Customer Reviews

The Police: Certifiable - Live In Buenos Aires (Blu-Ray 2 CD Set)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Let me first say that this review is for the blue-ray only. The package came with 2 cds that I have not listened to and probably never will. Anyway, the band's performance is first rate. They all played with enthusiasm and there were no slackers! There's big sound coming from such a little band. And that sound is fantastic! The Dolby TrueHD recording is flawless. The mix is just as good. I find most 5.1 live recordings to be unlistenable, usually because the producer thought it would be cool to actually put instruments behind you. This mix is perfect. The show comes at you CLEARLY from up front and the surrounds have just the right amount of ambient sound (audience and reflected music) to put you in the crowd. I'm really not a big Police fan, but they played and sounded so good that I enjoyed all the songs, even the ones I don't particularly care for (do do do, da da da, etc). Don't let the "compression conspiracy fanatics" scare you off. This is a LIVE show that sounds like a well recorded LIVE show. If your equiptment handles the new audio codecs and you even like just a few of their songs, buy this!
PS Buy-the-way the camera work is also excellent. Not alot of incessant jumping around with inappropriate close-ups. Enjoy!

I went on Cnet and was looking for the best movies on DVD. They had a 30 must own blu-ray reviews. The only concert was The Police certifiable. Im not a Sting fan but for $10 I figured why not! I own a THX certified 7.1 system. The picture is so clear I could see the hairs on Stings arms (Panasonic V10). The sound is phenomenal! I cranked up the volume by choice because it sounded so clear. I was truely entertained by this Blu-ray concert and now agree with Cnet this is one for the collection. I cant wait to have some friends over to enjoy a great concert with a clear picture and sound. My home theater has a multitude of adjustments and it sounded terrific without tweaking. If I spent the time to dial in a better picture and sound Im sure I could blow away some other of my favorite concerts on DVD. You can see exerpts on you tube before you buy and decide before you buy. I think your going to enjoy the show the "old guys" put on.

"Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires" (2008) is a Blu-ray concert disc by The Police. This BD was recorded over two nights in Buenos Aires in December 2007 during The Police's 30th anniversary Reunion Tour, which was their first tour since 1984.

There are two Dolby TrueHD 96kHz, 24-bit audio tracks, 5.1 and 2.0, and both are reference quality (for rock music, at least). There are no gimmicks in the 5.1 mix, as the surround channels are used judiciously for atmosphere and ambience.

The video is in crystal clear 1080i HD quality. The video editing is professional and engaging, if not a little frenetic.

Oh, by the way, the band's performance is incredible. I am only a casual fan of The Police, and I was blown away. Sting always struck me as a bit of a poseur, but he can really play the bass, and his voice sounds as good as it did in the early 1980's.

Andy Summers seems like a reluctant rock star, but he can shred on guitar when he wants to, and he certainly does so on this BD.

Stewart Copeland is recognized as a monster rock drummer, and this BD will only add to his well-deserved reputation for excellence.

There are many instrumental interludes where the band rocks out, and to hear and see this virtuosic jamming in ultra-hi-rez audio and video quality is a revelation as to what is possible for BD concert discs.

As if all that were not enough, the BD includes a 51-minute documentary about The Police's 2007 Reunion Tour in 1080i/Dolby TrueHD 96kHz, 24-bit 2.0 audio entitled, "Better Than Therapy" that is always interesting and occasionally hilarious.

And on top of all that, the set includes two RBCD's of the same musical sequence on the BD.

In the end, though, the reasons to own "Certifiable" on BD are the two hi-rez audio tracks, which, as far as sound quality is concerned, are at least the equal if not better than the best-sounding rock SACD's I have heard.

"Certifiable" on BD can be a little tricky to locate for purchase online, as it was released exclusively through Best Buy in the United States. I found a new copy on eBay for $20.95 + $2.99 shipping, but I would have considered it a bargain at the $34.99 Best Buy list price. (Note: There is also a two-DVD/two-CD version of "Certifiable," so be careful when ordering.)

This is an absolutely AWESOME Blu-ray disc and it does an excellent job of capturing the excitement of The Police in concert. I can say this without hesitation, having seen them play in Honolulu on their reunion tour (and many years ago at the Cow Palace in SF). I cannot understand why this is not available on Blu-ray any longer, since it was shot in 1080p HD. It just looks gorgeous and is the best concert video I have ever seen, bar none!

Also, the audio is EXCELLENT! Those who complain about the audio need to check their equipment. The concert is presented in either 2-channel or 5-channel Dolby True HD sound, so I suspect that those who are having difficulties don't understand that they need the right equipment to decode this. You CANNOT play Dolby True HD unless your preamp/receiver is capable of decoding it -- otherwise, it forces it to play simple Dolby Pro Logic. Also, even if you have the right preamp/receiver, you need to connect your Blu-ray disc player to it via HDMI 1.3a Category 2 cable. Standard HDMI cable does not have the bandwidth required for True HD audio! That's the ONLY way it works, folks.

For reference, my system is as follows:

Sony PS3 Blu-ray player using HDMI 1.3a Category 2 cable connected to the Yamaha RX-V663BL 665 Watt 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (used as a preamp and to power the rear channels -- 2 Athena and 2 Boston Acoustic loudspeakers), 2 NAD THX amps, 3 Dynaudio Audience 122 loudspeakers for front L/R and center channels; and a Dynaudio SUB 250 powered subwoofer. Video is handled by my Panasonic HD projector onto a 106" diag HDTV screen.

Oh yeah.

And lemme tell ya once again, this looked and sounded superb.

re: "Too loud"??? This is THE POLICE, not Lawrence Welk! Man, you shoulda been at the concert! There is simply no problema with the sound on this disc, if properly decoded as outlined above. It is perfectly balanced -- absolutely flawless. I was shaking the rafters with pure, clean, totally awesome music!

Get this disc before it disappears! Try that famous online auction site that shall remain namelessEbay like I did and you can get it to your door for less than [...] bucks!

The audio mix on this Blu-ray disc is overly dynamic range compressed so it doesn't have any dimension to it and is quite harsh/brittle sounding at times. With its squashed dynamic range, it was pointless to present this in 96khz/24bit audio - if they used 8 bit audio it would sound exactly the same. But it's no wonder, the audio was mixed and mastered by Robert Orton, who calls himself the "hit mixer". It's apparent that Robert's mixing "The Police" like he does "Lady Gaga" and "Enrique Iglesias" does not yield optimal audio fidelity.

The Police play the songs perfectly while breathing new life into the material. They are still a remarkable trio and now sound more seasoned.

Sting's contribution appears flawless he sings the songs to letter (his voice sounds great) while playing meaningful bass. There are also passages where he really leans into the bass running some serious notes. Andy Summers covers the gamut from down right fierce to subtle and melodic, incredible multifaceted playing on his part. If you are familiar with The Police music then you know Stewart Copeland plays a gazillion notes using his entire kit. Mega fills, accents and poly rhythms etc. at sometime blazing speeds. In this show he does not seem to miss a nuance and looks like an Einstein professor type while doing it, awesome! They really look like they are having a good time playing together.

The staging and lighting is no nonsense, clean set up and well lit. Good collective footage of the band. Also, the photographer captures each musician realistically and focuses long enough for you to get a good understanding of their individual contributions. The video quality is excellent. The extras are shot well and give you a decent behind the scene understanding of how the band interacts.

The audio quality is superb. It is potent and natural, crisp highs, clear mid range and the low frequencies are done exceptionally well. Notes from the bass guitar and kick drum/s (when Stewart throws with the double pedals) are deep and articulate. The surround mix is tasteful making for a realistic concert experience. The CD recording of the show included with the package also has great audio quality.

Whether you are or not a Police fan this is an excellent concert blu ray to have in your library. It is so nicely done that you will watch it time and again, use it to entertain and as reference material.

This is a great performance from a great band. The setting is awesome. This is never boring footage of the show. The band sounds incredible. Sting sounds and looks like he never aged (more than I can say for the rest of the band). I love the CDs too. I always wish concert DVDs came with live CDs together. I love taking the concert to listen in the car where you can't get take a blu ray player! I will watch it a million times.

Well worth the price!! The sound AND picture are amazing! The set list is fantastic and the playing is superb. Stewart Copeland is one of very few drummers that can steal any show. His playing on "Wrapped Around Your Finger" is incredibly entertaining to watch and listen to. If you like the Police then this is an item to have. The 50 minute documentary is entertaining too.

I am not the biggest Police fan in the world, but I had a chance to pick this up for $5.99 at CVS, 2 DVDs and 2 CDs. OK, what the hey. I won't complain too much about having the DVDs rammed down my throat at this price, but all in all, I really can't stand it when they do this. All I care about is the audio. I agree with the other review about the 'loudness,' although I do know much about the'wars.' It's not real often I get one so gunned up. I mean, geez, the low of the bass and the kick drum makes your innards rumble. It's like I have a subwoofer and I do not have a subwoofer. I can only imagine how much worse it would be with one. What I do with recordings this awful is re-dub them thru an equalizer and take all that thumping and rumble out. It is OK now.
Hey, this band did BBC recordings. Why not just release them instead of this? I have been waiting years for them.
I am not the biggest Police fan in the world, but I had a chance to pick this up for $5.99 at CVS, 2 DVDs and 2 CDs. OK, what the hey. I won't complain too much about having the DVDs rammed down my throat at this price, but all in all, I really can't stand it when they do this. All I care about is the audio. I agree with the other review about the 'loudness,' although I do not know much about the'wars.' It's not real often I get one so gunned up. I mean, geez, the low of the bass and the kick drum makes your innards rumble. It's like I have a subwoofer and I do not have a subwoofer. I can only imagine how much worse it would be with one. What I do with recordings this awful is re-dub them thru an equalizer and take all that thumping and rumble out. It is OK now.
If you order thru the mail, lay it down flat and open slowly, as the disks are probably dislodged.

Hey, this band did BBC recordings. Why not just release them instead of this? I have been waiting years for them.

Why this ins't more available is beyond me(it's only available from a few sellers,I believe Best Buy is the main one although I got mine from Tower.com! I got this for $22.99 new and that's quite a bargain(the shipping was even free to boot!)!!! Heck its' a hell of lot cheaper than a darn concert ticket!!! This is a great set of The Police in concert!!! The packaging could have been better,but that's a minor quibble,overall I'm very pleased w/ this release!!! Rock on Police!!! Recommended!!! A+