4 New Year's Resolutions for Movie Lovers

Another year is on the way. For some of us that means another year of films in the theaters and available on home media of all kinds. For those who check their calendars for what the newest movies coming out are going to be here are a few resolutions that you might want to consider for 2011.

Transition to High Definition at Home
Doubtless many of you out there have already done this, but for those who haven't the time has come. There were reasons to hold out up to this point. Prices took a while to come down and there was the ongoing debate between LCD vs. Plasma (and now there's LED thrown into the mix.) Then there was the Blu-ray players which were insanely expensive when they first came out, but have finally become legitimately affordable. Actually with so many TV shows now broadcasting in Hi-Def those who don't make the transition are truly being left behind.

At this point there's enough comparative reviews out there that with a little research everybody should be able to find the high definition system to fit their needs and budget. A fully upgraded home system can transform the home viewing experience. It's one of those things that's hard to appreciated until you've gotten to see it in your own home. But once you do make the transition you'll see that it was well worth it and it was finally time to take the plunge.

Reject Post Converted 3-D Movies
3-D continues to get bigger and bigger and it doesn't look it's going away any time soon. However there's very clearly two different forms of 3-D. There are films that are actually shot in 3-D and are designed to specifically best use that technology ("TRON: Legacy" and "Toy Story 3" for instance.) And then there are films that aren't shot in 3-D, weren't designed to be presented in that format and are converted to 3-D after the fact ("Clash of the Titans" and "The Last Airbender" are examples of this.) The quality difference of the 3-D is immediately apparent, the former is wonder and the ladder actually detracts from the experience. "Clash of the Titans" simply had ugly 3-D effects that were so unconvincing that they took viewers out of the movie. "The Last Airbender" had many darkly lit scenes that became all but unwatchable with the shaded 3-D glasses that viewers had to wear.

Thanks to the added revenue from the more expensive 3-D screenings studios are going to continue to post convert films whenever they can. That is unless audiences make it clear that they won't be duped into watching sub-par 3-D effects. At multiplex theaters many of these movies show in both 2-D and 3-D. Take a stand, if a movie is post converted rather than shot in 3-D go to the 2-D screening. Not only will you be helping to draw a line in the sand for 3-D quality, you'll probably enjoy the movie more for not having to watch lousy effects. However when it was designed from the start to be 3-D then show your support for the studios and movies that do it properly.

Don't Abandon DVD Yet
This one might seem in contradiction to the first resolution. In a time when Blu-ray and Hi-Def TVs have made truly astounding home theater experiences possible why would anybody still buy movies on outdated media? In a word: cost. DVDs are on their way out, and Blu-ray is unquestionably where everything is headed. The manufacturers and the retails know this. As a result DVDs are cheaper than ever, anything expect a brand new release can be bought in the $5-$15 dollar range. Even multi-disc "special edition" releases.

But is it worth getting lower quality picture and sound to save a few bucks? Let's put it this way: it's worth the extra money to shell out for "Avatar" on Blu-ray, but is it worth it for "Friday the 13th Part 8"? Cheap DVDs is a great way to acquire movies that you may like but don't love, ideal for guilty pleasures. Another item to keep an eye out for on DVD is TV shows. While most modern shows are now shooting in Hi-Def that only started happening in the last few years. Older shows were shot on medium quality film and video intended to be viewed on low definition TVs. So if you're a sucker for "Roseanne" or "The Golden Girls" there really isn't anything that Blu-ray is going to give you above DVD release. Those shows can't be made to look much better than they do on the DVD release because the original prints just aren't high quality material. So head over to that DVD bargain bin and pick out a few choice items while the getting is good.

Don't Get Suckered into 3-D Home Theater
If you're going to be following that first resolution then there will doubtlessly be some electronics sales person who tries to talk you into going beyond just hi-def and getting a 3-D home system. There may come a time when this is worth doing, but it's not going to be for another few years. Home 3-D theater systems are still in their infancy, not to mention expensive. The technology is constantly changing and who knows how they might be improved in a number of areas. First there's the glasses. Manufacturers of 3-D TVs are constantly trying to make them lighter weight and less cumbersome, but for now they're still a bit much for many to have to wear for long periods. What's more there are those out there trying to eliminate the need for the glasses altogether, building on the technology that Nintendo is using in it's upcoming handheld 3DS game system. If this technology takes hold then those who already bought systems that require the glasses will have egg on their face.

It's also an open question as to whether or not there will even be sufficient support for home 3-D systems. Remember getting a 3-D TV doesn't mean that everything suddenly is popping out of the screen at you, the things you watch have to have been formatted to use the 3-D format otherwise it's just old 2-D. There aren't a great deal of movies released for the home so far that actually will work on 3-D TVs and unless the market takes off studios might feel it's just not worth the expense to produce such home releases. It might well turn out to be where everything is headed, but that isn't clear yet. Unless you have thousands of dollars burning a hole in your pocket it's best to hold off. Wait for the prices to drop and make sure this home 3-D is actually here to stay and not some fleeting rich person's toy.