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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Getaway-Volume 6: Ultimate! Getaways (2004)

Getaway-Volume 6: Ultimate! Getaways (2004)

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Released 8-Jun-2004

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Documentary Main Menu Introduction
Menu Animation & Audio
Interviews-Cast-Catriona Rowntree
Rating ?
Year Of Production 2004
Running Time 89:32 (Case: 91)
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By None Given
Studio
Distributor
Nine Network
Sony Music
Starring Catriona Rowntree
Brendan Julian
Sorrell Wilby
David Reyne
Ben Dark
Case Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI ? Music None Given


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 2.0 (384Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio Varies Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    The Nine Network's Getaway program is one of the mainstays of the travel and leisure genre on television, having been aired each year since 1992.

    Two new DVDs have been added to the previously released titles, bringing the total available now to six. All of these discs revolve around a certain theme with titles focusing on Winter Wonderlands, Viva Italia, and New Zealand have already been reviewed, while the remaining titles in the series were dedicated to sunny destinations (Getaway To The Sun), and the 50 Must-See Places of All Time. This is volume six in the series and is dedicated to showcasing some of the Ultimate! Getaways around the world.

    When the blurb says Ultimate! Getaways (I'm not sure why the exclamation mark is needed), it doesn't necessarily mean the best of the best or the most luxurious, or the most popular, but rather a combination of all those aspects put together, plus a few more. As a result, what we have here are some locations and lodgings of absolutely outrageous pure indulgence, probably only in the realms of the wealthy, some amazing out-of-the-way locations with virtually no glitz and glamour but still with something special to share, and a few others sort of straddling the two.

    I continually found myself uttering one word while watching this disc - WOW!  Some of the sights are truly amazing. First up is some truly stunning scenery as Brendan Julian travels to Switzerland and captures some of the amazing scenes around the most famous of mountains - The Matterhorn, all in between a bit of skiing. David Reyne indulges in a boutique lodging that the Queen herself uses when visiting the North Island of New Zealand (near Taupo), and the affable Ben Dark joins the Top Gun school at a small LA airport, battling it out with another pilot in a dogfight session. For once Darkie is actually lost for words after his experience here. Sorrell Wilby does her usual thing and escapes the big cities for the remote wilderness. This time she is visiting the amazing and seldom seen capital of Mongolia, Ulan Bator and also taking the most breathtaking train trip you have ever seen, across the Andes in Ecuador.

    Other locations visited include a couple of swanky hotels on the French Riviera and London, an ice hotel in Quebec, and a rather imposing looking hotel in the Canadian Rockies. David Reyne also goes hot-air ballooning in France, while Catriona Rowntree swims with sting-rays and sharks in Tahiti.

    All up, this is pretty much more of the same as the other discs in the series, so if you already have them you might as well consider purchasing this one.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    The video transfer on this disc is overall much better than the other titles in this series that I have reviewed. This is primarily due to the fact that all but one of the stories is taken from very recent source material and as a result is almost all digital based video presented in the full 1.78:1 aspect ratio and is 16x9 enhanced. The one story that is not presented like this (Sorrel's train trip in Ecuador) is a little bit softer than the other segments and is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. It appears with black bars to the left and right of the frame.

    All of the material is of a consistent sharpness, with the new video images again sharper and far more detailed. There is no sign of any edge enhancement and I saw no low level noise. Grain is also mostly absent.

    The colours are well rendered and there are no problems to contend with.

    I noticed a couple of very minor compression-based problems. At 17:25 just as a helicopter comes into land and at 48:04 on the side of some large pillars there is a very noticeable case of blocking and picture break-up. Both occur right on a change of scene and can be easily missed, but if you are looking closely you will see them. The rest of the transfer is excellent and free from any annoying aliasing, shimmer or any other artefacts.

    There are no subtitles.

    This is a single layered disc only.

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

Audio

    As with the other titles in the series, there is just one audio soundtrack on this disc. It is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at a bitrate of 384 Kb/s.

    This is a fairly decent soundtrack that contains plenty of range and even a little stereo separation at times. Dialogue levels are excellent and the background music sounds rather inviting. Audio sync isn't an issue during any of the segments.

    There is no surround nor subwoofer use.

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

Extras

Main Menu Introduction

Menu Animation & Audio

Interviews-Cast

    In keeping with the format followed on the other discs in the series, one of the Getaway presenters offers a few brief thoughts on some of their personal travel experiences. This time it is the effervescent Catriona Rowntree who offers up a few travel anecdotes. Runs for just 1.45.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    This disc is not available in Region 1.

Summary

    Ultimate! Getaways is volume six in the series of Getaway titles released that showcase some of the best places in the world to visit. This particular volume is dedicated to some of the best of the best in terms of luxury indulgence, magnificent scenery, or heart-thumping adrenaline-generating activities.

    The video is excellent with the bulk of the footage consisting of digital based material in the proper 1.78:1 aspect ratio. A couple of minor compression based artefacts are all that blemish this excellent transfer.

    The audio is perfectly functional for the job it is required to do.

    In keeping with the other discs in the series the extras are pretty light.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Darren Walters (It's . . . just the vibe . . . of my bio)
Monday, June 28, 2004
Review Equipment
DVDLoewe Xemix 5106DO, using RGB output
DisplayLoewe Calida (84cm). Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL).
AmplificationHarmon/Kardon AVR7000.
SpeakersFront - B&W 602S2, Centre - B&W CC6S2, Rear - B&W 601S2, Sub - Energy E:xl S10

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