The format of the vignettes was the same as all of the Playboy DVDs I've had the opportunity to watch. Filmed in various locations and settings designed to enhance the look of the ladies, they employed a light rock & roll soundtrack as the gals pranced about in slow motion with wind machines in the background and an effort at lighting them to look their best. The benefit of the vignettes is that if one gal doesn't work for you, you can skip her and move onto the next gal. Keep in mind though that none of these women were marginal in terms of looks or sex appeal. The diversity of selection was solid too although the emphasis was, like the magazine, heavily weighted on busty white women. (Diversity means many things to many people, I was referring to their geographic origin and physical attributes more than race.)

So, what should I rate the DVD? Well, I'm used to hardcore porn so as a general rule, something like this isn't going to trip my trigger enough to rate it very high but the women were very attractive and the replay value this time was better than both Playboy: Girls of Playboy and Playboy: Hottest Housewives. Further, while I would've liked better extras and a lengthier show, the cost was pretty low and the technical values solid. I'm going to be generous and rate it as Recommended for those of you wanting something more erotic than graphic but even the magazine's pictorials have more flesh offered up so know what to expect and you'll be happier with it.

Picture: Playboy: Playmate Video Calendar 2006 was presented in the same 1.33:1 ratio full frame color presentation it was produced in by Michael Trikilis. In general, it looked as expected with a lot of visual effects used to enhance the features of the young ladies displayed in the vignettes. The fleshtones were accurate, the grain apparently added into some scenes for effect, and the lighting on par with most Playboy productions. There were no compression artifacts or video noise to mar the viewing experience either.

Sound: The audio was presented in a 2.0 Dolby Digital English. The vocals were narrated and the music varied from light rock & roll to rockabilly to something similar to Amy Grant (there were no music credits or I'd let you know about them). There wasn't a lot of separation between the channels and the dynamic range won't test your high end home theatre set ups but it was decently handled.

Extras: The extras were limited to some Playmate videographies (strictly Playboy titles though it included them for far more than the gals in the scenes; going back years in fact); a photogallery, and a set of Playmate Data Sheets as originally presented in their centerfold spreads (for the gals in the show only though).

Final Thoughts: Playboy: Playmate Video Calendar 2006 was a lot of fun for me to watch and had some decent replay value driven by the attractive cast of cuties in the vignettes. I'd have preferred seeing more of them in action, using up the two hours a single sided DVD can muster, but in general, the show was light fun even for a jaded guy like me. If you're looking for anything deeper than a small puddle on a spring afternoon, look elsewhere but watching babes prance around in their lingerie (if that!) to music is what most men seem to appreciate these days and the show offers a lot of that type of thing for you.