No DVD Playback In Windows 8 ?

Windows 8 will no longer include DVD playback capabilities by default and this function will only be included in Windows 8 Pro and in upgrades to computers that are equipped with DVD drives.

Microsoft believes that most of their customers do not use their computers to view DVDs and that DVD playback will not be necessary because most individuals who view films on their computers now download or steam this content from online sources.

Computers that are equipped with DVD or Blu-ray drives will likely include third party software so most consumers will be unaffected by this issue.

May 9th, 2012 Comments Off on No DVD Playback In Windows 8 ? Consumer Information, Music Technology Rob McIntyre

May The 4th Be With You

John Williams Conducts John Williams: The Star Wars Trilogy - John Williams

 It’s Star Wars Day and I thought I’d post an entry about the very first soundtrack I’ve ever loved independently from the film on which it was featured.

In 1984, my brother bought the original soundtrack for Return Of The Jedi on cassette. And it was incredible.

Until then I had loved soundtrack music but never an entire soundtrack from start to end. I had only liked the odd theme from John Barry, mostly from James Bond films.

This soundtrack, which featured The London Symphony Orchestra, included variations of the original Star Wars themes composed by John Williams and new themes like “The Parade Of The Ewoks“, “Luke and Leia“, “Lapti Nek” and the superior “Ewok Celebration” finale.

Though I like the new “Celebration” theme, I prefer the original soundtrack and I find “Jedi Rocks” annoying and distracting in the Special Edition Release of the film.

Unfortunately the original soundtrack from 1983 and 1990 re-release of this soundtrack are no longer in print. And two of my favorite tracks from this soundtrack, “Lapti Nek” and the “Ewok Celebration” (a.k.a “Yub Nub“) cannot be found on the many re-releases and compilations issued since.

Apparently the labels believe these particular pieces are way too dated to include them on their discs, although one can find new and used copies of the 1990 re-release on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Another one of my favorite soundtracks from the franchise is the “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” soundtrack, which was again composed and conducted by John Williams.

“Duel Of The Fates” stands out as a theme and the other compositions on this soundtrack are as excellent, regardless of the film’s less than impressive dialogue and characterization.

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack released in 1999 and limited, double CD Ultimate Edition released in 2007 are still commonly available in the United States. The 1999 release is also available on iTunes in Canada.

May 4th, 2012 Comments Off on May The 4th Be With You Random Bump Rob McIntyre

Special Offer – The Avengers

An offer like that of the MIB III offer mentioned yesterday on this blog is available from Amazon.com, this time for a discount towards The Avengers movie tickets.

The offer, which is available to Canadians and Americans, requires a purchase of a specially marked DVD which includes a code that can be redeemed for up to $12 off a single ticket purchase.

When the DVDs are purchased from Amazon.com, the codes are sent by email 48 hours after the orders are shipped.

Similar offers are also available at Future Shop locations through-out Canada on many Marvel cartoon DVD titles, for a limited time only. And in Canada the discounts can be applied to tickets at Cineplex Theaters.

MarvelStore.com

May 3rd, 2012 Comments Off on Special Offer – The Avengers Random Bump Rob McIntyre

Special Offer – Men In Black III

 Just thought that I’d mention that yesterday’s re-release of MIB and MIB II on DVD and Blu-Ray in Canada and the United States includes a $10 off coupon code for MIB III theater tickets.

The specially marked discs have a blue and gray sticker on them and though I purchased the Blu-ray discs at a local store, it appears that the UPC codes match with May 1st, 2012 releases sold by Amazon.ca.

Though also released on May 1st, the Amazon.com releases include offers for Ultraviolet cloud downloads and therefore have different UPC codes. But the $10 e-Movie Cash offer is still mentioned on Amazon.com.

Canadians and Americans will be able to redeem their e-Movie Cash codes starting on May 23rd, 2012, when the Movie Cash site is officially opened.

The Canadian codes can be redeemed at Cineplex Theaters across Canada as long as MIB III is in these theaters.

UPDATE : These codes can also be redeemed at Empire Theaters.

May 2nd, 2012 Comments Off on Special Offer – Men In Black III Random Bump Rob McIntyre

Security Warning

The Canadian Anti Fraud Centre has been reporting an unusually high number of Scareware cases in Canada.

Apparently numerous PC users have been victimized by con artists claiming to be RCMP and/or CSIS officers, who demanded payment to clean the victims’ computers of child pornography and/or terrorism related material.

Like most scareware incidents, these begin with an unsolicited pop up message containing a warning of an infection that requires immediate attention, which appears on a victim’s computer screen whilst the victim is browsing the internet.

In this case, the victim is told they must send $100 or $250 via Ukash to unlock and clean their computer of the aforementioned illicit material. But there is of course no illicit material to remove on the victim’s computer.

When the victim clicks on the pop-up message, his or her computer is infected with malware, disabling access to the computer. But this infection can be avoided.

If you encounter this or a similar pop-up message :

  1. Do not click on the pop-up window.
  2. Close the browser via Task Manager or shut down your computer.

Enabling a pop-up blocker and regularly updating anti-virus software will prevent future occurrences.

Pop-up blockers have been implemented in all of the following browsers :

Chrome / Firefox / Internet Explorer 7 or 8 / Opera /Safari

April 27th, 2012 Comments Off on Security Warning Consumer Information Rob McIntyre

Added More Listings

Updated my Music/Film/TV Memorabilia, Free Shipping Offers and Musical Instruments & Recording Equipment listings. Will add more Canadian entries to the latter as soon as possible.

April 26th, 2012 Comments Off on Added More Listings Consumer Information Rob McIntyre