1. Poor piture quality. I watched the open ceremony on HD. The DVD’s piture is no where near what I saw on TV;
2. The sound is horrible. This DVD only has 2 stereo channels. How could that happen?
3. It’s still not a complete open ceremony. It’s just a purely copy of the TV version. And the TV version actually cut out several parts. I really hope that this DVD can make up for it. Obviously they didn’t.
I would suggest you not buying it. If you are interested in it, simply go and rent it and you can make you own judgement. I would rather wait for the HD and complete version.
Review by Bri-N for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony Rating:
I just received this DVD, and once again NBC disappoints. Even though the product page states that the running time is 240 Minutes, it is not. The first DVD runs 1:19:46 minus the 15 minute introduction from NBC. The second DVD runs 2:06:00. Anyone that watched the international broadcasts knows the opening ceremony ran for 4 hours+. Hopefully next year we’ll get a station that will broadcast everything in it’s entirety or won’t false advertise with it’s DVDs.
Review by Robert Nocero for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony Rating:
I received this DVD set today. Was waiting to see a great transfer from High Definition to NTSC. That’s what I got. The video transfer was super crisp and in letterbox format so we got to see the entire frame. The audio, on the other hand, appears to be just 2 channel Dolby stereo, and sounds more like mono. (My DVD player shows it as Dolby 2.0.) Some passages have a tunnel effect like the 5.1 was mixed to one channel. TERRIBLE!!! I was expecting Dolby 5.1, if not DTS. I don’t have hi-def at all, but to me, the audio makes the video!
Come on “Ten Mayflower,” the company that produced this DVD set, how come it’s only 2 channel and sounds like mono for the most of it??????
I gave this review 2 stars because of the great video transfer, otherwise it would have received 1 star.
Review by Beijing tourist for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony Rating:
This DVD is exactly like NBC’s US broadcast less commercials. With all those cameras you would think they could have included new footage and changed the perspectives. This is not the full 4-hour Opening Ceremony but portions of this magnificent program. Volume I is of the Opening and Volume II is of the athletes marching and Closing. I personally wanted more from Volume I and was disappointed and I think the at home viewer who wanted to see more than the TV broadcast will not be satisfied. It misses the full aura and the flow of this huge, stylized, one in a lifetime production. Must be nice to have the only licensed product.
Review by Scampernanny for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony Rating:
This is a real treasure — the once-in-a-lifetime Opening Ceremonies to watch and enjoy over and over again. Other reviewers have been picky about the commentary, etc., but don’t let that deter you. This is an absolutely thrilling DVD. It was incredible to see the first time on television; it’s just as exhilarating and amazing on DVD. Plus, now you can really take your time to study and re-study the unbelievable imagination, logistics, and expertise that put together this extravaganza. It’s pretty safe to say that nothing like this will ever be seen again (what other country could come up with this budget, or these many people?). I found the technical quality of it great, just beautifully done. And it’s nice to have easy access to each scene within it, so you can just hop through to see whichever part you want. I’ve already watched it twice in two days, and am continually amazed! I fully recommend this DVD, you’ll be delighted to have it and treasure it for years.
Review by Jian Chen for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony
Rating:
very disappointed for this DVD.
1. Poor piture quality. I watched the open ceremony on HD. The DVD’s piture is no where near what I saw on TV;
2. The sound is horrible. This DVD only has 2 stereo channels. How could that happen?
3. It’s still not a complete open ceremony. It’s just a purely copy of the TV version. And the TV version actually cut out several parts. I really hope that this DVD can make up for it. Obviously they didn’t.
I would suggest you not buying it. If you are interested in it, simply go and rent it and you can make you own judgement. I would rather wait for the HD and complete version.
Review by Bri-N for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony
Rating:
I just received this DVD, and once again NBC disappoints. Even though the product page states that the running time is 240 Minutes, it is not. The first DVD runs 1:19:46 minus the 15 minute introduction from NBC. The second DVD runs 2:06:00. Anyone that watched the international broadcasts knows the opening ceremony ran for 4 hours+. Hopefully next year we’ll get a station that will broadcast everything in it’s entirety or won’t false advertise with it’s DVDs.
Review by Robert Nocero for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony
Rating:
I received this DVD set today. Was waiting to see a great transfer from High Definition to NTSC. That’s what I got. The video transfer was super crisp and in letterbox format so we got to see the entire frame. The audio, on the other hand, appears to be just 2 channel Dolby stereo, and sounds more like mono. (My DVD player shows it as Dolby 2.0.) Some passages have a tunnel effect like the 5.1 was mixed to one channel. TERRIBLE!!! I was expecting Dolby 5.1, if not DTS. I don’t have hi-def at all, but to me, the audio makes the video!
Come on “Ten Mayflower,” the company that produced this DVD set, how come it’s only 2 channel and sounds like mono for the most of it??????
I gave this review 2 stars because of the great video transfer, otherwise it would have received 1 star.
Review by Beijing tourist for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony
Rating:
This DVD is exactly like NBC’s US broadcast less commercials. With all those cameras you would think they could have included new footage and changed the perspectives. This is not the full 4-hour Opening Ceremony but portions of this magnificent program. Volume I is of the Opening and Volume II is of the athletes marching and Closing. I personally wanted more from Volume I and was disappointed and I think the at home viewer who wanted to see more than the TV broadcast will not be satisfied. It misses the full aura and the flow of this huge, stylized, one in a lifetime production. Must be nice to have the only licensed product.
Review by Scampernanny for 2008 Olympics: Beijing 2008 Complete Opening Ceremony
Rating:
This is a real treasure — the once-in-a-lifetime Opening Ceremonies to watch and enjoy over and over again. Other reviewers have been picky about the commentary, etc., but don’t let that deter you. This is an absolutely thrilling DVD. It was incredible to see the first time on television; it’s just as exhilarating and amazing on DVD. Plus, now you can really take your time to study and re-study the unbelievable imagination, logistics, and expertise that put together this extravaganza. It’s pretty safe to say that nothing like this will ever be seen again (what other country could come up with this budget, or these many people?). I found the technical quality of it great, just beautifully done. And it’s nice to have easy access to each scene within it, so you can just hop through to see whichever part you want. I’ve already watched it twice in two days, and am continually amazed! I fully recommend this DVD, you’ll be delighted to have it and treasure it for years.