Customer Reviews

Wimbledon - The 2008 Finals: Nadal vs. Federer / Widescreen

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In response to another reviewer, these discs are indeed presented in the 16:9 widescreen format, with coverage by the BBC. This was indeed the match that everyone wanted, and tennis' version of Ali & Frazier or Affirmed & Alydar left it all out on the court in this epic match, taking the fans on an incredible ride. Were it not for the rain breaks, the fans would have been drained as well! Many interesting story lines, with Federer going for his sixth straight Wimbledon title, Nadal trying to get his first title, coming off his 3-set victory over Roger at the French Open. You may know the result, but this match is worth repeat viewing.

This may sound weird and while it is a fantastic match, the picture quality of DVD 1 is quite poor considering it is a 2008 recording, though oddly enough DVD 2 which is the fifth set is of much better quality. I have purchased a lot of matches from Kultur (including the 2007 Final between them) all of which have been high quality, but quite honestly i was dissapointed and surprised by the overall recording quality of this match. I agree with one of the other reviewers, rent this, do not buy it.

For any tennis fan, you will never see another match like this in your life. Most people compare it to the Borg/McEnroe match of 1980. Well, I went back and rented that after this thriller and seriously, it's not even close.

I had the good fortune of recording this from the third set on; I had errands to run and at this point Federer was down two sets and looked like he was gonna be swept. Thank GOD I set the recorder to long play because two hours later I was back and RIVETED to the TV, watching the most insanely played back-and-forth I've seen. The entire match is like a highlight reel. Incredible shots, winners, rallies, saves, misses... it has it all. And on and on it goes... you don't want it to end. And it almost didn't, becoming the longest match in Wimbledon history.

When it's finally over, in the darkness, you can't believe what you've just seen. I've watched it at least 15 times since that day. Unfortunately when you buy these on DVD, you get the BBC feed with the much more staid play-by-play; on the American side John McEnroe and his team were providing awesome commentary and insight which made it even more classic. Alas, I believe the BBC owns the rights to all Wimbledon products.

That said, commentary or not, the match will thrill you to no end. The crowd by the third set can barely contain itself and erupts frequently for the rest of the match, especially at the end. Own it. It's the best match ever.

I won't rehash what other reviewers have said, but did want to mention that I purchased this DVD from Best Buy and the picture quality was as good as any DVD I own - it looked fine. I was very hesitant to purchase this DVD after all of picture quality comments listed....however I chanced it and was glad I did. Perhaps they remastered it??? All I can say is that my picture quality is fine.

I finally had enough time this weekend and was looking forward to seeing the BBC's take on this greatest of matches. Yikes, I was shocked at the poor picture quality of the first dvd. Yes, the second which is the last set and maybe two minutes of extras is better. The dvds I recorded from the original broadcast were superior, and though I am no John McEnroe fan, his commentary is a step above the staid British Tim Henman. The cheesy reading of the Kipling's poem, the one minute or so interview with Nadal, not really an interview-just a statement of how happy he was and how much the title meant to him, the omission of an interview with Federer, and lack of cues (one for every three games would have been great!!!) make this worse than getting wrong footed by a ten year old junior. Three stars for the match. If you don't have it and want it, then I guess this is the way to go, but the production just leaves one wondering why Kultur, the video company, couldn't have done justice to a match of this quality and magnitude.

Just as good as the original time I watched the match. Good gosh, this was awesome.

Before I talk about the match, I'd like to talk about the transfer quality of the DVDs. First the DVDs are Region 1, and on the back of the case it says Region 1 NTSC, obviously intended for North American distribution. But when I insert it into my DVD player, it says "PAL disc not supported." Apparently the DVD jacket lied. The discs are PAL and not NTSC. What the hell are Region 1 DVDs releasing in PAL format for? I had to play this on my PC.

The picture quality itself is quite poor and blurry. Artifacts are everywhere. You can see the rainbow effects that you'd normally see through cable or DVD via composite video connection (the poorest connection available). Whoever captured the film and transferred it to disc was using cheap hardware. At first glance it's hard to blame them since you are getting 6 hours of footage on 2 DVDs, the majority of which are condensed onto disc 1 (Disc 1 contains an Intro and sets 1-4 while disc 2 just includes set 5 and an interview with Nadal). The quality is of course going to degrade. However, the second disc is only single layer. They could have made the second dual layer and transferred set 4 onto disc 2, allowing a greater bitrate on both discs. It's such a shame that one of the greatest matches ever played is relegated to such poor picture quality that doesn't do an ounce of justice to the match.

Onto the match itself. This is a contest of the two biggest titans in the game, and as John McEnroe claimed, it is one of the greatest matches ever played. This remains the longest Wimbledon final ever played, even longer than the Roddick-Federer epic of 2009 which ended at 16-14 in the 5th set. Whereas that match was decided with big serves and short points, the Nadal-Federer match was a pure contest of athleticism and shotmaking. Rarely were points short. We were treated to some thrilling rallies and unbelievable winners from both players. Some of these points you will remember forever.

The match itself was filled with drama. Nadal having opportunities to win in a 3rd set tiebreaker was unsteady and unable to get the job done. In the 4th set tiebreaker he did better, this time owning two championship points, but buckling under pressure while the unflappable Federer displays the resolve to stay in the match and force a 5th set. The 5th set too is full of drama and suspense. The entire match can be summed this way. The 2008 final is nothing less than a thrill ride.

Perhaps most memorable is that this match is the only loss inflicted upon Federer in seven straight Wimbledons. Nadal finally achieved his dream of winning Wimbledon (back to back with the French Open -- a feat not done since Borg), and did so in the twilight as the sun set on Federer's reign as the world #1. It will be one to remember always.

Another gripe I had was the commentary. The commentary provided by the BBC was just not very interesting. The commentators failed to enthrall the viewer with insight. Most of the time they merely stated the obvious. They should have included John McEnroe's commentary instead.

All in all, great match but lacklustre presentation.

Dude, have you actually looked at this DVD? It's Widescreen; your criticism is unwarranted. If you have a bee in your bonnet about this 1.33 issue, at least make sure it's justified.

Tennis Done Right! In terms of play, it by now goes without saying that this is an epic bout that belongs in any tennis addict's library, and damn the cost. Unfortunately, part of that cost is a lackluster SD video source. Sorry to say, and contrary to some reports, the PQ of the final set that I saw was NOT better. Of course, given the increasingly electrifying level of play, you'll forget about all that soon enough. As the sets unfold, even as the players become visibly tired, the level of play only surpasses itself, in some cases with points of 30 or more hits (if I counted correctly in my by-then dazed state), often settled with desperate but brilliant winners.

Now about the "English" issue, for lack of a better term. Having watched countless Grand Slams, but only on American network TV, the contrast, for me, could not have been starker. The first thing to strike me was the comportment of the crowd, initially reserved and attentive, rather than reactive and vocal. Adults behaved like adults, with no rowdies in the stands, and no primadonnas on the court. Clearly this was the All-England Club, not Flushing Meadows. As a viewer, I felt the difference in mood from the start. And the fact that the commentators were English was if anything a plus. They delivered a modicum of intelligent commentary, and that was plenty. No belaboring the obvious, very little time-filling blather, few gossipy asides, no duels in statistical mastery of the record books. None of the avalanche of whiz-bang graphics and gratuitous sound effects that so often seem to be done for the sake of their own entertainment value, or for fear of allowing the viewers a brief moment of calm between the heart-thumping points. Several times, we could SEE John McEnroe through the glass of the broadcast booth, delivering his commentary into a microphone, but not for our ears. No offense to John, whom I like, but he wasn't missed from my perspective. I felt that I was there as a spectator, not watching as a remote viewer, and a decent surround audio effect cemented the illusion that I was surrounded by the rustle and tension of a rapt crowd.

There will be future classic matches worthy of collecting and re-viewing, more of them hopefully shot in HD and given Blu-ray transfers that do technical justice to the format; this is long, long overdue. But for its historic level of play between two of the most masterful, as well as personally agreeable, tennis aces of our lifetime, 2008 at Wimbledon will always be a keeper.

I bought this from a store in Liverpool City Centre, Region 2 PAL of course, and the picture quality of both discs are as good as all other Tennis DVDs out there. A bit odd that quite a few reviewers on here have bad things to say about disc 1 in this set, every copy are exact duplicates, displaying the exact recording quality of the original broadcast. Picture quality, like disc 2, absolutely superb on the one I bought, you couldn't really get any better, and excellent on my Blu ray player.