Re: [CR] "Le Velo de Ghislain Lambert"... and US DVDs, etc.

(Example: Racing:Jean Robic)

From: "Bob Hanson" <theonetrueBob@webtv.net>
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 17:59:33 -0700
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR] "Le Velo de Ghislain Lambert"... and US DVDs, etc.


I'd love to see the film, and of course, many others which I know are not available in the US... and, most often, not found in Canada as well.

While I'm not a compulsive technology buff, I have seen a friend's DVD player (I believe made by JVC) which was surprisingly well designed, and could be easily manually switched to any of the world Regions, but generally it could be just left to read the data and translate it all accordingly - automatially. Apart from just reading the info, the machine must then translate it into the preferred local idiom. This means it would read the French SECAM programs presented as 25 frames per second and then spit it back out into North America's NTSC at 24 fps.... at least that's how the whole process was simplified for my comprehension.

In any case, such players although not commonly found in local stores and even nationwide US chains, are nevertheless to be found with a bit of searching on the internet. If shopping around, one should probably verify that it is indeed a machine which was originally set up to play All/Any Regions of DVD recordings, rather than one which had been modified by a cottage industry niche of after-market electronics firms. I've heard the re-programmed units often do not offer the seamless ease of simply putting in the disk and hitting "play".

Fortunately... I think that we'll see more such inexpensive players enter the market as current technologies progress so rapidly.

To digress briely, not only cycling films, but many fine award winning major feature films from years past still have not been transcribed into N.A.-useable Region 1 (NTSC) DVDs. Just one more of my annoyances with major US studios (which own the US rights) but would prefer to sell every single terrible current film (before it is soon forgotten), rather than print smaller quantities of a great number of modern classics by say Truffaut or Wim Winders - which would not have the same short term memory instant appeal to the American audience masses. Sad economic and cultural reality.

Back to cycling videos... another regret in general, is the lack of the longer coverage versions of European races. World Cycling Productions over here does produce rather shortened versions of many of the Spring Classics, etc. However, I've seen longer European versions which are far better... although typically with the same commentators - often the familiar Paul Sherwen and/or Phil Liggett, in the English language presentations.

To rant on just a bit more along these lines. The EuroSport cable channels provide wonderful coverage of most all European cycle races. Typically in the language of the region where the races are held since they are picked up by the regional broadcasting affiliates, but often also in English, again with the commentaries by the aforementioned PS & PL, if these were also selected for UK broadcast and picked up by Eurosport UK. And, by the way, I've checked with every major US "satellite TV" company and none even have these broadcasts available through their networks - not even with any of their costly optional (and laughable) "International" or their "Sports" Packages.

The background info on the different racers, presented to fill in the slower sections of the races during European broadcast is truly amazing. Probably comparable to US Football or Baseball "color commentary" and will similarly include long strings about a given athelete's prior team affiliations and even his amateur accomplishments, family, etc. This is something we have rarely seen in the US broadcasts of the TDF - apart from tediously excessive and repetitive discussion of Lance Armstrong or perhaps his American teammates.

Again, another sad indication of how little International cycling is regarded in the US - where it seems I can get a satellite Dish Network option to view every damned high school basketball game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but will never see a glimpse of the Milan-San Remo or similar Pro cycling races.

I truly wish I still had my old 1970s 8-foot satellite dish just to follow cycling around the world... which WAS once possible!   Alas, technology: a few steps foward... and a few backward.

Bob Hanson Albuquerque, NM, USA

--------------------------- From: "Steven L. Sheffield" I've been looking for this film for years, but unfortunately, it has never been released in a Region 1/NTSC DVD format (to play on US/Canada DVD players). So US/Canadian buyers will have to have a region-free DVD player, and order it from overseas....

SLS
SL,UT