Pete's Write

Firstly war is a difficult thing to stomach and the act of killing someone is not something that is pleasant. If one uses a missile, or engages in air to air combat, the act of killing is quite different from killing someone up close and personal. On the other hand, using a high powered rifle, with the aid of a scope, the act of killing is both distant, and yet up close and personal. You have a second or even more from firing to impact, and life comes to a standstill during these seconds. The sheer act of breathing becomes a loud noise that can drown out even the largest canons, and you can literally see the effect of your shot. Having fired everything from a 5.56 to a 7.62 to LAWs, 88mm RR and even a 105mm, each one is quite different. The 5.56 has little kick, and yet does a lot of damage from a rifled barrel. Small wound in, a terribly huge exit wound. The 7.62 can kick like a horse, and that is one aspect in which Bradley Cooper doesn't quite get it right, as he i...

I decided to start a thread on this as I am looking at a new AV receiver / processor and in the course of of my buying process, I received messages, talked to other members and also got very helpful advice from pros. So I want to share my thought process, so others can learn and also benefit from my journey. I sold my Denon 4520 last year, and have been awaiting the arrival of the new 3D sound formats since I got wind of this. At that time, there was scant information, only that Atmos, and Auro may arrive, and now we have these two formats as well as DTS X on the near horizon. In addition, I managed to add the four speakers required for Atmos: Top Fronts + Rears, and also a VOG : Voice Of God. I also retained my original Front Heights which will come in handy for Auro. With this in mind, I held back initially when the first wave of Atmos amps hit the market, and I soon realised that you have to really go in with your eyes and ears open. The main caveats: - none of the curre...

Some movies make you laugh, cry and others allow you to sit back and enjoy the action. For others you need to suspend the disbelief and enjoy the surround sound, even if the plot is rather stupid. And sadly "The Four" trilogy doesn't even qualify for the latter group. No doubt the sound engineers had a field day, and again Chinese money gave the three shows really serious production values beyond what Hong Kong studios can offer, but it's not enough to save these movies. The plot borrows a lot from a variety of sources, including X Men, where a group of individuals with special powers gather to fight evil. It then uses Justice Bao and the treasure trove of stories on corrupt officials, weak emperors and their cronies to formulate a story. But despite a liberal use of CGI and a rather stellar ensemble cast, the stories lack depth, and even if you suspend, burn or totally eliminate disbelief, it's still hard to swallow the talking tree which revives th...

I think the advent of Atmos / Auro has led many to consider adding ceiling speakers. As previously discussed ( http://peteswrite.blogspot.sg/2014/12/adding-atmos-auro-speakers-to-existing.html ), the ceiling can be a concrete one, and so there's cutting involved, or a false ceiling. If it's the latter, then one must really ensure that the ceiling can bear the weight. Most false ceilings in domestic settings were built by contractors to hold the weight of some light fixtures, with cables inside and nothing much more. They usually use aluminum struts the situation is worse if one has a central false ceiling that is a single monolithic structure which is lightweight and quite flimsy. Eg, I got this from : http://renovationsingapore.sg/false-ceiling-singapore/ And to add anything more than 3 kilos (multiplied by 4 speakers) will need reinforcement or a complete tear down of the ceiling. So some planning is needed before trying to add any speaker that one may already posses...

When someone thinks of a Taiwanese movie, you would not normally expect a movie in which 95% of the dialogue will be Japanese. Yet, here is a movie about a Taiwanese team based in Kagi or Chia-Yi, set during the occupation of Taiwan in the 1920s, and how the mix of Japanese, native Taiwanese, and Han Chinese go from absolute losers to feature in the final of the top middle school baseball tournament in Japan. Sure the actors are raw, but the director takes great pride in getting the accents right, and the coach is wonderful and the movie is less about nationalistic sentiment of an occupied nation, but more about beating the odds and digging deep during a difficult time when half of North Asia was under Japanese rule. It's a little longer than it could have been, some of the training scenes could have been edited out, but it's heart warming, and a good effort. Highly recommended for sports fans, and worth a watch even if you aren't one. ____________________...

Jon Favreau usually is associated with more action movies like Iron Man, Aliens and Cowboys, and he spends more time behind the camera or in the directing chair these days, but I am glad he decided to take on a different kind of project that warms not only the heart but also the stomach.. In fact, if you aren't reaching out for a cubana or some kind of sandwich after watching this, you aren't human... Jon actually took lessons from a food truck chef to make this show and that's really him chopping those veggies at top speed. This light-hearted and yet moving show depicts Jon as a chef who cooks well albeit unhappily at a top restaurant in LA, and his creative juices are suppressed by his boss, played nicely by Dustin Hoffman. A top food critic lambasts his efforts and he goes berserk,  leading to a meltdown and his sacking. At the same time, he has trouble connecting with his son, who lives with his estranged wife, played by a super hot Sofia Vegara....

When one adds speakers into an existing setup, there are a few considerations: 1) Space Do you have space, and what kind of speakers can you add - floorstanders, space for stands and space in the ceiling for speakers is no different. As it's an added on item you may already have stuff on the ceiling, such as fans, lights or even other speakers.. If they are too close together, the sound will be affected. 2) Mounting Are the speakers mounted directly onto the concrete ceiling or will they go into a false ceiling? Cutting into concrete is no mean feat.. there's lots of dust, and you will need to cover up your stuff in the home if you want to avoid dust. Trust me, they will get into everything if you don't cover up.. If there are items where dust is a no no, move them.. As for false ceilings, will the ceiling take the weight? For small speakers like the Anthony Gallos, that's usually no issue, but if you are using regular bookshelf speakers, a...