The X-Files (Season 2) DVD Review

March 25, 2009 · Posted in DVD · Comment 

Nominated for 12 Golden Globes and 61 Emmys, including 4 for Outstanding Drama Series, The X-Files is one of the world’s most popular science-fiction drama shows. Premiering in the Fall of 1993 on the Fox Network, home of popular programs such as The Simpsons (1989) and King Of The Hill (1997), The X-Files created an entire fictional world of conspiracies and secret organizations, building a legion of fanatic followers as devoted to the series as Trekkies are to Star Trek. Creator Cris Carter, a former writer for numerous TV shows in the late-80s/early-90s – The Nanny (1993) is one example – brings together the finest aspects of suspense-laden spy novels and alien science fiction. The result is one of the top sci-fi franchises ever produced, spawning its own line of merchandise and even a full length feature film – The X-Files: Fight The Future (1998). With nine successful seasons to its credit, The X-Files is one of the longest-running sci-fi series in television history

The X-Files follows the exploits of four FBI agents assigned to investigate a series of unsolved and mysterious cases known only as “The X-Files”. FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), John Doggett (Robert Patrick), and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) are the primary agents investigating these unusual cases which could never be solved by conventional investigatory methods. But Mulder and Scully in particular play prominent roles in the series. The partnership and friendship the two develop during the course of the series sets the tone for their investigations into the paranormal with Scully, a medical doctor, playing the skeptic to Mulder’s deeply held beliefs in widespread government conspiracies and alien abductions. Through the course of the series, The X-Files covers a wide-range of frightening and mysterious subjects from killer insects and secret world government organizations to the colonization of Earth by parasitic aliens. In so doing, it adds its own unique brand of humor and an original blend of creativity that fans of the genre will certainly appreciate

The X-Files (Season 2) DVD features a number of suspense riddled episodes including the season premiere “Little Green Men” in which we learn the fate of our heroes in the aftermath of the closing of The X-Files. Scully is working as an FBI instructor at Quantico while Mulder is tasked with an endless array of mundane “busy-work”. But Mulder refuses to quit. He meets with one his supporters in regard to The X-File project – Senator Matheson, and the meeting prompts him to investigate an abandoned SETI site in New Mexico which might hold clues to the existence of alien life-forms Other notable episodes from Season 2 include “One Breath” in which Scully ends up in a coma for reasons unknown and Mulder must find out the truth about what happened to her, and “Fearful Symmetry” in which Scully and Mulder investigate a series of attacks at a zoo perpendicular to a tract of land notorious for its UFO sightings

Below is a list of episodes included on The X-Files (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 25 (Little Green Men) Air Date: 09-16-1994
Episode 26 (The Host) Air Date: 09-23-1994
Episode 27 (Blood) Air Date: 09-30-1994
Episode 28 (Sleepless) Air Date: 10-07-1994
Episode 29 (Duane Berry) Air Date: 10-14-1994
Episode 30 (Ascension) Air Date: 10-21-1994
Episode 31 (3) Air Date: 11-04-1994
Episode 32 (One Breath) Air Date: 11-11-1994
Episode 33 (Firewalker) Air Date: 11-18-1994
Episode 34 (Red Museum) Air Date: 12-09-1994
Episode 35 (Excelsis Dei) Air Date: 12-16-1994
Episode 36 (Aubrey) Air Date: 01-06-1995
Episode 37 (Irresistible) Air Date: 01-13-1995
Episode 38 (Die Hand Die Verletzt) Air Date: 01-27-1995
Episode 39 (Fresh Bones) Air Date: 02-03-1995
Episode 40 (Colony) Air Date: 02-10-1995
Episode 41 (End Game) Air Date: 02-17-1995
Episode 42 (Fearful Symmetry) Air Date: 02-24-1995
Episode 43 (Dod Kalm) Air Date: 03-10-1995
Episode 44 (Humbug) Air Date: 03-31-1995
Episode 45 (The Calusari) Air Date: 04-14-1995
Episode 46 (F. Emasculata) Air Date: 04-28-1995
Episode 47 (Soft Light) Air Date: 05-05-1995
Episode 48 (Our Town) Air Date: 05-12-1995
Episode 49 (Anasazi) Air Date: 05-19-1995

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The X-Files (Season 2) DVD.

The Use of CD Marketing in the Business World

March 23, 2009 · Posted in Compact Disc · Comment 

Many companies use a wide selection of marketing concepts to gain potential clients.

TV and radio campaigns

Posters
Websites
Magazine advertisements

And so on…

A unique but highly rewarding marketing concept is the use of CD’s which work as an advertising medium once placed in the potential customer’s computer. The advantages of using CD’s are they are easy to produce and hold a large amount of information. CD-R’s are a very useful to place flash presentations on. Once the CD is placed in the computer it will run a highly effective presentation of a business.

CD’s can create a great image for any business as well as showcasing information about products/services at the customer’s finger tips. When in business a company must have some means of leaving contact information such as business cards.

Every company uses some sort of business card. Why not combine a business card with a CD and create a CD Business Card. CD business credit card shaped discs are perfect for marketing any business. They are small, light and powerful. Discs can come complete with Presentations, PDF, Word, Sound and Images.

The capabilities of the cards are incredible. Hand out a personalized presentation of your company with information on your products, services, company history etc. With all your contact details printed on the front of the card people will be intrigued to see what is on the CD card.

As a business you will never be forgotten at trade events ever again. CD content can be designed to direct customers to your email and website address. Having a personalized presentation of your business will be a perfect advertising concept as CD Cards will be passed on. People will show colleagues and other business friends.

To find out further information on CD Business cards visit www.cdlivecards.co.uk

http://www.cdlivecards.co.uk
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Playing Music or Other CDs With a Code Free DVD

March 21, 2009 · Posted in Music CD · Comment 

The technological jump has been instrumental in revolutionizing the entire home entertainment scenario. Region free DVD players ushered in a new era of change, which has impacted viewing and listening experience the world over.

Now we have all seen CDs. They are present literally everywhere. Our homes, workplaces, inside our computers and laptops, you name it and CDs are there. CDs are in fact similar to DVDs. One of the important things about DVDs is that they are able to store more data than CDs. A code free DVD can, to put it simply, hold around seven times the data that a CD could hold. This is the reason why a region free DVD can store a MPEG-2 encoded movie effortlessly, along with a lot of information.

From the time they hit the markets in 1997, DVDs and DVD players have become remarkably popular. A typical code free DVD can store up to 133 minutes of video. What is more when it comes to storing music also, code free DVDs have the edge over conventional CDs. A DVD can store around six to eight hours of music per side, with a significantly higher quality audio output than a CD.

A code free DVD comes to you with a host of features that you would not find with a VHS tape; the labeled on-screen index, for instance. You can now choose the part of the movie you want to see using your remote effortlessly. When it comes to the features available in region free DVD players, there are plenty. You have Dolby digital sound, surround sound, features for enhancing picture quality, and what not. Most of the region free DVD players are also compatible with audio CDs.

Code free DVDs are manufactured using the same methods as in the case of CDs. They work on the same principle of having ‘pits’ and ‘bumps’. A code free DVD is made up of layers of plastic and is around 1.2 millimeters thick. A code free DVD is able to store more data than a CD, thanks to various reasons like having more area and a multi-layered storage facility. Code free DVD players have extremely sensitive components to read the equally sensitive and small region free DVDs. Region free DVD players have a ‘MPEG- 2′ decoder. This decoder can read compressed data and enables you to watch your favorite flicks.

Many movies are filmed at a rate of four frames per second. Most of the countries around the world like America or Japan have television sets that use the NTSC format, which enables 30 frames per second. Many European countries like Italy, France, Greece, UK, and Spain use the PAL format, with a display speed of 50 fields per second. It is because of these regional differences that a DVD player has to be formatted to be compatible with all or most of the systems. When it comes to the standards, as we have seen there are lots of standards like PAL, SECAM, NTSC, or PAL-SECAM, depending on the geographical location. These standards are subject to varying based on the location. Code free DVD players, however, enable you to play literally any DVD, whatever may be the region of its origin, and support most of or all of the standards. So they are called ‘region free,’ ‘code free’ or ‘zone free’ players.

Modern code free DVD players literally pack a punch and are great at decoding different formats to give you a superior picture quality and an amazing audio output. Since region free DVD players are designed specifically for playing code free DVDs with some special features, many times you will find that even your PC is unable to play a DVD. The reason is the superior processing power of a code free DVD player, which gives it the edge over some computers.

One can find DVD audios flooding the market recently. Although DVD audio players meant to play only audio are rare to find, most of the code free DVD players can play DVD audio discs. The format of a DVD audio disc is different from that of a DVD video. Good code free DVD players have something known as ‘digital to analog converter’ (DAC) in them to play these discs. It is always recommended that you get a code free DVD player with a 192kHz/24-bit converter for superior audio quality.

The DVD audio quality is better than the conventional CDs. They also make for great recording, offering you better accuracy. One can get still enhanced sound quality on code free DVD players by connecting them to a home theater system, preferably with around five speakers. Also check out whether your system is ‘Dolby digital ready.’ If it is, you can have the ultimate movie experience – so great is the sound quality.

The principle on which a code free DVD player works is similar to that of a CD player. Laser beams hit the surface of the disc to read the ‘pits’ and ‘bumps.’ The video signal is then sent to a television set and the audio signal to the speakers, after being amplified by a decoder. Most of the region free DVD players play both movies and music CDs. Similarly, most of the modern day code free DVD players enable you to play recorded content in the form of CD-Rs, which you could have done using your computer. You have the latest code free audio DVD players which handle only audio discs.

Almost all good brands of code free DVD players will have standard features like decoders, Dolby digital decoders, surround sound, and many other things. If you are in the market for a code free DVD player, your options are plenty. You can choose from a wide range from leading names like Sony, Samsung, Aiwa, Apex , Thompson, to mention only a few. There are also a lot of smaller companies who can give you equally good region free DVD players. You can always go through referrals. They may be of great help.

You can also do a bit of research on the Internet and find literally hundreds of models of region free DVD players. The basic models would cost you about $30 – $70. Although they are termed as basic models, the latest models in this segment come with a host of features. Buy the ones with the progressive scan technology as they offer better video quality. If you are willing to splurge a little more than $100, then you can go in for the higher models, which would come to you with a host of other features. You can record with these models. If you are unwilling to let go of your good old VHS tapes, you can always go in for region free DVD player-VCR combos. You can get a good player for around $200.

If you’re an avid gamer, you might find satisfaction in DVD players with ‘nuon’ technology, the latest in the market. These players come with additional features, where you can attach a mouse or a joy stick, enabling you to play interactive games. These game stations could set you back by about $400. Leading brands like Samsung and Sony offer great models in this segment. If you want multi-disc players or ‘juke boxes,’ as they are popularly known for their ability to play both DVDs and CDs at the touch of a button, can go in for these models, which could cost you upwards of $400. And just in case you are one of those high-flying, jet-setting executives, you can always grab a portable model. You can get one of these models for up to $700 or even more, depending on the features.

Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders. To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a film has not reached theaters yet, Hollywood studios imposed a block. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player’s own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. A codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. That’s every DVD movie on earth! PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945

They have more thank 140,000 consumer electronics including multisystem pal TVs such as plasma, LCD, DLP etc. They also have free standing video standards converters from Tenlab and converting PAL-SECAM,NTSC, PAL-N , PAL-M VCRs and much more.

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