AFL-Magpies 2003 Season Highlights (2003)

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General		Extras
Category	Sports	Main Menu Audio & Animation
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	85:40
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Aust. Football Video Visual Entertainment Group	Starring	None Given
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$34.95	Music	None Given

    Ordinarily I would be the first to derisively scoff at such a ridiculous title as Magpies: 2003 Season Highlights, especially considering their dismal showing in last year's Grand Final - hardly a highlight. However, I write this review barely twenty four hours after my beloved Hawks, having been relegated to the cellar of AFL football (only for this year I assure you), were demolished and demoralised by a Collingwood side seemingly unwilling to concede a berth in September action this year. So, in the interests of humility and wanting to feel safe on public transport during my relatively frequent dashes across the Nullabor from W.A. to our national sporting capital, I will be more measured in my approach.

    In fairness to all those that wear the Emirates, I mean the Magpies cap, making successive Grand Finals is a significant achievement in any footballer's language. And whilst losing hurts, doing so at the hands of perhaps the greatest team in the history of the game on both occasions should, even if it doesn't, provide a degree of consolation. It is a testament to a list of talented players, including their captain Nathan Buckley, perhaps the most unflappable footballer in the competition, Anthony Rocca, Chris Tarrant, the Cloke brothers and Dockers discards like James Clement and Brodie Holland, that they remain dissatisfied with their performances thus far, and in these latter stages of season 2004 remain unwilling to concede a berth in finals action come September.

    As with contemporary releases in this Season Highlights series from Australian Football Video, we delve into last year's season with a distinctly black and white perspective. Paul Licuria is featured in interviews previewing each round and provides a player's perspective on the game that is a refreshing change from the insights afforded us by panels of sports writers from the major newspapers.

    For any Magpie fan, and let's face it, there are lots of you, this is a release worthy of your consideration, even though you may wish to turn it off before the last game.

    It was good to see the scope of this particular release broaden a little to include a tribute to club great Bob Rose who sadly passed away in 2003, and footage of Nathan Buckley's Brownlow Medal win and the club's trip to a remote aboriginal community in the Northern Territory.

Video

    This is a 1.33:1 transfer, obviously not 16x9 enhanced. This is disappointing considering that AFL is and has been broadcast in widescreen for a few years now.

    There are excellent levels of sharpness and shadow detail throughout, as is to be expected. The interview footage is nigh on perfect.

    Colours were excellently rendered. I mentioned in a previous Season Highlights review that there are some subtle, and some not so subtle changes in colouration evident as the footage switches between different camera positions.

    There is nary a film artefact to speak of.

    Some MPEG artefacts were noticeable on occasion, but again, nothing serious. Grain and low level noise were non-existent. Aliasing presented itself as something more of a problem, shimmering grass the most prevalent example.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The solitary English 2.0 Dolby Stereo track does its job and little more, but some playing around with the balance of your surround speakers may give you a little stadium ambience. Otherwise, the track is defiantly front channel.

    The dialogue was always clear and cleanly presented, and the audio sync during the interviews with Licuria was beyond reproach. Audio distortion was negligible.

    As mentioned, there was nothing for the surrounds or subwoofer to do.

    In sum, this is a decent, workmanlike audio transfer.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    There are no extras - it's as simple as that.

    This is an all region release so as long as you've got a PAL compatible setup you're fine.

    For a sport as popular as Aussie Rules you'd think a little more effort would be put into these DVD releases. As it stands this is of an adequate but hardly earth-shattering standard.

    The video transfer, in spite of the absence of widescreen, is excellent.

    The audio is fine.

    There are no extras, not a one.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall