Customer Reviews

Magnificent 7 (2005 Tour de France 12-Hour DVD; 6 pc.)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're a cycling fanatic, you're going to buy this set anyway, but the other reviewers are correct: there are definate issues with the DVD authoring and sound mixing used for this set. The video itself is the same you would have seen on OLN or virtually anywhere else. The video is clear, except when transmission is blocked due to mountainous terrain. That's the video issue mentioned by another issue. It's not that the DVD transfer is bad or anything - it's the same as what you saw on OLN - brief interruptions and assorted glitches.

The audio is another issue. The sound mixing is bad. I found that if I kept the volume at a medium level, it wasn't bad, but the background noise is often too loud to hear the commentary very well - you hear a lot of helicopter noise, crowd noise, etc. They may have been thinking it added to the realism, but they they are wrong - it's annoying. However, it's tolerable.

On one of the discs, the bonus features menu was screwed up. The menu said it was one thing, but it was actually a repeat of a bonus item off the previous disc. That's just bad QA.

Obviously they had to pick and choose which bits of the race to show, and I think in general they did a good job of it. The race always seems exciting, and you get to see most of the major tactical moves.

The bonus features are nice, generally two extra video segments per disc, and are the sort of "behind the scenes" stories you might have seen when the race was broadcast, but it's not OLN's videos, which might be a good thing if you already saw that on OLN's coverage when the race was actually happening.

Cycling enthusiasts will value this set, because it chronicles the final triumph by Lance Armstrong, who has dominated cycling's "World Series" in an unprecedented manner.
However, as someone who watched OLN's coverage of the event live this year, the set was disappointing because of the inept sound mixing. There is also some questionable editing decisions in including some analyst's features, which detract from the flow of the race. Ned Boulting again has some fine interviews, but the debut of former British cycling champion Chris Boardman is largely wasted. He just isn't given the opportunity to say much of interest, and one suspects that he could contribute more of substance. Don't get me wrong, Boardman and Boulting are fine replacements for the Yanks (Bob Roll and Al Trautwig) who were added to the OLN commentary line-up, but WCP has the best two announcers in sport in Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, and most time away from their call of the live race is time wasted.
The box promises "12 hours of action," instead, we get 10 hours of action, and 2 hours of filler. Boardman or Boulting may someday make a decent replacement for Paul Sherwen's second chair when Phil Liggett can no longer go, and Sherwen is the main announcer, but Gary Imlach's stand-up comments on racing and local color in years past were less obtrusive, and, frankly, better written.
Liggett is in very bad voice during the Alpes stages, suffering from a cold of some sort. He recovers for the Pyrannes stages, and his voice, at its best, is a mixture of precise British diction and almost Gallic charm delivered in a rich, hypnotic baritone. No one calls a sprint for the finish better, in any sport, than Phil Liggett. It will be a real loss for cycling when he retires.
There were a few inspired special features that were a welcome addition to this DVD set: First among these would be the interview with the poised and clever father of Aussie sprinter Robbie McEwen, who managed brilliantly the damage control for his talented but volatile son, caught just a few days earlier head- butting his rivals at the finishing line.
Armstrong makes winning the Tour de France look easy - too easy, really. His success has had many positive effects - for American cylcing, cancer research, and Sheryl Crow's resurgent career - but it will be fun to see other cyclists emerge from his huge shadow next year, and to see how his former teammates perform, unburdened by the need to support their captain.

[I have edited this review after watching this dvd again in early 2006. My earlier comments were too harsh regarding Ned Boulting and Chris Boardman. The major problem is the sound quality - one hopes that WCP could fix this and rerelease this set.]

PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS VIDEO. The quality of this video is that of a high school student. I pre-ordered this video and AM NOW SEEKING A FULL REFUND. The audio is HORRIBLE. The sound mixing is HORRIBLE. The sound quality is as though someone is speaking in a drum, and the next second the helicopter sounds are so loud you have to mute your sound system; and, then the commentary is so low in volume all you hear is static. It is a shame that World Cycling Productions put this on the market. DO NOT BUY IT. I really do not know how to get this thru to you, JUST DON'T BUY IT.

Very nice dvd for those who wish to relive the great moments of the 2005 Tour. Many who may have watched on OLN will recognize the footage, b/c it's basically the exact footage from the OLN broadcasts. Not a bad thing in that, since Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwin do a great job commenting.

A couple of notes:

- I was a bit disappointed in the "Extras." There are 2 Bonus Features on each DVD but 1 is always just a menu to buy other Cycling/TdF merchandise.

- Good coverage of other riders and action that didn't involve Lance.

- On the other hand, there were some instances where more coverage of Lance/Discovery Team (or even leading contenders and their teams) would've been appropriate. I seem to recall long segments focusing on breakaway riders of little consequence, which was interesting to a point but somewhat boring. Where was the peleton? What were the top contenders and their teams doing?

- Why not shorten that coverage and show the Team Time Trial of CSC, T-Mobile, and Discovery in its entirety?? There was barely any footage of what was a spectacularly exciting race. Also, for the last stage, we mostly get a few laps in Paris. I would've liked to have seen the Discovery Team riding en route in their "victory" line-up, Lance riding thru the throng of team cars thanking the other sporting directors, etc.

- Yes, the sound quality isn't good. The volume on my set fluctuated from loud to normal (yet sounding like the announcers were in a tunnel).

Still, a very good dvd to have if you're a Lance, Discovery, or overall cycling fan.

I cannot over emphasize how frustrating it is to attempt to hear the fine commentary while it is being almost totally obliterated by noise from helicoptors, bells, whistles, horns and other crowd noise. How could this product be released with such inept audio mixing? Didn't anyone listen to it before it was released? I often must turn off the audio as all I can hear is noise. Anyone who owns this DVD should be given a new one that is mixed correctly.

I own all of the 12-hour DVDs of the TdF from 2001-2004, and while the content is just as amazing as you'd think it would be, the sound quality of five of the six disks is TERRIBLE. Whoever mixed the sound should lose his job! The sound of motorcycles, helicopters and insane cycling fans (oh my goodness, those Basques!)drown out a lot of the commentary by the legendary Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. Sometimes the background noise is loud, sometimes it's not. You'll have to mess around with the audio controls of your system to get to hear much of disks 2 and 3. And the stages are labelled incorrectly on Disk 5, which is such an amateur mistake! I still HIGHLY recommend this DVD, though; the story of Lance Armstrong's history-making 7th Tour is just as riveting and exciting as it was when I watched it live. The extra features are fantastic, especially the ones on Thor Hushovd's Mom and the LA pictorial retrospective on Disk 6.

I have pretty much every tour since the late 80's on dvd or vhs. After last year's dramatic race, I decided to spring for the 12 hour coverage, and I'm still kicking myself for not getting the cheaper disc.

As others have said, the sound is awful. The commentary is buried deep in the corner of one speaker and often overwhelmed by background noise. WCP normally does a decent job with their videos, but this is so bad that it's difficult to watch it.

I bought this collection for my husband, an avid Lance Armstrong/Tour de France fan. He has really enjoyed it, so I feel it was a great success. But I have to admit that I thought it would include footage and commentary from all seven of Lance's Tour de France victories, plus details about his life and his fight with cancer. It only detailed his seventh victory, the 2005 Tour. Nevertheless, I am glad I purchsed it; although for the money, it would have been nice for it to include a bit more. Thank you!

Reading the other comments, I agree they didnt do the best on the sound but in a way the background noise adds atmosphere to the whole event. Its still an awesome event, you get to see a lot more of the countryside nd amazing places they travel through than on the four hour, more uninterupted coverage of crucial stages especially the amazingly scenic mountain stages. its a riveting watch, probably the most action packed of Lances tours. Vinokourov has to be seen to be belived, that boy just doesnt give up attacking. This is a must for any fan of endurance sport. I don't cycle but that doesnt stop its appeal. It transcends beyond just being about cycling, like all endurance sport its about striving and suffering and overcoming

The Tour will never be the same without Lance Armstrong. So this is a wonderful way to remember what his last tour was like. I am a spinning instructor and Lance Armstrong is a great inspiration for me.
Valentina Amsler Spinning Instructor, San Antonio, Tx.