Where's the scart, man?
I'm fed up with Netflix, I want to delve deeper into the world of film. So I become a customer of a video store and buy a DVD player for under 50 francs. I should have known that the price had a catch.
A bloody battle in ancient times, intense physical contact on a slightly shabby leather sofa, a wintry walk in a harsh concrete city. With just a few presses of a button, I can be right in the middle of these events. From the living room. Films are entertainment, a lesson and art. Especially now, in winter, when I get cold after ten minutes outside, I celebrate evenings in front of the TV. Especially this winter, because coronavirus is forcing me to limit my socialising.
When I think about regular film evenings, I quickly start dreaming of my own home cinema. Second-hand projectors, old armchairs to sink into, black-painted walls, thick velvet curtains at the windows. A film is playing on the white wall, captivating me with its cinematographic beauty. The story develops slowly, everything happens in a small cosmos, there are no hard cuts. Just as is the case in real life.
Back to the beginning
This idea cannot be fulfilled in the long term with Netflix and co. alone. All in all, the content is too "Hollywood" for me, too polished and slick. That's why I decide to become a member of the video library that I visited months ago for a report. Zurich's arthouse cinemas also browse there for inspiration. 30,000 films ranging from historical dramas to horror trash should be enough even for me.
The video library mainly sells DVDs for hire. Yes, there are media with better playback quality. But that's not a priority for me. Great film content is more important to me than the latest technology. I don't need Ambilight, a rollable TV, black that's darker than the pre-dawn sky, and no crazy special effects. I need films. Faster, higher, further is not for me. I tend to prefer more intense, more lasting, wider.
In order for my home cinema to take shape, I need a DVD player again after years. The last time I popped in a DVD was probably around 2006. "Winnie the Pooh", my little siblings' favourite film at the time, flickered across the screen for the 21st time. I still recite the dialogue like no other. Now this memory is to be overwritten with new content. Simple devices are almost being thrown at me on digitec. I decide in favour of the Sony DVP-SR170B for a mere 41 francs. It's due to be delivered the very next day. Anticipation spreads.
Optically appealing, but ...
The device is sleek, black and small. Visually, it's a hit. I've never understood why a DVD is two millimetres thick and twelve centimetres in diameter, but the player is about the size of a small car. Was force of habit to blame? Because video devices had to be bigger due to the thickness of VHS cassettes? Or was the same tinkerer at work as with the cardboard packaging of digitec and Galaxus?
In pursuit of my curiosity, I come across a remote control with - in my opinion - a relatively large number of buttons. Shortly afterwards, I also discover batteries. A feeling of elation sets in. I connect the Sony player to the power supply, see a green light come on and suddenly the scales fall from my eyes. I need a scart cable. That's right, Scart. The technology that transmits picture and sound to the TV and was actually replaced by the HDMI cable as the standard in 2002. But there is no Scart cable anywhere in the box. I search the box again, even though I know it's pointless. There's nothing there. I won't be able to watch a film or test the player now. My good mood gradually gives way to a feeling of utter rejection.
Why the hell doesn't a product come with everything it needs to work?
Who is Fust?
Sony's little feint forces me to defect to the competition. I want to watch The Legend of the Surami Fortress and finish my test, today. Fust is nearby and is still open for a few minutes. I don't even try to find my way around the stationary shop, but ask a member of staff directly. "What, do you need a starter cable?" "No, SCART." Despite this correction and extensive explanations, the young gentleman is unable to help me. So we turn the tables. I find the cable and show it to him. He'd never seen anything like it before and probably hadn't been born at the time. I feel old, but also good. Because I've broadened the horizons of an up-and-coming sales talent.
P.S.: The DVD player plays DVDs. On the remote control, I've used exactly five (on/off, play, pause, enter, down direction button) out of forty buttons so far. "The Legend of the Surami Fortress" is a Georgian film from 1985 and tells a well-known folk tale. The content is conveyed associatively, the story is told metaphorically and the film is almost always static and filmed in long shot. It took some getting used to at the beginning. But during its 88 minutes, I was able to warm to the film.
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My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.
