is truly awful so he may have done it more of a service than he realizes. To be fair though, if you go back through the Roland Emmerich films there was Stargate and then they've all been pretty crap really. I've enjoyed a few of them though despite the ridiculous, similar concepts. Actually, now I think about them all I really enjoyed Godzilla which most people seem to hate. If we ever do get the home cinema room enlarged I expect to do the screen so that the 'Scope ratio is wider than the 16x9 1.78:1 ratio. That's how it should be and why CinemaScope was invented all those years ago so that the masking would just move out to give that immersive, all-enveloping, widescreen effect. I'll tell Kitty that they've misspelled 'Filum' the next time I visit (to pick up that poxy Blade Runner soundtrack!). John.
Been looking to import a copy of the prestige with a slipcover; finding a listing online has been difficult to see the actual in stock product as most use stock photos. The USA 4K was done by Disney and is significantly worse so I am just going to have to keep trying to track one done
The other TH-cam reviewers have been so enthusiastic about slip covers that they've bloomin' well got me into the damned things now. I never used to even notice. John.
Apparently HMV are under the same owners as F.Y.E. Henri so there could be some sort of convergence in the future. Sunrise Records own them both now, or so I'm told. Over here 'HMV' is a great, historic name so I suppose it will remain whatever happens but I don't know how respected the name is in the USA. I do feel fairly sure it's a better identity than 'For You Entertainment' which sounds pretty crap to me but what do I know?!? John.
I was shocked to find the Oxford Street Branch has gone. Should have been left for the nation, as that's the place where a Sound Engineer said he liked the sound of the recording Brian Epstein had given him to copy, and he said he knew a Producer at EMI he could put him in touch with. That just happened to be George Martin. At least they left up the big His Master's Voice sign.
It's possible that store could be coming back. I asked someone at HMV HQ a while ago and while he wouldn't confirm it he told me more new store announcements are coming including within London. Wouldn't that be great? John.
Funny thing is that you play records from 30 or 40 years ago and they usually sound better than modern CDs and other digital formats. A remaster might not make much of a difference so I'm doing my best to stay away and forget about that Blade Runner record... damn it! John.
It's sad the way music and home movie shops are dying out but Amazon is killing everything like that. Fortunately, the revival of vinyl records has brought about a revival of HMV and so they're actually expanding over here right now. It would be a good service to the world if they were to continue to do well and then open up a few international stores in major cities around the world. If you ever get to London though, head for FOPP in the West End. Look up my video for that store for some real home video disc eye candy. John.
John, it's nice to see that you still have HMV stores in the UK. Unfortunately they all closed down in Canada in 2017, falling to the rise of the streaming services and amazon. In Montreal where I live, the last remaining branch was the downtown superstore. I sure miss those 2 for $20 and 2 for $30 Blu-ray sales. Your home theater is coming along wonderfully. On the subject of Dune, after spending a good amount of time writing my very long comment on your review of the 4K, where I described my two screenings in local cinemas, I was hit by the TH-cam posting bug and after many failed attemps to unsuccessfully post my comment, I gave up. I don't know why it happens sometimes but I'm not the only one affected by this TH-cam software glitch. I'll simply mention that most YT reviewers that viewed the Dune 4K Dolby Vision indicated that it was reference quality both in terms of video and of the Atmos audio track.
I had Keith at Euphoria Pictures review the 4K of Dune for that very reason Jesus because he has Dolby Vision. I don't think that's the entire answer as I've had a lot of fellow enthusiasts off of TH-cam check their own copies for me and the majority report similar problems to me. Certainly it's been graded too dark but I think that was due to the messing about with the transfer to 35mm and back which generated film grain to give it the filmic look but because the image was so comparatively poor here I really did think it was video noise. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to make the video quality to sound too awful. There were some good quality sequences in it and if I'd have focused on those more I think I'd have been happier but that sandworm sequence made me think the projector lamp was on the way out. The next ten of fifteen minutes in low light didn't help either. Dune is a strange one but it's given us all something to discuss and it's confirmed that results on different systems can vary greatly. This explains why some are not so impressed with such great releases as Murder on the Orient Express and Tenet because their systems are just not displaying it in the same way as mine do. I suspect that with Dune there is perhaps also a bit of fandom for the film and perhaps it's not being scrutinized as much as other titles. I put it on again to take another look and it's not so disappointing once you know what to expect so I can see myself really enjoying it next time. I've had that TH-cam bug myself Jesus and there just doesn't seem to be any way around it once it has it in for you. John.
@@moviecollector5920 John, at this point I've only watched Dune in the cinema. You will find below the comment I wrote for your Dune review. I've gotten into the habit of writing my comments on a text editor, saving them and then copying and pasting them into the reply field since I've had so many of my postings fail. Here it is: John, I was wondering when you were going to get around reviewing my fellow Montrealer Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi novel Dune. Wonderful review as always. Thank you. FYI, Dune's cinematographer Greig Fraser, reported that the movie was shot with Arri's Alexa LF IMAX certified digital camera. It was then transferred onto 35 mm film to soften that digital edginess and it was finally scanned back into digital to lessen the film grain because Villeneuve felt that too much film grain was giving the picture a nostalgic look for what should be a sci-fi epic set in the future. You can read this interview with Fraser from The Hollywood Reporter (www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dune-cinematographer-denis-villeneuve-movie-1235011592/) or watch this interview with Fraser on TH-cam (th-cam.com/video/TK8BgU7iI1w/w-d-xo.html). I saw Dune twice at the same Cineplex theater complex both in IMAX and under their UltraAVX banner. Since there are no theaters in Montreal that show feature films on the traditional oversized IMAX screens with the original 1.43 aspect ratio that require the IMAX with Laser digital 4K projection system, my first screening was on a regular IMAX digital projection system with a 1.90 aspect ratio that is substantially inferior to the former according to the specifications. I felt that the picture was of the soft side and lacked some sharpness and detail while being overly dark. The regular IMAX digital projection system uses two 2K projectors where the two 2K images are projected superimposed on each other with a half-pixel offset to increase the perceived resolution to approximately 2.9K. So much for the advertised "The IMAX Experience", that's what has come to be referred to as "LieMAX" by some people. The Cineplex UltraAVX theaters use Cristie 4K digital projectors. This second 4K screening on Christie definitely produced a sharper picture with higher brightness helping to bring out more detail, specially in those darker scenes, which there are plenty on this movie as you've seen. You could definitely see the worms better. ;-) Where the IMAX was superior was on the sound front; the UltraAVX theater unfortunately not being equipped with an Atmos sound system. I've watched a handful of other reviews on TH-cam covering this 4K Blu-ray release. Those reviewers viewed the Dolby Vision HDR version on OLED and LCD TVs. To summarize their reviews, they indicated that the picture was spectacular and amongst the best they've seen on a 4K disc. The same high level of enthusiasm was demonstrated for the Atmos soundtrack. They where so highly impressed that they were confident this 4K disc would be a top contender for the best 4K Blu-ray release of 2022.
@@JesusMartinez-mk6fc I don't think there is anything wrong with the 4K disc, it's just how the video was made when it was shot and then messed up a little in post production. I had assumed the 35mm jiggery pokery was to put film grain into the video to make it look like film so thank you for correcting me there. As for a cinema using the IMAX name but only screening video, don't get me started on that! I do understand that it's an attempt to remain in business though and if it does mean some of us can get to see genuine IMAX in those original IMAX theatres that still have the 70mm equipment then that's a good thing. Keith at Euphoria has included the 4K disc of Dune in his latest round-up reviews and I asked him to do it because he has an OLED telly and Dolby Vision. He thinks the image quality is outstanding. It wasn't on either of my systems but those of us that make films (documentaries in my case) these days have all made mistakes like this with post production of video. It was always difficult to get variable results with film but it could still happen. The majority of comments on here have had similar results to me so Dune has certainly confirmed that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to video. The soft overall look would certainly thwart it getting any top 4K disc awards even though it was deliberate. I suspect that was done to match some low quality computer effects but getting anyone to confirm that just ain't going to happen even if it does turn out to be true. I did think the computer effects were terrific and I wouldn't have cared if they'd have looked softer than the rest of the video. After all, they got away with in in classics like The Matrix years ago so why not? Good idea to use a text editor for TH-cam posts. I've done that very same thing myself on occasion when I've been having trouble. John.
Hello John enjoyed the HMV tour, I'm in Bath and will be venturing out to their new store which has just opened last week.Talking about films displaying varying quality on different systems I have found K L' s Great escape a disappointment ie too much grain! I look forward to your review if you're planning one. Going to purchase Murder on O E to see how it compares with the iTunes version which, itself is excellent. Regards Martin.
I recently watched the 4K of The Sting Martin and that has an extra featurette on there that confirms my suspicion that the current method of cine transfer via a scanner is exacerbating film grain. This is why some films are looking like they have excessive grain when a major reason for that is the transfer method. This is probably why some films are accused of being "DNR'd to death" because excessive film grain has to be smoothed after the scan to try to disguise it. Film rarely tended to look too coarse unless it was a deliberate choice to make a particular release look more gritty. Modern film stocks are such fine grain that projecting a film means you are barely even aware of film grain unless you look for it. Scanning a film can make it more obvious so we should probably all be a little more forgiving given the exceptional quality that the producers are issuing for us on video today. Murder on the Orient Express is still the best video quality I have ever seen so I hope you find it the same. Look for a copy with a slip case because Newbury had them and I expect it's a bit of a re-issue to coincide with the theatrical release of Death on the Nile. John.
Just a quick update John I was able to get Murder on the OE with slip cover from HMV 50% deal, bargain! It wipes the floor with my iTunes version and I agree with you it is without doubt the best 4k transfer on physical media....so far. Regards.
@@martinleybourne3498 If all goes to plan I'm off to see the sequel in 70mm next week. Let's hope the image quality is just as good because the Egyptian setting should mean that if it is as good then the overall look might mean it looks even better than Murder on the Orient Express. And when it comes out on 4K disc let's hope it takes over the number one spot for quality when it is released in a few months time. John.
This awesome John. My local Tower Records used to have live music. We don’t have anything like HMV. The best store here is an old independent vinyl store called Watts Music. I’ve collected more vinyl recently, than movies. They have a nice selection of not just new releases. Agree with your comments about supporting retail. Curtains are lovely. Motors quite noisy? This was F A B!
The motors vary Rob but the new ones aren't as loud as the older ones, possibly because the older ones have been working hard for the past 20 years. But the pair of motors pulling the curtains are actually less intrusive than they sound on the video. I used to love going into the basement of Tower Records on Piccadilly Circus. Straight into the video department from the tube station which went all the way out the other side as far as the old Trocadero when it was a major attraction in the West End. Those were the days. I'm still thinking about that Blade Runner album I didn't buy in HMV. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Buy the vinyl! I had a friend round at my house the other day. Her favorite film is Bladerunner, so we put on the first 10 minutes in 4K on the 150" screen. She was wowed. The Atmos mix combined with an SVS sub bass that weighs almost 200 pounds creates a movie you feel as well as watch.
@@Celestialrob I could watch Blade Runner every day and never get tired of it. It's like looking at a great oil painting in a gallery. Most people wouldn't understand but us film enthusiasts do. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I'm embarrassed to say that I was bored the first time I saw it. Even worse, I purchased the 4K 2049 sequel and have not watched it - because I fear it will spoil the original - silly me.
@@Celestialrob First time I saw Blade Runner was a television broadcast. Even then it was brilliant. But I do think the original version with the narrative is best because if you haven't seen that there is no chance of understanding the later editions of the film. The sequel isn't brilliant. John.
I genuinely had no idea hmv was still going I thought it closed years ago till a friend posted she was doing a live gig in one. Interestint they still make money in cds and dvds I’m quite shocked by that do they also sell technical things or stick old school?
I think it's the revival of vinyl records that have been the main driver of their success but a quick look in FOPP just off Cambridge Circus in the West End and you'll usually see the ground floor is crowded with music and film collectors. It looks like those markets have recovered during the pandemic and with streaming not having come up to standard I expect many have returned to purchasing their favourite albums and films. DVD still makes up almost half of the video sales in the UK which is amazing when you consider how out of date it is compared to Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray. Streaming can almost reach Blu-ray standards at times which is quite an achievement but if you want the best, discs are the way to go. Newbury HMV is a recent addition and chock full of all sorts of merchandise besides the all-important records and videos. John.
Great video, John! Music choice was great for the HMV tour. Also, any plans to watch Del Toro's new film "Nightmare Alley"? It was shot beautifully and Bradley Cooper gives one of his best performances. All the best!
I do like Bradley Cooper so that's a good draw for Nightmare Alley. Is it in cinemas now or released on disc? As for the music, that's a TH-cam track and I found it quite quickly. It would actually work well with one of my TriumphDVD productions so I might investigate licencing it for a future disc release. John.
Hi John, great video as always. Just wanted to say it was cool to bump into you today at Chelsea Cloisters. Sorry it was short as we had to be somewhere and I didn't introduce myself properly. The name's Kev btw. How was your cinema trip to see Death on the Nile?
Aha, Kev! I'm glad you got in touch. I too was a little tied up but enough of that. We'd seen Death on the Nile the day before and I'm still buzzing. I don't think we have the same abilities as we used to for the production of film prints but to see a film looking like a film and as clear and colourful as Death on the Nile has convinced me further that this is the way cinema needs to go. It won't of course as it costs nothing to make a video available over the web whereas distributing 35mm and 70mm prints costs a small fortune. Your wife looks just like a friend and I was looking and thinking 'Helen and Andrew... but that's not Andrew! What's she up to?!?' So if I seemed a little distant, that was why. Hope you had a great time. I might have to start spending time in Chelsea Cloisters occasionally as my parents are really rather elderly and frail now so unable to get there as often as they should. Someone's got to look after the place a little better. Maybe we'll get together there sometime. John.
Hi John. Love your content and always a joy to watch. I’m currently building a home cinema room in my house myself. Do you have a link to the motors you brought off eBay? Thanks and keep up the great work. David
There are cheaper listings up on eBay but this seller got them to me each time in two days and both those times it was delivered on a Sunday which was quite a surprise. Here's the link: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294692050069?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 Please let me know how you get on. Maybe I could show some photos of the finished product sometime. John.
Wow John you really went to town for this video. Great job sir, well done. Was that all your camera work in HMV? Very slick. You panned past the HMV Premium Collection and Shop Around The Corner flashed past. I've just done a video for it and the remake on my channel if you are interested. Have you seen it? Glad you are getting the home cinema in tip top running order. It's looking great. Looking forward to your next review video. Trevor
Greetings Trevor. I'm running your Shop Around The Corner right now - have your dialogue running while I'm running this. I've never seen either of the films so you may just talk me into purchasing them now. Yes, I shot the whole HMV video in about 20 minutes or so. There is a bit of a secret to how I do those sort of promo productions though and that's the little camera I use. I've had it about four years and it was regarded as the best action camera on the market at the time. It's a Sony something or other but it has a remote viewfinder which gives it all sorts of special, easy uses - like sticking it on a long pole and getting drone-like shots without all the aggravation of legal implications. The built in stabilizer is really very good and means you don't have to go down the hassle of using a gimble or steadicam mount. Now then, back you your video. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Ah cool. Yes I could see how good its stabiliser was. It must be a nice piece of kit. Leave a comment on my video with your thoughts regarding the 2 titles. I was wondering if I'd given too much away but then remembered how soon in both films things are revealed. So actually there's still plenty for new comers to watch. Trevor
Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦! You got it all working! Looks great! I wouldn’t mind curtains in my setup. I think I’ll have to bite the bullet and buy Dune soon. Everyone keeps talking about it. I’m torn between Dune, King’s Man, and Last Night In Soho. Any thoughts on which to buy first?
If you're into science fiction Jeremy then I expect Dune will be calling to you the loudest. But I think Last Night In Soho is a stone cold classic and might end up being one of your favourite films. I'm not so sure of Dune. I would have enjoyed it far more if it had have looked a little better here but I did still very much like it. Last Night In Soho is a completely different kettle of fish but the atmosphere of that one came out of the screen and grabbed me right into the picture. It was a bit like being the boy in Last Action Hero. London looks like the beautiful city it really is and the neon lights of the 60s and the drive in the Triumph TR4 are the icing on the cake. It's not a perfect film but it's damned well close to it. Having said all that, you might not like it at all because there are some who don't... can't really understand why. Bad language is in there and it wasn't necessary but that's about it apart from some people perhaps finding the supernatural scenes a bit scary but these is little that gives me the creeps so I wouldn't have even noticed. I haven't seen King's Man but I did see a previous recent film with the title and didn't like it much at all. I think there's a later one with Ralph Fiennes and it could be that one that you're thinking about. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I might have to heed your advice and buy Soho. I’ve fallen asleep twice trying to watch the old Dune..that never happens to me. So I’m hoping this new Dune delivers. Gotta spread out the new movie funds. At $34 each, it’s expensive. Very few sales lately here in 🇨🇦. Thanks for your thoughts!
@@jeremyj. The original Dune is the only film I have ever fallen asleep to in a cinema so you're not alone there. Funny thing is that I'd probably rather enjoy it today. The remake is far better but I suspect the original has far superior image quality. Well, it will have because it was 35mm and the new one is video. Not very good video either on my system but others have found it to be one of the best. Figure that one out because I can't and I've had a lot of fellow enthusiasts look at it for me. Best 4K is still Murder on the Orient Express on my equipment. John.
Im glad we no longer have HMV in Ireland, as if we had a store like that here now I think id be broke all the time haha. We had a huge HMV in Dublin a few years back, and I passed it every day on my way to work, and I would go into it before I started work and go into it on my way home. Id say the bulk of the 3,500 dvds I had previously was from that store. Thats a really nice store . Other than Funko Pops which I have no interest in. The 4K section of my own local movie/music store is tiny, its about 2 shelves worth, and it way overpriced compared to what I could get them from Amazon.
The trouble is that Amazon are high street killers Sparky so that's really the only reason why I don't use them for anything unless it's a desperate last resort. Fortunately HMV is a viable option over here and as they have shops in our town centres that's where I always look to purchase. There have been a few exceptions over the years... not many though. I've long appreciated being able to go into a physical shop over the web but this past two years has really exacerbated the point and the importance of specialist retailers such as HMV. Any that are left in Ireland, get in there and see if they're a viable option. John.
@@moviecollector5920 no unfortunately HMV is gone completely. Zavvi took over HMV and even then the stores still closed down. I do use the Zavvi (Ireland) website from time to time though.
@@Sparkykelly1 Strewth, you'd think they'd have been able to keep at least one store open in Dublin for heaven's sake. What a terrible shame. Let's hope HMV expand back into Ireland. John.
Do you agree with the price of vinyl nowadays? Its so expensive imo. A few years back they couldnt give them away, and now vinyl albums are 30-40 quid each.
I agree with it if it means that the companies providing it are able to make enough of a profit to survive as well as the retailers who sell them to us. Vinyl could be a big factor in the apparent thriving of HMV today. John.
@@Tomanista I think we should set up a free trade area across the whole of Europe and call it 'the Common Market'. Oops, already tried that and it went awry so maybe we'll throw that one on the scrap heap! Terrible shame but it's not something the British people would have ever got involved in if they'd have known it was going to go the way it has. You can't win 'em all. John.
Nope. But I left the volume up this time so no one would get the impression they are silent, buy one and then be disappointed. The two new ones that operate the curtains are surprisingly unobtrusive. Maybe the noise will increase over the years but by then I'll be immune to it. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I understand. Congratulations on your new home and setup. It's a pleasure to have you back John. Also, I added Euphoria Pictures to my favourites . Thanks for the recommendation, he's a real hoot and knowledgably.
@@SWATTECHNOLOGIES Keith's hilarious at times. He's done some gags in some of his videos that had me choking. One was a Battle of the Boxsets video I think and it had a Psycho box included so he did a special opening for that one. Another had him watching some of the most awful films on Blu-ray and he was slinging them in the bin at the end of each short review and then chucking the bin out of the back door. He followed that up with a mock-up of him burning one on the gas stove so you can imagine how well that turned out. John.
Can you please tell me the size of the picture you get on the screen when viewing in 16:9? Looks to be about 65-70 inches. It does seem considerably smaller than your old place where it looked quite large
I can't tell you the diagonal size but it's eight and half feet wide. The actual screen is ten feet wide but I've masked it down because the long throw lens on the video projector is the limiting factor. I think I'd be able to fill the ten foot width with Super 8 but that's for the future. Film screens were always measured across the width because they were so big whereas television marketing meant a foot wide television was sold as a 14 inch diagonal and so on. About time that changed now that a 3 foot wide television is fairly standard but sold as a 40 inch. We don't need to fool purchasers into thinking they're buying a bigger television than they really are any longer. John.
Really enjoyed this video John! I researched after seeing this where my nearest HMV is here in sydney, I knew It wasnt an australian store but turns out there is one not too far from me. (it probably wont have arrow video titles, but I may drive there one day and check it out). very well made video as always! my dune steelbook should be in the mail on 2nd of march, which is always exciting. I have purchased some tickets to the sydney premiere of the new batman film, which should geta nice 4k release in the future. I still despritely need to make a video soon, but school has started back up, so maybe I may make a handful of videos in the holidays, then upload one of them each week. Have a great day!
School has to come first Clark so don't worry about not putting videos up when school is keeping you fully occupied. You have years ahead of you to do this TH-cam thing and you have a good base when you do have time to put into it and perhaps concentrate on it to get your skills fully honed to become the next great film maker from Australia. Dune certainly has generated the most variable results out there. Not only on the home market but in cinemas as well so it will be interesting to learn what you think about it. The sound is possibly the best I've ever heard so who cares if you can't see Rebecca Ferguson on the screen because it's so dark. I knew she was there because I could hear her! Okay, I'm being facetious there but the results have often proved to be variable. I think it's one of the worst looking 4Ks on my systems but others report the complete opposite. If there is an HMV in Sydney I'd like to know about it because I thought HMV only existed in the UK now. They are part of a bigger whole though as they're owned by Sunrise Records who have other major chains in the US and possibly elsewhere. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I will for sure do a review for dune in 4k, because I feel like its the "hot title" at the moment, and also seems like a nice movie I could review. I will look into the dark parts of dune, because like you said, its different on every system. maybe since Keith at uphoria has a big fancy Oled 75 inch display, the colors are a lot better on his than say a projector or tv with standard HDR. thanks.
@@ClarkTeddles I did expect Keith to have different results because his set is Dolby Vision but I wasn't quite expecting him to say that parts of the film are near reference quality. That was a surprise but surely confirms this Dune 4K release is displaying differently on different systems like nothing else we've come across before. I stuck it on through our television and it looked the same as on the projector but I didn't watch too much of it so maybe if I'd have only watched it on the telly I wouldn't have been so disappointed as the picture is tiny compared to the projection at 8.5 feet wide or thereabouts. A 40 inch telly is only really about 3 feet wide so I wish the diagonal measurements would be abolished now and give us the true width of these screens now we're all buying bigger sets and not 14 inch portables that were really 12 inches wide. i do still think that the bigger you are watching a disc, the easier it is to see how good it truly is. That's not quite so much the case with colour and contrast but for sure it is with definition and that is the most important factor in my opinion. John.
I used to enjoy the occasional 3D too Ben but all of a sudden it was everywhere and the novelty wore off. Saw the greatest ever 3D at Futuroscope in France which was Omnimax with liquid crystal glasses. Things really did come off the screen and go right past you. Shame a similar version of that 3D never made it because that might have become a permanent solution for special cinemas around the world. Alas, today it's predominantly low quality video with faux 3D effects created after the video or film was shot. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I get what you mean by saying it wore off but but 3D I think can still be alive in vr or a projector and also avatar 2 comes out this year I think that's filmed in 3D I think.
@@comicbookguygamecat I never bothered to see Avatar Ben. I think James Cameron has done some of the greatest films of all time but the trailer for Avatar put me off. I'm not the biggest fan of computer generated imaging in films and the work on that one always looked poor to me. A bit unfair given the infancy of the technology but I'd rather watch Lady and the Tramp again!!! John.
I've just been told about that Robert but if they really are doing well and expanding over here then who knows where it will end. World domination could be coming! John.
Oh Man, i really miss the time when i could go to the a store and loose myself for hours triying to decide which móvies, Cd's and sometimes books to bring home, but sadly physical media Is almost dead in my country, so i have to resourse to Amazon,which Is not ideal. Not to mention that you ok recommendations and attention from the staff. Sure streaming Is More convenient but i personally haté the idea of not owning anything. It might be that i have always been a little bit old fashioned. Good grief
Don't worry about possibly being old fashioned because that is just about all of us on here Guerrero. I love actually having films and videos on our shelves and being able to look at them to select a title to watch. It's just not the same thing to go down a poxy list on a computer or smart television. Actually, all that pressing and clicking drives me up the wall. Put a disc in a player or thread up a film though and I'm somehow completely involved in the process. Sod the expense, it's a wonderful hobby and pastime. John.
I’m so glad HMV have been able to bounce back somewhat after going into receivership a few years back and we’ll done to them embracing the wider range of vinyl, tech and merchandise. This is a great store and I wish them all the best- for those of us who still crave the act of buying physical media and all that goes with it, I am glad they can still find a place.
It is rather exciting that the tide appears to have been turned. But it has made me realize that I do need to support them whenever I'm looking to buy something and I always look to see if HMV have it now. Had to buy one 4K from Zavvi about a year ago and that was the film Super 8 that Zavvi had exclusively in the most beautiful steelbook. As Zavvi don't have shops in this country that's all the custom they've had from me.
John.
Thanks john, your home cinema looks brilliant, the screen changing size wow, as a kid seeing the screen go wide at the local cinema, you knew you were going to see something special. All the best👍
If we do manage to get the home cinema room enlarged I expect to re-work all the masking to go wider for 'Scope films because we might be able to finally get back to a ten foot wide projected image or maybe a little bigger than that. Probably still have to close up a top and bottom mask but nowhere near as far.
John.
I loved going to HMV and browsing the shelves. Unfortunately, in Canada, the store closed 3 or 4 years ago. Lucky that you still have it in the UK.
If the trend continues over here Mandeep there may be a chance of a return. Today the UK, tomorrow the world!!!
John.
HMV is sort of already back in Canada. The Canadian retailer Sunrise Records actually owns the UK branch of HMV as well as the FYE chain in the US.
@@andersenpeters its not the same as HMV though...find the priceing to be strange and there are a lot less of them
@@andersenpeters That makes a lot of sense Andersen and hopefully bodes well for a prosperous future for the company.
John.
I really enjoy your videos. It is nice when passion flows into content.
Thank you gyunex. We do seem to have a good band of film enthusiasts commenting on this channel which has been the highlight for me.
John.
I cherish my local HMV (York), it was on the brink of collapse not long ago and they desperately tried to keep on going until the very last minute when they were miraculously saved. I think we, as lovers of film, would miss HMV beyond words if they were to close. This video was a very pleasant watch, thank you John.
Thank you Otis. It was nice to be able to make a promo for HMV even if only on a small scale. I did it out of appreciation for the stores and nothing more. It's gone down very well so far and HMV is getting a lot of positive comments on here which has to be a good sign.
John.
I have to admit John when I see videos like this I really do get jealous. I could spend hours in there. We just do not have anything like that over here. I was talking to a few lads on a stream last night and I was telling them that Halloween kills and Resident Evil Welcome To Raccoon City are the only movies that I physically bought in 3 years. It was great that the staff allowed you to interview them for a few minutes and I thought you put the video together beautiful.
Your Theatre room looks truly special and I hope someday me and Ellen can come over and sit down and watch a movie with you and Susie.
Thanks again John for the shoutout. You are one of the main factors to why my channel has grown so fast and I really do appreciate everything you've done for me and my channel. Take it easy my friend. All the best
For sure, we have got to have a gathering when all this health nonsense is fully behind us. We had Susie's mum here for a week and she rather got into watching the TH-cam videos from Mondo Chelloveck Movies and Euphoria Pictures. I don't think she fully understood that it wasn't television as she's always known it but it made me realize that it is amazing that we can put something together ourselves, upload it to the web and then people all over the world can watch it. For many months we all struggled somewhat to find an audience but now we're having to be increasingly professional as the audience seems to get bigger and bigger. You deserve all the success your having and so does John P.
By the way, after I made my opening comment about the masking working properly at the start of my video I came downstairs to find the bottom mask had snapped off! Somehow I didn't fancy mentioning that in the video.
John.
Lovely to see your enthusiasm and support for HMV. Here's hoping HMV bounces back in Australia one day. We had them from 1989, until mid-2010 when they collapsed into administration. The flagship store in Pitt St, Sydney, was huge. I have so many fond memories of going there in my lunch breaks, mostly to buy CDs, when I worked in Sydney. Most people just seem to forget them after they're gone, but some iconic retailers are part of our cultural history. I still have a few HMV bags and even a couple of store catalogues from the mid-late 1990s - tiny bits of ephemera that I somehow kept, when everyone else threw them away. Perhaps I have the very last ones.
I was amazed to see HMV in the UK stock so many Arrow titles - that's great, and wish they were available on retail shelves here! (We can only order them online). The only major retail stockists that we have left, of DVDs,, CDs, Blu-rays etc, are JB Hi-Fi and Sanity.
HMV are now part of the Sunrise Records group so perhaps they'll get hold of JB HiFi and the stores will get an HMV or F.Y.E. style of makeover so Australia can get back to a little bit of normality and go to shopping centres to simply browse for something unknown to purchase and enjoy. When HMV last went bust here it really did look like we'd lost them completely for a while but Sunrise Records came in and saved the day and the stores seem to have done well during the pandemic, probably due to everyone purchasing from their on-line store which has been wonderful over the past two years. But you can't beat going into a real shop and choosing something at leisure.
John.
I'm just a town or two over, in Reading, where the store has almost closed completely a couple of times in the last few years. I'm impressed that they've now refocused their stock onto stuff that I assume sells better. Even if it does mean more figurines and t-shirts which don't really interest me, I'm glad there's a place in town to pick that stuff up and still a place in town to pick up physical media. Their greatly expanded vinyl section is great as well. I do make an effort to pick something up every time I pass by.
I've spent quite a lot of money in the Reading branch over the years. It was on the list for closure the last time the company went bust so it was a nice surprise to see it survived the axe when I was next in town. That whole arcade that it's in is very nice and I'm sure having an HMV in there swells the overall footfall because just about all the other shops are the same everywhere now. This Newbury store is bigger than it would have been but that means they can sell all the other items that will hopefully help to make it successful. I suspect it's the start of a big HMV nationwide revamp.
John.
Thanks for the video, I like to see support for HMV as I wouldn't want them to disappear. My local HMV in Worcester closed a few years ago which lead to me having little interest in visiting the high street after that, though I still buy from HMVs in other cities if I can. In 2020 I spent hundreds of pounds on HMV online as there was little else to do, and to support HMV in the absence of my local store!
I really started spending with the HMV on-line store two years ago too so we're probably two of many Ross and does seem to explain their renaissance during the pandemic. I expect record sales have helped too as there are presumably good profits to be had selling LPs these days... and turntables for that matter. Long may it continue.
John.
Going hard on the collectibles is very wise, that's the kind of thing people want to browse in person.
Perhaps it's the sort of shop that will get youngsters back into town and thinking of having belongings rather than keeping all they have on a mobile phone. I suppose many of them have got into records so it's not as bad as I've made it sound but I expect you know what I mean.
John.
I have bought 99% of my movies at a "Store", going in a store and looking around is so much fun. Almost every time I find a Treasure I was looking for OR "I was not even looking for".
Websites are ok, but not as fun....thanks for the tour, it was really great to watch.
At 9 Minutes are saw "Last Night in Soho" which I have not been able to find to buy or rent yet here in the USA. Still trying to watch it after you review.
Did watch "The Green Knight" in 4K with my son who is getting a Movie Degree from Arizona State Univ, the "Making of...The Green Knight" was incredible.
I haven't come across The Green Knight Bob. I will keep an eye out over here now you've mentioned it. Will it help me to get a Movie Degree in Arizona State too?
Last Night In Soho must surely be coming soon over there. Perhaps it was so unpopular in cinemas that no one is stocking it. There are copies here with slip cases but the Newbury HMV didn't have those, just the basic case in cellophane. But there's a cinema just off Leicester Square in London showing a 35mm print so I'm going to try to get in to see that... and Death on the Nile in 70mm almost next door at the Odeon Leicester Square. Then maybe a trip down the road to the genuine IMAX but only if they're screening a film print.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 "The Green Knight" is a slow, but artist movie. Really enjoyed the Extra "Making Of Feature", it made me appreciate the movie more. I might have loved the art even more if I watched the "Making of..." first.
Went to see "Death on the Nile" in IMAX tonight for Valentines. Not as good as "The Orient Express", in terms of casting, filming and plot...but I did love it and I am glad I went to see it.
-"The Orient Express" & "Knives Out" are my Favorite Who Done It movies of all time, so it would have been hard for Nile to beat either one of the movies.
-Really like how you learned more about the main character...his background and pains.
***Had the plot figured out and completely nailed it, drives my wife crazy when I tell her...but I had to so she would know I was right.
I don’t know if I could’ve held back at the store!
Home cinema is looking great.
I wasn't able to fully resist Emmet but I'm still thinking about that Blade Runner soundtrack. Just the sleeve alone had me hooked.
John.
Good to see HMV bouncing back. It’s good to have a look around rather than buying online
I've just shot a tour of the most successful of all video stores Ian so you should see the Covent Garden 'Fopp' on here soon. I've been in there many times but I appreciate it more and more nowadays. The variety and volume of stock is astounding. Anyone heading for London needs to make a bee-line for this little store!
John.
Hi John, I think it's amazing that hmv is the last man standing after all the others and supermarkets have given up on physical media. Long may they continue.
They nearly weren't standing Clive but thankfully they manged to cling on and now seem to be doing well again. Perhaps the resurgence of vinyl records saved the day.
John.
I wouldn't even know where to go to get physical media where I live. I have to order online. This was a real treat!
And we've been taking it for granted a little here in recent years but HMV do now seem to be making a genuine comeback.
John.
There is hope yet for physical media shops!
It seems that the new owners of HMV have realized the business cannot survive on the old staples of music and movies alone. I like the new basis for business and if people get to know these stores exist and are interesting to visit and browse then they could help the high streets all over the nation as people who would not normally bother to go into the town centre may do so.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Looks to have some similarities to what the store that took over HMV in Canada did.Though UK HMV looks a lot more to my tastes.
@@Ahriman13 HMV was too focused on music and video but didn't take advantage of the position they had because they surely should have cleaned up with digital downloads. But you need the right people with the right outlook to know where markets and trends are heading. Evidently they didn't have those people or the management didn't want to listen. Or both!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Well a quick search shows why the change to UK HMV happened since they were bought out by the same company that took over the old Canadian locations. It explains why HMV is so similar to Sunrise Records.
Nice part of the world, I visited a Client office in Newbury about 4 years ago. My nearest store in Liverpool moved last year and is now in a similar format to the Newbury one. Home cinema looking great!
Newbury used to be a bustling, thriving town but If the town council ever realize the error of their ways and re-open the Newbury high street to traffic maybe it will be again one day. Politicians get a bee in their bonnet and will keep going and going and going despite the suffering it causes because they don't like to admit when they've got something wrong. Closing the high street years ago killed the town almost overnight; business moved out and took their customers with them. Then again, it may serve as a lesson to other towns and cities across the nation and they won't make the same mistakes... but I doubt it! Maybe having a new style HMV there will start to draw some reluctant shoppers and visitors back.
John.
Good on you for giving some exposure to this new HMV. Hope they last at least a bit. Their idea of hosting in-store shows for bands and artists is an effective one as my local physical media stores have done the same, and my band has performed at a few. All the HMVs in Canada closed a few years ago sadly. I filmed my last visit to the Toronto flagship store as a memory. Masking and curtains look amazing, John! Best - Andrew
Good to hear from you again Andrew. HMV are now under the ownership of Sunrise Records who own other stores such as F.Y.E. across the USA so you never know, the HMV name may just return to Canada again one day. First of all we have to keep supporting them over here so they continue to do well and expand.
The curtains ended up better than I anticipated when I first had the idea of sequin outer curtains as it turned out the. sequin material was available in a near identical colour. Funny how things work out at times.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 The red and sequin in the light is a great look. And yep, a few of the smaller HMV stores here turned into Sunrise Records due to their new ownership. I was just happy that those locations remained record stores in any capacity. Best - Andrew
@@GuitarGuy5000000000 Aha, I didn't know that some of the HMV's in Canada became Sunrise Records. Shame they didn't keep the 'HMV' identity but at least the stores survived. Could be a legal reason why they had to drop the HMV name.in Canada but not over here.
John.
Nice video. After moving to the USA, I miss browsing in HMV. Looks a great store.
I think they've done a good job with this new store in Newbury. I hope it will do well. As for the USA, apparently F.Y.E. come under the same owner of Sunrise Records to perhaps those stores are worth a look.
John.
I love retail for physical media. HMV was my favorite, yet all of them shut down about 5 years back in my city. I really hope to see them return.
I've been told on here that the current owners of the HMV brand also own For Your Entertainment (F.Y.E.) in the USA and other outlets so it's possible that if the recent trend continues they could start to look at other markets. World domination is coming!
John.
Thanks for your home cinema update John :) HMV is really nice and I wish we had one where I live. Unfortunately, many of these types of stores have closed down over the years here in Sweden. The closest thing to HMV we have in my city is Bengans, an over 30 year old record store that have managed to survive. That record store also has a nice café.
A cafe in a record store is a good idea and that's probably the main reason why they've survived. Book shops are doing that over here these days. HMV seems to be doing well here now and that's not been the case for a long, long time. The pandemic may well have fuelled their web store and now they're updating their shops in preparation for the future so it's actually looking quite promising. We all just need to get out there and support high street shops once more now that Covid-19 is coming to an end.
John.
Yeah mayeb hmv should get a cafe with headphones etc to listen to music
Congratulations on 16k subscribers John ! I remember the old hmv on the corner of Tottenham court rd and Oxford st, it was massive you could get lost in there. I bought my first ever dvd The Straight Story in there. Such a shame it isn’t there anymore.
Aha, that one was the Virgin Megastore Danny and I spent a lot of time in that one. The HMV was further up Oxford Street where there is now a Sports Direct. That was a fabulous store and the escalator taking you up to the first floor to spend all your salary on LaserDiscs and VHS tapes was right at the front so there was no way you could avoid it. Those were the days.
John.
We used to have a massive HMV in Birmingham situated over 4 floors that was connected to a shopping centre called The Pavilion but it closed a few years back and got converted into a massive Primark.
I was very saddened when it closed as have many nostalgic memories of the latter HMV.. But I suppose we are lucky that there is 2 HMV’s here in Birmingham city centre. One in the Bullring shopping centre and the newer one literally a 3 minute walk from each other in Dale End which has a stage for Live Acts.
Birmingham's doing alright by the sound of it StarLord. The fact that the original HMV on Oxford Street in London was closed and remained closed following the last bankruptcy and buyout suggests the business model really was outdated. That the all-new resurrected HMV appears to be thriving is good news for high streets and shopping centres all across the UK. You just can't beat browsing the shelves in an actual shop.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I totally agree with you there John, I love to browse and look at all that there is to offer and even when I may not actually be buying something on that day but for like a future purchase still get that enjoyment. I feel very fortunate to be able to have 2 HMV’s within a stones throw of one another in Birmingham city centre. I was saddened by the news when it was announced on the news when the original HMV Oxford Street had closed as was feeling like to loose such a iconic store which I didn’t have the pleasure of visiting yet made me feel it could be the end like with so many other famous stores like Woolworths and BHS.
@@InLoveWithGamora The original store on Oxford Street may make a return as I believe it's still there with the HMV identity on it so perhaps it's just mothballed. Apparently there are announcements coming for new store openings in London so it may be one of them. Fingers crossed.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 that does sound very promising John with such a iconic building for HMV’s history and origins to have the possibility of reopening would be such an amazing thing to happen. I’ll definitely keep my fingers crossed 🤞 maybe if they ever did open it up some time in the future we could all try and have a subscriber meet up to mark the occasion. You could document it John for your channel and give your review.
@@InLoveWithGamora Now that is a darned fine idea. I'll see if HMV start to be a little more communicative following this video and if so perhaps they'll start letting me in on some trade secrets such as which stores are opening. If Oxford Street re-appears then I'll be there!
John.
Hi John. It seems that Keith's experience with "Dune" exactly replicated ours (also on an OLED) - thank goodness for that and thanks for pointing me in the direction of his channel - his enthusiasm is infectious. Hope you enjoyed "Spencer".
PS "Witchfinder General" was extremely good - not sure why but I'd always had it down as a "Hammer" production, which obviously it's not. Easy to see why Ogilvy was a top contender for Bond in the days following Connery's departure.
Keith did indeed have the same time with Dune as you Dan so I think we've proved that all our systems vary, no matter how good they may be. I first suspected this when John at Mondo Chelloveck Movies was not impressed with Murder on the Orient Express. As that's still the best 4K I've seen (and so it should be as it's a 65mm modern fine grain film stock shoot) it makes no sense that it wouldn't look anything but top-notch on anyone's system. Dolby Vision and HDR is another variable that makes a difference. But Dune is soft for quite a lot of it and it is too dark in places which was evidently a deliberate approach but I strongly suspect the darkness was exacerbated by the 35mm transfer jiggery pokery. Another colleague has really analyzed all the various versions of Dune through his short throw laser projector and he's even turned the lamp up another 25% and it's still too dark in places. This release has been a lesson for us all and I for one will be even more careful in future about releases that don't look quite up to par on either of my systems. Actually, you may have noticed that I was very careful in the review of Dune.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 A valuable lesson indeed - I certainly feel like I've gained some useful insights into how and why viewing experiences may vary even when we are all singing from the same proverbial hymn book. Have you considered making a Patreon page? I'd certainly like to throw you a few quid for your future trips to HMV!
@@danhardcastle Very kind of you Dan but no, I don't want to do anything other to let the advertising revenue that comes in fund the purchases to review on the channel. TH-cam is supposed to be fun so I'll try to keep it that way.
John.
I can’t believe the sheer volume of BD’s and 4K BD’s they have!!!
And the bigger branches carry even larger variety and stocks. It's lovely to just be able to browse. I could spend a long, long time in these shops.
John.
HMV prices actually seem reasonable, what a cool shop! Beetlejuice in the 2 for £30 section is something I’ll never see here in the states, except maybe on a Black Friday deal or something. And £10 for Murder on the Orient Express?? I’ve been hopelessly unable to find that one!
Beetlejuice was just a tenner a few months ago Timothy so it will probably be cheaper again in a while. As for Murder on the Orient Express, I put it on for friends to take a look at briefly on Friday and it's still the best video quality I've ever seen. The detail in the distance of that film is astonishing.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I won’t give up! I’m going to keep looking. $40 for used is the cheapest I’ve seen recently and I just can’t do it, but I’m determined!
The Prestige was one of my earlier 4K purchases and one of my favourite Nolan movies. It absolutely needs a rewatch to see all the clues and hints throughout the film you weren't watching for before you saw the ending. Very clever film and superb cast, based on a book by Christopher Priest.
I've bought from HMV before, including a steelbook or two, but I find some films a bit pricey and pick them up cheaper at CeX.
So many people have asked me to review The Prestige that I finally succumbed. Well, you can't go into an HMV without buying something! I do buy from CEX too but don't spend anywhere near as much as I do with HMV. I suppose I'm mainly purchasing 4K discs these days for review on this channel. It's made me skint at times but it's been a lot of fun.
John.
Great video - loving seeing HMV and their staff doing well - our store in Milton Keynes is small but great staff there.
I wanted to get back to the branch in Truro before we left Cornwall but I didn't have a chance. It would have been nice to feature that little store sometime but the Newbury one is a nice surprise because it's a different type of HMV that might just stand a chance in the modern world.
John.
Wow, this is great, I haven't been anywhere in Europe for years now, and thus in such nice stores, so thank you for the video tour!
Jackie Brown is a great soundtrack too (and the best Tarantino film in my opinion)!
Still sad about Virgin Megastores closing in the US, after I left the country, loved them, especially the two-story one on Sunset.
Aha, the two storey Virgin Megastone on Sunset Boulevard is where we purchased our CAV box set LaserDisc of Alien. $100 plus local purchase tax. Also got the US LaserDisc of Highlander the same day in the hope that I could use it to re-record my Super 8 feature print. Alas, the US version of Highlander was cut to shreds.
John.
Great video!
Theres still a hmv in near me in glasgow city centre and its always great going into it buying dvds still, im still amazed people buy cds there especially young people !
I went into the Newbury HMV the other day Kasim and came out with three 4K discs. We'll be having a look at the 4K of the second Dune film this evening as a result. Expect a review in a few days time but I've already got a good idea of what it will look like having seen one of the dozen 15/70 blow-ups struck for the world. Apparently youngsters do arrange group meets in the record sections of HMV stores around the country so we're pretty unique in the world just to be able to do that. The best news of all is HMV are still expanding and are now back in Canada within Toys-R-Us stores. They've also opened in Dublin and Brussels but there may be others around the world by now.
John.
I think i have to cry, since it has been 3 years since i have been to a physical store. I was at time trying to grab some of the movies... Nice update on your home cinema👍
My next video is going to be a tour of Fopp in the West End of London. The most stacked video store in the nation!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Its so great that you still have video stores to go to. Here in Norway basically all shops are closed unless you live in Bergen or Oslo where you can find the two remaining shops in the country. "Two 2"!!
this VR stuff is getting better and better
If you mean 'virtual reality' Soe then you've given me an idea there... next time I'll do an HMV tour with VR gear!
Really like your down to earth videos! We had a store here many years ago called Tower Records, I used to like just browsing through all their movies and music, definitely miss that.
We had a local Tower Records too, on Piccadilly Circus. We used to love heading into the video floor of that store via the Underground station which could take you all the way into the Trocadero too back when it was at its height. Those were the days. Spent a lot of money in Tower Records both here and in America on Sunset Avenue in Los Angeles.
John.
This is really wonderful to see. I wish there were one like this a little closer to me, but here's hoping this a sign of things to come.
The previous HMV in Newbury closed about 7 or 8 years ago so this really is a story that they've now opened a new, more extensive branch there. Could be coming soon to a town near you!
John.
It’s like a mini Odeon no IMAX John but I’m sure you’re working on it lol
Funny you should mention that!
Pretty cool that HMV support Physical Media like this. In the US Im not sure we have much like this anymore. Dune is definitely not a reference disc for picture quality. However, it's a reference Dolby Atmos disc, that's for sure.
I completely agree with you about Dune. The sound is fabulous, the picture is variable and often too dark. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I didn't like soft film grain after they scanned it onto film after shooting. I'm not a fan of the look.
@@hdmoviesource I've been looking at the Blade Runner sequel again and I think that may have led to the film grain experiment for Dune because the Blade Runner video is excellent quality but lacks the reality of the original film and it suffers as a result. Transferring a 2K video to film and back again could well have been an attempt to rectify that failing but I don't think it worked. I thought I was looking at video noise owing to the low light levels. Given what was done though it is amazing that the final product for Dune ended up looking as good as it did. Take out the last 25 minutes where it's clearly too dark on most systems and they might have gotten away with it. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Good point John. I think you're right. I'm pretty picky about film grain. I like fine and detailed film grain. Anything blurry, blocky, or thick I tend not to like. 16mm film for example. I really don't like that film grain because it's thick and blocky, typically. When grain is blocked, blurred, or unfocused I tend to think that I'm missing something. I don't think there's a workaround for digital and film. If you film using digital cameras then you have to embrace that it's digital. If you want a flimic look then directors need to start filming on film, instead of trying to make it look like film when it's digital. Just my two cents.
@@hdmoviesource My two penneth worth is that this term of 'digital' when something has been shot using video cameras is to make people think it's better than film which of course, it isn't. It's cheaper, puts the cost and onus on cinemas in terms of distribution and means cinemas have to regularly shell out big sums for a newer video projector. Cinemas that proclaim 'digital' are basically telling the customers that they are now using cheaper video projection. The downturn in picture quality in the West End when all this was going on was depressing and I stopped going about 2004/2005 because the huge screen at my favourite cinema, The Empire, made it look like I was watching a video projection - which I was. Things have improved a lot since then but not for all cinemas who can't afford to keep upgrading to something better. And what does 'digital' really mean? Binary. Somehow it doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
16mm film looks excellent these days owing to the fine film grain but it always looked pretty good even when it was being mass produced and turned out as cheaply as possible. The grain was not as evident when the film was projected so it's largely caused by the modern scanning process making it all visible. That and the projected and television pictures being so bright now which probably makes film grain even more obvious. When film is being projected the film actually diffuses the light to help give a more natural look to it. Video projection doesn't do that and that's another reason why I think it can look too harsh at times.
John.
Nice setup. Glad to see things are improving since your move.
Just as I get the new home cinema fully sorted we'll probably get the builders in and then I'll have to do it all again! But if all goes to plan the cinema room will be a little longer so that will make it easier to fit everything in and get back to using a painted wall to project onto.
John.
Very entertaining video. I wish we had shops like HMV around here.
Good to hear from you John. I'm still following your channel and excited to see you get a BIG audience with the girl band heavy metal reaction videos. Some of those tracks are great! HMV is owned by Sunrise Records who I'm told own F.Y.E. in the US so in a way, I think you're shopping at HMV occasionally anyway. Keep up the good work and say 'hello' to Janay and Michael.
John.
Amazing set up john fabulous good job no store like that near me I would be bankrupt
Fortunately the nearest HMVs to me are some distance away otherwise I'd be joining you Mark.
John.
Hi John your cinema room is looking great and and it's great HMV are opening new store's. I bought three 4k movie's last week in the 3 for £30 and I got BLADE, JAWS and The THING, and I was amazed The THING was on sale all ready and the picture was just as good as the Arrow Video Blu-ray.
I think a few people have reviewed The Thing 4K Andrew and said it's not very good but that's probably another example of how video displays differently on different systems because it looks fabulous on mine and just like watching a 35mm print I think. Jaws is one of the best despite being from anamorphic 35mm but I believe it was transferred at 5.6K and that may have made the difference to ensure it was as good as it could be. Apocalypse Now is the next best 35mm I've seen but some say it's even better than Jaws.
John.
So envious to see a store like that. My home town (Vaasa, a university town in Finland with a population of about 60000) lost its last record store about ten years ago.
You're not alone there Zwerker because a lot of comments are telling me there is nothing left in their part of the world. Maybe HMV will continue to do well and expand back out to the rest of the world.
John.
Let's hope so. Ordering on line is good and well, but nothing beats the thrill of browsing the shelves of a brick and mortar store.
The theater is coming along very nicely. I've got Dune coming in a couple of days, so I'll let you know what I find on my setup. It's not ideal, my projector is a non-HDR 1080p DLP (and my receiver doesn't pass HDR anyway) but I can still get a pretty spectacular picture with some tweaking -- my 4K player has built-in picture settings that can be adjusted on the fly.
But, man, I wish we had a place like that HMV here in the States. Closest thing we have here in New England is a chain called Newbury Comics (no relation, it's original location is Newbury St. in Boston). But their movie selection isn't nearly as expansive as what you showed there.
I bet the name of 'Newbury Street' came from Newbury in Berkshire over here. New England is full of English place names and part of the shared history of our two great nations. Dune will be okay however it looks Tom but just be prepared that it's going to appear dark in places, particularly after the sandworm appearance about 25 minutes from the end and for ten or fifteen minutes thereafter. Most of us seem to report the same results so far but others are not experiencing the problem.
John.
I love your tours been watching your videos a while didnt know you knew pete and trevor that's so cool I been to hmv's you went to as I dont live to far from there it took me a while yo find hmv in Newbury's town brilliant series
The Newbury store is a really interesting design; a warehouse that's actually an HMV. Whenever we're over there now, visiting in-laws, I go along and empty my wallet! John.
We have a store similar to this near me called FYE. Its about the same size and located in a mall. I know there used to be more of them but they've slowly faded away. Too many people shop online these days. Something tells me that once many of these stores close up their doors, people will miss it. Maybe it'll make a resurgence like vinyl records.
Vinyl is probably a big part of the reason that HMV have made a successful comeback. There are good profits to be made on records and record decks and hopefully 4K discs too.
John.
Thanks for the tour! If I ever visit the London area, I know where to go. I don't think there's an equivalent retailer anymore in the States. Love your home cinema!
In the centre of London on Shaftesbury Avenue there is a subsidiary of HMV called Fopp. It's a three-storey smaller scale shop stacked up with videos and music. That's the only remaining HMV in central London now but it's possible the original store on Oxford Street could return as I think it's still there with HMV identity on it, just left empty since it closed years ago.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 So many of my old haunts have shutdown. It makes me sad. The internet just isn't the same.
@@GA-1st And if we're not careful, we'll lose what still remains of our old lifestyle. I know people who go into shops and compare prices with on-line shops on their phones while they're actually in the shop. If everyone did that it would all be over in a matter of months.
John.
HMV is a great place. I've visited some locations in HK and Tokyo in the past and I wish they had them back in the United States. The closest think to it was Suncoast Video back in the 90s or Sound Warehouse in the 80s.
HMV seem to have done rather well during the pandemic Reynaldo and now they are part of Sunrise Records group so we may just see the name return on an international scale in the future as a result. Time will tell.
John.
John thanks for another brilliant Video, and thanks again for igniting the HMV flame in me again over the past year or so. I was in the Lancaster branch with my Wife and Niece over the weekend. I picked up some goodies for my Birthday including the last two Tom Holland Spiderman movies, Tenet (3 for £30) and thanks to you 2010. For my Birthday yesterday I also acquired Shawshank, Dune (2021) & Halloween Kills. All on 4K aside of 2010. HMV should drop you a thanks for all the business you're pushing their way. I was having a look through my Laser Disc collection yesterday, reminiscing about picking a lot of them up from HMV Manchester and Andy's records in Bolton. Its nice to get back into a HMV store rather than just buying on line, it good for the soul.
i had an email from the Newbury HMV this morning. Sarah typed me a lovely note so that's made this little video all the more worthwhile. That I've helped to get you back into buying in HMV stores over the past year or so is the icing on the cake. I think it took the pandemic for me to fully realize quite how much I enjoy visiting an HMV store and simply browsing to select a few titles to take home and enjoy. Buying on the web just isn't the same but I have spent an awful lot of money through their web store over the past two years and that's been rather exciting when we've not been able to get along to a physical shop. Postie delivering a package from HMV proved to be an occasional highlight during a pretty awful time for the world really.
John.
Great tour of your local HMV 👌. Unfortunately the store we had near where I live closed a few years ago and never re opened spent every week in my lunchtimes browsing that store some wonderful memories. That's a good deal on the 4K 2 for £30 but I went one better with a well known online store that was doing 3 4ks for £30 plus an extra £5 off so at that price I couldn't turn it down. HMV do some cracking collectors editions though so regularly visit their website .Nice to hear your local store will promote local bands a good platform, everyone has to start somewhere. Great video 👍
Greetings Matt. The Newbury store is quite a way from us but we were visiting a relative so I spoke to Kitty the manageress on that first visit and went back on Friday to shoot the video (and spend some more money!). There were 3 for £30 4K titles but I'd already got most of the titles in the selection. There are going to be new store announcements over the coming year so you never know, you may get a new branch sometime in the not too distant future.
John.
i wish a store like this would open in my country but that would never happen. all the video stores closed down about 2 years ago. everything is online and it sucks. i like to be able to take a day out in town and visit stores. just ordering stuff online is boring and un inspiring to be honest. very cool store :) btw i was lucky enough to buy 2 copies of that blade runner score when it was first released on vinyl for the first time back in 2012 or 2013 with the red vinyl. i have one that i play and the other one is still sealed and framed. the re issues are black vinyl i think. but it's a must have in the collection for sure!
That Blade Runner is still calling to me all those miles away so it's not leaving me alone. It would be nice if it was red vinyl though so now you've got me thinking.
If HMV can make a success of the new style of store here then who knows where it could lead in the future. Apparently the new owner also owns the For Your Entertainment chain of F.Y.E. stores in the USA so if they all do well you just never know where they might expand into.
John.
Evening John. Good to see HMV flourishing, it's a highlight of a shopping trip. I bought the 4K of Last Night In Soho in there last weekend, not got round to watching it yet though.
I hope you really enjoy Last Night In Soho Steve. As you already know, I think it's pretty terrific.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Evening John. Last Night In Soho is in my to watch pile next to the telly. It seems to be getting out of hand that to watch pile. House Of Gucci out next week so that'll be going in the pile.
Incredible Masking system! Please do a detailed video and the parts you bought to achieve this masking system.
Apart from the curtain motors, the corded curtain tracks and the roller blind I made it all Abdul. I have detailed it in a couple of recent videos of the process since moving here two months ago but prior to this I did a tour of our last home cinema which was all the same equipment and material. I had to extend the top and bottom mask and lengthen the side masking but it really is all mainly done with string and sticky tape. The plastic frames I made up to attach cardboard with black velvet covering to has screws and bolts securing it all together but there's plenty of sticky tape to strengthen it all and ensure it stays together. Because the masks are now ten foot across the bottom one flexes and so I have four guides along the bottom and one of them you can see in the video as a straight white piece sticking up because I haven't covered it in black velvet yet. Another guide can be seen right at the far right and that's just two cheap shelf brackets bolted together and screwed to the side wall. It's all surprisingly basic really. Look up X10, X10 Transceiver, X10 Appliance Module and X10 Lamp Module and that's how all the automation works. Can be done by hand until you get that all installed and working which can take as much as ten minutes!
John.
Oh and I made a special, and quite pricey trip to the Leicester Square Odeon yesterday to watch the 70mm presentation of Death on the Nile. While the 12 y/o and I were a bit far back from the screen to really appreciate the full effect, it was a very good experience and a great movie. Very sumptuous visuals, wonderful costumes and a talented cast. I'll look forward to getting it on disc to watch at home in the future.
Whoa, I wish I was there. I hope to get organized and make the trip in the coming days. Maybe I'll be able to get into the projection box but I won't hold my breath these days. The Odeon is cavernous and they probably need an even bigger screen these days because I think the existing 'Scope screen is a measly 52ft!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 It was your letting us know about it that alerted me to the 70mm screening. I definitely recommend getting closer to the screen than the Upper Circle! You'll enjoy it very much. Brannagh is great, as is the supporting cast with lovely locations and production and it keeps you guessing. :-) Will look forward to your summary/review :-)
@@Kings_Gambit One of my all-time favourite films is the 1978 Death on the Nile so I think I'll know the conclusion of this latest version without having to think about it. I have the original film on Super 8 and have watched it so often that I almost know the script by heart. I love Peter Ustinov in the role of Poirot but it was pairing him with David Niven that made him perfect. Kenneth Branagh is only second to Ustinov because of that teaming up with Niven. I put the 4K of Orient Express on yesterday to show friends how good video can be and it is still the best quality video I have ever seen.
John.
Hey John, glad you took us to the HMV that’s a really cool store we used to have a couple like that but they’re all pretty much gone at least around here Tower records and FYI to name a few I do miss them you could spend hours there without even thinking about it. Did see death on the Nile in Chicago Saturday night tryed to find a theaters showing on film but no luck but I did see it in AMC is top-of-the-line Dolby theater and it looked and sounded outstanding and more importantly it was very well done. I personally like the original murder on the Orient express better than the remake but this one was pretty close to the original I would not argue if one thought it was better than the original but that’s just my opinion everyone has one you’re home cinema it’s looking great have a good one as always john
I really must get a trip to London sorted for the 70mm of Death on the Nile. Apparently Last Night In Soho is running in 35mm just along a bit too so it's a film lovers dream in the West End of London right now. If the genuine IMAX down the road at Waterloo is running an IMAX film print that would be the icing on the cake. I love the 1978 Death on the Nile which is one of my all-time favourite films and I do think it's actually in my top ten. Whatever I think of that one though, the fact that the new one was shot 65mm should ensure it's special even if it's unlikely to have a pairing to match Peter Ustinov and David Niven which I consider to be the best pairing in a film ever. Those two were just perfect in that film and the rest of the cast wasn't bad either!
John.
Great video John thanks you.
Youre right yesterday i Saw last night in solo what a great movie!
Glad to know you thought the same of Last Night In Soho Pascal. It does seem to be getting extremely positive reviews and feedback so it's got a chance of doing well now despite it's poor draw to cinemas. John.
I live in rural Idaho and have never seen that many 4k's in one place before. Crazy. Of course I am surrounded by majestic views of the American west... not sure which one I prefer.
I've never been to Idaho Cody but I've travelled a lot of America and actually shot entire documentaries over in the US. After England it's got to be my favourite country and if things had have turned out a little differently some years back we'd have had a place in Colorado. Apparently HMV is now part of the group that owns the US chain of F.Y.E. (For Your Entertainment) so next time I'm over I'll see if I can visit one or two of those to see how they compare. Certainly HMV have a new business model here and I expect that it's come from the US F.Y.E. business model.
John.
Another great video John. I only live in Oxford where we have another new hmv. I will go to Newbury to see what’s around.
They might be almost identical but there is also a CEX in Newbury in the Kennet Centre just about five minutes walk away and I've turned up some great bargains in that particular CEX.
John.
The cinema setup looks better each time you show it. I used to buy DVDs from HMV in Oxford Circus (before it closed down) but now I mainly stream online as it saves me a lot of space and money. However, if I really do like film I still would will go out and purchase it on 4K/blu ray.
There is something special about going into a shop, browsing all the 4K discs in stock and selecting a few titles to take home and enjoy. The trouble is, I'm still thinking about that Blade Runner record and that's the sort of cost that's going to clear me out!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 you hit the nail right on the head there. Would you believe I still like going out and browsing for laser discs and other media (and I have quite a collection already)
Long live HMV
Too bloody right!
I was in my local HMV today,bought a Criterion edition of The Thin Red Line on Blu-ray,love browsing through the titles
@@Gazza636 Being able to browse in a shop is something we've all taken a little too much for granted in recent years. I tend to purchase from HMV even if they are a little more expensive at times simply because I appreciate being able to go into a store like HMV. All the other similar retailers have gone and only HMV remain.
John.
Cheers, John. I was willing you to pick up 'Citizen Kane' 4k. Wondering how that transfer measures up...
I have to admit that I struggle to work up enthusiasm for Citizen Kane but if I see it singing like a bird (i.e. going cheap) then I may just succumb.
John.
Im so jealous! They even had an Arrow Video section! Why cant we have places like this in the states? 😭
HMV have been taken a bit for granted over here Mike so we've just got to hope enough people get out to their local stores and support them over the coming years to keep them going. I remember stores like this across America in the 1980's and 1990's but I suppose you had the same problem as us and the values of the goods they sold weren't considered worth it and so they all closed. Maybe now that records are back and 4K discs and a lot of Blu-rays are sought after they'll have a bright future if asking prices are able to generate enough of a profit. Stores like this get people into high streets so it helps other shops too.
John.
Great stuff as always John. I had a bit of a spend in out local HMV on Saturday too. Picked up The Thing 4k as part of the 3 for £30 deal. Been wanting that since it came out not so long back.
I also couldnt resist picking up the Back to the Future trilogy on 4k as it was 30% off.
Ive found that quite often the deals in HMV are as good as, if not better, than Amazon if you go at the right time.
I think a lot of us on here are supporters of HMV Chris and appreciate their importance on the high street. The Thing is a cracking 4K disc and so is Back To The Future so you're going to have a great time there. What great value too.
John.
So, Universal Soldier gets a nice 4k release but Disney can't seem to squeeze out Heat for love nor money. Still, hardly HMVs fault.
Nice vid John and agree with you on the high street shopping. Not always more expensive either.
I haven't seen Heat since its theatrical release when I saw it in a cinema in a tiny little town in Colorado. It might get the 4K treatment one of these days but every title is going to have to wait its turn as it takes thousands of manhours to create every single 4K release.
HMV is getting a lot of affection on here. Wonderful!
John.
The store layout looks very similar to JB Hi-Fi stores in Australia.
Apparently HMV are owned by Sunrise Records who also own FYE in America Adrian so perhaps JB HiFi is another company in the Sunrise portfolio. That or one of them has copied the other.
John.
You are so knowledgeable and do very informative videos, great home cinema set up, I buy almost all my physical media from HMV we have the largest HMV store in the country in Birmingham its brilliant, keep up the good work,
You're a good chap Dale. I think more and more of us have learned to appreciate HMV and other specialist shops over the past few years. When they're gone, they'll be gone and that will be awful so the longer we can put it off the better. I hope things change somehow and the high street can actually compete with on-line. HMV seem to be doing pretty well in that regard.
John.
Wish we had HMV in the USA . This video was great thanks for sharing
Apparently F.Y.E. are under the same owners so maybe there is one of those nearby. If so, please let me know how similar it looks to HMV.
John.
HMV used to be in America. They had a store in Times Square.
@@davidjames579 If that was there in 1997 then I probably went into it. I wish I could remember though.
John.
Highly enjoyed what you have done .
Thank you Unal. I'm always up to something!
John.
I always make sure to make a few trips to HMV a month to keep it alive. Although a factory fire in my hometown caused horrendous traffic so trying to get Dune on release day after work was a failure, had to resort to Amazon. Made up for it by getting some 2 for £30 4K and The Hobbit Trilogy in 4K yesterday.
Well done Luke. Sorry you had trouble getting Dune on the day but hopefully it was worth the wait. Never had such variable result reports on any previous release than for Dune but those variable results really do appear to be genuine. I've mainly been supporting HMV via their web store over the past two years and I don't think I've ever spent so much with them before so perhaps it took a pandemic for me to fully appreciate the importance of being able to visit a store and actually browse for a purchase... or two, or three or a hundred!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 these things happen! It's a great movie. I also bought the 3D Blu-ray from Amazon Germany, but haven't popped it on yet
@@lukekingsland5851 I had a colleague check the 3D copy on his laser projector and given the variable results he really went through every version of Dune thoroughly and for all 3D discs now he's going to put the lamp brightness up by 25% as a result of what he established with Dune. So it's not all been a bad thing by any means.
John.
Wow John brilliant video and tour of that lovely new HMV store in a hard time for the high street it's great to see HMV finding some success and with supermarkets not selling media anymore it looks to help them even more.
Yeah HMV maybe a bit more expensive but you can't beat the experience of exploring the shop and actually touch the items in your hand and also finding other items you hadn't intended on buying. Also that new 3 4Ks for £30 offer is great.
Wonderful update to your Cinema it's certainly a dream come true for any movie lover.
Keith is such a brilliant guy and a top friend, he'll be coming onto my channels livestream on Wednesday night so looking forward to chatting to him again. Take care John, looking forward to the next video
Pete, I need to watch your livestream on Wednesday. Make sure Keith knows I'll be watching him to make sure he puts the correct contribution in Ellen's swearbox!
HMV is getting a lot of love here in the comments which is wonderful. Maybe they have a good future ahead.
John.
I really enjoyed this video John....A little bit different. Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks Roy. I'm always looking to make something a little bit different and have thought about a proper sort of HMV promo for some time. Usually the people that work in HMV aren't interested but as soon as I spoke to Kitty on our first visit she smiled and was enthusiastic. That makes it all worthwhile.
John.
The store tour was incredible, I could spend hours and much moola there!! ... I love those type of stores and your editing was superb, nice music to go with the video! Thx for taking us in the store with you. It's Superbowl Sunday here in the states which is unofficially a holiday... Just thought I'd take a break and say hey!
These HMV stores are dangerous Gilbert! But I can't stop thinking about that soundtrack LP of Blade Runner so I reckon I'll be skint the next time I visit... or at least, by the time I leave the store the next time I visit!
We don't really follow American football over here but I was in Colorado when a quarterback by the name of Joe Montana almost single-handedly won the superbowl for San Francisco Giants against Denver I think. That would have been January 1989 and he was incredible. The last throw of the game... but goodness only knows why it's called 'football'! The Mean Machine in 1976 with Burt Reynolds was great though wasn't it?
John.
@@moviecollector5920 That store reminded me of Hastings which closed all their stores several years back... The result of online shopping I suppose! They had a section of used movies and music and I remember spending many hrs checking out the inventory.. Bought alot of gems their! That Blade Runner LP soundtrack you are lusting for is a gem and won't last long! All foreigners ask the same thing about the name "Football" in America, I don't know the origin but over here it's a religion! Joe Montana played for the SF 49ERS and is considered one of the best QB'S to ever play and the Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds (movie back in the 70:s) was a great football movie... "mean machine, mean machine, mean machine"!
@@gilbertrios5283 I expect American Football was a re-working of Rugby because that gets called 'Rugby Football' and it's so similar to American Football without all the stoppages and body armour. San Francisco 49Ers... that's the team. I ended up watching that game right until the end and it was jolly exciting. A few years later when we changed aeroplanes at Minneapolis the Superbowl was in town and all passengers were greeted with cheering and girls with pom poms, that sort of thing. Football over here now, the game sometimes called 'Soccer', is not my type of thing any longer as it's all about money. I played up until I was in my 40s and loved to play it. If I'd have been offered a place with one of the top teams I'd have played for nothing. Not possible these days of course as you spend all your time training but basically I'd have been honoured to play for one of the league teams.
John.
Hi John, great look around HMV there mate!! I'm going to sens the link to Steven who works in the Metro Centre branch so he can take a look at how this one is set up 👍👍 great that they let you film in there, one thing is they should have written FILUM on the wall 🤔🤣🤣 was great to see the masking working on the wall and the settings with different aspects was very clever!! 🤩 Great video John and Keith really did NOT like Moonfall 🥴🥴🤩🤩👍👍
Yes, I really want to see Moonfall now. This is what happens when someone says a film is truly awful so he may have done it more of a service than he realizes. To be fair though, if you go back through the Roland Emmerich films there was Stargate and then they've all been pretty crap really. I've enjoyed a few of them though despite the ridiculous, similar concepts. Actually, now I think about them all I really enjoyed Godzilla which most people seem to hate.
If we ever do get the home cinema room enlarged I expect to do the screen so that the 'Scope ratio is wider than the 16x9 1.78:1 ratio. That's how it should be and why CinemaScope was invented all those years ago so that the masking would just move out to give that immersive, all-enveloping, widescreen effect.
I'll tell Kitty that they've misspelled 'Filum' the next time I visit (to pick up that poxy Blade Runner soundtrack!).
John.
It’s good see you being out
Thanks Victor. I am allowed out on special occasions!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I see
Been looking to import a copy of the prestige with a slipcover; finding a listing online has been difficult to see the actual in stock product as most use stock photos.
The USA 4K was done by Disney and is significantly worse so I am just going to have to keep trying to track one done
The other TH-cam reviewers have been so enthusiastic about slip covers that they've bloomin' well got me into the damned things now. I never used to even notice.
John.
I wish HMV had survived across the pond. There was a wonderful HMV just a handful of miles away from me but it closed shop many, many years ago.
Apparently HMV are under the same owners as F.Y.E. Henri so there could be some sort of convergence in the future. Sunrise Records own them both now, or so I'm told. Over here 'HMV' is a great, historic name so I suppose it will remain whatever happens but I don't know how respected the name is in the USA. I do feel fairly sure it's a better identity than 'For You Entertainment' which sounds pretty crap to me but what do I know?!?
John.
love HMV but they have closed all my local ones here in Greater london i try and use thier online shop as much as possible. great video
I was shocked to find the Oxford Street Branch has gone. Should have been left for the nation, as that's the place where a Sound Engineer said he liked the sound of the recording Brian Epstein had given him to copy, and he said he knew a Producer at EMI he could put him in touch with. That just happened to be George Martin.
At least they left up the big His Master's Voice sign.
It's possible that store could be coming back. I asked someone at HMV HQ a while ago and while he wouldn't confirm it he told me more new store announcements are coming including within London. Wouldn't that be great?
John.
@@moviecollector5920 be fantastic can't see them going back to Oxford street though rent is too much. Be nice to have a local store back
@@moviecollector5920 Absolutely! Now for Tower Records in Piccadilly Circus.
@@davidjames579 Now that would be rather special.
Bladerunner on vinyl is a beautiful thing. I wonder if its a new release or just a reprint.
Funny thing is that you play records from 30 or 40 years ago and they usually sound better than modern CDs and other digital formats. A remaster might not make much of a difference so I'm doing my best to stay away and forget about that Blade Runner record... damn it!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 yes records have a much higher fidelity than CDs by far.
Amazing here in brazil and latin america Disney and Fox movies left us in 2020 and the rest of studios last year so its beautiful see this
It's sad the way music and home movie shops are dying out but Amazon is killing everything like that. Fortunately, the revival of vinyl records has brought about a revival of HMV and so they're actually expanding over here right now. It would be a good service to the world if they were to continue to do well and then open up a few international stores in major cities around the world. If you ever get to London though, head for FOPP in the West End. Look up my video for that store for some real home video disc eye candy.
John.
John, it's nice to see that you still have HMV stores in the UK. Unfortunately they all closed down in Canada in 2017, falling to the rise of the streaming services and amazon. In Montreal where I live, the last remaining branch was the downtown superstore. I sure miss those 2 for $20 and 2 for $30 Blu-ray sales. Your home theater is coming along wonderfully.
On the subject of Dune, after spending a good amount of time writing my very long comment on your review of the 4K, where I described my two screenings in local cinemas, I was hit by the TH-cam posting bug and after many failed attemps to unsuccessfully post my comment, I gave up. I don't know why it happens sometimes but I'm not the only one affected by this TH-cam software glitch. I'll simply mention that most YT reviewers that viewed the Dune 4K Dolby Vision indicated that it was reference quality both in terms of video and of the Atmos audio track.
I had Keith at Euphoria Pictures review the 4K of Dune for that very reason Jesus because he has Dolby Vision. I don't think that's the entire answer as I've had a lot of fellow enthusiasts off of TH-cam check their own copies for me and the majority report similar problems to me. Certainly it's been graded too dark but I think that was due to the messing about with the transfer to 35mm and back which generated film grain to give it the filmic look but because the image was so comparatively poor here I really did think it was video noise. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to make the video quality to sound too awful. There were some good quality sequences in it and if I'd have focused on those more I think I'd have been happier but that sandworm sequence made me think the projector lamp was on the way out. The next ten of fifteen minutes in low light didn't help either. Dune is a strange one but it's given us all something to discuss and it's confirmed that results on different systems can vary greatly. This explains why some are not so impressed with such great releases as Murder on the Orient Express and Tenet because their systems are just not displaying it in the same way as mine do. I suspect that with Dune there is perhaps also a bit of fandom for the film and perhaps it's not being scrutinized as much as other titles. I put it on again to take another look and it's not so disappointing once you know what to expect so I can see myself really enjoying it next time.
I've had that TH-cam bug myself Jesus and there just doesn't seem to be any way around it once it has it in for you.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 John, at this point I've only watched Dune in the cinema. You will find below the comment I wrote for your Dune review. I've gotten into the habit of writing my comments on a text editor, saving them and then copying and pasting them into the reply field since I've had so many of my postings fail. Here it is:
John, I was wondering when you were going to get around reviewing my fellow Montrealer Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi novel Dune. Wonderful review as always. Thank you.
FYI, Dune's cinematographer Greig Fraser, reported that the movie was shot with Arri's Alexa LF IMAX certified digital camera. It was then transferred onto 35 mm film to soften that digital edginess and it was finally scanned back into digital to lessen the film grain because Villeneuve felt that too much film grain was giving the picture a nostalgic look for what should be a sci-fi epic set in the future. You can read this interview with Fraser from The Hollywood Reporter (www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dune-cinematographer-denis-villeneuve-movie-1235011592/) or watch this interview with Fraser on TH-cam (th-cam.com/video/TK8BgU7iI1w/w-d-xo.html).
I saw Dune twice at the same Cineplex theater complex both in IMAX and under their UltraAVX banner. Since there are no theaters in Montreal that show feature films on the traditional oversized IMAX screens with the original 1.43 aspect ratio that require the IMAX with Laser digital 4K projection system, my first screening was on a regular IMAX digital projection system with a 1.90 aspect ratio that is substantially inferior to the former according to the specifications. I felt that the picture was of the soft side and lacked some sharpness and detail while being overly dark. The regular IMAX digital projection system uses two 2K projectors where the two 2K images are projected superimposed on each other with a half-pixel offset to increase the perceived resolution to approximately 2.9K. So much for the advertised "The IMAX Experience", that's what has come to be referred to as "LieMAX" by some people. The Cineplex UltraAVX theaters use Cristie 4K digital projectors. This second 4K screening on Christie definitely produced a sharper picture with higher brightness helping to bring out more detail, specially in those darker scenes, which there are plenty on this movie as you've seen. You could definitely see the worms better. ;-) Where the IMAX was superior was on the sound front; the UltraAVX theater unfortunately not being equipped with an Atmos sound system.
I've watched a handful of other reviews on TH-cam covering this 4K Blu-ray release. Those reviewers viewed the Dolby Vision HDR version on OLED and LCD TVs. To summarize their reviews, they indicated that the picture was spectacular and amongst the best they've seen on a 4K disc. The same high level of enthusiasm was demonstrated for the Atmos soundtrack. They where so highly impressed that they were confident this 4K disc would be a top contender for the best 4K Blu-ray release of 2022.
@@JesusMartinez-mk6fc I don't think there is anything wrong with the 4K disc, it's just how the video was made when it was shot and then messed up a little in post production. I had assumed the 35mm jiggery pokery was to put film grain into the video to make it look like film so thank you for correcting me there. As for a cinema using the IMAX name but only screening video, don't get me started on that! I do understand that it's an attempt to remain in business though and if it does mean some of us can get to see genuine IMAX in those original IMAX theatres that still have the 70mm equipment then that's a good thing. Keith at Euphoria has included the 4K disc of Dune in his latest round-up reviews and I asked him to do it because he has an OLED telly and Dolby Vision. He thinks the image quality is outstanding. It wasn't on either of my systems but those of us that make films (documentaries in my case) these days have all made mistakes like this with post production of video. It was always difficult to get variable results with film but it could still happen. The majority of comments on here have had similar results to me so Dune has certainly confirmed that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to video. The soft overall look would certainly thwart it getting any top 4K disc awards even though it was deliberate. I suspect that was done to match some low quality computer effects but getting anyone to confirm that just ain't going to happen even if it does turn out to be true. I did think the computer effects were terrific and I wouldn't have cared if they'd have looked softer than the rest of the video. After all, they got away with in in classics like The Matrix years ago so why not?
Good idea to use a text editor for TH-cam posts. I've done that very same thing myself on occasion when I've been having trouble.
John.
Hello John enjoyed the HMV tour, I'm in Bath and will be venturing out to their new store which has just opened last week.Talking about films displaying varying quality on different systems I have found K L' s Great escape a disappointment ie too much grain! I look forward to your review if you're planning one. Going to purchase Murder on O E to see how it compares with the iTunes version which, itself is excellent. Regards Martin.
I recently watched the 4K of The Sting Martin and that has an extra featurette on there that confirms my suspicion that the current method of cine transfer via a scanner is exacerbating film grain. This is why some films are looking like they have excessive grain when a major reason for that is the transfer method. This is probably why some films are accused of being "DNR'd to death" because excessive film grain has to be smoothed after the scan to try to disguise it. Film rarely tended to look too coarse unless it was a deliberate choice to make a particular release look more gritty. Modern film stocks are such fine grain that projecting a film means you are barely even aware of film grain unless you look for it. Scanning a film can make it more obvious so we should probably all be a little more forgiving given the exceptional quality that the producers are issuing for us on video today. Murder on the Orient Express is still the best video quality I have ever seen so I hope you find it the same. Look for a copy with a slip case because Newbury had them and I expect it's a bit of a re-issue to coincide with the theatrical release of Death on the Nile.
John.
Just a quick update John I was able to get Murder on the OE with slip cover from HMV 50% deal, bargain! It wipes the floor with my iTunes version and I agree with you it is without doubt the best 4k transfer on physical media....so far. Regards.
@@martinleybourne3498 If all goes to plan I'm off to see the sequel in 70mm next week. Let's hope the image quality is just as good because the Egyptian setting should mean that if it is as good then the overall look might mean it looks even better than Murder on the Orient Express. And when it comes out on 4K disc let's hope it takes over the number one spot for quality when it is released in a few months time.
John.
Great tour
Great comment. John.
John's a top lad 👍🏻
Can't argue with that!
@@moviecollector5920 😆👏
This awesome John. My local Tower Records used to have live music. We don’t have anything like HMV. The best store here is an old independent vinyl store called Watts Music. I’ve collected more vinyl recently, than movies. They have a nice selection of not just new releases. Agree with your comments about supporting retail. Curtains are lovely. Motors quite noisy? This was F A B!
The motors vary Rob but the new ones aren't as loud as the older ones, possibly because the older ones have been working hard for the past 20 years. But the pair of motors pulling the curtains are actually less intrusive than they sound on the video.
I used to love going into the basement of Tower Records on Piccadilly Circus. Straight into the video department from the tube station which went all the way out the other side as far as the old Trocadero when it was a major attraction in the West End. Those were the days.
I'm still thinking about that Blade Runner album I didn't buy in HMV.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Buy the vinyl! I had a friend round at my house the other day. Her favorite film is Bladerunner, so we put on the first 10 minutes in 4K on the 150" screen. She was wowed. The Atmos mix combined with an SVS sub bass that weighs almost 200 pounds creates a movie you feel as well as watch.
@@Celestialrob I could watch Blade Runner every day and never get tired of it. It's like looking at a great oil painting in a gallery. Most people wouldn't understand but us film enthusiasts do.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I'm embarrassed to say that I was bored the first time I saw it. Even worse, I purchased the 4K 2049 sequel and have not watched it - because I fear it will spoil the original - silly me.
@@Celestialrob First time I saw Blade Runner was a television broadcast. Even then it was brilliant. But I do think the original version with the narrative is best because if you haven't seen that there is no chance of understanding the later editions of the film. The sequel isn't brilliant.
John.
I genuinely had no idea hmv was still going I thought it closed years ago till a friend posted she was doing a live gig in one. Interestint they still make money in cds and dvds I’m quite shocked by that do they also sell technical things or stick old school?
I think it's the revival of vinyl records that have been the main driver of their success but a quick look in FOPP just off Cambridge Circus in the West End and you'll usually see the ground floor is crowded with music and film collectors. It looks like those markets have recovered during the pandemic and with streaming not having come up to standard I expect many have returned to purchasing their favourite albums and films. DVD still makes up almost half of the video sales in the UK which is amazing when you consider how out of date it is compared to Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray. Streaming can almost reach Blu-ray standards at times which is quite an achievement but if you want the best, discs are the way to go. Newbury HMV is a recent addition and chock full of all sorts of merchandise besides the all-important records and videos.
John.
Great video, John! Music choice was great for the HMV tour.
Also, any plans to watch Del Toro's new film "Nightmare Alley"? It was shot beautifully and Bradley Cooper gives one of his best performances. All the best!
I do like Bradley Cooper so that's a good draw for Nightmare Alley. Is it in cinemas now or released on disc? As for the music, that's a TH-cam track and I found it quite quickly. It would actually work well with one of my TriumphDVD productions so I might investigate licencing it for a future disc release.
John.
Hi John, great video as always. Just wanted to say it was cool to bump into you today at Chelsea Cloisters. Sorry it was short as we had to be somewhere and I didn't introduce myself properly. The name's Kev btw. How was your cinema trip to see Death on the Nile?
Aha, Kev! I'm glad you got in touch. I too was a little tied up but enough of that. We'd seen Death on the Nile the day before and I'm still buzzing. I don't think we have the same abilities as we used to for the production of film prints but to see a film looking like a film and as clear and colourful as Death on the Nile has convinced me further that this is the way cinema needs to go. It won't of course as it costs nothing to make a video available over the web whereas distributing 35mm and 70mm prints costs a small fortune.
Your wife looks just like a friend and I was looking and thinking 'Helen and Andrew... but that's not Andrew! What's she up to?!?' So if I seemed a little distant, that was why.
Hope you had a great time. I might have to start spending time in Chelsea Cloisters occasionally as my parents are really rather elderly and frail now so unable to get there as often as they should. Someone's got to look after the place a little better. Maybe we'll get together there sometime.
John.
Hi John. Love your content and always a joy to watch. I’m currently building a home cinema room in my house myself. Do you have a link to the motors you brought off eBay?
Thanks and keep up the great work.
David
There are cheaper listings up on eBay but this seller got them to me each time in two days and both those times it was delivered on a Sunday which was quite a surprise. Here's the link: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294692050069?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
Please let me know how you get on. Maybe I could show some photos of the finished product sometime.
John.
Wow John you really went to town for this video. Great job sir, well done.
Was that all your camera work in HMV? Very slick.
You panned past the HMV Premium Collection and Shop Around The Corner flashed past. I've just done a video for it and the remake on my channel if you are interested. Have you seen it?
Glad you are getting the home cinema in tip top running order. It's looking great.
Looking forward to your next review video.
Trevor
Greetings Trevor. I'm running your Shop Around The Corner right now - have your dialogue running while I'm running this. I've never seen either of the films so you may just talk me into purchasing them now.
Yes, I shot the whole HMV video in about 20 minutes or so. There is a bit of a secret to how I do those sort of promo productions though and that's the little camera I use. I've had it about four years and it was regarded as the best action camera on the market at the time. It's a Sony something or other but it has a remote viewfinder which gives it all sorts of special, easy uses - like sticking it on a long pole and getting drone-like shots without all the aggravation of legal implications. The built in stabilizer is really very good and means you don't have to go down the hassle of using a gimble or steadicam mount.
Now then, back you your video.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Ah cool. Yes I could see how good its stabiliser was. It must be a nice piece of kit.
Leave a comment on my video with your thoughts regarding the 2 titles.
I was wondering if I'd given too much away but then remembered how soon in both films things are revealed. So actually there's still plenty for new comers to watch.
Trevor
Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦! You got it all working! Looks great! I wouldn’t mind curtains in my setup. I think I’ll have to bite the bullet and buy Dune soon. Everyone keeps talking about it. I’m torn between Dune, King’s Man, and Last Night In Soho. Any thoughts on which to buy first?
If you're into science fiction Jeremy then I expect Dune will be calling to you the loudest. But I think Last Night In Soho is a stone cold classic and might end up being one of your favourite films. I'm not so sure of Dune. I would have enjoyed it far more if it had have looked a little better here but I did still very much like it. Last Night In Soho is a completely different kettle of fish but the atmosphere of that one came out of the screen and grabbed me right into the picture. It was a bit like being the boy in Last Action Hero. London looks like the beautiful city it really is and the neon lights of the 60s and the drive in the Triumph TR4 are the icing on the cake. It's not a perfect film but it's damned well close to it. Having said all that, you might not like it at all because there are some who don't... can't really understand why. Bad language is in there and it wasn't necessary but that's about it apart from some people perhaps finding the supernatural scenes a bit scary but these is little that gives me the creeps so I wouldn't have even noticed. I haven't seen King's Man but I did see a previous recent film with the title and didn't like it much at all. I think there's a later one with Ralph Fiennes and it could be that one that you're thinking about.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I might have to heed your advice and buy Soho. I’ve fallen asleep twice trying to watch the old Dune..that never happens to me. So I’m hoping this new Dune delivers. Gotta spread out the new movie funds. At $34 each, it’s expensive. Very few sales lately here in 🇨🇦. Thanks for your thoughts!
@@jeremyj. The original Dune is the only film I have ever fallen asleep to in a cinema so you're not alone there. Funny thing is that I'd probably rather enjoy it today. The remake is far better but I suspect the original has far superior image quality. Well, it will have because it was 35mm and the new one is video. Not very good video either on my system but others have found it to be one of the best. Figure that one out because I can't and I've had a lot of fellow enthusiasts look at it for me. Best 4K is still Murder on the Orient Express on my equipment.
John.
Im glad we no longer have HMV in Ireland, as if we had a store like that here now I think id be broke all the time haha.
We had a huge HMV in Dublin a few years back, and I passed it every day on my way to work, and I would go into it before I started work and go into it on my way home. Id say the bulk of the 3,500 dvds I had previously was from that store.
Thats a really nice store . Other than Funko Pops which I have no interest in. The 4K section of my own local movie/music store is tiny, its about 2 shelves worth, and it way overpriced compared to what I could get them from Amazon.
The trouble is that Amazon are high street killers Sparky so that's really the only reason why I don't use them for anything unless it's a desperate last resort. Fortunately HMV is a viable option over here and as they have shops in our town centres that's where I always look to purchase. There have been a few exceptions over the years... not many though. I've long appreciated being able to go into a physical shop over the web but this past two years has really exacerbated the point and the importance of specialist retailers such as HMV. Any that are left in Ireland, get in there and see if they're a viable option.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 no unfortunately HMV is gone completely. Zavvi took over HMV and even then the stores still closed down. I do use the Zavvi (Ireland) website from time to time though.
@@Sparkykelly1 Strewth, you'd think they'd have been able to keep at least one store open in Dublin for heaven's sake. What a terrible shame. Let's hope HMV expand back into Ireland.
John.
Do you agree with the price of vinyl nowadays? Its so expensive imo. A few years back they couldnt give them away, and now vinyl albums are 30-40 quid each.
I agree with it if it means that the companies providing it are able to make enough of a profit to survive as well as the retailers who sell them to us. Vinyl could be a big factor in the apparent thriving of HMV today.
John.
Does it have criterion blu rays in hmv
I didn't look for them but usually the HMV stores carry them.
John.
There are no stores here in Sweden that sells physical media anymore except online. And no slipcovers on any of the 4K releases...
That was the danger here Tomanista but thankfully HMV came back from the brink and they seem to have done well over the past two years.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 too bad we have to pay customs when we order from the UK now because of Brexit 😅
@@Tomanista I think we should set up a free trade area across the whole of Europe and call it 'the Common Market'. Oops, already tried that and it went awry so maybe we'll throw that one on the scrap heap! Terrible shame but it's not something the British people would have ever got involved in if they'd have known it was going to go the way it has. You can't win 'em all.
John.
Do the curtain motors really as a loud as they sound in the video? It sounded like a carpenter sawing wood with an electric saw.
Nope. But I left the volume up this time so no one would get the impression they are silent, buy one and then be disappointed. The two new ones that operate the curtains are surprisingly unobtrusive. Maybe the noise will increase over the years but by then I'll be immune to it.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I understand. Congratulations on your new home and setup. It's a pleasure to have you back John. Also, I added Euphoria Pictures to my favourites . Thanks for the recommendation, he's a real hoot and knowledgably.
@@SWATTECHNOLOGIES Keith's hilarious at times. He's done some gags in some of his videos that had me choking. One was a Battle of the Boxsets video I think and it had a Psycho box included so he did a special opening for that one. Another had him watching some of the most awful films on Blu-ray and he was slinging them in the bin at the end of each short review and then chucking the bin out of the back door. He followed that up with a mock-up of him burning one on the gas stove so you can imagine how well that turned out.
John.
Can you please tell me the size of the picture you get on the screen when viewing in 16:9? Looks to be about 65-70 inches. It does seem considerably smaller than your old place where it looked quite large
I can't tell you the diagonal size but it's eight and half feet wide. The actual screen is ten feet wide but I've masked it down because the long throw lens on the video projector is the limiting factor. I think I'd be able to fill the ten foot width with Super 8 but that's for the future. Film screens were always measured across the width because they were so big whereas television marketing meant a foot wide television was sold as a 14 inch diagonal and so on. About time that changed now that a 3 foot wide television is fairly standard but sold as a 40 inch. We don't need to fool purchasers into thinking they're buying a bigger television than they really are any longer.
John.
Hi John, on camera the screen appears to be somewhat creased, is it flat in the flesh. Cheers
Not entirely Nathan but not a problem with a projection on it. Unless you're sat to the side of it I suppose.
John.
Really enjoyed this video John! I researched after seeing this where my nearest HMV is here in sydney, I knew It wasnt an australian store but turns out there is one not too far from me. (it probably wont have arrow video titles, but I may drive there one day and check it out). very well made video as always! my dune steelbook should be in the mail on 2nd of march, which is always exciting.
I have purchased some tickets to the sydney premiere of the new batman film, which should geta nice 4k release in the future.
I still despritely need to make a video soon, but school has started back up, so maybe I may make a handful of videos in the holidays, then upload one of them each week.
Have a great day!
School has to come first Clark so don't worry about not putting videos up when school is keeping you fully occupied. You have years ahead of you to do this TH-cam thing and you have a good base when you do have time to put into it and perhaps concentrate on it to get your skills fully honed to become the next great film maker from Australia.
Dune certainly has generated the most variable results out there. Not only on the home market but in cinemas as well so it will be interesting to learn what you think about it. The sound is possibly the best I've ever heard so who cares if you can't see Rebecca Ferguson on the screen because it's so dark. I knew she was there because I could hear her! Okay, I'm being facetious there but the results have often proved to be variable. I think it's one of the worst looking 4Ks on my systems but others report the complete opposite.
If there is an HMV in Sydney I'd like to know about it because I thought HMV only existed in the UK now. They are part of a bigger whole though as they're owned by Sunrise Records who have other major chains in the US and possibly elsewhere.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I will for sure do a review for dune in 4k, because I feel like its the "hot title" at the moment, and also seems like a nice movie I could review.
I will look into the dark parts of dune, because like you said, its different on every system. maybe since Keith at uphoria has a big fancy Oled 75 inch display, the colors are a lot better on his than say a projector or tv with standard HDR.
thanks.
@@ClarkTeddles I did expect Keith to have different results because his set is Dolby Vision but I wasn't quite expecting him to say that parts of the film are near reference quality. That was a surprise but surely confirms this Dune 4K release is displaying differently on different systems like nothing else we've come across before. I stuck it on through our television and it looked the same as on the projector but I didn't watch too much of it so maybe if I'd have only watched it on the telly I wouldn't have been so disappointed as the picture is tiny compared to the projection at 8.5 feet wide or thereabouts. A 40 inch telly is only really about 3 feet wide so I wish the diagonal measurements would be abolished now and give us the true width of these screens now we're all buying bigger sets and not 14 inch portables that were really 12 inches wide. i do still think that the bigger you are watching a disc, the easier it is to see how good it truly is. That's not quite so much the case with colour and contrast but for sure it is with definition and that is the most important factor in my opinion.
John.
My movie god
I go to HMV to worship!
Good video personally prefer 3D then 4k and oh I left a like.
I used to enjoy the occasional 3D too Ben but all of a sudden it was everywhere and the novelty wore off. Saw the greatest ever 3D at Futuroscope in France which was Omnimax with liquid crystal glasses. Things really did come off the screen and go right past you. Shame a similar version of that 3D never made it because that might have become a permanent solution for special cinemas around the world. Alas, today it's predominantly low quality video with faux 3D effects created after the video or film was shot.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I get what you mean by saying it wore off but but 3D I think can still be alive in vr or a projector and also avatar 2 comes out this year I think that's filmed in 3D I think.
@@comicbookguygamecat I never bothered to see Avatar Ben. I think James Cameron has done some of the greatest films of all time but the trailer for Avatar put me off. I'm not the biggest fan of computer generated imaging in films and the work on that one always looked poor to me. A bit unfair given the infancy of the technology but I'd rather watch Lady and the Tramp again!!!
John.
HMV been closed in Montreal Canada for few years now.
I've just been told about that Robert but if they really are doing well and expanding over here then who knows where it will end. World domination could be coming!
John.
Didn't they move it to Newbury?
Oh Man, i really miss the time when i could go to the a store and loose myself for hours triying to decide which móvies, Cd's and sometimes books to bring home, but sadly physical media Is almost dead in my country, so i have to resourse to Amazon,which Is not ideal. Not to mention that you ok recommendations and attention from the staff. Sure streaming Is More convenient but i personally haté the idea of not owning anything. It might be that i have always been a little bit old fashioned. Good grief
Don't worry about possibly being old fashioned because that is just about all of us on here Guerrero. I love actually having films and videos on our shelves and being able to look at them to select a title to watch. It's just not the same thing to go down a poxy list on a computer or smart television. Actually, all that pressing and clicking drives me up the wall. Put a disc in a player or thread up a film though and I'm somehow completely involved in the process. Sod the expense, it's a wonderful hobby and pastime.
John.