digital Archives - Rave & Review

Take your photographs to the next level this holiday season with Lithofy.me lighted frames

I bet you think you’ve seen every single thing you can possibly do with a photograph by now, right? We have covered a ton of photography gifts throughout the years because I happen to have an abundance of photographs to utilize and I’m always searching for a unique way to gift them, or at least … Read more

Marvel’s Doctor Strange is out on DVD and Blu-ray today

Remember when I told you not to wait to see Doctor Strange until it came out on DVD? Well, I hope you took my advice and saw it in theaters and then loved it as much as we did. And, I hope you adored it so much that you then were counting down the days until it was released on DVD so you could watch it over and over again. Like us.

We got to introduce our kids to Doctor Strange this week and their little minds were blown by the new superhero. “Is he a bad guy?”, “What are his superpowers?”, “Is he going to be okay?” So many questions. But, can you blame them? Doctor Strange is like nothing they have ever seen before, and a superhero like no other. As a parent, I loved them seeing a Marvel character that learned how to be a superhero. Rather than some accidental spill of radioactive material or a super power that comes on overnight, Doctor Strange just worked hard and studied. I loved his transformation from an arrogant and famous neurosurgeon who embarks on a journey to find healing. When his travels take him to Kamar-Taj, a mysterious enclave where he learns that there is more to the center than meets the eye, you see the true superhero emerge.

Bring The Good Dinosaur home today

We missed seeing Disney•Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur in theaters by mere hours, and my kids have been reminding me about it ever since. The kids are both dinosaur obsessed, and since it’s Disney•Pixar, it’s always a safe bet so I thought it would be a fun film to own once it came out. But, I will admit I knew absolutely nothing about the film, except for the fact that it was about prehistoric times and it had a boy in it.

The Good Dinosaur finally arrived on DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack, Digital HD, and Disney Movies Anywhere {DMA} today, February 23rd, and we immediately sat down for a family movie night to check it out with the kiddos. It turns out I was right, it was about prehistoric times {thank you, obvious title}. And, I was definitely right that this is a film that we needed to own. But, I had thought that the movie was about a boy who finds a dinosaur. It turns out it’s about a dinosaur who finds a boy. I know that probably seems like a distinction without a difference, but if you have seen the film, you understand.

Scan your old slides and negatives easily with the Portable Digital Image Copier Deluxe

I have found the coolest new tool that every photographer of the 90s and early 2000s needs. Introducing the Portable Digital Slide and Film Converter from Hammacher Schlemmer that allows you to bring all those pictures you snapped on film into the digital era. If you know me, you know that I have been my family’s photographer since the nineties. This means that I got my start well before the digital age and I have a ton of pictures in boxes stored in random rooms and closets in my house… just in case.

Planning an adventure? Meet the Polaroid iE090 dual-screen waterproof digital camera

I’m going to date myself a bit here, but there was a time when us photographers used to take pictures and then it was days, weeks, or even years until we ever saw how those pictures turned out. Crazy, right? So, back in the day, the absolute coolest thing you could have is a Polaroid camera with “instant” photos that you could share, display, or put into albums immediately.

We now live in an era where instant photos are the norm, but that doesn’t mean that Polaroid isn’t still relevant and cool. In fact, the technology has just gotten cooler throughout the years. They now make printers that fit in your pocket that work with your smartphone {yes, really}, fancy digital cameras that can survive a swim, and even retro Polaroid cameras with “instant” film like I fell in love with all those years ago. We got to check out the Polaroid iE090 Dual-Screen Waterproof Digital Camera this holiday season, and I just love it. Since it takes high quality, 18MP images, it’s perfect for when I want great pictures but don’t want to risk ruining my DSLR. Shock proof, waterproof, and sized perfectly for your pocket, it makes it easy to take with you even on the most extreme adventure.

5 New Disney Releases on Blu-ray: Mice, Dogs, Cats, Tigger, and History – Oh My!

My family has a long tradition with Disney movies. Always the first to see them in the theatres, then snatching them up as soon as they were released for home viewing, we’ve watched and enjoyed them all. Having amassed a huge collection of Disney movies myself on VHS, they were basically the only reason I still owned a VCR in the early 2000s, and why I held out from going to DVD for so long.

But, then when Blu-ray was introduced a few years ago, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to upgrade some of those old VHS tapes that were virtually unwatchable after years of kids handling them. Not only was it time to trash the VHS, it was time to get a better film format that wouldn’t break down with wear and show its age.

And, I think I made a great choice on when to start my upgrade process because the quality of Blu-ray is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Rewatching old movies restored in Blu-ray quality is like watching them for the first time ever with all the color and vibrancy of the original drawings.

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of all of my favorites on Blu-ray and making a point to collect them all while I can to replace their worn out VHS. I was thrilled when I heard the announcement that 5 titles would be released on August 21st and even more excited when I heard that 3 of them were ones that I had loved growing up.

On August 21st, 5 new movies are finally going to be viewed in high definition Blu-ray: THE RESCUERS: 35th Anniversary Ed & THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER – 2 Movie Collection, THE ARISTOCATS: Special Edition, LADY AND THE TRAMP II: Scamp's Adventure – Special Edition, POCAHONTAS & POCAHONTAS II: Journey to a New World – 2 Movie Collection and THE TIGGER MOVIE: Bounce-a-RRRific Special Edition.

As you can see, there's a little something for everyone in the new Blu-ray releases. Which are you most excited about?

Safe n’ See Digital Video Baby Monitor from Levana

Video monitors may have started out as a niche or superfluous item years ago, but they have since become one of the most essential items for all new parents. After years of baby surveillance using over 4 video monitors, we have finally found the most intelligent of the bunch, the Safe n' See™ Digital Video … Read more