Guest Dahnamics Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 www.buyoyo.com/cgi-bin/nc...1&curr=USD just curious about the quality of celestial VCDs. Was gonna order my cousin a bunch to check out cuz i dont think he has an allregion DVD player. how are these? are they widescreen? do they have good sound? same soundtrack? ill assume theres no special features but thats not a big deal. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stuntman Jules Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Yes. They are widescreen. Yes. They are in Mandarin/Cantonese and English subbed. No, VCDs aren't a great way to watch movies. They don't look much better than a VHS tape, though Celestial's VCDs are a little better than most. It really pisses me off that they've started releasing all their exploitation and horror stuff in pixelated, low resolution VCD only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dahnamics Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 gross. thanks. sounds like the great gift tho! ahahahhaahhahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kermit Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 I think the Celestial vcds (and well made vcds in general) are a fine way to watch a film. Sure the quality isnt as good as dvd but it's still good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vengeanceofhumanlanterns Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 They don't look much better than a VHS tape, though Celestial's VCDs are a little better than most. Dahnamics, this statement I have to disagree with. VCD's are heads and shoulders above VHS IMO. Black Butterfly, Boxer's Omen, Haunted Tales, Twin Blades Of Doom, The Swordmates, etc. All of these titles are only available on VCD from Celestial anyway. Despite this fact, I own everyone of them, and with the nightime scenes being a little darker than a legit DVD released picture quality, these films look and sound WAY better than VHS. There may be a two second glitch here or there with one or two of them, and despite there being no main menu -you just hit play and the movie starts- they are certaintly worth owning, especially since these formally unseen and rare titles can be picked for very little money at some websites. I think it's DDDHouse or CDWOW, etc. who sell em for less. Others on this forum could possibly direct you to a site -or sites- that would make pickin some of these titles up for your friend a worth while experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Graeme Noble Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 I have more than 25 Shaw Brothers vcd's and I think the quality is very very good. I would highly recommend to purchase the vcd's and the subtitles are very clear, and its nice widescreen print. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ivy Ling Po Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 I must say the picture quality in the Celestial VCDs are much better now than at the beginning. In many cases, they are almost DVD quality but not quite. They are much better than the picture quality on video tapes as I record from the Celestial channel and despite my video heads being in excellent condition, the VCDs are certainly better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest venomchamber Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 nasty @#%$. pixilated. Inconvienient format...nobody seems to mention that while relaxing in your easy chair with a cold one, or snuggled-up with your honey, you have to get up halfway through the movie to CHANGE THE DISC like the old laser disc format! I don't know about you, but I don't like intermission when I watch my Shaws! Also, you have to adjust your stereo settings or the damn thing will play both the Mandarin AND the Cantonese audio tracks at the same time! Bootleggers love 'em because they can fit 4 to 6 covers on the copier at one time when copying the covers at Kinkos [or wherever else] so they can sell it on the street. I've seen it done several times. Fans should note you also won't see any of the cool Chang Cheh, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Fu Sheng & Jenny, Li Han-Hsiang and Ivy ling Po Elegent Trails nor the Gordon Liu Spirit Of Shaolin featurettes loaded with interviews that come with most DVDs on a VCD. Only good for watching on your laptop while commuting on a train or plane. What's more, why shell out $7 bucks for this thing (which sometimes comes to you in a cracked jewel case) when you could spend $14 for the actual DVD? (Most fans already have a Region 3 player, or have altered it to region-free.) I invested a hundred bucks on them back when they made their debut. I was so displeased I sold the whole lot off on eBay and stuck to DVD only. I would suggest only getting the titles made exclusively available on VCD. Since I am a patient man and will wait for their eventual DVD release. *Example: Back in 2003 the DVDs had a trailer for the Shaw sex comedy STARLETS FOR SALE which was not released. It finally saw the light of day just last year on VCD. I will continue to wait as I am sure once they have remastered everything in the library, they will get around to releasing it on DVD as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VonHumboldtFleischer Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 I like VCDs. Changing the disc midway isn't such a huge hassle so long as you're not morbidly obese or haven't lost the use of your legs. They're incredibly cheap, region-free, and a lot of the VCD-only title releases are among the most interesting in Celestial's catalogue. Also, the geniuses over at Celestial that remaster the audio tend to leave the VCD versions alone, so you don't have to listen to great SB scores replaced by some guy's nephew banging on a Bontempi organ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest venomchamber Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 I also forgot to mention when you stop the disc, it goes back and replays disc from the start instead! Changing the disc midway isn't such a huge hassle at all, just pointless because you shouldn't have to with today's DVD technology. $7 bucks is cheap, not "incredibly cheap". Its half the price of the DVD. I hope all kung-fu movie fans aren't as willing to sacrifice quality for the difference in price between DVD and VCD. It would be sad to want to pay only $5 to $7 bucks for a Shaw film, and then turn around and pay $15 to $20 bucks for a Jet Li movie...but it would be understandable if the majority of your video library consisted of only VCDs. (Would you believe many people ask me if they are any Shaws available for the PSP yet!) I can only say they are ok at best for reeling-in potential new viewers who would have otherwise missed out on seeing these classics. However, any real fans who truly appreciate these films and want to enjoy the experience the way it should would be much better off obtaining the DVD. What's more, I wouldn't go so far as to say the VCD-only titles are among the most interesting in Celestial's catalogue. The majority of them are the Shaw's sleazy exploitation films like Lost Souls. Once again, I am sure these titles too will be released on DVD as well, all in good time and well worth the wait. Like the saying goes: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Buy cheap, get cheap. 'nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ivy Ling Po Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 As a general rule, I buy the Shaw movies I love on DVD. This has the best picture quality. The ones I am not sure of (like Twisted Passion) I purchase on VCD if there are scenes I want uncut. The innocent ones with nothing to censor I watch and record on video from the Celestial channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dahnamics Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 thanks for the info guys! i do agree that getting the dvd version for 13 bucks or so is the way to go when the vcds are price around 7-8 bucks. i have seen some vcds prices at and around 2-4 bucks as well tho, and if you're just looking to check out a title that's not usually your cup of tea but you wanna give it a try, doesn't seem like vcd to to bad of any option. but ya.. thanks fellas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Iron Boat Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 I like vcd's especially when I dont feel like going through the hassle of region coding and format issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hkpyanfar Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 I found the picture quality of Celestial vcds on a regular tv (26") to be fine; the quality is high. However, when I watch them blown up on a widescreen tv (34") then pixellation makes the quality much worse. If you are watching on a regular tv, I think that they are a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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