Customer Reviews

WASHINGTON THE BEAUTIFUL IN HIGH DEFI - Format: [B

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

 

 

I purchased This DVD because I love these kind of fly overs. Fantastic Blu-ray DVD. One other reason why I purchased it. I love the ride (Soarin) in Walt Disney World.The ride soars over California as if you were hang gliding. Washington The Beautiful Is almost like that ride. Yes, I also purchased the Blu-ray, (Over California).

While i agree with GMc regarding the quality of the blu-ray, the visuals are still stunning. However, in my opinion, the insipid and overblown narration are what detract from this otherwise enjoyable visual spectacle. On first listening I thought it was bad, and it just gets worse with each repeat viewing. Unfortunately, you can't mute the narration without muting the musical score (which is actually quite good) also. Just another of life's interminable dilemmas.

If you have a good up-converting deck, stick with the original Over Washington on DVD. Seen even at 720p, this disk simply proves that there are some poor copies of very good original material on Blu Ray.

I really hate it when a film is transferred to blu-ray without any processing. Many parts of this one are grainy, which is unacceptable on a blu-ray disc. The scenery is quite nice and handled fairly well but the transfer stinks. It is not worth buying in this condition; you might as well get the regular DVD if you really want it.

This review is based on the Blu-ray of 'Washington the Beautiful'. I purchased this because I'm planning on relocating there. This film certainly didn't quell those desires. Featuring gorgeous majestic arial views of the Evergreen State, you will definitely be entranced by her beauty! And that really is about the only good thing I have to say about this disc. So if you're wondering whether or not this disc lives up to its promise of showing you beautiful Washington, rest assured in the knowledge that Yes, it does!

This issues I have with this disc are mostly on the technical side of things. However from a presentation standpoint, let's get one thing out of the way: The feature's narration is extremely, well... sappy! And boy does it lay it on thick! I'm guessing the producers wanted everything in the feature to keep inline with the theme of 'beauty', from the beautiful visuals, to the nice music, as well as trying to make the narration 'artsy' and colourful, and thus beautiful. Sadly it feels like the attempt at that was WAY overdone. If you don't groan at least a few times while watching this film, I would say you're not a human and should be inspected to make sure you're not one of them 'Terminator' machines everyone's talking about now. Here's a sampling of the overblown narraration, as spoken by a guy who sounds like he'd much rather be going over your investment options with you, speaking in a hushed assertive and wispy tone as he introduces the viewer to Seattle:
"A Spectral Spirit, borne of dreams and dreamers...
An unexpected forest, rooted in yesterday, rising into tommorrow...
Here in the Pacific Northwest, no land stands fallow; Upon all ground, something grows...
Upon THIS land... grows Seattle'."
Ugh! The entire feature is riddled with such silly mosaics of fancy excretions, and while you may not feel the effect seeing it written here, as you experience it in the film, it ultimitely winds up feeling... for lack of a better term, seriously ridiculous!

Let's move on, shall we?

Video quality for this Blu-ray is not great. Not terrible, just not great. I certainly would not call it "HD" in the traditional sense of the term. Images are grainly with digital noise and mild artifacts noticeable in the brighter areas, as well as an array of horizontal 'gridlines' that are also barely noticeable, but are definitely there. Plus it lacks a certain sharpness and smoothness (it wasn't shot at 60p, that's for sure). As a result there is no HD 'pop'. I also noticed that yellows and reds tend to be a bit oversaturated and most other colours seems slightly muted. Now granted I'm watching this at 720p and not 1080p, but even still.. it looks like the feature was shot on a Sony Cybershot! Yet if you're not watching it for the HD factor, you'll be okay. The beautiful vistas are still well represented here and will not dissapoint, it's just sad that the quality isn't as good as the subject matter.

On the Audio front, know that the feature is not in 5.1. Rather it uses PCM Stereo. But since it's mostly music and the narration (as well as a handful of sound effects that do actually sound quite nice) it shouldn't matter too much.

In the end I give this disc 3/5 Stars. The non-HD looking video quality and the nausea-inducing narration each take off one star. Otherwise, if you're looking for a wonderful view of Washington's beauty, this feature certainly provides it in breathtaking spades! Covering nearly all interesting areas from the coast to the Cascades to the eastern areas of the state, this film will wisk you through the state's diverse and complex good looks and will make you want to live there, if you don't already.

I purchased this item accepting the fact that I would have to pay for a conversion to my blu ray player to enable it to play region 1 dvd's. Out of curiosity I tried it and it worked perfectly in my region 2 player. A stunning record of the magnificent scenery in Washington State. I would recommend it to anyone who has, or intends, to visit that part of the Pacific North West

Beautifully done, great overview of Washington. They could have spent a little less time on Seattle and included Spokane for an overview of the entire state. The Blu-ray jacket states "Spectacular Aerial Cinematography" and it is.

In every scene scan-lines show - kind of a 'venetian blinding' that is more than a little distracting. I would not recommend this disc. As mentioned earlier, the narration is overblown - it would be nice to have had a choice of music only. If there is an alternative Washington State 'flyover' offering in blu-ray, I'm looking...

THis is Great. If you ever wanted to tour the Great state of Washington or take a tour, you will love this one. You can watch it many times in High Definition Quality. If you want to hear Music instead, that will work well with company. I have the Whole set and love it.

Jay Hoyt