Darren wrote: I passed this along in the boards and the spymaster link, but am sending it to you as well. There is a problem with the new FOTR Special Edition DVD not playing in some DVD ROM drives. Here is the info I got from Interactual tech support.
“We apologize for the problems you are experiencing with the Lord Of The Rings Extended Edition DVD. We have had reports of customers experiencing problems with these discs with several specific DVD ROM drive models. If your computer has one of the following drive models installed, then it is likely that the drive will not recognize any of the discs in this DVD set.
“This is not due to a problem in the way that the discs were created, since they are all fully compliant with the DVD Specification and will play on the majority of DVD equipment. The problem is apparently due to a limitation in the programming of the internal firmware of the drive models in question, and replacing the disc will not resolve the issue.
“We have informed New Line Home Video about these problems, and they are contacting the makers of these drives to ensure that a firmware upgrade is made available to customers which correct this problem.
“The drives that have had problems reported are:
* Samsung SD-616, commonly sold in Dell and HP desktop PC’s * LG DRD8160B, commonly sold in Sony, Dell, or Compaq desktop PC’s * LG DRN8080B, commonly sold in Compaq and HP laptop PC’s
“There are currently no fixes available for the problem at this time. When the problem has been resolved and a firmware upgrade has been released, the manufacturer of your computer system should be able to provide the update to you, and assist if needed with applying the fix to your system.
“We apologize again for the inconvenience.”
T: I’m not sure I buy this excuse. If no other DVD has this problem on those drives, and the FOTR one does, then I’d be pointing the finger at the DVDs, not the drives….
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In about a week from now the biggest Tolkien/LOTR fanconvention in Europe Ring*Con 2002 will begin! The event will feature a whole range of guests such as Brad Dourif (Grima), Craig Parker (Haldir) and many more! Check out their website for the complete program and guest list! [RingCon.de]
Also, if you happen to be there; drop me a line!
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TORn Staffer Anwyn reminds all Midwestern Ringers of the fantastic opening-night party being planned at the Lorraine Theater in Hoopeston, IL, for the evening of December 18, 2002. A costume contest with cool prizes, including a Gollum Gold One Ring from Badali Jewelry, and other activities will precede the movie. No standing in line—advance tickets with reserved seats! Head to our Line Party page to get details and sign up! [More]
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I’ve received dozens of reports from people throughout Europe about the R2 Easter Egg mystery. Here’s what we’ve found. [More] Updated!
NB: Region 4 discs have both Easter Eggs.
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I’ve received dozens of reports from people throughout Europe about the R2 Easter Egg mystery.
Summarising quickly:
Everyone seems to have been able to play the second Easter Egg fine. However, a number have had issues with the MTV clip. These people all seem to live in the UK and Ireland.
Nevertheless, a (not insignificant) number have not had trouble with it. This includes people in Sweden, Finland, Germany, Norway, France and the Netherlands. No-one in the UK or Ireland has been able to play the MTV clip so far.
Conclusions:
It could be that the MTV was the bit that fell victim to the axe of the BBFC (British Board of Film Classifications). Although, Mad_Iguana points out that BBFC has no jurisdiction in Ireland, so what’s going on still remains somewhat of a mystery. We shall continue to investigate.
Thank you to the dozens of people who wrote in and helped contribute to this report.
Update: I followed this up with the BBFC. They wrote back saying that they had never passed the MTV Spoof and that it was not included on the UK R2 release.
The full reply is below. This discusses the MTV Spoof fairly explicitly. If you are easily offended, you may wish to read no further.
“Thank you for your e.mail.
Two DVD extras for THE LORD OF THE RINGS caused the BBFC difficulties. The first was a ‘behind the scenes’ documentary in which bad language and offensive hand gestures were used by members of the cast. These would have been unacceptable at the ‘PG’ level so the bad language was dubbed out and the hand gestures removed, allowing the documentary to receive a ‘PG’. These cuts are reflected in the website record you mention (1 minute 16 seconds cut).
The second extra that caused us problems was the MTV spoof you refer to. Unlike the above documentary, however, the entire sequence was a problem at ‘PG’ and could not be saved by cutting.
The sequence in question showed a spoof of the Council of Elrond at which one of the characters announces that, after a drunken session in a piercing parlour, the Ring has been attached to his penis! We gave the distributors the option of removing this sequence entirely so that the disc could retain its ‘PG’ or, alternatively, accept a ’12’ certificate – in which case the whole box set would have to become a ’12’. The distributors decided they did not want to raise the box set to a ’12’ so they did not proceed any further with this particular sequence. This is why there is no formal record for the MTV sequence on our website – the work was simply never passed by us in any version.
We hope this clarifies the situation.”
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Been wondering what’s on the cards for Hall of Fire for the rest of November? Here’s the schedule! [More]
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