[vruiz]

 Discovery HD Marches in Rose Parade




Quote:

Discovery HD Marches in Rose Parade Multichannel News 12/4/2002 6:17:00 PM Discovery Networks U.S. president of new media John Ford announced Wednesday that 13 new hours of programming are being added to its list of January "Discovery HD Theater" offerings. This includes the first and only high-definition coverage of the Jan. 1 Tournament of Roses Parade. That live event has already been announced as a special on Home & Garden Television, although that production will not be in HD. Discovery HD Theater -- which launched six months ago with about 110 hours of high-def programming -- will present triple that amount by December 2003, Ford said. Other January titles on Discovery's HD slate are Night of the Wolf Jan. 6, The Real Eve Jan. 13, Before We Ruled the Earth Jan. 20 and 21 and Gentle Ben Jan. 27. Wolf and Gentle Ben are original Animal Planet movies, while Eve is a Discovery Channel special.

Why do they say "the first and only coverage"? Hasn't KTLA done the parade in HD the last two years?

 

[spwace]

Yes, at least two years, maybe three.

 

[XFactor]

I guess it will be the first and only coverage of the parade in 2003.

 

[Rick_R]

Actually I believe KTLA has done the Rose Parade in HD for four years. KTLA went on the air in HD on Oct 30, 1998. They did the Rose Parade in HD in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. I assume they will do the Rose Parade in HD in 2003 also. I saw it on my TV in HD in 2001 and 2002.


Rick R

 

[dave1216]

I confirmed on KTLA's website that the parade will be in HD. Since they shared the feed on HDNET last year, that might be a possibility also. So we are set here in Los Angeles. For others across the country, start calling your WB affiliate so they will pick up KTLA's feed.

 

[fjerina]

Likely for Albuquerque the HD version of the parade will be available only via the Discovery HD channel. I have it via Dish and I can't wait. I will be inviting my friends over for mimosas and breakfast burritos that day and watch the parade in HIGH DEFINITION. I always wanted to see that parade in high definition since I saw it in person some years ago. Way to go Discovery Channel!!!

 

[TomF]

Quote:

Originally posted by fjerina I always wanted to see that parade in high definition since I saw it in person some years ago.

Ah yes, but in HD you don't get to smell the roses! (And all the rest of the flowers!)

 

[fjerina]

That's not true. I understand that the Discovery Channel will be presenting this in SMELLOVISION. There is a $49 adapter you can purchase and attach to your HD video outputs and at prescribed times particular scents are dispersed into your home theater room to recreate you actually being there. Just kidding, I couldn't resist that one. I should be carefull this product may just appear at the CES show this January.

 

[spwace]

Actually, the movie Pink Flamingos was shown in theaters in Smell-o-vision. Moviegoers were issued scratch and sniff cards, and prompted to scratch numbered patches at specific scenes in the film. The results were not always pleasant.

 

[rrg]

Actually it was another John Waters movie, Polyester (1981)--not Pink Flamingos--that was released in "Odoroma" with the scratch-and-sniff cards.


More than ten years ago, Film Forum in NYC had a weeks-long retrospective of "gimmick" films in which they recreated the stunts and gimmicks that had accompanied the original releases. Several were William Castle productions (he was famous for that). In addition to the original scratch-and-sniff cards from Polyester they had the wired seats for The Tingler, the "Punishment Poll" for Mr. Sardonicus (in which the audience supposedly votes on the fate of the protagonist), and the skeleton that flies across the theater in (I think it was) House on Haunted Hill.


There were several others but I'd have to do a little research to recall the movies: a $1,000 life insurance policy for each audience member in case you should die of fright during the movie; a registered nurse on duty in the lobby in case anyone becomes alarmed and needs medical attention; an opportunity for anyone to call for the movie to be stopped if they get too frightened and want to leave.


I attended all the shows in that series; it was great fun.

 

[spwace]

Thanks for the correction, rrg. I knew it was John Waters, so I took a stab at the Title.