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Buying Blu-Ray (HD) Movies in Vietnam [More on Piracy]

This blog has never been afraid to discuss piracy openly. (Notice I mention “this blog”. I, however, do not condone piracy in any way or fashion. “This blog” made me do it! I am innocent!)

Some examples: How to be a Digital Pirate in Vietnam, My Torrent Guide for You, The Escapist : Sony Invades Vietnam with PlayStations

Today, I want to share about the world of network media tanks, getting HD-quality movies on the cheap, and how to make this all happen. I won’t talk too much about the situation of piracy, having discussed those in detail in other articles. I also won’t get too technical about the discussion, just what 99% of the people reading this need to know to get things done.

The lowdown: getting HD movies in Vietnam can be quite affordable. Will these movies be the exact same quality as buying a Blu-Ray disc in the US? No. But pretty close for most concerning eyes (if you’re reading this article here of all places, you probably cannot tell the difference. I don’t even know if I can, for that matter, and I have a HD Player and Movies for my Xbox 360)

Getting movies basically gets down to getting a player for them (media tank), the movies (movie copy service), and of course, the TV.

Buying Movies:

3 Steps:

Buy a Media Tank
Buy a Hard Drive to Attach to Media Tank
Buy Movies

Step 1, Buy a Media Tank:

A media tank is like a DVD Player or VCR. You connect it to your TV and it has the ability to play media. I have a WD TV hooked up to a Seagate 1.5 TB Drive. If you want to know more scroll to the bottom of post.

For a full list of Media Tanks available at Halo Shop in Saigon, see here: Media Tank List, Halo Shop. I generally recommend them for any purchases. They can speak English and they’re not so full of BS so you can take their advice for an easier process.

If you’re from Hanoi, sorry, I don’t know of any places in Hanoi, though I’m sure they exist- ask a local Home Theater shop, and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

A few more notes: Don’t bother getting HD movies unless you have an HDTV. There will be no benefit. Also, use an HDMI cable to connect the Media Tank to the HD TV. HDMI Cables should cost less than $10 USD- don’t be tricked into paying more. Lastly, if you’re not going to hook up a 5.1 (or 7.1/8.1/etc.) sound system to your TV, you should make sure the audio will be ok if you connect the Media Tank to your TV. Just ask “Can I use this Media Tank with my TV speakers?” With the WD TV, this isn’t a problem unless you are playing DTS movies, but scroll to the end of this post for more on that.

Step 2, Buy a Hard Drive to Attach to Media Tank:

You can buy these anywhere. I would suggest getting a package deal when you get your Media Tank, minimum 1TB Hard Drive, get 2TB if you can afford it. Remember, movies are 5-10 GB each, so a 1TB Hard Drive will store only 200 movies. Tank + Hard Drive may cost $400 to $500 depending on what you buy. Sounds expensive, but the movies themselves are extremely cheap.

Step 3, Buy Movies:

There are basically 3 types of content: 480P (DVD quality), 720P (Hi Def), and 1080P (Bad ass Hi Def). You, for practical purposes, want 720P content. If you really think you need 1080P, read the section about buying a TV below. I do have a 32” 1080P TV, but I also sit less than 3 feet away from it.

One other thing to consider is that not that many movies are available in 1080P here, so not necessarily worth the extra cash.

There are two places that I consider:

ChepPhim.Net: 199/19 Duong (Street) 3/2 F11 District 10, TPHCM. Movie List, ChepPhim.Net
Halo Shop: 82 Pasteur, District 1, TPHCM. Movie List, Halo Shop

ChepPhim.net is cheap, fast, and has much more content available compared to Halo Shop. You can get 1TB copied for about $10 USD in less than two days. They update their movie list about twice a month and even have TV sets like Lost and Prison Break.

Buying a TV and Home Audio:

TV:

I’ll make this simple- get a 720P TV. If you really think you may want a 1080P, read this article first: 1080p Does Matter – Here’s When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution). If you have a family or plan to share the TV with someone else, unless you are just rich, get a 720P. A bonus about having a 1080P TV, though, is that you can use it as a 1920 x 1080 PC monitor.

For the record, I have a 32” 1080P from LG, and like I said before, I have to sit less than 3 feet away from it to take full advantage of 1080p movies, of which there are few. Most video games also max out at 720P.

Retailers:

DIEN MAY CHO LON .VN (Saigon)
Thien Hoa (Saigon)
Vatgia.com (Price Engine)
Aha.vn (Price Engine)

Home Audio:

This one’s a bit tougher. I can’t really help here in terms of where to buy in Vietnam or what to buy. Try HD Vietnam if you can read Vietnamese. Otherwise, stick with the stereo TV speakers.

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About the Western Digital WD TV: [Quick Review and Tips]

I have the WD TV, the original version.

Some notes on it:

It’s cheap. I expect the original can be had for about $100 USD now in Vietnam. I don’t think the WD TV is sold at Halo Shop anymore.
Supports most video formats, but surprisingly, not .FLV or .WMV. I don’t use it for audio or pictures.
Overall, it’s okay. Not great. But a solid value for $100. The HDMI connection on mine is a bit loose, so sometimes there’s no signal, and the remote can be frustratingly spotty. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the machine won’t turn on or off, even when the remove is right next to the sensor. Once the machine starts recognizing the remote that particular day, everything is great.
Getting the new version (Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player) or the original (WD TV Live) is fine for most purposes. The 2 main additions in the WD TV Live are 1) DTS support and 2) Networking support. Networking support means you can hook it up to another computer and stream stuff rather than have to connect a Hard Drive to it. The DTS support, for me, is a bit more important, because many movies that I’ve purchased here are DTS-only and therefore result in no audio when using the original WD TV. There is a fix – you’ll need this to convert those movies with the PopCorn MKV AudioConverter (along with Tutorial for converting audio tracks with HeartWare MKV Audio Converter).
There’s an issue with some 1080P movies on the WD TV with movies that have too many Reference (Ref) frames. This is where we get a bit technical. If you run into this issue, you’ll have to re-encode the entire movie, which is a two day process. If you get a 1080P movie that seems to stutter, try to find a 720P version. Or get a different media tank. If you really need help with this, you can find the solution on forums online. My hint: I used a combination of MediaInfo and RipBot264 to fix The Dark Knight. I haven’t fixed any other movies yet.

Links:

Official Firmware: WD TV Product Update – you can probably ask whomever you buy this from to install it for you if you are non-technical, but it also isn’t so difficult.
Unofficial Firmware: B-RAD (Don’t worry about using this unless you want to spend a lot of time on techie stuff. A note about the unofficial firmware is that I still can’t it to work right with all the extra functionality people have developed for it)
More talk about Firmware and Stuff: WDTV Forum Homebrew / Custom Firmware

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Sorry if this post got a bit crazy, but hopefully it’s useful to someone out there. If you have any questions or want to send in your own recommendations and tips, please leave a comment!

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Tags: blu-ray, hanoi, media tank, Movies, piracy, Reviews, saigon, tphcm, Vietnam, wd tv, western digital

09.02.2010 Movies, Reviews, Tech, Vietnam No Comments

The Case for Keeping Curry and Ellis Together [Warriors]

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With Monta Ellis putting up the business in terms of statistics (26 pts on 45.7% shooting, 5.5 assists, 2.2 steals), there’s an argument over how good he really is, and if he helps the team win. See RealGM’s Context In Statistics (Monta Ellis Edition) and Kawakami’s Will the Warriors finally start splitting Ellis and Curry? for some thoughts.

Here’s what I said about both a month ago:

Stephen Curry is legit. You can see he can play. In the Celtics game, he got destroyed by Rondo early (that’s when they were down big), and he got replaced by CJ Watson and never came back in. I think Curry will be be more aggressive on offense as the year goes by, and that’s when he’ll come into his own. He can already pass and shoot, he just needs to make a more consistent impact on the game. This will also allow Monta to cut down on turnovers as Curry becomes more assertive and runs a true point. On defense, Curry will be ok in the long haul. He can get some steals already, and he’s not lazy, he just doesn’t have the experience or outstanding quickness. On the positive, he’s not short (I think he may be taller than Monta), and he rebounds (nearly 4 a game). He is the key to this team, in the sense that Monta is a star, but Curry is the key to get this team to reach that next step and be something real.
Monta Ellis is amazing. In a way, he might seem like a ball hog, but they need to him shoot that much. When he’s not on the floor (and that’s rare), you can see that the Warriors cannot score. It’s like the 76’ers and Allen Iverson. This is where Curry has to become more of a floor leader. If he can control the offense, the Warriors will be fine.

Since I wrote that, Curry won the NBA Rookie of the Month award for January. I can’t disagree with Tim Kawakami, though. I’ve noticed it myself.

What should the Warriors do?

As good as Monta is, Curry is definitely more valuable. Monta is an undersized shooting guard, while Curry is a reasonably tall point guard (6’2) with a short wingspan. I think Curry will put together 20 pts, 7 assists, 2 steals per game on 45% FG / 40% 3PT / 90% FT, maybe as soon as next year. As a rookie, even with the indecisiveness from playing with Monta, he’s averaging 15 pts, 5 assists, 2 steals on 46% FG / 43% 3PT / 86% FT. I dare you to tell me Curry isn’t going to be insane. (Note: Monta and Curry are different as passers. Monta is a drive and dish guy, he drives, and then if he’s in trouble he may find you. Curry is a true point in the sense he is looking for you from the beginning)
Monta is not Allen Iverson. Therefore, you can’t build a team specifically to his talents alone and hope that will create a contender.
As far as I’ve read and heard, the Warriors like each other a lot. And don’t underestimate how important that is. See Bill Simmons discussion about “The Secret” in The Book of Basketball. The moped incident is in the past, it’s like it never happened. If Monta and Curry have personal friction between each other, okay, that’s a problem. But if it’s just figuring out how to play with each other, then that’s time. They both want to win, they both play hard, they are both improving.
Why give up on Curry and Ellis? Like I just said, if it’s not personal, they can learn. Remember, Monta played with Baron and won the Most Improved Player award, it’s not like Monta has always been ball-dominant. Back then, Monta got a lot of mid-range jumpers from Baron’s passing. When Curry becomes the half court manager and Monta lets Curry help him, this will work. Seriously, it’s been half a year.
If you’re going to trade Monta, alright, for who? I don’t think you should trade or give up on people. Development and maturity are a huge part of NBA players, just like you and me in life. One idea I came up with is Monta for Andre Iguodala, an athletic, exciting swingman who can defend. I even asked (ESPN Basketball Columnist) Ric Bucher. Ric said no. (Ric is really cool btw, he actually answers people on Twitter. I’ve been reading him since he worked for the San Jose Mercury News when I was growing up)

As a Warriors fan, it’s not fun seeing your favorite player getting traded and let go- Latrell, then Antawn, then J-Rich, then Baron. Monta is not making obscene money, he’s not a problem in the locker room. He’s still young and extremely talented. To trade him is just like a big F-U to to fans. What the Warriors really need, however is a perimeter defender and improving interior defense (I don’t know what’s wrong with Andris this year). Hopefully, they’ll resign Raja Bell, but letting Maggette be the 6th man (Corey is doing great this year, but with Curry and Ellis in the backcourt, they need a strong defender at SF to have a chance), getting a great defender at SF and then helping Monta and Curry play with each other would create the turnaround we need.

I would even suggest, an Anthony Randolph + lottery protected 1st rounder + expiring contracts for Iguodala. Or Biedrins + Randolph for Iguodala.

Remember, the Warriors should have a top 3 draft pick next year if they keep sucking, so there’s some flexibility in what they can do. Even if they trade Biedrins and Randolph, they’ll be able to pick up a good big guy like Derrick Favors or Ed Davis. Brandan Wright will be back too- I still believe he will show something, but I guess that’s the Warriors optimist in me.

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Tags: Basketball, monta ellis, stephen curry, warriors

03.02.2010 Basketball 2 Comments

Hard Rock Cafe: Grand Opening, Saigon

Here I am at another VIP event, somehow:

Ah, so that wasn’t me, that was the very pretty (and tall) model Ha Anh. What, you don’t like looking at pretty girls?

Alright, here’s me at the last Friday’s grand opening of Hard Rock Cafe in Saigon, the first in Vietnam (there have been fakes before):

Thanks to well-connected friends Tommy and Eduard and Jin, I somehow cheated my way into this invite-only party. Main event: DMC from Run DMC! (Yes, this is picky, but a bit disappointing to have just 1 of the 3 people in the group, and yes, I do know that Jay is dead)

Although the event started at 6 PM officially, everyone came much later- we got there closer to 7. DMC was scheduled to go on at 8, but as I expected, it was well after 9 before he got on. Got home at 11ish.

The key points of the night:

- Free booze! Solid mojitos, sponsorship by Coors Light, they even had the cold-activated bottles! (I learned about these on my last trip back to the US) The odd thing is, I don’t think I was aware that Coors Light was sold in Vietnam. Budweiser just came in about a year ago. First drinking of 2010!

- The venue is pretty nice. I expect it to be pretty damn expensive to eat/drink there, which removes me as a regular customer, but if they become a good booker for international acts, I could definitely see myself heading there pretty often- I might have to ask for a raise though. I heard a rumor that they’re going to try to bring in Billy Joe from Green Day, maybe on an acoustic session. How they can possibly make the finances work out on that, I do not know, but Vietnamese do make decisions on ego (see Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s sponsorship of Arsenal at Emirates Stadium for an example).

- A lot of stars and celebs as you would expect. After all, stars got me in the event in the first place!

- I didn’t think the audio configuration was too good. I had a great spot in the middle of the room, but I couldn’t make out what DMC was saying, even when he was just talking.

- In food, I’ve heard some really good things (Kevin and others) about their chicken wings and nachos. Unfortunately, while there was some solid food throughout the night, neither flagship product came out. Weak!

- No, I do not know why the Hard Rock Cafe has a grand opening with a rap act. Run DMC is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, however. Also, there is no way most people there knew of Run DMC. Even I don’t really know their music that well.

Some more pictures from the event below, see the Gallery on Smugmug for all: