Customer Reviews

2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

very disappointed for this DVD.

1. Poor piture quality. I watched the open ceremony on HD. The DVD's piture is no where near what I saw on TV;
2. The sound is horrible. This DVD only has 2 stereo channels. How could that happen?
3. It's still not a complete open ceremony. It's just a purely copy of the TV version. And the TV version actually cut out several parts. I really hope that this DVD can make up for it. Obviously they didn't.

I would suggest you not buying it. If you are interested in it, simply go and rent it and you can make you own judgement. I would rather wait for the HD and complete version.

I just received this DVD, and once again NBC disappoints. Even though the product page states that the running time is 240 Minutes, it is not. The first DVD runs 1:19:46 minus the 15 minute introduction from NBC. The second DVD runs 2:06:00. Anyone that watched the international broadcasts knows the opening ceremony ran for 4 hours+. Hopefully next year we'll get a station that will broadcast everything in it's entirety or won't false advertise with it's DVDs.

I received this DVD set today. Was waiting to see a great transfer from High Definition to NTSC. That's what I got. The video transfer was super crisp and in letterbox format so we got to see the entire frame. The audio, on the other hand, appears to be just 2 channel Dolby stereo, and sounds more like mono. (My DVD player shows it as Dolby 2.0.) Some passages have a tunnel effect like the 5.1 was mixed to one channel. TERRIBLE!!! I was expecting Dolby 5.1, if not DTS. I don't have hi-def at all, but to me, the audio makes the video!

Come on "Ten Mayflower," the company that produced this DVD set, how come it's only 2 channel and sounds like mono for the most of it??????

I gave this review 2 stars because of the great video transfer, otherwise it would have received 1 star.

This DVD is exactly like NBC's US broadcast less commercials. With all those cameras you would think they could have included new footage and changed the perspectives. This is not the full 4-hour Opening Ceremony but portions of this magnificent program. Volume I is of the Opening and Volume II is of the athletes marching and Closing. I personally wanted more from Volume I and was disappointed and I think the at home viewer who wanted to see more than the TV broadcast will not be satisfied. It misses the full aura and the flow of this huge, stylized, one in a lifetime production. Must be nice to have the only licensed product.

This is a real treasure -- the once-in-a-lifetime Opening Ceremonies to watch and enjoy over and over again. Other reviewers have been picky about the commentary, etc., but don't let that deter you. This is an absolutely thrilling DVD. It was incredible to see the first time on television; it's just as exhilarating and amazing on DVD. Plus, now you can really take your time to study and re-study the unbelievable imagination, logistics, and expertise that put together this extravaganza. It's pretty safe to say that nothing like this will ever be seen again (what other country could come up with this budget, or these many people?). I found the technical quality of it great, just beautifully done. And it's nice to have easy access to each scene within it, so you can just hop through to see whichever part you want. I've already watched it twice in two days, and am continually amazed! I fully recommend this DVD, you'll be delighted to have it and treasure it for years.

I had been reading reviews here of this DVD complaining about the poor picture and sound quality, and thought, "it can't be that bad". Well, yes, it IS THAT BAD. My God. It's like a poor VHS Dub. Poor stereo sound that sounds like it could be mono. Another problem: The music that plays under the introduction to China segment and under Tom Brokaw's documentary about China and the torch relay is not the same as it was when it was rebroadcast. They re-scored it! Now, I know they probably didn't pay for the rights to the music they used to be sold on DVD, only for broadcast, but really, NBC, are you telling me you couldn't afford the extra 20 or 30k it would have cost you to secure the rights? It makes a difference! Most people aren't noticing but I DID, because I have the original broadcast from a DVR. The music that was originally used in the broadcast was more dramatic and better! Why NBC didn't release this on Blu-Ray HD disc with Dolby 5.1 surround sound (as it was on television) is beyond me, but this two disc set is a complete disappointment because of what I have mentioned. It's sad because I've seen the Opening Ceremony coverage from Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong and NBC's production had the best direction and camera shots/angles. NBC truly did a professional and top rate job, but this DVD is shoddy! They should never use Ten Mayflower productions again!

I was expecting a clean presentation- in other words- the pure artistic vision, as the producers of the ceremony intended the audience to experience- WITHOUT the chatty, constant commentary. Why do the commentators feel that they need to give their boring interpretation, over the music, over the spoken word? Utterly disappointing. Yak, yak, yak. And on top of that, NBC sticks their logo over the picture, which is itself a distraction. How is this different than a TIVO recording, with the commercials edited out? And it is incomplete, too. The whole thing reminds me of the chatterbox style of the original space launches, where the announcers talked over the astronaut communications. Just shut up and play the show!

In light of the event being probably the single most spectacular
Olympics ceremony one is ever likely to see in this lifetime this
production is tragically bad.

One would have thought they would have the consideration to top
the on air production by providing the extra footage you know they have.
They should have provided alternate sound tracks so we could not have to
suffer with the NBC blathering and annoying commentary.

I'm glad I viewed the original broadcast in Hi Def on my big screen and am extra glad I bothered to record the broadcast with my laptop/MM system.
The DVD presentation falls flat after seeing it in HiDef.
It is a damn pity NBC ruined this production.
Not impressed and you would be better off finding bootleg hi def copy of the original broadcast.

Stupid move nbc.

Hopefully this dvd wil be available in Blu Ray version in the near future. Come on NBC/Universal, I know you're pressing now in Blu Ray (since the "war" is over)! It would look awesome in high definition; esp. the amount the Chinese spent on it. If it's going to be released on Blu Ray, maybe it'll have the complete ceremony, beginng and ending - more "space" in high def; also, absolutely in widescreen - I want to see the whole "Bird's Nest".

The Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies were fantastic, perhaps the most spectacular live event ever produced. However, if you have a HD TV and surround audio system, this DVD does not do justice to the show. The picture is muddy; noticeably worse than the HDTV over-the-air broadcast. The sound is flat (almost mono quality) and the rambling Bob Costas voice over cannot be turned off. If you can, rent the DVD instead. You probably won't want to watch it again unless a Blu-Ray version is released.