It was an ordinary lazy Saturday afternoon last September 3 and I was browsing through Facebook and "living vicariously" through other people's lives (kidding), when the distinct message alert tone of my phone broke the ordinariness of the moment. It was a text message from a guy named Jeman, saying that he hopes to see me later at Astrovision, Greenbelt 5 at 2 p.m. And that there will be "food, raffle, prizes." Confused, as I had no idea who this Jeman guy was and why he was hoping to see me at an event in a movie store, I kindly asked where he got my number, to which he replied, "Nag-sign up ka sa event ko, right?"
Based on the vague response, I still did not have a clue (especially when my name was not included in the text reminder), and asked him to kindly help me remember what event did I sign up for. But, without waiting for a response, I shrugged and Googled "September 3, Astrovision event" and was surprised to find out that I was one of the 20 chosen movie bloggers invited to OrangeMagazineTV and Astroplus/Astrovision's Bloggers' Blowout, which I signed up for some time ago upon the recommendation of my sister-- my constant movie buddy at movie press screenings.
OrangeMagazineTV and Astroplus
Jeman Villanueva turned out to be with OrangeMagazineTV, the first online magazine in the country, who partnered with Astroplus-Astrovision, the beloved video rental store of my childhood and now the country's leading and booming multimedia store that caters to the needs of music, movie and gadget enthusiasts.
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| Who's the caterer that prepared these tasty selection? |
So after confirming my attendance to this intriguing event, which, according to the schedule had already started, I rushed to get dressed, then took the train to Greenbelt 5, arriving 30 minutes early for the scheduled movie bloggers niche. The smiling girl at the reception desk showed me where to sign my name for attendance, asked me to write my name on a small yellow square paper, and then handed me a silver paper bag with the Astroplus label on it. Then she gestured towards the buffet and suggested that I could take a bite before my niche begins.
And so I did. I brought my plate of food inside the store to eat and observe the ongoing music bloggers' talk, expecting the food to be, like most cocktail food, tasteless-- only texture. But the food were surprisingly good, each and every one of them, which felt like a foreshadowing of good things to come in the event.
Finally, it was the movie bloggers' turn. For an unobstructed view, I chose to sit at the front row before a huge, striking LG Next Generation 3D TV-- sleek, elegant and modern, displayed in all its entertainment glory, used in the event to show the various marketing presentations, along with the press kit and sample products they handed out to the bloggers as giveaways or prizes.
Trailer Roadshow by Movie Distributors and Exciting Events
Lined-up to present their up-and-coming DVD releases were Magnavision, Viva Home Video, and C-Interactive. They gave a brief overview of their company and have prepared audio visual presentations to the bloggers, talked about exciting events in the near future-- and of course, movie trailers of soon-to-be released DVDs-- the movie bloggers cheering every time the trailer of their favorite movies comes up.
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| Magnavision Talk |
Magnavision, distributor of studio bigwigs like Warner Bros., Paramount, and Sony, will soon be delivering us DVD releases of summer blockbuster hits, such as Thor (this month); and in October Captain America: The First Avenger, Super 8, and The Green Lantern; in November, Transformers: Dark of the Moon; in December, Kung Fu Panda, and many other popular titles. And attention, Harry Potter fans, start saving up because in November, they're releasing the epic finale in DVD to add to your glorious Harry Potter movie collection. To add more to the excitement, Astroplus treated us with a thrilling inside information about a huge, HUGE, Harry Potter event coming this November. So keep your heads up and better start following Astroplus and Magnavision on Facebook or Twitter to get updates.
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| Viva Video trailer roadshow |
Viva Video Inc, home to equally popular Hollywood mainstream movies such as the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, among many others, will soon bring us DVD releases of exciting titles such as X-Men: First Class, undoubtedly one of the best movies of the year, the SNL-filled Bridesmaids, and other titles from major film studios such as 20th Century Fox and Buena Vista Entertainment. And keep your heads up for the Angry Birds Rio Competition grand finals set real soon!
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| C-Interactive have BlueRay DVDs for us |
C-Interactive, the last to present, had their own highly anticipated line-up of DVD releases, including BlueRays, with their impressive line-up of Oscar movies, including The Hurt Locker and The Fighter, and controversial films such as Source Code and Limitless, among many other international and award-winning titles. And, under their belt, is the Twilight saga movie franchise from Summit Entertainment. C-Interactive, who only distributes foreign films, has always been my favorite distributor due to the high quality of their DVDs; crisp and clear with amazing sound quality. And if you want to collect your favorite movies in DVD, C-Interactive's products are worth the price. Check out their official site for promos and other DVD releases
As mentioned already, the movie distributors gave away free DVDs (including a DVD of Source Code from the generous C-Interactive), limited movie posters, and they raffled away movie merchandise-- and I was lucky to have won an authentic Harry Potter merch from Warner Bros: a cool hardbound notebook of It All Ends, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
The LG Cinema 3D TV Experience
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| The impressive LG Cinema 3D TV |
The good guys of Astroplus did not deprive the bloggers with the 3D experience from LG's Cinema 3D TV displayed before us. Even before they showed a sample 3D video to us, I was already confident about LG Electronics because I'm quite happy with their products. The DVD player we have at home is LG, and the movie-buff family is more than satisfied with its quality.
I've never been a fan of 3D transfers in movies, and the 3D glasses they provide at the cinemas are always annoyingly heavy and uncomfortable, especially when I put them over my own prescription glasses (I'm blind without them). But when I tried LG's new lightweight 3D glasses (that comes with the 3D TV; 7 pairs), impressively designed to eliminate eye strain and dizziness with the use of Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) technology, it did feel light and comfortable-- even over my prescription glasses. And despite plenty of head movements, the 3D effects were unchanging, constantly crisp and solid and more realistic. Coupled with their 3D DVD player boasting of high quality sound that not only "surrounds" you but is literally everywhere, it will definitely enhance your home-viewing pleasure, giving you the ultimate cinematic experience in your own living room.
LG 3D Cinema TV is pricey, yes, (a whopping 340,000 bucks), but it's worth it if you're a fan of 3D movies, as it gives you a more incredible 3D movie experience better than in the cinemas.
Astroplus versus Piracy
With the onslought of movie piracy and free movie downloads, you wonder, how do Astroplus and the local movie distributors compete? And they're successful at it?
No brainer.
You're a movie buff, and if you want to collect your favorite titles, of course you want to own the authentic, high quality copy with bonus materials...packaged with love and care just for you, dear movie fan.
Thanks to:
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| AstroVision outlet in Greenbelt 5, Makati |
Follow Astroplus, Orange Magazine TV, and LG on Facebook to get the latest updates on movie releases, exciting events, entertainment news and products, and a whole lot more.
Comments
kaka-engganyo tuloy magshopping ng dvd titles. hehehe
@Fely - Makikinood ako pag nakabili ka na ha. Hehe.