Stargate: any other fans here?

[oz]

I didn't care much for Stargate SG1 or Stargate Atlantis for a very long time, but the truth is that I didn't give them a fair chance when they first came out. After watching them in reruns, I've grown very fond of both shows and the characters within. Now, they've released yet another Stargate series... Stargate Universe.

Watching all the previews, I thought this one wouldn't appeal to me, but I wanted to give it a better chance than what I gave the others, so I watched the pilot episode. It was all over the place with flashbacks and all, and was a bit confusing, especially since I missed the first 10 minutes of the show. After watching it a second time from the start, it appears that it might be pretty good. I'm looking forward to seeing more of it and hoping that it will mature to be as good as the other two series were.

How about the rest of you? Did you like the movie, or any of the spin-off series?


Official Stargate Website: Home for all things Stargate - Universe, Atlantis, SG-1

[techieMoe]

I own the movie on a couple of different formats (DVD, BluRay), but I just couldn't ever get into the TV series.

[elija]

I'm not a fan of the movie but got into the TV series both SG1 and Atlantis. Although I thought Atlantis lost it's way towards the end of the last series. It felt like it was suddenly cancelled and they had to find a quick ending.

Stargate Universe starts here tonight and I am looking forward to it; here's hoping it's not just a Voyager rip off!

[oz]

I own the movie on a couple of different formats (DVD, BluRay), but I just couldn't ever get into the TV series.

I'm curious, are the images in the BluRay version any sharper than they are on the DVD version? My DVD version looks so bad that I can barely watch it.

[techieMoe]

I'm curious, are the images in the BluRay version any sharper than they are on the DVD version? My DVD version looks so bad that I can barely watch it.

That depends on the size (and kind) of your TV. To see any significant difference you need an HDTV (may sound obvious but some people don't understand the technology) and it needs to be above a certain size before you start noticing the finer details.

I've found personally that 37 inches is a pretty good size to notice things, and with anything larger it becomes more apparent. I've also noticed that newer DVDs are generally pretty darn clear when upconverted. Stargate isn't one of those, so you should see a noticeable improvement in picture quality.

That being said, it's not going to be as big a jump as VHS to DVD (despite what those talking ads in stores tell you). My biggest "aha!" moment came when I watched the BluRay of The Matrix and compared it to my old DVD. You pick up on a lot of muddiness and signal noise in all the blacks of that movie. The BluRay was a noticeable improvement.

[oz]

Yes, I have two HDTVs, a 57" and a 32", and most things on them look fantastic, but my DVD copy of the Stargate movie looks terrible on either set. I've thought about buying a different DVD release of the movie but don't want to do that if the movie won't look any better. I've not made the move to BluRay yet, but guess I should go ahead and commit.

[oz]

elija, if your experience is anything like mine, you'll enjoy parts 1 and 2 of the pilot episode much more with a second viewing. I'm now looking forward to part 3 due this coming Friday night.

[techieMoe]

Yes, I have two HDTVs, a 57" and a 32", and most things on them look fantastic, but my DVD copy of the Stargate movie looks terrible on either set. I've thought about buying a different DVD release of the movie but don't want to do that if the movie won't look any better. I've not made the move to BluRay yet, but guess I should go ahead and commit.

You might consider a moderately-price upconverting regular DVD player before you go all-out BluRay. Does your current DVD player upconvert? If not, that's probably a big factor in the bad picture quality of your existing DVD.

[oz]

I have two fairly high quality Pioneer Elite DVD players. One is older and doesn't do any up conversion but the newer one does. The Stargate DVD doesn't look so good on either of them, but most of my other DVDs look anywhere from very good to great on them. It could be that I ended up with a defective DVD, or something.

[techieMoe]

I have two fairly high quality Pioneer Elite DVD players. One is older and doesn't do any up conversion but the newer one does. The Stargate DVD doesn't look so good on either of them, but most of my other DVDs look anywhere from very good to great on them. It could be that I ended up with a defective DVD, or something.

There have been a number of releases of Stargate on DVD. I think mine is the "Ultimate Edition" DVD which has the original version and the extended one (the first is still better). Good news is, they're all pretty cheap. You might try one.

However, I found my BluRay of Stargate at Wal-Mart for $10. The *player* will put you back a bit more than that.