# "Tron" on HDNet - March 3 @ 9pm ET



## Chris Blount

If you are a fan of the movie Tron, HDNet will be showing it in High Definition on Wednesday March 3 at 9PM. There are rumors that it's the same "enhanced" version that will show up on Blu-Ray later this year.

Set your DVR's!


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## Thaedron

Wow, haven't seen Tron in over a decade.... reaching for iPhone and the DirecTV app to set it to record right now.

Thanks for the heads up!


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## sigma1914

I bet this guy is happy.


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## Jasqid

sigma1914 said:


> I bet this guy is happy.


LMAO!


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## tonyd79

Eek! Is that what Tron looks like in Hi Def? Maybe we should stay at low def!


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## elaclair

tonyd79 said:


> Eek! Is that what Tron looks like in Hi Def? Maybe we should stay at low def!


That's the IMAX version.....


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## joshjr

Never seen it before ever. Is it any good?


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## armophob

joshjr said:


> Never seen it before ever. Is it any good?


It was when it came out. Now the special effects are a little outdated. But it was based on a video game, so it had its limitations on story line.

Or do I have that backwards?


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## chevyguy559

Man that movie takes me back to when I was a kid!! LOVE IT! Thanks for the heads up, going to schedule the recording right now!


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## ATARI

armophob said:


> It was when it came out. Now the special effects are a little outdated. But it was based on a video game, so it had its limitations on story line.
> 
> Or do I have that backwards?


The arcade games came out after the movie.

And FYI, a new TRON movie is coming out in December.


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## trdrjeff

lol, Someone in charge of the Australian speed skating program sure seemed to be a fan of TRON


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## phrelin

Thanks for the heads up Chris, I missed that listing. I love this 1982 Roger Ebert review that begins:


> The interior of a computer is a fine and private place, but none, I fear, do there embrace, except in "Tron," a dazzling movie from Walt Disney in which computers have been used to make themselves romantic and glamorous. Here's a technological sound-and-light show that is sensational and brainy, stylish, and fun.
> 
> The movie addresses itself without apology to the computer generation, embracing the imagery of those arcade video games that parents fear are rotting the minds of their children. If you've never played Pac-Man or Space Invaders or the Tron game itself, you probably are not quite ready to see this movie, which begins with an evil bureaucrat stealing computer programs to make himself look good, and then enters the very mind of a computer itself to engage the villain, the hero, and several highly programmable bystanders in a war of the wills that is governed by the rules of both video games and computer programs.


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## xmguy

Set DVR. I love this movie!


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## armophob

ATARI said:


> The arcade games came out after the movie.


Ah-ha! I was right. Roger Ebert proves it in phrelin's link;

_"If you've never played Pac-Man or Space Invaders or the Tron game itself, you probably are not quite ready to see this movie"_


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## Lincoln6Echo

joshjr said:


> Never seen it before ever. Is it any good?


Released in 1982, it was, I believe, the first movie to ever use CG. However, it was very crude CG. Just basic shapes with colored outlines. And then some Gouroud shading for the skin textures of the Light Cycles.

I think the next movie to use CG as such was The Last Stargfight in 1984.


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## Stewart Vernon

To my recollection... the movie was in development first, but the movie-inspired video game might actually have hit before the movie hit theaters. Lots of times toys and other tie-ins would hit stores/arcades before the movie to help advertise the movie.

I don't ever remember wanting to watch Tron or caring at all about it... even in the slightest... but I was 12 when it came out, and some of my tastes have changed since then... so I'll give it a try on the DVR and see if my past-self was right or not.


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## armophob

Stewart Vernon said:


> To my recollection... the movie was in development first, but the movie-inspired video game might actually have hit before the movie hit theaters. Lots of times toys and other tie-ins would hit stores/arcades before the movie to help advertise the movie.


That was the age of the arcade for me. 13-14 years old. Too young to work at the mall, so I just hung out there with the change I could steal from my parents hiding places.
If they made a movie then about a monkey throwing barrels at an Italian plumber, I would have been first in line.
Best movie for that period was Heavy Metal, hands down. South Park did an episode called Major Boobage that took me right back to that day. I actually cheered out loud during the episode.

Good times, good times


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## Donb01

Back in the days before surround sound that was an awesome soundtrack - the stereo imaging was just phenomenal, and it sounds even better on today's modern surround sound processors... That and Xanadu, but we won't go there P


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## armophob

Donb01 said:


> Back in the days before surround sound that was an awesome soundtrack - the stereo imaging was just phenomenal, and it sounds even better on today's modern surround sound processors... That and Xanadu, but we won't go there P


mmm, legwarmers and fluffy hair with sweatbands
I just went there.
Pay attention ladies married to my age group out there.
you will be tapping into an everlasting fountain of youthful sexuality. Developed or not 30 years later


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## Nick

armophob said:


> ...Pay attention ladies married to my age group out there. you will be tapping into an everlasting fountain of youthful sexuality. Developed or not 30 years later


You mean there was ExtenZe way back then? Speaking of which, all ExtenZe ever did for me was put a big grin on my face. 

I don't recall ever playing the Tron game (I was in _'duck-and -cover'_ pre-divorce mode in those days), but I remember developing a serious case of "Pac-Man elbow".

EDIT: Come to think of it, playing Pac-Man was the only thing my wife and I agreed on the last few years of our marriage. When the Pac-Man craze was over, so was the marriage. Pity. :shrug:


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## captain_video

sigma1914 said:


> I bet this guy is happy.


I think he was in the movie "TRAN".:lol:


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## armophob

Nick said:


> I don't recall ever playing the Tron game (I was in _'duck-and -cover'_ pre-divorce mode in those days), but I remember developing a serious case of "Pac-Man elbow".


For me it was Galaga. I may have dumped 10,000 or more quarters in those machines.


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## ATARI

armophob said:


> Ah-ha! I was right. Roger Ebert proves it in phrelin's link;
> 
> _"If you've never played Pac-Man or Space Invaders or the Tron game itself, you probably are not quite ready to see this movie"_


The arcade game was based on the movie, it was a movie tie-in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tron_%28arcade_game%29


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## Dario33

Thanks for the heads-up -- DVR set. :up:


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## djlong

Wow.. And I was happy with the trailers for "Tron: Legacy"...

When this movie opened, I saw it 5 times in 6 days. The one day I didn't see it? I was getting married that day.


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## armophob

ATARI said:


> The arcade game was based on the movie, it was a movie tie-in.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tron_%28arcade_game%29


It took you all night to write that Wikopedia page, didn't it? :lol::lol:


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## Stewart Vernon

Galaga was my favorite... though I also grew to love Gyruss as well in the arcades back then.

Meanwhile... I always wanted them (whether I watched or not) to make a sequel to Tron and call it Troff.

I think they missed a good opportunity there.


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## Mustang Dave

Another thanks for the heads up! 

Can't wait for Tron Legacy to come out IMDB.com says December.


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## jazzyd971fm

Stewart Vernon said:


> Galaga was my favorite... though I also grew to love Gyruss as well in the arcades back then.


Gyruss had the best audio in the arcades period. I stayed in the arcades back in the day, eventually ended up working at Aladdin's Castle for a few years. Myself I was a Defender/Stargate & Robotron 2084 player

Got the DVR set to record this, will be interesting to see this.


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## Chris Blount

Well, I must say in all honesty that I wasn't impressed. The HD quality was good but the audio was just horrible. A lot of surround effects were missing and the low frequency rumbles were almost non-existent. 

I compared it to the 20th anniversary THX DVD and the DVD has far, far better audio. 

The bright side was that there was definitely more detail in the picture and the computer graphics never looked better. I've had just about every release (VHS, Laserdisc & DVD) and this was certainly the best PQ wise.

Can't wait for the Blu-Ray!


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## captain_video

Stewart Vernon said:


> Galaga was my favorite...


Ditto on Galaga. Not trying to toot my horn but I used to be able to roll over the counter (it stopped at something like 999,990) and get it up close to 2 million. One quarter would last me at least 45 minutes, much to the shagrin of the arcade owner.


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## trdrjeff

That was hard to watch, I think I made it 20 mins. CG made it despite TRON  


And, it's always a good day when you wonder into some hole in the wall deli and find an old Galaga machine sitting there


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## nevea2be

Thanks for the heads up Chris!


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## kucharsk

Chris Blount said:


> Well, I must say in all honesty that I wasn't impressed. The HD quality was good but the audio was just horrible. A lot of surround effects were missing and the low frequency rumbles were almost non-existent.


I've noticed most of the channels on DISH are pretty lacking in audio quality, likely as the result of recompression in some way.

No idea if DirecTV is the same.

For example, the recent MGM HD showing of _Koyaanisqatsi_ was severely lacking in bass compared to the DVD or even the LaserDisc.


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## armophob

There is something to be said about leaving the past in the past. I watched it and was sad for me. There was a day when I thought that was cool.


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## Marlin Guy

sigma1914 said:


> I bet this guy is happy.


That took longer than expected. 
There's another view of 'tron guy' floating around the Interwebs.
Please don't post it! :lol:


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## Nick

That pregnant-looking Tron guy is from the planet 'Quasar' -- his works are in a drawer -- must be all those _vacuum_ tubes.


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## Lincoln6Echo

djlong said:


> Wow.. And I was happy with the trailers for "Tron: Legacy"...
> 
> When this movie opened, I saw it 5 times in 6 days. The one day I didn't see it? I was getting married that day.


Just wondering...did you have the same hair back then as you do now?


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## Lincoln6Echo

Chris Blount said:


> Well, I must say in all honesty that I wasn't impressed. The HD quality was good but the audio was just horrible. A lot of surround effects were missing and the low frequency rumbles were almost non-existent.
> 
> I compared it to the 20th anniversary THX DVD and the DVD has far, far better audio.
> 
> The bright side was that there was definitely more detail in the picture and the computer graphics never looked better. I've had just about every release (VHS, Laserdisc & DVD) and this was certainly the best PQ wise.
> 
> Can't wait for the Blu-Ray!


Yeah, I too was a bit disappointed. Let's hope that this really wasn't the newly restored version that's supposed to come out on BD. While the VQ wasn't that bad, and the painted circuits on the characters looked the best I've ever seen, the AQ was a bit lacking now that you mentioned it.

Before I ever think about buying the BD, I'm going to have to read the review on Blu-ray.com


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## djlong

Lincoln6Echo said:


> Just wondering...did you have the same hair back then as you do now?


Well, it was thicker back then...


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## Lincoln6Echo

Lincoln6Echo said:


> Yeah, I too was a bit disappointed. Let's hope that this really wasn't the newly restored version that's supposed to come out on BD. While the VQ wasn't that bad, and the painted circuits on the characters looked the best I've ever seen, the AQ was a bit lacking now that you mentioned it.
> 
> Before I ever think about buying the BD, I'm going to have to read the review on Blu-ray.com


Well quoting myself here, I watched it back on my DVR with my surround sound cranked up and I'll say that I have to amend my initial reaction. The sound was actually quite good. The LFE was indeed powerful when it needed to be. I'm not all that familiar with the old DVD mix, as I don't own it, so I can't compare it to that, but it wasn't bad by any means.


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## Chris Blount

Lincoln6Echo said:


> Well quoting myself here, I watched it back on my DVR with my surround sound cranked up and I'll say that I have to amend my initial reaction. The sound was actually quite good. The LFE was indeed powerful when it needed to be. I'm not all that familiar with the old DVD mix, as I don't own it, so I can't compare it to that, but it wasn't bad by any means.


You are right. It's not that bad, but when you have heard the DVD mix, its night and day.


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## trdrjeff

armophob said:


> There is something to be said about leaving the past in the past. I watched it and was sad for me. There was a day when I thought that was cool.


I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be real interested in watching it. I saw it in the theater as a kid and though it was kinda cool then, I never once had the desire to watch it again.


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## SamC

joshjr said:


> Never seen it before ever. Is it any good?


In a word, no. It is one of the worst movies of all time, and almost caused the colapse of the Walt Disney Company.

At the time Disney was not the media conglomerate it is today (ABC, ESPN, Touchstone, etc). It was just the stuff with "Disney" on it. The theme parks, sappy live-action "family" movies, and the evergreen vault of Walt's masterpiece cartoons, which were re-released every few years to a whole new crop of kids.

Disney had lost its way. The parks were foundering, suffering from "been there-done that". The movie theatre business was changing such that expecting kids to actually go to see Snow White and such was under great presure from VCRs, and the sappy live action films were getting worse and worse.

Then came Tron. Esentually it was just a way to show off CG, version 1.0. Plot free, most critics said it looked like a game of glow in the dark hockey, without any scoring.

Most people thought this was going to be the end. The parks (then just consisting of what is known now as the "Magic Kingdom" sections) were going to be sold to theme park companies, the movie business and the evergreen vault to a larger mainline studio.

The Disney family put its foot (and its shares) down and fired everybody in the building and the rest is history.

Today, Disney is trying to do a revisionist history on Tron, as a predicate for its coming remake. Its no "masterpiece". It is hardly a movie.


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## RasputinAXP

SamC said:


> In a word, no. It is one of the worst movies of all time, and almost caused the colapse of the Walt Disney Company.


What? Man, if you don't like the movie, that's fine, but it's hardly one of the worst movies of all time. It was even a financial success, making $33 million with a $17 million budget. The reviews were mixed at the time, with most of the complaints being that the electronic score and visual effects were bombastic, which through the lens of 30 years seems quaint.

What's more, modern reviews of the movie likewise view the effects and the music themselves as quaint; the simple fact is that TRON was a groundbreaking use of computer-driven special effects and electronic music in a mainstream film.

If you want to point at near-disasters that nearly tanked Disney in the late 70s/early 80s, point at The Black Hole, Witch Mountain and Freaky Friday.


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## BattleZone

Tron is a very polarizing movie; lots of folks didn't "get it" and those people generally hated it. The people that "got it" usually LOVED it.

Is the story simplistic? You bet. This isn't The Godfather. But that's not what this movie was about. It was about making a film that spoke to a generation of kids (and adults) who were fascinated by computers and video games and just starting to really be impacted by them on a personal level (the movie was written in the late 70s and started production in 1980). It was the first movie to really try to visually represent some of the things that were going on inside a computer (and in this area was HUGELY influential; nearly all movies that deal with computers reference it in some way) while retaining some basis in science. And, of course, pushing the envelope of filmmaking in several ways:

- First film to use computer-rendered graphics in any significant way (nearly 20 min of the film was CG)

- First film to integrate CG and live action.

- First major use of "backlit animation".

- First significant use of computer-generated music in a movie soundtrack/score.

Folks that aren't interested in computers beyond making sure the ATM spits out the right number of bills probably won't get much out of Tron, but computer geeks, gamers, and techies will always have fond memories of it, and the movie's influence on filmmakers is huge and still growing.


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## BattleZone

And for those critical of the CG in the movie, keep in mind WHEN it was made, and the systems it was made on:









DEC PDP-10s and clones were the computers used to render Tron's CG scenes. 4 different companies had to split the work load, and the final photo-realistic renders took over a year to render. To compare, an iPhone 3Gs could probably render these scenes in a few hours.


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## djlong

Long-time Disney shareholder here.

Tron was not Disney's problem. Disney didn't almost "go under". If you're looking at why there might have been less profits in 1982 at Disney, you only need to look at a calendar.

In October of that year, Disney opened EPCOT at the Walt Disney World resort - which, to that point, cost them $800M to build and they'd yet to see a penny from it.

As pointed out earlier, Tron made a small profit.

Disney wasn't going to be "sold to theme park companies". The Bass brothers (Texas financiers) tried to buy Disney and Disney had to do some financial maneuvering to avoid that fate (the Bass brothers were known for buying a company and splitting it up, selling the pieces for more than the 'whole' had cost).

This was a wake-up call to the shareholders and family members that *eventually* resulted in the hiring of Michael Eisner who engineered the "Disney renaissance" until he got too big for his britches.


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## Charise

It was always one of my favorites! After seeing the previews of _Tron Legacy_ at an Imax 3D on Saturday, I'm really looking forward to that!


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