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Watching Movies on an iPhone

Deadman64 said:
I also watch movies on planes and trips. I use handbrake the convert videos to the iPhone screen size. That being said, I dont have an iPhone 4 yet, is handbrake what most iPhone 4 users use? Or do you just not convert it at all?

Just curious, thanks.
Click to expand...

I still use Handbrake with the "universal" Apple setting. I never had the time or patience to meticulously tweak settings to get the best possible image for each individual DVD I have; that'd be a death sentence. I feel that the privilege to watch be able to watch 200+ movies on the fly without changing discs is enough for me. And honestly, I can't tell the difference between a "universal" Handbrake rip and playing a TS folder. So maybe that would still work for you.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A293 Safari/6531.22.7)

Not to encourage the discussion to veer off topic, but you folks that "listen" to movies while on long drives should try out books on tape/CD/Mp3.

As an aside, I sometimes get into very similar arguments with my more devout bookreading family and friends. "How can you listen to books" and "that changes the the nature of it" etc.

The fact is (as 179202 pointed out as well) GOOD stories, whether told by the word or by the moving picture, are good stories. And crap, nomatter how dressed up (with special effects or great voice actors) will still be crap.

Sean
 
scwinsett said:
See, you twist my words around, say things like "whats your problem".
You are exactly the type of person I was referring to. You are creating an argument. It is very obvious I wasn't calling anyone retarded.
Click to expand...

You still didn't respond to my point.

Under the circumstances in which I use them, my phone looks the same as my HDTV.

Are you also saying it's retarded to watch the Dark Knight on a television?
 
scwinsett said:
You know, I have used handbrake to convert episodes of Seinfeld for every iPod and iPhone I've owned, but I can't get them to play in iPhone 4. I guess it doesn't matter. I never actually watch any videos on my iPhone, I never have really, I just sort of like knowing I have Seinfeld in my pocket. It's like comfort food... in your pocket.
Click to expand...

The thing that bugs me is that I can't have it full screen, always have to have the black bars.

OR is that an unavoidable ratio issue with the screen resolution??
 
It wouldn't be my first choice but it is a great way to kill time if you don't have another device with you. I regularly watched movies on planes and buses with my iPod touch before and I don't really think it takes away from the movie.
 
some of us have lives and families and the cost of going to a movie theater is bordering on ridiculous. and i only have time to watch a movie during my commute or lunch hour. David Lynch can go f**K himself if he thinks it's demeaning to the art form. like most forms of art, 80% of all movies suck and are barely worth watching once. the other 15% can be watched once every few years and the rest are timeless and you can watch it anytime and it will always be interesting.
 
I frequently watch full length movies while at the gym. I have at least 8 full length movies at all times on my iPhone.
 
I'll go a little against the grain and say yes, it is my preferred way of watching a movie. I love it! I basically, can pick up my iPhone and watch my movie anywhere, anytime...like a book. I travel for business so it's fantastic on long flights or in bed in a hotel.

I think the screen displays video far better than many people realize. I rarely find the screen lacking and wishing I had a bigger screen.

I watch a TON of video (movies and TV shows) on my iPhone. One of my main reasons for owning one. And Handbrake is a life saver!
 
Posting this again because the OP seemed to ignore it.

Word of advice OP - if you'd like to have a conversation without an argument, then leave name calling out of your posts.

Fact is, calling films such as Hot Tub Time Machine 'not movies' IS pretentious (by definition, the content of a film doesn't matter, only the fact that it is a picture in motion). As filmmaker you should be aware that you can't control audience members and what they watch, you can only attempt to give them a good story. If we're talking about a filmmakers intent and viewer reacting that way, we have to acknowledge that. The basic intent of ALL films is for them to be viewed, enjoyed and hopefully for the viewer to walk away with a moral lesson and/or a bit of 'truth'.

No one views their own films as 'art', only as 'expressions' (of a viewpoint they hold). You can't predict a film will become art or how people will watch it (Kubrick didn't make '2001...' thinking it would become what it is today). REAL question here is CAN you watch a film on a small screen or not and how does it affect the experience? Answer is: your mileage may vary.

"Hey. Thought I'd chime in since I'm a film maker too. Have worked at Pinewood on several films but more importantly to this conversation, I love watching films.

There are two arguments to consider here:

As film makers we want the film we make to be viewed with complete and utter attention. Every frame is there for a reason. That's why film makers believe the cinema/IMAX screens are better...no distractions (you get told to turn your phones off in a cinema, so no distractions is definitely the aim here). No distractions means we're more able to be immersed into the story.

As an audience member, I say that any film worth its weight in gold will pull my attention to it no matter what size screen it's on.

Film has, for years, been made to work on big cinema screens. Some films just don't call for it. Avatar, for example, does not work very well on a smaller screen (even on a 50" HD plasma TV with a blu-ray disk player). However, films that are less visually intensive work very well (comedies and such). It all depends how watertight the film is.

Pixar are a great example of this. Sure, it's lovely to see their films on a giant screen but they're so watertight story-wise etc that they work just fine on smaller screens. Some films I wouldn't dream of watching on a smaller screen, others wouldn't bother me at all (the biggest TV in our house as I grew up was 14" and we all gathered around it every Sunday to watch The X-Files no problem. Now, we feel a bit silly doing something like that. People get a little spoilt with technology sometimes I think, and that does contribute to arguments such as these (what size screen you are used to etc.)

For that reason, my vote goes into 'definitely not retarded to watch a film on your iPhone BUT it depends on the film and what you have available'. Cinema is absolutely the best way to watch a film, I don't think that can be argued. But it's not the ONLY valid way to watch a film and I think many film makers would do well to remember that.

I'd like to ask Lynch and Cameron what they'd prefer: someone not watching their film at all or doing so by their only means (which could an an iPhone screen, or an oooooold tiny black and white TV, or a laptop etc.)? I think they'd want people to watch it no matter how they did so. After all, film makers tell their stories to be enjoyed by others - that means accepting how other people enjoy them no matter what. "
 
Ok, I guess I'm a philistine. I thought Hot Tub Time Machine was kind of funny. Just saw it last night in my hotel room while out of town on business.

Again, iPhone works out great for that!

For the record, Blazing Saddles and Airplane! were hilarious too.
 
Deadman64 said:
The thing that bugs me is that I can't have it full screen, always have to have the black bars.

OR is that an unavoidable ratio issue with the screen resolution??
Click to expand...

There should be a little full-screen button which will eliminate the black bars by cropping the left and right a little. You can see it in the top right of the screenshot.

iPhone_video_player_270x202.jpg
 
Deadman64 said:
The thing that bugs me is that I can't have it full screen, always have to have the black bars.

OR is that an unavoidable ratio issue with the screen resolution??
Click to expand...

Double tap the image....it expands to fill the screen.
 
179202 said:
...(the biggest TV in our house as I grew up was 14" and we all gathered around it every Sunday to watch The X-Files no problem. Now, we feel a bit silly doing something like that. People get a little spoilt with technology sometimes I think, and that does contribute to arguments such as these (what size screen you are used to etc.)
Click to expand...

Heh, try watching television on a 1.5" B&W Sony Watchman. :D
 
scwinsett said:
I was just curious as to what people think about actually sitting down and watcing a full movie on the iPhone. As a filmmaker, it seems completely absurd... I'm not talking about he occasional YouTube video... I mean like trying to put The Dark Knight on there and having a viewing...
It just seems retarded...
Click to expand...
What's retarded is that you ask us what we think and then slam the concept as being retarded. Why even ask then?

Obviously everyone would rather watch a movie on a larger screen. But there are times when you can't and having the ability on a smaller portable device comes in handy.
 
I will watch a movie if I'm on a trip. Just went to Vegas at the beginning of June and watched movies there and back. It was on my 3GS, and I didn't really have any issues. If the screen gets a little bigger in the future, it would make it a little better, but if not, no problem because it didn't bother me at all.
 
scwinsett said:
I was just curious as to what people think about actually sitting down and watcing a full movie on the iPhone. As a filmmaker, it seems completely absurd... I'm not talking about he occasional YouTube video... I mean like trying to put The Dark Knight on there and having a viewing...
It just seems retarded...

I guess legendary director David Lynch said it best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKiIroiCvZ0


But seriously, without a bunch of easily offended people bickering, what are the opinions?

I REALLY DON'T WANT THIS TO BECOME AN ARGUMENT, just discuss it.
Click to expand...

I've watched plenty of full-length movies on the iPhone (before I got an iPad).

Two most frequent uses:
- on an airplane while traveling.
- on a treadmill or elliptical trainer while doing cardio

It's amazing how you can get pulled into the movie if you can put on a good set of ear buds and ignore everything else. The screen seems to expand and doesn't seem so small. But if you have to be aware of things going on around you, and are prevented from "zoning out" and getting into the movie, then the screen does seem small.
 
scwinsett said:
I was just curious as to what people think about actually sitting down and watcing a full movie on the iPhone. As a filmmaker, it seems completely absurd... I'm not talking about he occasional YouTube video... I mean like trying to put The Dark Knight on there and having a viewing...
It just seems retarded...

I guess legendary director David Lynch said it best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKiIroiCvZ0


But seriously, without a bunch of easily offended people bickering, what are the opinions?

I REALLY DON'T WANT THIS TO BECOME AN ARGUMENT, just discuss it.
Click to expand...

Way to make this a non-contentious, reasonable conversation. I personally wouldn't do it, but I don't see that it's that farfetched. Stuck at the DMV, battery runs out on your laptop on a long flight, heavy traffic during the commute...these are all situations where you could pop on a movie to kill the time, and it's not like all movies have the visuals of (Nolan's) Batman, Star Trek, etc. and don't really need a big screen to watch them on.
 
179202 said:
Hey. Thought I'd chime in since I'm a film maker too. Have worked at Pinewood on several films but more importantly to this conversation, I love watching films.

There are two arguments to consider here:

As film makers we want the film we make to be viewed with complete and utter attention. Every frame is there for a reason. That's why film makers believe the cinema/IMAX screens are better...no distractions (you get told to turn your phones off in a cinema, so no distractions is definitely the aim here). No distractions means we're more able to be immersed into the story.

As an audience member, I say that any film worth its weight in gold will pull my attention to it no matter what size screen it's on.

Film has, for years, been made to work on big cinema screens. Some films just don't call for it. Avatar, for example, does not work very well on a smaller screen (even on a 50" HD plasma TV with a blu-ray disk player). However, films that are less visually intensive work very well (comedies and such). It all depends how watertight the film is.

Pixar are a great example of this. Sure, it's lovely to see their films on a giant screen but they're so watertight story-wise etc that they work just fine on smaller screens. Some films I wouldn't dream of watching on a smaller screen, others wouldn't bother me at all (the biggest TV in our house as I grew up was 14" and we all gathered around it every Sunday to watch The X-Files no problem. Now, we feel a bit silly doing something like that. People get a little spoilt with technology sometimes I think, and that does contribute to arguments such as these (what size screen you are used to etc.)

For that reason, my vote goes into 'definitely not retarded to watch a film on your iPhone BUT it depends on the film and what you have available'. Cinema is absolutely the best way to watch a film, I don't think that can be argued. But it's not the ONLY valid way to watch a film and I think many film makers would do well to remember that.

I'd like to ask Lynch and Cameron what they'd prefer: someone not watching their film at all or doing so by their only means (which could an an iPhone screen, or an oooooold tiny black and white TV, or a laptop etc.)? I think they'd want people to watch it no matter how they did so. After all, film makers tell their stories to be enjoyed by others - that means accepting how other people enjoy them no matter what.
Click to expand...

I agree to a point, but you're totally discounting repeat viewings of movies. I'm not going to watch Inception for the first time on my phone, but I could see watching Xmen, which I've seen a dozen times, on it.
 
i just got an iphone 4 and im going away next week, going to put some films on it for the plane.
whats the best resolution to covert the films to?
 
I just actually finished watching a movie. I'm here at work bored and it comes in handy.
 
In a pinch I think an iphone would be alright for movies. I highly doubt I could watch such a tiny screen for an hour and a half though.
 
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