Gemstar’s New CallSet Programmer Is a Real Plus
Is setting up the VCR Plus too complicated for you?
Then you might be interested in the refined model that the Gemstar Development Corp., which markets the popular VCR programming device, has just introduced, priced at $60.
It includes a feature called CallSet that allows the user to accomplish the one-time setup in a few seconds using the telephone. After simple preparations, you dial a toll-free number and a special tone is transmitted over the phone that automatically sets the device--including cable channels--so you can use it instantly.
Once it’s set up, the unit, which works with any VCR or cable box, allows you to tape programs by punching in code numbers available in newspapers and TV Guide.
Another new feature on the latest model is a button that allows you to tape a program already in progress, which you can’t do with the original.
The retail price of the original, which had been $60 (discounted to $40 in many stores), has been dropped to $50.
VCR Plus has been so popular, says Gemstar spokesman David Ellis, that every VCR manufacturer has incorporated it into at least one model, adding $20-$50 to the price. On these machines, VCR Plus is part of the remote devices.
Gemstar has no plans yet to put the latest version of the VCR Plus into VCRs, but Ellis said it will happen eventually.
Videobits:
For those wondering whatever happened to “Fox and the Hound,” the 1981 Disney animated feature, it’s coming out in March for $24. It was last seen in 1988, when it grossed $24 million in theatrical re-release. By March, “Aladdin” will be well past its peak, so the children’s market will be ripe for a new Disney animated cartoon.
When Nora Ephron’s comedy “Sleepless in Seattle” comes out Dec. 8, it should rekindle interest in another Ephron-written romantic comedy, “When Harry Met Sally . . . .” So New Line is dropping the price of “Sally” from $20 to $15.
Another repricing: Now that the new pro hockey team the Mighty Ducks has debuted, Disney figured fans might want to own the movie “The Mighty Ducks,” starring Emilio Estevez. Formerly available for rent, it’s now for sale for $20. Don’t be surprised if it’s a big seller in Anaheim.
What’s New on Video:
Here are some new releases:
“Sliver” (Paramount, no set price). A clumsy attempt to re-create the soft-core porn thriller “Basic Instinct.” Sharon Stone, who gave “Basic Instinct” its sexy charge, plays a book executive living in a Manhattan high-rise where a voyeur (William Baldwin) spies on tenants with a high-tech camera system. Is the killer who stalks the residents the voyeur or an obnoxious novelist (Tom Berenger)? Plot details merely fill time between sex scenes.
“Two for the Road” (FoxVideo, 1967, $20). Film fans have long been waiting for this gem, which was in limited release in the early days of video. Trying to stem the downward spiral of their 12-year-old marriage, a squabbling couple (Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney) look back on their years together, via a complex flashback structure. Stanley Donen directed this witty, insightful look at relationships.
“Weekend at Bernie’s II” (Columbia TriStar, no set price). The original features the kind of bad taste and sick humor that teen-age boys love. Two young execs (Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman) drag the corpse of their dead boss around as if he were still alive, so his death won’t ruin their weekend at his beach house. In this sequel, they take Bernie the corpse to the Virgin Islands. This is too idiotic even for the teens.
Upcoming:
A change of date: “Cliffhanger,” featuring Sylvester Stallone, is coming Wednesday, a week earlier than originally scheduled.
Just announced: Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in Buena Vista’s comedy “Hocus Pocus,” due Jan. 6. From FoxVideo: “Hot Shots Part Deux” (Jan. 5), “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (Jan. 12) and “Rookie of the Year” (Jan. 26). Paramount’s “The Coneheads” is coming Jan. 26.
