Anyone seen the Brideshead set yet? (1 Viewer)

[DeborahK]

Just wondering about the quality. Anyone bought this and care to review it?

Thanks,

Deborah

 

[Thane]

My copy shipped either last Monday or Wednesday...I received conflicting emails! But...it just might be there when I get home tonight, or perhaps tomorrow. Can't wait...it will be in the player within seconds!

 

[Craig S]

I received my Brideshead Revisited set today. Note that I have never seen this series - I bought it because of its reputation. So I will be unable to compare it with the original broadcasts. That said, here's my initial impressions.
Packaging - The three-disc set is housed in one of those fold-out cardboard digipaks, which slides into a cardboard slipcase. Pretty standard stuff. The package also includes a glossy booklet called "Brideshead Revisited - A Companion Guide". This is pretty good as these things go, giving background on the production, author Evelyn Waugh, the locations, and episode synopses. Note that this booklet is pretty much it as far as extras go for this set.
The first disc contains Episodes 1-3, and the only disc-based extras, which are all short text essays. One of these is a detailed discussion of the restoration process they used on the series. Disc 2 contains Episodes 4-7, and Disc 3 contains Episodes 8-11. Unfortunately, there are no subtitles.
Video - I think it looks pretty good, considering the age of the material (and the fact it was shot on 16mm). There is a bit of grain evident, and the transfer is a little soft. Colors look accurate, if a bit muted. In my short sampling I saw very little artifacting and no halos. All in all, I am very pleased with this transfer. The restoration feature claims the series looks better now than when originally aired. Remembering what PBS looked like in the early 80s I have no cause to doubt this.
Audio - The only audio track is English DD 2.0. Your center channel, surrounds, and sub can take the night off for this one! What I heard was very good (again, considering the age & source of the material) - the dialogue was understandable & clear, which is the important thing. The only complaint is that some passages seemed a tiny bit harsh. Still, a very listenable track.
If you have any interest in this series there's no reason not to get this set. The audio & video presentation is just fine, and probably as good as it can be given the source. My main criticism is that $80 (list) for a 3-disc set with no extras and no subtitles is a little pricey. Nevertheless, the money's spent, and I'm sure I will enjoy screening this over the next couple of weeks.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

Brideshead Revisited is out

Good God, gotta go shopping!
How did this slip under my radar, I wonder...

 

[Thane]

My set arrived yesterday as well. I would agree with the comments made by Craig. I do remember how this looked when originally aired (and also remember how it looks on my old VHS tapes!), and this looks better than I expected. I've watched only the first hour of the first episode, and I watched some on my computer monitor, and some on my Mits 50" screen. For some reason, it looks better on the 50" screen! On the computer, I was seeing video noise (think it's called mosquito noise?), and frequently the skin tones turned to the blue/purple side. No such trouble on the 50". Of course the image isn't perfect, but again, better than my expectations of how it would be. Maybe it's because it has been a while since I've seen this, but I was noticing lots of detail in the lavish sets that I had never noticed before.
After a long 5 year wait for its arrival on DVD, I can now cross this off the top of the list for my most wanted TV titles. What a joy to finally be able to watch Bridehead with this quality!

 

[DeborahK]

Thank you, one and all for sharing your Brideshead experiences. I did not want to buy this sight unseen because it is so pricey, and renting it disk by disk would also be a bit expensive, I think.

I checked it out in dvdpricesearch.com and found two Canadian retailers that had it for under $40 shipped so I may take the plunge on this one. I remember loving the series when it was on PBS (loved the book also when I read it in college) and would really enjoy seeing it all again.

Deborah