A Spirited Perfect Ten

[xdan0920]

People don't generally care about digital wallets.. still. Even Apple couldn't break through that dam. Its going to take another round yet and a killer App yet to be defined.

I don't think it's necessarily the tech. I think it's lack of consistency and marketing. For example, DD and Starbucks each use apps to pay, and I see a lot of customers using the apps at those stores. Because they drill it into your head that you can and should use the app to pay. So I do.

As far as my digital wallet, I am never sure which stores can and can't accept payment that way. So I tend to shy away from even attempting to use it. I know once you get to the register, you can see the POS device and know, but by then, my wallet is usually out already.

That's one big success of MM+. I know I can pay digitally anywhere I go at WDW, it's convenient, and comfortable, and quite frankly, an enjoyable way to part with my money.

 

[alphac2005]

I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine. I lived over there for months at a time (not in Shanghai, in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong) and the air didn't bother me at all, which I admit is strange as I had workers of mine blowing black stuff from their noses on occasion.

That said, as bad as Shanghai's air is, have you seen Beijing's? You know, the place where the Comcast guys are planting their flag in China.

The rush is ridiculous. Neither company has to have theme parks there just yet. They are just now attempting strategies at dealing with the unhealthy air and it could be 15 years of this toxic stew.

Those vacations pics are going to look amazing!

My company is getting record turnaround speed from factories in China because international and domestic trade is down so significantly in China. Many in our industry are rapidly moving to Vietnam and for all the talk of growth (inflated by constant governmental construction projects of virtually unoccupied cities), turning China into a consumer driven economy continues to be way below the pace of expansion as expected.

I continue to think that all of this is a romanticized vision of corporate America that sees a billion plus potential consumers of their junk. The obsession and pandering to the Chinese market is nauseating. How many more script changes to major films to please the Chinese censors? All the while, most don't realize that the studio take is a fraction of their domestic take based on a variety of factors as you know.

Iger certainly has been on the forefront of the China pivot of sorts, but I can't seem to continue to think that the joke is on all of us. The Chinese of wealth have a large appetite for luxury goods be it from Europe or America, but they still have barely moved the needle on the large volume goods that is what all this corporate investment is supposed to garner.

 

[PhotoDave219]

decade... spinner ride..

Uncle Joe loves his spinners.

 

[PhotoDave219]

both Guardians of the Galaxy and AntMan felt fresher.. more fresh than TFA.

and Agree with you on the A new hope 2.0 with a dash of "the empire strikes back".
Thats how exactly I felt after leaving the movie theater.

Any Man felt fresher?

It was so boring, I couldn't finish it.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

I really want to see this film in 70 mm wide screen film projection… this is one of these films that should be shown on film it begs for high-end projection as opposed to a basic DLP projector at your local multiplex.…

There are only 15 theaters in the world showing TFA in the "native" format for which it was shot - 70mm 2D.

I was fortunate enough to see a showing of it last Friday. The Indiana State Museum Imax (http://www.imax.com/imax-indiana-state-museum-oo) has it until mid January. Although, there aren't many good seats left for hardly any of the showings if anyone wants to make a road trip.

I'm not a big fan of IMAX's aspect ratio as it's too confining from your peripheral vision. I am a big fan of 70mm (or 65mm) resolution. One thing I really dislike is the ever increasing gimmick of main stream movies having "sequences" filmed in IMAX and then switching in an out of a different aspect ratio. It's way to jarring for me when watching a movie. The Star Wars films are Cinemascope... end of story.

TFA's IMAX sequence is the escape from Jakku and it is visually impressive. While the rest of the film gets IMAX's digital upconversion process to create the 70mm print, the Jakku sequence benefits from the native resolution. JJ's framing of this sequence looks natural enough as it simply expands the top and bottom of the frame. It allows some unique views of gunnery station on the Falcon. The real treat of course of the 2D 70mm print is simply the huge screen with the dedicated lamp for IMAX horsepower to drive it along with the benefits of the IMAX projection system for celluloid to keep gate judder minimized.

Watching TFA the other day on the big screen brought back fond memories from my childhood. My first viewing of The Empire Strikes Back was on 70mm and I also got to see Return of the Jedi in that format as well.

For any diehard Star Wars fan, I would recommend seeking out one of the 15 theaters with a real 70mm 2D print. Unfortunately, since there is only 15 of them, the marketing engine that is the current IMAX regime steers the masses to one of the LieMAX digital screens.

The good news is that one of the most impactful things that Uncle George accomplished before his retirement is that through Lucasfilm, he really did raise the ante for average cinema experience that the majority of us get to see at our local multiplex. The THX program began as providing a standard of quality for cinema sights and sounds. Through it digital cinema sound got accelerated. The argument that is digital cameras will forever be debatable; but, nobody can argue that the introduction of the digital projector has significantly raised the bar for the average consumer watching a movie. Unless you are a big enough nerd to know which movie theaters actually care about the condition of their projection equipment (lamps, registration, cleanliness of the print, etc.), most of us can walk into any multiplex these days with a digital projector and be guaranteed a better experience than the previous generation.

I took my niece to see TFA on Saturday and the digital projector was lacking a bit of shadow detail and resolution from my Thursday 70mm 2D viewing; but, there is no debate that it was close and that the Atmos sound was better.

Although the golden days of cinema are behind us... it's still a great time to be had by going to the big screen.

*I am spoiled by my 120" LCoS home theater though.

 

[Mike S]

There are only 15 theaters in the world showing TFA in the "native" format for which it was shot - 70mm 2D.

I was fortunate enough to see a showing of it last Friday. The Indiana State Museum Imax (http://www.imax.com/imax-indiana-state-museum-oo) has it until mid January. Although, there aren't many good seats left for hardly any of the showings if anyone wants to make a road trip.

I'm not a big fan of IMAX's aspect ratio as it's too confining from your peripheral vision. I am a big fan of 70mm (or 65mm) resolution. One thing I really dislike is the ever increasing gimmick of main stream movies having "sequences" filmed in IMAX and then switching in an out of a different aspect ratio. It's way to jarring for me when watching a movie. The Star Wars films are Cinemascope... end of story.

TFA's IMAX sequence is the escape from Jakku and it is visually impressive. While the rest of the film gets IMAX's digital upconversion process to create the 70mm print, the Jakku sequence benefits from the native resolution. JJ's framing of this sequence looks natural enough as it simply expands the top and bottom of the frame. It allows some unique views of gunnery station on the Falcon. The real treat of course of the 2D 70mm print is simply the huge screen with the dedicated lamp for IMAX horsepower to drive it along with the benefits of the IMAX projection system for celluloid to keep gate judder minimized.

Watching TFA the other day on the big screen brought back fond memories from my childhood. My first viewing of The Empire Strikes Back was on 70mm and I also got to see Return of the Jedi in that format as well.

For any diehard Star Wars fan, I would recommend seeking out one of the 15 theaters with a real 70mm 2D print. Unfortunately, since there is only 15 of them, the marketing engine that is the current IMAX regime steers the masses to one of the LieMAX digital screens.

The good news is that one of the most impactful things that Uncle George accomplished before his retirement is that through Lucasfilm, he really did raise the ante for average cinema experience that the majority of us get to see at our local multiplex. The THX program began as providing a standard of quality for cinema sights and sounds. Through it digital cinema sound got accelerated. The argument that is digital cameras will forever be debatable; but, nobody can argue that the introduction of the digital projector has significantly raised the bar for the average consumer watching a movie. Unless you are a big enough nerd to know which movie theaters actually care about the condition of their projection equipment (lamps, registration, cleanliness of the print, etc.), most of us can walk into any multiplex these days with a digital projector and be guaranteed a better experience than the previous generation.

I took my niece to see TFA on Saturday and the digital projector was lacking a bit of shadow detail and resolution from my Thursday 70mm 2D viewing; but, there is no debate that it was close and that the Atmos sound was better.

Although the golden days of cinema are behind us... it's still a great time to be had by going to the big screen.

*I am spoiled by my 120" LCoS home theater though.

Only 15 in the world? Man, I had no idea. For those like me in South Florida it's playing in 70mm 2D at the Autonation IMAX at the Museum of Discovery and Science. Don't miss out!!!

 

[doctornick]

And I thought the opening day line for Hogsmeade was bad....... Just wait till Star Wars Land opens based on that value (and lol at Twilight, not even close). It could potentially help if it opens on both coasts around the same time so people go to the one that's closer but it'll still be a mad house. Will I brave it like I did for Harry Potter? Only time will tell.

Without getting into a silly Star Wars vs Harry Potter, which is more popular debate, I would mention this: The pent up demand for Harry Potter "stuff" (experiences, merchandise, whatever) was far more than what it is for Star Wars. If you want to experience Star Wars, there are a lot of avenues for that to happen already, including theme parks.

I am sure that a Star Wars land grand opening would be very popular, but there's multiple factors at play that led to HP at Uni having the crazy opening.

 

[lazyboy97o]

People don't generally care about digital wallets.. still. Even Apple couldn't break through that dam. Its going to take another round yet and a killer App yet to be defined.

Even then, most transactions that resort to swiping, the Cast Member would prefer to swipe the card themselves instead of using the Disney hardware. The hardware doesn't work well.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

No, it doesn't fit. And too many Star Wars rabid fans don't understand how this will fundamentally alter DL in a way nothing has for 60 years. I don't care whether you liked the new movie. I don't care whether you already are planning your years around the openings of future movies. None of that matters for the purpose of SW in DL in such a large way. But the boat has sailed and one large part of what made DL so, so special is about to be destroyed so that Bob Iger can put his mark on Walt's park like a dog on a carpet.

The Florida situation is completely different since that park has been slaughtered. SW in the swamps can only help.

Welcome back buddy. We've missed you around here.

Although I also fear January 11th and everything that comes thereafter, I do feel a bit better after talking with my Lucasfilm friends. Everyone involved in the project understands that there wasn't going to a perfect fit in Anaheim (besides a 3rd gate). That's why, from what I've been told, going to make it work the best they possibly can. While nothing is going to replace the reduced length of the ROA, I've been told that great care is being placed into viewing angles and the new berm. My biggest concern is the loss of the canoes as I love the kinetic activity that all that traffic (Twain, Columbia, TSL rafts, and the canoes) all create on Disneyland's ROA. With the canoes being likely lost forever (that was the last I heard), DL's ROA is one step closer to the very sterile MK's ROA.

All in all, I'm still cautiously optimistic about SWL in Anaheim and think that when it's finished, DL will be better for it. It's just going to be painful and ugly to get there... which is why I'm heading out next week to say goodbye before it's gone.

Agreed on both counts. I may have liked it slightly more than you did. But a great film it is not ...much like Avatar and Titanic. The box office only says people saw it and paid more than ever to do so. But my time right now here is brief, so I'll let others go back and forth about how good the film was and why they're naming their next kid Rey or Kylo. ;-)

One has to remember that by design, the Star Wars saga is supposed to be familiar. It is pulling the very strings that created all myths. That being said, Kasdan and JJ did structure this intentionally like ANH. What I would encourage any of us old enough to have lived through the original trilogy is to take a child to see this film and try to experience it through their eyes. My niece never cared one iota about Star Wars... until Rey. That instant connection that caused all of us to see through Luke's eyes in '77 is very much there in this film. What's sad is I've already started to see the backlash that it was the Disney purchase that mandated a new "princess" for this saga, when a girl was the focus in Georges original notes from the 80's.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Only 15 in the world? Man, I had no idea. For those like me in South Florida it's playing in 70mm 2D at the Autonation IMAX at the Museum of Discovery and Science. Don't miss out!!!

Here's the list for those interested:

The following theatres will be playing Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX 2D on IMAX 15/70mm film projection (please note this list is subject to change):

US/Canada
Alabama
McWane Center IMAX Dome Theatre – Birmingham
IMAX, U.S. Space & Rocket Center – Huntsville

California
Hackworth IMAX Dome, The Tech Museum – San Jose

Florida
Museum of Discovery & Science AutoNation IMAX – Ft. Lauderdale
IMAX Dome, Museum of Science & Industry – Tampa

Indiana
IMAX, Indiana State Museum - Indianapolis

Iowa
Blank IMAX Dome, Science Center of Iowa – Des Moines

Missouri
Branson’s IMAX, Entertainment Complex – Branson
St. Louis Science Center OMNIMAX Theatre – St. Louis

Pennsylvania
Tuttleman IMAX, The Franklin Institute– Philadelphia

Saskatchewan
Kramer IMAX, Saskatchewan Science Centre - Regina

Washington, DC
Lockheed Martin IMAX, National Air & Space Museum

Texas
Omni, Fort Worth Museum of Science & History – Fort Worth

International
LG IMAX, Darling Harbour – Sydney, Australia
The Science Museum - London, England

 

[indyumd]

Here's the list for those interested:

The following theatres will be playing Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX 2D on IMAX 15/70mm film projection (please note this list is subject to change):

US/Canada
Alabama
McWane Center IMAX Dome Theatre – Birmingham
IMAX, U.S. Space & Rocket Center – Huntsville

California
Hackworth IMAX Dome, The Tech Museum – San Jose

Florida
Museum of Discovery & Science AutoNation IMAX – Ft. Lauderdale
IMAX Dome, Museum of Science & Industry – Tampa

Indiana
IMAX, Indiana State Museum - Indianapolis

Iowa
Blank IMAX Dome, Science Center of Iowa – Des Moines

Missouri
Branson’s IMAX, Entertainment Complex – Branson
St. Louis Science Center OMNIMAX Theatre – St. Louis

Pennsylvania
Tuttleman IMAX, The Franklin Institute– Philadelphia

Saskatchewan
Kramer IMAX, Saskatchewan Science Centre - Regina

Washington, DC
Lockheed Martin IMAX, National Air & Space Museum

Texas
Omni, Fort Worth Museum of Science & History – Fort Worth

International
LG IMAX, Darling Harbour – Sydney, Australia
The Science Museum - London, England

I think that is an older list. There are a couple more spots.
I know the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA (the second Smithsonian Air and Space facility) is also showing it in 70mm IMAX.

 

[indyumd]

What's sad is I've already started to see the backlash that it was the Disney purchase that mandated a new "princess" for this saga, when a girl was the focus in Georges original notes from the 80's.

Honestly, those people can go you know what. Even if Disney had mandated that (they didn't), a female Star Wars lead was wonderful. The portrayal of women in superhero/blockbuster movies is embarrassing. A character like Rey is incredibly important to changing that.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

I think that is an older list. There are a couple more spots.
I know the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA (the second Smithsonian Air and Space facility) is also showing it in 70mm IMAX.

The list is from IMAX's site: http://www.imax.com/news/star-wars-force-awakens-imax®-tickets-sale-now

The VA and DC screens are showing in 3D. Which the film wasn't shot in. It's been post production converted to 3D (which is awful looking for anything that isn't CGI like a Pixar film where they can simply add in another "camera" during rendering).

 

[indyumd]

The list is from IMAX's site: http://www.imax.com/news/star-wars-force-awakens-imax®-tickets-sale-now

The VA and DC screens are showing in 3D. Which the film wasn't shot in. It's been post production converted to 3D (which is awful looking for anything that isn't CGI like a Pixar film where they can simply add in another "camera" during rendering).

I saw it on 70mm at the Air and Space museum in DC. It was in 2D.

 

[Goofyernmost]

arent the biggest companies in the US lobbying to loose the EPA restrictions citing "weak economy"?

Id be wary if they have their way.

There is always some group that lobby's for their own best interests. Doesn't mean that they will get their own way. Always possible, especially if some of the current windbags get elected, but, I don't think we will go backwards on this.

 

[Rodan75]

Yet you take that to mean its obsolete because he didn't say "oh yes, it will have MBs" - so yes, that's where you are taking things were you want them to be, vs seeing it for what it is.. a non-commital answer from Iger. Probably because they don't want to get into the specifics of the offerings. Maybe they won't use MagicBands there... so what. The Magicbands are just one digital token in the much bigger picture. Even if the bands were to go away, that doesn't really say much about the much bigger initiative. The 'digital token' is here to stay - its just a matter of what form it will take and will it be 'bring your own' or a blend of Disney provided and BYOD.

Fixating on the band is missing the forrest for the trees. Her question was really more about the payment transaction options.. and Bob's answer could be taken several ways. But admitting NextGen or their personal token model is already obsolete? No, that wasn't in that answer.

Besides.. having Shanghi mixed into the normal TWDC system is more worrisome to me than any fears of NextGen wastes. I want China on their own platform.. not the one Disney is using for me in Florida.

Well said. I think it is telling that the MM+ infrastructure works seemlessly with Apple and Android contactless payments. MBs were likely always meant to be a 'physical bridge' method until there was wide adoption of NFC in smart phones and wearables. Just like those RFID cards were a bridge for magic bands in the Test Track remodel.

I wouldn't be surprised if MM+ gets integrated into smartphones/wearables by Q3/Q4 of 2016 for WDW and allow folks to opt out of magic bands. They have an incentive to integrate faster due to the cost of the bands.

 

[flynnibus]

I wouldn't be surprised if MM+ gets integrated into smartphones/wearables by Q3/Q4 of 2016 for WDW and allow folks to opt out of magic bands. They have an incentive to integrate faster due to the cost of the bands.

I doubt they'll make that their preference for two reasons..
1) They'd need to replace the proximity element of the solution -- and for that you want the best customer penetration to make those value adds (like Memory Maker) stronger
2) Putting the bulk of their strategy on external, high paced technology shifts you can't control. It's one thing to say "we are compatible with xyz.." - its something entirely different to say "we are banking on customers will have one of A,B, and C... and that list needs updating every 6-12m"

I think you'd see more a tiered approach. Allow NFC devices as a card alternative for your entry level, no frills digital token (aka.. day guests).. and continue to push a controlled token with more value add features (magicband) for your 'sticky' aka resort guests.

 

[flynnibus]

I don't think it's necessarily the tech. I think it's lack of consistency and marketing. For example, DD and Starbucks each use apps to pay, and I see a lot of customers using the apps at those stores. Because they drill it into your head that you can and should use the app to pay. So I do.

The reason they are able to push their app is.. they are pushing their loyalty/rewards system. For the customers, its now one transaction vs two.

As far as my digital wallet, I am never sure which stores can and can't accept payment that way. So I tend to shy away from even attempting to use it. I know once you get to the register, you can see the POS device and know, but by then, my wallet is usually out already.

That's one big success of MM+. I know I can pay digitally anywhere I go at WDW, it's convenient, and comfortable, and quite frankly, an enjoyable way to part with my money.

Yes, that's the pain of the adoption curve.. and while geeks will tolerate it, the general population is less forgiving. Most solutions lack a compelling reason to use them vs the traditional payment methods.

 

[Rodan75]

I doubt they'll make that their preference for two reasons..
1) They'd need to replace the proximity element of the solution -- and for that you want the best customer penetration to make those value adds (like Memory Maker) stronger
2) Putting the bulk of their strategy on external, high paced technology shifts you can't control. It's one thing to say "we are compatible with xyz.." - its something entirely different to say "we are banking on customers will have one of A,B, and C... and that list needs updating every 6-12m"

I think you'd see more a tiered approach. Allow NFC devices as a card alternative for your entry level, no frills digital token (aka.. day guests).. and continue to push a controlled token with more value add features (magicband) for your 'sticky' aka resort guests.

That makes sense. I forget about Memory Maker and how pervasive it is now. that would definitely be hard to align with external devices/apps.

 

[indyumd]

One thing that people on the forum fail to remember is that generally speaking, the majority of people LIKE the magic bands.

Every family I know that has been to Disney loves using them.