Dec
17
Sample of my videos
ByHere’s a short sample of my new videos.And before you ask, the new age music is only in these clips and not on the actual DVDs. :-)
Both videos are only available via my site, either separately or as a set.
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Really looking forward to receiving the Tai Chi Videos!
Danny
Thanks Danny. I hope they get thee ASAP!
Really looking forward to receiving the Tai Chi Videos!
Danny
Thanks Danny. I hope they get thee ASAP!
Your video samples look great and I can see some of the lengths you’ve gone to to get great shots (backdrop, background, wardrobe, camera angles, etc.).
You’ve said that these videos have been “tested for playback on all current DVD players.” If you don’t mind sharing, what format of DVD disc do you use to be able to say that, and… would that mean that I could play them without having to have them reformatted for the U.S. region as I have had to do with most other Asian or European DVDs that I have purchased?
Dennis
Dennis:
Thanks for the kind words. It was a lot of work and many things didn’t turn out as I planned, but they never do. :-)
Re. the format issue: I hired a company to do the actual DVD burning and they told me the problems are usually caused by older DVD players. These don’t recognize the DVD-R format and refuse to play. Normally, a PC or laptop will play such a DVD just fine because these tend to be more compatible. Also, they’re burning them region free so you shouldn’t have to convert anything. That said, after 25 years of working with computers, I’ve yet to find anything foolproof in that field and there’s always Mr. Murphy to mess things up.
Here’s something you might find interesting:
http://www.regionfreedvd.net/
Wim
Your video samples look great and I can see some of the lengths you’ve gone to to get great shots (backdrop, background, wardrobe, camera angles, etc.).
You’ve said that these videos have been “tested for playback on all current DVD players.” If you don’t mind sharing, what format of DVD disc do you use to be able to say that, and… would that mean that I could play them without having to have them reformatted for the U.S. region as I have had to do with most other Asian or European DVDs that I have purchased?
Dennis
Dennis:
Thanks for the kind words. It was a lot of work and many things didn’t turn out as I planned, but they never do. :-)
Re. the format issue: I hired a company to do the actual DVD burning and they told me the problems are usually caused by older DVD players. These don’t recognize the DVD-R format and refuse to play. Normally, a PC or laptop will play such a DVD just fine because these tend to be more compatible. Also, they’re burning them region free so you shouldn’t have to convert anything. That said, after 25 years of working with computers, I’ve yet to find anything foolproof in that field and there’s always Mr. Murphy to mess things up.
Here’s something you might find interesting:
http://www.regionfreedvd.net/
Wim
BTW, that reminds me of another question that you may be able to help with.
I need to buy a new Sabre and would like a good quality one. The ones I have seen here in the Seattle area are way cheap (and I mean cheaply made); and the ones in Vancouver, B.C. have the small round handle that it too small for my hands and gets way too slick when I sweat – you can imagine the concern I have:-)
We are starting to talk about a demo for the World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day event so I am in the market. Any ideas? (I guess I need a nice spear too – I now have only staffs.)
Dennis
Dennis:
Try this one: http://www.casiberia.com/product_details.asp?id=SH2063
I trained with it a bit and liked it a lot. Not cheap and they are sharpened (think you can ask for a blunt one) but this is the one I’d recommend.
As for spears, I never found one I liked. Most were too short, too light or too flexible for my tastes and as a result, total crap for our form and it’s applications. For my own training, I use a heavy stick I had cut to length at our version of Home Depot.
You can always order a spear point and mount it to one of the staffs you train with. Buy a cheap spear here: http://www.shopwushu.com/product.php?productid=16170&cat=262&page=1
Practice “The waves going up and down” on a tree with it until it breaks (it will) and then you can take off the spear and put it on the staff. No downsides: you get to practice your spear technique and you get a functional spear at the end. :-)
Wim
BTW, that reminds me of another question that you may be able to help with.
I need to buy a new Sabre and would like a good quality one. The ones I have seen here in the Seattle area are way cheap (and I mean cheaply made); and the ones in Vancouver, B.C. have the small round handle that it too small for my hands and gets way too slick when I sweat – you can imagine the concern I have:-)
We are starting to talk about a demo for the World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day event so I am in the market. Any ideas? (I guess I need a nice spear too – I now have only staffs.)
Dennis
Dennis:
Try this one: http://www.casiberia.com/product_details.asp?id=SH2063
I trained with it a bit and liked it a lot. Not cheap and they are sharpened (think you can ask for a blunt one) but this is the one I’d recommend.
As for spears, I never found one I liked. Most were too short, too light or too flexible for my tastes and as a result, total crap for our form and it’s applications. For my own training, I use a heavy stick I had cut to length at our version of Home Depot.
You can always order a spear point and mount it to one of the staffs you train with. Buy a cheap spear here: http://www.shopwushu.com/product.php?productid=16170&cat=262&page=1
Practice “The waves going up and down” on a tree with it until it breaks (it will) and then you can take off the spear and put it on the staff. No downsides: you get to practice your spear technique and you get a functional spear at the end. :-)
Wim
Yep, the older DVD player issue is one that we have faced. My wife and I have a Panasonic TV and a DVD/VHS player that are both over twenty-five years old and will not die… a non-compatable DVD player waits in the wings (spare room) for the chance to go to work.
I asked because the actual disc that you record on is also often a problem. The very first version of anything I did was recorded on a disc that seems to only play in the player it was recorded on. I don’t know how to refer to those disc formats but you do not have those issues when you get a DVD from Hollywood Video.
I will check on the region free DVD thing.
25 years… That’s pre-historic in DVD terms. :-) If you check the link I gave you, you should fine a DVD player for 50-60$ that plays all regions, so its probably a good investment.
The dics can indeed be the problem. Or it could be something else. I’m no expert but I know it can get complicated. The DVDs you get from Hollywood Video are not the same as what you manufacture with your own DVDburner. Loads of technical differences, or so I’ve been told.
Yep, the older DVD player issue is one that we have faced. My wife and I have a Panasonic TV and a DVD/VHS player that are both over twenty-five years old and will not die… a non-compatable DVD player waits in the wings (spare room) for the chance to go to work.
I asked because the actual disc that you record on is also often a problem. The very first version of anything I did was recorded on a disc that seems to only play in the player it was recorded on. I don’t know how to refer to those disc formats but you do not have those issues when you get a DVD from Hollywood Video.
I will check on the region free DVD thing.
25 years… That’s pre-historic in DVD terms. :-) If you check the link I gave you, you should fine a DVD player for 50-60$ that plays all regions, so its probably a good investment.
The dics can indeed be the problem. Or it could be something else. I’m no expert but I know it can get complicated. The DVDs you get from Hollywood Video are not the same as what you manufacture with your own DVDburner. Loads of technical differences, or so I’ve been told.
I like your idea for the spear point on my own staff. I finally found some great staffs made of waxwood – the British Columbia place (http://kuenway.cjb.net). Whenever I have had a chance to take a look at the store bought spears it was obvious just looking that they were not quite right for our use. So I will get on that, and I will follow up with the Sabre contact.
And yes the link on the DVDs seems good: they have a sale on them that ends tonight!
Thanks,
And Merry Christmas!
Dennis
Let me know how it works out Dennis, both with the spear and DVDS. Good luck!
I like your idea for the spear point on my own staff. I finally found some great staffs made of waxwood – the British Columbia place (http://kuenway.cjb.net). Whenever I have had a chance to take a look at the store bought spears it was obvious just looking that they were not quite right for our use. So I will get on that, and I will follow up with the Sabre contact.
And yes the link on the DVDs seems good: they have a sale on them that ends tonight!
Thanks,
And Merry Christmas!
Dennis
Let me know how it works out Dennis, both with the spear and DVDS. Good luck!