Movie Area

Archive for March, 2009

If you want to edit a DVD movie with Windows Movie Maker to build a new DVD, but you get frustrated with the DVD format, this guide may help you solve the problem.

Before you get started, it will be helpful if you learn something about the DVD, WMM.
General DVDs have CSS copy protection in MPEG-2 or VOB format.
(Windows) Windows Movie Maker supports WMV, AVI and MPG video files.

This guide includes two parts;

How to put DVD movie into Windows Movie Maker.
Tip: How to convert MSWMM file to other video formats.

Part1. How to put DVD movie into Windows Movie Maker

Step1. To put a DVD movie into Windows Movie Maker, you have to rip your DVD to WMV or AVI video first, and then you can load it into Windows Movie Maker. I’d prefer using Aimersoft DVD Ripper to do this. You can get this program at:http://www.1click-soft.com/dvd-ripper.html

Then install and run it, put your DVD disc into your DVD drive, click “Load DVD” to locate your DVD file and import it, or load it by clicking “Load File” to add DVD IFO file. (This DVD Ripper can rip copyright protected DVD movies, but you should remember that it’s illegal rip DVD for any business purposes)

Step2. Select output format and subtitle
After you load the DVD files, click the format drop-down list to select “WMV,  Windows Media Video (*.wmv)” or “AVI” Audio Video Interleaved (*.avi) as the output format. A regular DVD movie has multiple subtitles and audio tracks, and you can select the right one for you. If you just want a certain part of the DVD movie, you can click “trim” to cut the DVD movie. Just drag the timeline bar to set the start and end time, and then blue line will be the captured parts.

For advanced user, if you want to output higher quality video, click the “Settings” button to open the panel, here you can customize video bitrate, audio bitrate, resolution, framerate, etc. Higher bitrate will result in bigger file size.

Step3. Start to convert
After the above steps, you just need to click “Start” and wait for the conversion to be finished. It takes about 40 minutes to convert a common two hours DVD movie.

Step4. Edit DVD with Windows Movie Maker (optional)
Run Windows Movie Maker, in the “Movie Task” bar, click “Add Video” to browse your computer and located the converted files, and then you can start to make personal movies.

Tips: Many users may wonder how they can convert Windows Movie Maker file (*.MSWMM) to other video format. Actually, A *.MSWMM file is not a video file. It is a project file of Movie Maker (more like a record file). You have to open this file in Windows Movie Maker and save the movie to your computer: Go to Movie Tasks bar > Finish Movie > Save to my computer. After that you will have a WMV file which can be converted to another video format or burned to DVD.

Five Points to Remember Before You Download

In recent years, an ever growing number of people have taken to downloading movies from the Internet and World Wide Web. Perhaps you are a person who is interested in downloading movies from the Internet. If that is the case, there are a number of considerations that you do need to keep in mind before you begin the process of downloading movies off of the Net.

1. The first factor that you need to keep in mind when it comes to downloading movies from the Internet is to only obtain and download movies from established, reputable and reliable websites. Unfortunately, there are so many different viruses floating around in cyberspace today that you must be very careful about the websites that you elect to transact business with. This is particularly true if you are interested in downloading items from a websites, including movies. The last thing that you want to have happen is to infect your computer with a virus as a result of your desire to download movies. By sticking to the established, reputable and reliable websites that trade in downloading movies, you will lessen your chances of infecting your computer with a virus. However, there are occasions in which even the most reputable and well managed sites can be infiltrated with viruses.

2. Because even established and reliable sites can end up carrying viruses, before you begin the process of downloading movies from the Internet, you need to make certain that you have an updated and functional virus protection program. Some viruses can have an absolutely devastating effect in a person’s computer. Therefore, no matter how much you may want to download movies, you need to make absolutely certain that you have virus protection in place and in force.

3. If you are interested in downloading movies from the Internet, you need to make certain that you do not violate any applicable copyright laws. In recent years, copyright owners have become aggressive in defending their interests. There are many examples of lawsuits being filed against people who download movies and music from the Internet in violation of copyright laws. You need to keep in mind that if movies are downloaded in violation of the copyright laws, you are one of the law breakers. You can be prosecuted. And, has been mentioned, more and more copyright holders — those who have copyright interests in movies and music — are becoming far more aggressive and active in defending their copyright interests.

4. Before you download any movies, make certain that you understand all of the charges and fees that will be involved in the process. Some sites have what might be called “hidden charges” relating to the downloading of movies. Therefore, before you begin downloading movies from any particular websites, make certain that you read and review the proverbial small print to make certain that you understand perfectly what you will be charged for the privilege of downloading movies.

5. Before landing on a specific site to download movies, shop around. By shopping around, you will be able to find the best deals in cyberspace in regard to downloadable movies. There can be some very significant differences between what different sites charge consumers for the right to download movies. By shopping around, you will be able to get the best possible deal for access to downloadable movies.

6. Finally, take the time to consider what type of inventory a particular website has in regard to movies. Some websites have significant offerings when it comes to available movies while other websites have much small selections. In addition, some websites specialize in particular types of movies. By taking the time to consider a number of different websites, you will be able to target in on a website that offers the exact kinds of movies that you are seeking.

By following the pointers outlined in this article, you will be well on your way to finding the best possible service that will allow you access to the exact types of downloadable movies that best suit your tastes. And, you will be able to find these movies at a price that is well within your budget.

It’s hard to keep up with the onslaught of movie releases these days. It seems that the movie studios practically conspire to drown us in a tidal wave of big-screen entertainment.

But, fear not. In this article, I’m going to give you three valuable resources that you can use to start saving your time and money while still enjoying the best movies that the studios have to offer.

If you’re ready, let’s get started…

1. http://www.rogerebert.com

You’ve likely heard of Roger Ebert. He is one of the most popular and influential movie critics alive. A movie can flourish or fail at the box office based solely upon what Ebert says about the movie. His ability to dissect a movie, analyze it and offer a fair review has led many savvy moviegoers to consult this site prior to choosing a movie to watch.

2. http://www.rottentomatoes.com

Relying upon the verdict of merely one critic may seem foolhardy to you. If that’s the case, you’ll enjoy this site. It gathers the reviews of dozens of movie critics (some are well-known, high-profile critics) and issues a “Tomatometer” rating based upon the consensus. Use this site as a barometer of how a movie is generally received by movie critics.

3. http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies.html

James Berardinelli started his movie review career from humble beginnings, but quickly earned the respect of other critics like Roger Ebert. Today, Berardinelli is considered one of the most credible movie reviewers online. One of the benefits of reading Berardinelli’s reviews is that he often disagrees with Ebert. Rather than having to choose sides, you’ll likely find both critics offer great arguments and reading their reviews offers different perspectives on the same movie.

One last tip to make your moviegoing experiences as good as it can be…

If you find that a new movie has not been reviewed by Roger Ebert or James Berardinelli, avoid seeing that movie. These two critics are extremely dedicated to their work. If they have not reviewed a movie at the time of its release, it is likely that the studio responsible for the movie did not offer pre-screenings for movie critics. That is usually a sign that the studio lacks confidence in the movie and wants to make as much money as possible on the movie’s release weekend before the movie dies.

I’ve given you three online resources that you can use (starting this weekend) to save your time and money by avoiding bad films. While Ebert and Berardinelli offer critical reviews that dig deep into a movie in order to analyze it, RottenTomatoes.com offers a general barometer so you can get a feeling of the general consensus of movie critics about a movie.

Each of the three resources mentioned in this article offer comprehensive archives. Use these archives to test whether you agree with Ebert, Berardinelli and RottenTomatoes on past films. If you find you DO agree, you can feel comfortable placing your trust in these resources for future movie picks.

Hopefully, you can use the resources above to make the most of your next moviegoing experience.

Renting movies used to be kind of a hassle. You have to go to the store and try and get everyone to agree on which movie to rent before getting to actually watch the movie. Then, when you are finished you have to make sure you get the movies back on time to avoid those dreadful late fees. Now there are easier ways for you to get your movies, right from home.

Satellite TV is one of the great ways you can get movies at home. Almost every satellite TV package comes with at least one movie channel. You usually have a choice between HBO, Cinemax, Starz, or Showtime. The other nice thing is that now you get more than one channel of movies with each package. The number of channels varies depending on which you choose. For example with Starz you get eight channels and Cinemax you get five.

You usually get to choose which one of these movie channels you would like to get at your house. Depending on how many movies you like to watch you may want to get more than one of these movies channels. Most satellite packages will allow you to add more channels; of course you will have to pay more.

Another advantages to satellite TV are that you can get parental controls as well. This is a great idea since not every movie is appropriate for every age. If there are certain channels you don’t want your children watching you can just block it. This is an easy way for parents to make sure their children are not getting access to and watching inappropriate shows.

If you cant find any movie you would like to watch on your movie channels there is still hope. Don’t run to the movie rental store quite yet. In addition to your movie channels you will have access to Pay Per View channels. These are more movie channels where you can find even more movies to watch. With these channels you do have to pay to rent the movie, but it is just added to your bill.

Satellite TV makes it much easier for you to sit down and watch a movie. You don’t have to go to the movie rental store and hope they have the movie or movies you are looking for in stock, and you don’t have to worry about late fees. You can do everything from the comfort of your home. You may have to pay a little extra for the movie channels or satellite TV, but you don’t have to pay for gas and expensive late fees.

You get the movies you want when you want them. Even if you didn’t watch a lot of movies before, you may find yourself enjoying them more once you have movie channels. It is so much easier to watch a movie when all you have to do is flip through the channels. There is always something for you to watch that you will enjoy when you have satellite TV.

If you are looking for a few tips to help you get the most out of your online movie rental, you have come to the right place. The following article contains a few tips to get the ball rolling.

Do Some Shopping Everyday

More and more online movie rental services pop up around the internet. This means that there are more companies available, all competing for the same customers. Shopping around allows you to compare the features and services offered by the different companies, in addition to comparing the prices each charges to join their company, before you commit yourself.

The best thing you can do, if you have not made a decision on one company yet, is to look around and perhaps take advantage of free trial offers to do some major comparisons. If you already belong to an online movie rental service, it still may be worth your time to take advantage of free trials offered by the competition to get a good feel of whether or not you are getting a good deal with the service you currently use.

Pricing

You will not find many, if any, online movie rental services that do not charge some sort of monthly fees. Of course, this will depend on how many movies you wish to “rent” at a time, as well as the company you choose. Some companies, offer a per movie rental, which may be the best decision if you are one that just wants to view a movie occasionally. This is better than paying a monthly fee for a service you might only use once every two months.

You want to make sure you understand just how the online movie rental services and subscriptions work. You need to understand that receiving movies is not an instant thing. You will experience some time difference between sending one movie back and getting the next one in the mail.

Some movie rental services will offer different packages from one per month to three or more per month, allowing you to customize your package to suit your needs.

Choices

You will definitely want to take a close look at the different movies the online movie rental service offers. You want to find a company that offers new releases, as well as old favorites to ensure that you will always have a stock of movies that you would like to see. While, at first glance, a large stock of movies might seem overwhelming, many of these services offer exciting new features that can help you make decisions on which movies to choose. You will want to have a queue of at least twenty movies or more at any given time. This helps ensure that you are getting a movie in the mail that is on your list.

Many services offer what is called Recommendations. These recommendations take a look at your preferences and previous rentals, recommending movies that you might like.

Extras

The easier the online movie rental service, the better. You will want to choose a service that offers you a wide variety of options in helping make your choices and use of the site better. Some offer extensive search features such as searching by actresses, actors, genre or titles. Of course, you might find other search options, the more the better. Some online movie rental services also offer reviews of the movies in their services, some include their own reviews and others include both their own and the reviews of customers who have seen the movies already.

This makes sure you get honest reviews, allowing you to choose a movie based on what others thought. You will also want to make sure that you take a close look at all the policies the online movie rental service has in regards to damaged and lost movies, as well as any other policies regarding charges and canceling, as well as privacy terms.

Summary:

Everyday, more and more online movie rental services pop up around the internet. This means that there are more companies available, all competing for the same customers. Shopping around allows you to compare the features and services offered by the different companies in addition to comparing the prices each charges to join their company, before you commit yourself.

1956,November 16, Elvis’s first movie, Love Me Tender, was released. (Clint Reno)

The movie seemed to be a failure, but a box office success; Elvis was the main attraction and the demand so great that Twentieth Century-Fox had to distribute almost double their usual prints of a first run movie.

The critics quickly dismissing the movie and marked it as a B grade melodrama.

But what the critics didn’t see was the fact that Love Me Tender is a classic love story.

But for as long as Elvis lived he would be bothered by the poor quality of the scripts and songs.

1957,July 9, Elvis released his second movie, Loving You, (Deke Rivers) this movie dealt with the theme of troubled youth.

Elvis’s hair was naturally light brown but dyed it a darker shade, later he would keep it as he preferred, the color blue-black.

1957, October, Jailhouse Rock, was released. (Vince Everett)

It is considered by many to be Elvis’s best movie Elvis enjoyed the vigorous Rock-and-Roll score, as he threw himself into the main role.

Elvis himself choreographed the title number. And to this day remains a Rock and Roll classic.

1958, June 4, While Elvis training in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas King Creole was released by Paramount. (Danny Fisher)

King Creole is remembered as one of Elvis Presley’s best movies, and is probably the only one that was ever taken seriously by the critics, the good reviews of the movie filled Elvis with deep satisfaction and accomplishment, which would stay with him right up until his mothers sudden death.

1960, October, G.I.BLUES, (Tulsa McLean) was Elvis’s first movie after two years in the Army, then Flaming star, (Pacer Burton) and Wild In The Country (Glenn Tyler) were made the following year, (1961)

The three movies were a financial success, but a dramatic failure.

1961, November 14, the film Blue Hawaii was released, (Chad Gates)

It was a huge success: one of Elvis’s biggest money makers, records continued to sell, an album made from the songs in Blue Hawaii was the fastest-selling album of the year.

The film reached the five-million-dollar mark.

1962, January 18, Elvis signed a five-year multimillion-dollar contract with producer Hal Wallis, the movie Follow That Dream was filmed in Florida. (Toby Kwimper)

1962, July, Kid Galahad (Walter Gulick) the film was another one of Elvis’s movies that did not do as well at the box office.

1962, November 2, Girls! Girls! Girls! was released. (Ross Carpenter) produced by Hal Wallis, the film included the sound track “Return To Sender.”

1963, April, Elvis’s first movie for the year was, “It Happened at the World’s Fair” (Mike Edwards) it was filmed in Seattle.

Elvis’s next movie for the same year was Fun In Acapulco (Mike Windgren) the critics would dismiss his movie as lightweight fluff, never recognizing the depth he brought to each of his roles.

1964, March, Kissin’ Cousins, was released (Josh Morgan / Jodie Tatum)

A movie in which Elvis played two parts, giving his fan’s double value for money.

1964, April, the movie Viva Las Vegas (Lucky Jackson) was one of his best musicals and grossed nearly Six-Million Dollars

1964, November, Roustabout (Charlie Rogers) was put with other lightweight Elvis Presley movies.

1965, In this year Elvis released three movies Girl Happy (Rusty Wells), Tickle Me (Lonnie Beale), and Harum Scarum (Johnny Tyronne), most of his movies were musicals, and these three no exception.

1966, the movie Frankie and Johnny (Johnny) was released, and then Paradise Hawaiian Style (Rick Richards)

1966, Elvis’s next two movies: Spinout (Mick McCoy) and 1967, Easy Come, Easy Go (Ted Jackson), both are typical of his movies.

During Elvis’s years in Hollywood, the actor- Elvis Presley, films were never given the recognition they deserved.

1967, Double Trouble (Guy Lambert) and Clambake (Scott Heyward / ‘Tom Wilson’) were released.

1968, Stay Away, Joe (Joe Lightcloud) was released in March, the next two movies, Speedway (Steve Grayson) was released in June and Live a Little, Love a Little (Greg Nolan) was released in October.

1969, in March, Charro (Jess Wade) was released, and although Elvis continued to make more movies, he was ready to move in a new direction.

1969, Elvis went on to make two more movies, The Trouble with Girls (Walter Hale) released in May, and Change of Habit (Dr John Carpenter) came out in October, which would be Elvis Presley’s last movie.

1972, ELVIS ON TOUR, ended the age of Elvis Presley movies, and left Hollywood be hind him.

Elvis Presley’s movies grossed over $180 Million Dollars, more Millions were made when Colonel Tom Parker started the merchandising of Elvis’s products, and the Colonel controlled the rights.

As movie downloads quickly replace purchased DVDs or even rentals, a lot of questions are arising about the format. Their use is still very new and it’s in a constant state of flux, but the fact is movie downloads are rapidly taking over the market for a number of reasons.

This article should help answer some of the biggest questions that surround movie downloads and their use.

What kind of movie downloads are available?

The answer to that is almost you name it! As movie downloads become a popular format, just about every major movie studio in the country (and world for that matter) is offering their pictures through movie download companies and sites. From the American studios of Hollywood to lesser known independent studios, movies of every genre can be found for download.

Do I own a movie download once I pay for it?

The answer to that is yes and no. Movie downloads are available for rental and for purchase, depending on the movie and the site from which it is downloaded. Some movie downloads are outright purchases, which means you can watch them as many times as you want, when you want. Some movie downloads are rentals that have a sunset on when they can be watched. This means the programming will now allow viewing after a set date, time or number of viewings. Most movie downloads, however, do contain programming that discourages piracy.

Can movie downloads be backed up?

The answer to that is also yes and no. Some movie studios allow the backing up of movie purchases onto DVD, but include programming that won’t enable the playing on regular DVD players. Others don’t allow backing up at all, but movie download sites will “hold the purchase” so it can be redownloaded if a hard drive crash occurs.

Can movie downloads only be watched on computers?

No. Depending on the company and/or studios involved, DVDs can be burned of the movies to allow playing in regular DVD players on television sets. Also, a simple wire connection from a television set to a computer or laptop will enable the viewing of a movie download on a regular screen. There are, however, some occasions where movie downloads must be watched on the machine they are downloaded to. It all depends on the movie download site and the movie in question.

Are movie downloads more expensive than DVDs?

No. Generally movie downloads are cheaper than buying a regular DVD. There’s no packaging to pay for, so the cost is less for the studios and the movie download sites. That savings, in part, is passed on to the consumer. In most cases, consumers will find movie downloads are several dollars less than actual packaged DVDs, which is one of the reasons this format is really taking off. Plus, there aren’t storage issues involves, such as the need for DVD towers to hold hundreds and hundreds of purchases.

How long does it take to download a movie?

A lot of that will depend on the file size, the movie download site and your Internet connection. Some movies will download within a matter of minutes by using streaming technology and buffering and others will take a bit of time. A full-length movie, after all, is a very large file!

The movie download format is still in its infancy with regulations and rules constantly changing, but consumers are more and more turning to this format for its ease and cost savings. With just about every major studio in the world taking part, the writing is on the wall that movie downloads are here and they’re here to stay.