An accurately calibrated display is essential to getting the best out ofyour home theater system. Just about all television sets are incorrectly set up, even when they are fresh out of the box. Leaving thefactory, the image brightness is often boosted to make the set look moreimpressive on a salesroom floor. While it might make the set standout when in a row of 30 sets, the image will be too bright and detailswill be lost. A simple and easy way of getting the most out of yourHD set is by investing a small fraction of the cost of the display in ahigh quality calibration disc such as Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics. This easy to understand and use disc is filled withvery good illustrations of how proper and improperly adjusted sets willlook while displaying images. Not only does this disc cover calibratinga display, but the...Read the entire review

HDScape has made a name for themselves turning home theaters into a window to another world, anywhere from the far reaches of space to lush, tropical locales to the bitter chill of the Antarctic. With Fireplace: Visions of Tranquility, HDScape aims their cameras a little closer to home.

The title says it all, really, and this Blu-ray disc includes lingering looks at several different fires. Clocking in at 17 minutes, the 'romantic fire' is both the shortest and the smallest of the four. The promotional copy on the back of the case makes it sound like it's geared towards nuzzling up to that special someone, and I guess 17 minutes of someone else's fireplace is all it really takes to ge...Read the entire review

Ultimate Pandas:

Wishes abound. For instance, one wishes for the functional simplicity of a DVD called Ultimate Pandas. It's not that easy, and practice has borne out that wishes rarely come true, whereas hard work can sometimes yield results. So it is for the pandas DVD, so it is for the many routes said DVD's utility might take. So it is for this review.

Ultimate Pandas constitutes about 70 minutes of cute young pandas frolicking in a sanctuary about 1000 miles from Beijing, China. Narration tracks with varying degrees of sophistication, panda music videos, and 'cutest moments' accompany the footage, itself deployed with the wishes that maybe through video exposure these singular beasts won't be wiped from the face of the planet by capitalism, and random, self-serving indifference. The footage is truly amazing, as camera operators follow the scamps around in their large sylvan compound...Read the entire review

Part of the same HD Window series as Hawaii, The Great Southwest is another HDScape release anchored around high definition nature photography. Its emphasis this time is placed on the majesty of the American Southwest, offering lingering looks at the stark, rocky landscape, clouds soaring high above the mesas, colorful cacti in bloom, and the desert dunes. HDScape has collected a diverse assortment of footage, including a barren tree and a rusted pick-up truck both blanketed in snow to remind viewers that there's far more to the Southwest than craggy rocks and sprawling, inhospitable deserts. It occasionally revels in the juxaposition of simple, manmade structures against the backdrop of this natural beauty, and at one point, The Great Southwest even aims its cameras upward to capture a series of hot air balloons in ...Read the entire review

HD Window: Hawaii is another in a series of Blu-ray releases from HDScape centered around high definition nature photography. Its focus this time is, as the title suggests, the islands of Hawaii: lapping waves, palm trees, and the distinctively Hawaiian coastline, with the photography leaning heavily towards expansive panoramic shots.

As with HDScape's other Blu-ray releases, HD Window: Hawaii's 1080p photography is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and encoded using the AVC codec. The presentation of this footage is the most lackluster of all of the HDScape titles I've seen so far, though. Black levels are anemic, and the image is often so soft that I wouldn't have even been able to readily identify much of it as being in high definition.

The light jazz featured throughout Hawaii is more melodic and varied than the New Age drone of HDScape's Read the entire review

Featuring cinematography by David Hannan and a soothing New Age score by Terry Oldman, Serenity: Southern Seas aims its high definition cameras squarely towards the Australian coastline. This 54 minute disc consists entirely of shots of the ocean -- the reflective sparkle of sunlight on the water, waves lapping and crashing against the shore, and a panoramic look beachside of the sea at dawn and dusk. There isn't any sort of narrative or even any intertitles to put the footage in context; Serenity is meant to be viewed purely as a relaxing sort of high definition screensaver.

With an extensive background in tropical and marine footage, Hannan has an eye for this sort of photography, keeping the compositions varied and taking particular interest in deep, contrasting colors. The images he captures may be striking, but the quality of this Blu-ray disc -- presented at 1080p and enco...Read the entire review

HDScape has made a name for themselves by puttingdisc that are basically screen savers for your TV.  With discs showcasingimages from Hawaii, Antarctica, and the South Seas, they have brought somelovely scenery into people's living rooms and home theaters.  Oneof their recent releases is Exotic Saltwater Aquarium.  Havingmaintained such an aquarium for years (though no longer) I jumped at thechance to review the disc.  While it has a lot to recommend it, therewere some aspects that were less than ideal though, making this a toughone to rate.

The disc offers viewers four choices of aquarium to view.  Eachof these tanks are absolutely beautiful, with a wonderful mix of fish andinvertebrates.  This is the type of aquarium I would love to have. I'll I'm lacking is the time and money.   There are triggersand tangs, anemone and rays, and even a few eels.  The tanks are sparklingclean and t...Read the entire review

Antarctica is one of the few places on Earth that has stayed largelyunchanged since it was first explored.  It's basically the same todayas it was nearly a century ago when Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen racedto the South Pole.  (A race that Amundsen won.  Scott and hiscompanions arrived after the Norwegian explored and died on the returntrip.)  One of the most inhospitable places on Earth, it's also acontinent of great beauty and amazing sights.  Now people can enjoythe gorgeous vistas and remarkable animals of the southern most place onEarth from the comfort of their own living room with Antarctica Dreaming: Wildlife on Ice.  This Blu-ray disc has a wonderful image thatis sure to impress.

Originally released on HD DVD earlier in 2007, HD Scape has createda very un...Read the entire review

The Product:
The Bible is often referred to as the biggest bestseller of all time. In fact, Guinness and their record loving reporters may have already more or less confirmed that fact. But said truth is also a given, especially when you consider that over two billion people on this planet consider themselves Christian. That's quite a demonstrable demographic. Sell just one copy to each and you're bound to break something. Of course, just like organized religion itself, there are various interpretations of the two Testaments that make up the Good Book proper. While many stand by the 'official' version, otherwise known as the King James edition, there are various vulgates and variants. Technology has also tossed its hat into the sacrosanct ring, providing believers with audiobook takes on the tome, interactive CD-Roms, and now, a full length DVD. That's right, if you've ev...Read the entire review

Shot over the course of five trips to the Antarctic and South Atlantic and culled from 160 tapes of high-definition footage, the feature-length documentary Antarctica Dreaming offers a detailed look at both the region and the creatures able to eke out a life in such an inhospitable climate. Accompanied by stunning photography, the detailed but concise narration explores the origins of the fifth largest continent and how its unspoiled landscape and miles-long glaciers were shaped over the course of millions of years, the influence the region has on the weather patterns of the world at large, and the frozen majesty of its colossal icebergs. Of course, no look at the Antarctic would be complete without a peek at everyone's favorite waddling, flightless b...Read the entire review

Originally offered through HDScape's website for the cost of shipping and handling, this long-delayed sampler of the fledgling studio's HD DVDs features 45 minutes' worth of excerpts from ten different discs.

Exotic Saltwater AquariumAquarium footage is a home theater demo mainstay, and this five minute excerpt is naturally anchored around shots of extremely colorful and often unique looking fish.

Visions of the Sea: Exploration

Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/27556 Sun, 15 Apr 2007 05:18:40 UTC Highly Recommended The Program: Let's start with a little bit of history. Joe Kane Productions was formed in 1982 for the purpose of improving the quality of NTSC color television, back at a time when few consumer end-users cared much about such things beyond fiddling with the 'Color' and 'Tint' knobs on their TVs every so often to "dial in" the picture to their liking. Founder Joe Kane has also acted as Chair of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Working Group and in 1994 helped to form the Imaging Science Foundation. In 1988, during the infancy of what is now known as home theater, Kane released a program titled A Video Standard on laserdisc, then the highest quality home video format of choice for discerning movie watchers. That disc was the first product an average co...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/12000 Sat, 21 Aug 2004 04:17:31 UTC Recommended The Movie: (NOTE: This is, in effect, the second in a two-part series of Pilates reviews. While the plot won't overwhelm you if you jump in now, Part 1 is available here.) It's been two weeks since I first started using Power Pilates: Beginner Workout. That should not be nearly enough time to move up to Power Pilates: Intermediate Workout but hey – I've got a deadline. So, once again, we go minute-by-minute: 5:00 p.m.: Dana Leigh takes over as the instructor for the intermediate pilates workout, as Carrie Clark takes her place on the mat instead. I discover that I have a weakness for fitness instructors. 5:01 p.m.: We start, once again, with the hundred, and it's no different than on the last disc. Dana is a little less orgasmic about getting through the exerci...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/11893 Wed, 11 Aug 2004 05:07:29 UTC Recommended The Movie: The fitness industry loves trends. It's built on them, in many ways. Whether its tae-bo or ab belts, the industry has a new way to take money every year. Calling pilates a "fad" is unfair. A German, Joseph Pilates, first developed it to keep fit while in a British internment camp during WWI. Within the dancing community, it has been popular for years as a way to strengthen core muscles and improve flexibility. But over the last few years, its popularity has exploded. When I first received Power Pilates: Beginner Workout to review, it was fairly apparent I'd have to try it out to give it any sort of critique. First, some background: 25 years old, 5'8", 145 lbs., runner's build. My biggest fitness problems are body fat percentage (17%) and a distinct lack of flexibility. So, that out of the way, a minute-by-minute breakdown of my first expe...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/9318 Sun, 01 Feb 2004 00:16:37 UTC Rent It The Movie: When DVDs were first developed, one of the exciting aspects about theformat was that these shiny little discs would have a capability of includingseveral audio tracks, alternate camera angles, DVD-Rom contents and interactivefeatures.  Though many DVDs today do have commentary and foreign languagetracks, there are not many that fully explore all of the possibilitiesthat the format offers.  Mars: The Red Planet is one such disc. This DVD is not a movie or documentary as much as it is a warehouseof images and information about the planet Mars.  When you fist popthe disc in, you are offered the choice between "Entertainment Mode" and"Interactive Mode."   The first plays a good portion of the informationon the disc one feature after another, while the second lets you chosewhich section yo...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/8883 Sun, 28 Dec 2003 05:01:15 UTC Recommended The photographer Edward S. Curtis had a lot to do with setting the legend of Native American Indians in stone or, to be more accurate, in photogravure print. Curtis's photos - shot between 1890 and 1930 and presented in his controversial book The North American Indian - made Native Americans legendary peoples that were at once mythic and authentic, historical and modern, realistic and romantic. This DVD is basically 90 minutes of photogravure prints by Curtis taken from his famous book accompanied by splendid Native American music written and performed by Mary Youngblood, Joanne Shenandoah and Lawrence Laughing. Photogravure is basically a photographic image produced from an engraved copper plate that when finished looks like a golden glowing sepia-toned lithograph. The process in done in three steps: First you take the picture then you produce a transparent glass printing plate of the imag...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/8370 Thu, 20 Nov 2003 02:13:46 UTC Skip It Disclaimer: This reviewer does NOTendorse in any way, shape, or form the illegal act of streetracing. All racing should be performed on a legally designatedclosed course with appropriate supervision. Street racingendangers the lives of the innocent as well as the participants,which is why it is, and should always remain illegal. The Movie Redline is brought to us by the Executive Producer of TheFast and the Furious, but seems more like it came straightfrom MTV rather than a high-level movie producer. Redlineis touted to show us the "real" and "raw"street racing scene and indeed it does. But the disappointment isthat the real street racing scene isn't nearly as glamorous asHollywood would like us to believe. Sure, racers talk smack andrace for cash, but they rarely race for pink slips and the sidestreets are ne...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/8299 Fri, 14 Nov 2003 10:58:10 UTC Rent It The Documentary While I've been viewing DVDs for years now, I have yet to make my own. I've goofed around on video in the past, shooting skits and other fun stuff, but the footage has been confined to slightly worn-out VHS tapes which aren't getting any younger. While I don't have the current capability to transfer the tapes over to DVD myself, I can't wait to do it! The idea of making my own menus---heck, designing my own cover art---sounds pretty fun to me. I'm not alone…there's sure to be tons of budding DVD producers out there who feel the same way I do. I haven't paid much attention to the history of "DVD self-help" guides, so I was pretty interested in checking out the latest disc to arrive in the mailbox…DVD Home Moviemaking: A Beginner's Guide. Released by DVD International and produced by Richard Diercks, this is basicall...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/7502 Sun, 07 Sep 2003 03:58:55 UTC DVD Talk Collector Series The DVD In 1997 the DVD format was born and Video Essentials (VE)was the best option for people who wanted to calibrate theiraudio/video home theater systems without the help of expensivehome theater professionals. During those first few years, VideoEssentials sold over 300,000 copies and became an essentialtool for videophiles. (No pun intended) But in 1999, a new calibration DVD came onto the scene, it wascalled Avia. Avia excelled in almost everywayto the then dated VE. Avia's menus were easierto navigate, it provided better hands on explanations, and itgave more accurate test patterns to calibrate advanced videosystems. So Avia dethroned VE as the"must-have" calibration disc for home theaterenthusiasts. But a lot has changed since 1999. Digital video broadcasts arenow slowly b...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/4279 Wed, 24 Jul 2002 23:33:20 UTC Recommended If you've played one of the Gran Tourismo series of games on the Sony Playstation console, then you've got a good idea of what the Speed Tribe DVD is. A mix of racing footage, stock footage and techno music, Speed Tribe is an unbelievably good sounding DVD. The moment you put the DVD in, the music starts circling your surrounds with a series of pops and beats that continue and then meld into the menu. After selecting your audio option (Dolby 5.1, DTS, or Stereo) the menu fades into the options. From there you have three video options. There are 2 different mixes and a third option that that loops the both of them. The music is mixed to footage of Indy Cars and racing, which seems like an odd mix, but if your not a fan of the racing, the music is still mixed amazingly well. I've always been a fan of the increased sound quality that DVD offers music and this is a prime example of t...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/3608 Fri, 29 Mar 2002 21:49:17 UTC Skip It Author of such classics of 20th-century literature as The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway lived a life that was fit for a novel of adventures all by itself. His career as a journalist as well as his own adventurousness led him to such places as France, Spain, Italy, Africa, and Cuba, where he lived a life of the utmost machismo, fighting wars, climbing mountains, and the like, while writing the books and stories that would eventually make him famous. In short, it's no surprise that Ernest Hemingway's life should be the subject of a TV miniseries; what is surprising is that a series about such an adventurous life could manage to be so absolutely dull. Hemingway is a perfect example of production choices gone awry. It has lavish sets and costuming and a wide variety of on-location sites all over the world, wherever...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/3354 Wed, 06 Feb 2002 19:56:48 UTC Recommended The Movie: "Could you turn down the bass, Dr. Boomenstein?" Many home theater lovers are likely familiar with Sound and Vision magazine, one of the larger (along with Widescreen Review, Home Theater and others). The magazine has decided to produce a DVD that will allow, in a user-friendly fashion, viewers to optimize their home theater settings. The main part of the disc is a documentary that is hosted by two actors playing a couple (the hilarious line quoted at the begining of the review is part of their first conversation). The first part of the documentary clued me in that this is likely a piece for those who are beginners or mid-level home theater users. This first section explains the basics, pointing out the DVD player, the reciever and other home theater elements. Those who are already familiar with surround sound and what home theater elements are will likely ...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/3024 Wed, 28 Nov 2001 01:59:32 UTC Recommended THE STRAIGHT DOPE: What to say about Aquaria: The Exotic Aquarium?Of all the films that I've reviewed that don't live upto their promise, this is one DVD that accomplisheseverything that it sets out to do. The concept? A fishtank full of tropical fish, a couple of different newage music tracks, and a static camera. That's it. It's the same idea as yule log, except you can watch it year round. Sort of like a screensaver for your TV, Aquaria: The Exotic Aquarium is a funny idea. It seems better suited to restaurants and clubs than home viewing but, again, it does exactly what it claims it will do, so you can't complain. The viewer can choose between a wide shot of the entire tank or a roving close-up that spotlights the fish one at a time. It is pretty relaxing to watch, something that is made even easier by the "looping" feature that enables the video to play forever. In fact, th...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/2982 Tue, 20 Nov 2001 00:12:29 UTC Recommended The Movie: In today's world, everyone needs to have a little time to themselves, a little time of peace and quiet on their own. DVD International has sought to provide relaxation material on the DVD format, combining music and imagery in a way that's quite calming. Although I can't say I've found all their titles entirely effective ("Fireplace", which offered 60 minutes of... a fire in a fireplace), titles like "Aquaria" and "Planet Earth: Oceania" are entirely relaxing. In the case of "Oceania", it's also quite fascinating at the same time. The program consists entirely of images taken from the Space Shuttle and the MIR Space Station. The first in a series, this title consists of images of many of the Earth's oceans, coastlines, rivers and islands from space. Helpful menus and subtitles provide more information on the image as well as what you're looking at at that particular mome...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/2977 Mon, 19 Nov 2001 23:10:20 UTC Recommended The Movie: It's rather difficult to offer a review of "Fireplace" or, much of a review, at that. I suppose the best way to summarize is that the program certainly offers what it promises - an hour-long look at a fire going in a fireplace, with optional music, the sounds of fire or a mixture of the two. Not only do you get an hour-long fireplace film, it's actually presented in anamorphic widescreen. It's hard to come up with much more description than that, but I will say that I found the combination of the gorgeous music (in DTS or DD 5.1) and the images quite relaxing to watch. Essentially, it offers everything but the actual heat itself. Ok, so the images of a fireplace really aren't very exciting at all. But, the musical options on the disc are quite enjoyable - Christmas Goes Baroque (Silent Night, Jingle Bells, etc) and Night Music (Mozart, Beethoven) are available in ...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/2948 Sun, 11 Nov 2001 03:41:13 UTC Highly Recommended THE STRAIGHT DOPE: With our current president facing some of the world's most desperate situations it helps to look at controversies of the past. The five hour TV miniseries, Kennedy (1983), offers an extremely interesting and in depth account of John F. Kennedy's tumultuous 1000 days in office. During his term, cut short by his shocking assassination, he had to make decisions regarding the situations in Cuba, Vietnam, and the segregated South, a full political itinerary, if ever there was one. Kennedy makes the case that JFK (and Robert Kennedy, as much a key figure in the film as his older brother) stood by their ideals and morals and weathered the conflicts of these turbulent years with dignity. Not everyone saw it that way, of course. The Kennedys' main enemy within the US, according to the film, was FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, whose prurient obsession with JFK's philan...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/2149 Mon, 11 Jun 2001 19:32:59 UTC Highly Recommended The Movie: This special event concert focuses on the Waltzes, Polkas and Marches of Johann Strauss, the stirring music of Aaron Copland and the great songs of George Gershwin, performed by international artists and the sixty piece Strauss Festival Orchestra. Hosted by famed actor Gregory Peck, this also is the first time that the Vienna Choir Boys and the Boys Choir of Harlem have been paired together. The DVD VIDEO: Although I found the audio quality to be remarkable, the video quality remained less than impressive. Although the full_frame presentation certainly didn't look awful, there were some noticable problems. Sharpness and detail, however, was not one of them. The picture looked very well-defined throughout and although it had sort of a "flat" feel, the picture never looked "soft". The main problem was shimmering, which the pr...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/1879 Fri, 20 Apr 2001 20:49:51 UTC Rent It The Movie: With the invention of the DVD format, there has been a great number of leaps in interactivity as producers of content race to unlock the format's seemingly limitless possibilities. While not all of these are ultimately successful, I tend to appreciate the effort and creativity that went into the production. "Point Of View" is an interactive thriller, meaning that the viewer chooses, at various points, where the story will go next, or even how it will end. The film is from the makers of another interactive film that I'd been interested in, but never seen, called "Tender Loving Care", which became quite a popular seller. What I was met with while watching "Point Of View" was a rather fascinating idea, but with little budget to bring it forward. The disc stops and asks you various questions about how you feel about what's going on and your life in general before proceeding ...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/1213 Mon, 30 Oct 2000 05:42:36 UTC Rent It I finally drew the short straw -- the DVD Talk Reviewer's equivalent to jury duty. Released in 1998, it's the assignment that's been passed on by even the bravest of souls. Someone, finally, had to review Michael Nesmith's musical-comedy video Elephant Parts (1981, 62 minutes). Yep, Mike the Monkee. Perceived as revolutionary when it debuted, it even won the first Grammy Award for video -- today it's, well, funny. The movie: Basically, there are five really awful music videos surrounded by occasionally brilliant snippets of sketch comedy. About 35, or so. There's advertising parodies like the one about Elvis Drugs, for children to give to their parents who've forgotten to take their dope. Game...Read the entire review ]]>