Deadly 60-Series 1: On a Mission (2011)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2011
Running Time	174:37
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Steve Backshall
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Since the untimely death of Steve Irwin there has been a gap in the television space reserved for crazy guys who enjoy getting up close and personal with dangerous animals. This space is now being filled by a new crazy guy from the UK, Steve Backshall, a naturalist who travels the world looking for dangerous animals to add to what he called his Deadly 60, i.e., the 60 most dangerous animals in the world. Many more animals than 60 have been featured on the various episodes as each one covers 5 or 6.

     The series began in 2009 and is now in Series 3 on the BBC. It is shown locally on the ABC and there have now been two local DVD releases of various episodes. The show is aimed at children rather than adults and my pre-teen boys certainly enjoy the excitement of the chase generated by Backshall and are interested in what he has to tell them about dangerous animals. He goes searching for these animals in the wold and then interacts with them in a non-invasive way (generally). He gets himself in trouble sometimes and is injured in one of the episodes here after accidentally stepping on a caiman in a South American swamp while looking for an anaconda.

     This particular DVD release entitled Deadly 60 : On a Mission includes six episodes from the second season (which is also known as Deadly 60: On A Mission) of the show covering places like Costa Rica and Peru amongst others. Each episode is just under half an hour.

     This is an entertaining child focused documentary series which allows kids to learn about animals in an exciting way.

Video

     The video quality is quite good.

     The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was nice and sharp without being spectacular.

     The colour was very good with no major issues to report.

     There was some grain and digital noise at times along with some mild macro-blocking.

     There are subtitles available in English which are clear and easy to read.

     There are no noticeable layer changes during playback.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is good.

     This disc contains a English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0.

     Dialogue was generally clear and easy to hear and understand.

     The music is exciting and sounds good on this transfer.

     The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu included music.

    This show is available in the same format in the UK but not in the US at this stage. Buy local.

    The video quality is quite good.

    The audio quality is good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall