Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
iVideo French - Great Language Learning Product!!!! Port to your iPod or Watch on DVD!, February 26, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
iVideo French was my first introduction to the series of iVideo language DVDs, and it's a wonder nobody thought of this earlier. There are tons of online language programs similar to this, but this is the first one I've seen with an eye towards iPod integration and DVD home playback.
There are additional versions including iVideo German, iVideo Italian and iVideo Spanish. I thought I would check out the French one as a refresher, and it met that need perfectly. I have since purchased the German one, and was again very satisfied.
The PDF instruction manual states that upon inserting the disk the product should launch on its own. In my case the program didn't launch automatically. Still, it was easy to get it to work. I simply opened the DVD in a window and dragged the contents over iTunes.
Another thing that is confusing is the product information listing this as 60 minutes long. On the actual package, it says this product includes "2 hours" of video. So which was it? After watching all thirty videos, I can say it's somewhere in between but definitely more than 60 minutes. There are also additional audio versions of lessons 13 to 30 that add some audio length to the program.
The lessons themselves are very basic. The great thing is that as you hear the people speaking, you can watch their mouths and see the written dialogue at the same time!!! I would imagine the content is more than enough for those looking for basic conversational French for a short trip.
There are a few cons with this product. The packaging is a clear plastic display box that was a little difficult to get open, but nothing too bad. You will most likely want to find something else, such as a case or CD envelope, to store your DVD in.
Apple's iTunes software does not automatically order and play the videos one after another. You will have to select each lesson individually in order. This is more a knock on iTunes than this product.
Pilmsleur and Living Language have many programs with much more content at much higher prices. Yet I really love the way they designed this. Compared to the usual audio programs on the market, this is a very well designed product that will help you get the basics quickly. And at this price, these are going to be VERY popular.
Definitely give this one a try.
Enjoy!!!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for the price, February 27, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
iVideo French is an amazing introduction to the French language.
There are ten core lessons each consisting of three parts: Words and phrases in which two French speakers say and repeat the core vocabulary for the lesson; conversation in which these words are shown in a common interaction; and a special topic in which an aspect of French grammar or culture is briefly discussed.
Each topic has a different theme. They are:
1. Greetings
2. Introductions
3. Do You Speak French (and how to find someone who speaks English)
4. Directions
5. Needing, Wanting, Having
6. Travel
7. Hotel
8. Restaurants and Food
9. Shopping
10. Emergency and Pharmacy
All the important basics. These core lessons are supplemented by 2 review movies, each covering five lessons.
These movies aren't at all complex. We are introduced to Manuelle, a middle-aged woman; Sylvaine, a younger woman; and Jean, a younger man. Two of the three lead us through each lesson. And they genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves, making listening and repeating after them more fun.
In addition to the core lessons there are about 17 supplemental movies, which also can be found as just audio tracks, each about 5 minutes long. These are vocabulary lessons with each helping to build basic vocabulary, such as numbers, months, clothing, weather, etc.
Two pdf files included on the DVD are the complete text of all the lessons and supplemental vocabulary. I printed these out (a total of 41 pages) and can study either the movies or the text.
Also, this is very designed for use on an iPod. I don't own an iPod and don't use iTunes. And the DVD I received played a bit choppy on my laptop, making playing straight off the DVD a bit too frustrating. So I just copied the folders onto my hard drive (about a 665mb). Windows Media Player was able to play the movies just fine for me, though others might have to adjust a setting or download a codec for it to work for them. Putting these onto another portable player, such as a Creative Zen, would require converting the files from the Apple (m4v) format and there are programs that do this quite easily.
With all it has to offer iVideo French is just about the equivalent of a first year high school French class. However, because there is no solid discussion of grammar or other foundational topics this might be best for those with at least a rudimentary understanding of foreign language study. It is, for me, a great way to be introduced to the language and learn the basics that could provide just enough for a visit to France, or a great foundation for future study.
There are other, more thorough, programs for learning a language but combined with the flexible format and the amazing price of iVideo French I highly recommend this as a great, great place to start. If you can really master the content of this DVD you'll have shown yourself ready to invest in a more expensive program that could push you even farther in learning this wonderful language.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Starting Point , March 27, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The iVideo French: Video Learning for the IGeneration is a fun introduction to the French language. Granted, you won't be able to speak the language fluently (or understand it very well), but you will be able to address people properly and get a few essentials down when travelling. Shopping, emergencies, general greetings and more are covered on this disc that can be viewed either on your DVD or iPod device. When in your computer, the DVD provides additional information including a handy vocabulary feature.
Although it involves the standard repetition of many other language courses, this DVD also features a great cast of people who actually seem to be enjoying repeating French phrases to each other. It's a lot nicer than having one or two boring individuals repeat phrases back and forth.
If you're looking for an introduction to French or are planning on taking a trip to a French-speaking country, iVideo French is just what you need.
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