Hi-5: Space Magic (2004) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Childrens |
Main Menu Audio & Animation Music Highlights-Songs Of The Week (3) Karaoke-3 Songs Storybook-Sharing Stories (2) Trailer-Previews Of Hi-5 Videos And DVD's |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2004 | ||
Running Time | 49:25 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Ian Munro |
Studio
Distributor |
Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Kathleen De Leon Nathan Foley Tim Harding Kellie Hoggart Charlie Robinson |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
RPI | $24.95 | Music | Chris Harriot |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | English for the Hearing Impaired | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
If your child loves the moon and stars or the odd magic trick, there will be a lot for them to love in this great collection of stories, adventures and songs.
This is a passable video transfer for a children's series.
This transfer is presented in a ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. Hi-5 is broadcast in Australia in widescreen digital.
The entire transfer is marred by some very ugly compression artefacting, making the level of sharpness highly variable at times. I imagine this transfer would look very ugly indeed on a large display. The production is so colourful and well lit that there are literally no shadows or dark scenes to speak of.
Absolutely everything is bold and colourful - the sets, costumes and lighting are very bright and eye-catching. There were no examples of oversaturation or colour bleeding in the transfer.
MPEG artefacts comprised of heavy grain and blocking are everywhere, and are highly noticeable. The transfer is at its worst during moments of fast movement on screen, and given the amount of dancing and fast action this is pretty much consistent.
English Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired were activated by default on my DVD player, but not on my DVD-ROM. The titles are comprised of an easy to read font and are paced accurately with the dialogue. The titles are easily removed on-the-fly using your remote control.
This disc is single layered.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The only audio option is a Dolby Digital 2.0 stream that manages to do the job adequately. Contrary to the cover slick, there is no Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack present.
As you would expect for a children's series, the dialogue is first class and very easy to understand. There were a few minor instances of distortion through the tiny headpiece microphones when the cast speaks or sings too loudly, but this was only an intermittent problem stemming from the decision not to use overhead boom or lapel microphones in the studio.
There were no problems with audio sync whatsoever.
Composer Chris Harriot does a splendid job as always with simple, melodic songs that kids love. All the songs included in the feature are energetic, melodic and vary greatly from one to the next. The instrumentation is mostly electronic, but sounds better than one would expect. As I stated earlier, this is some of the best music you will find on a Hi-5 DVD.
There was no surround activity or subwoofer response. I attempted to engage Pro Logic II processing but it didn't do this soundtrack any favours.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
As with other Hi-5 DVD discs, the viewer is able to select their favourite presenter and watch one or all of their segments from the feature. A repeat function is also available so the kids can watch their favourite presenter infinitum. There is also the ability to skip straight to any of the songs or stories, also with a repeat option.
All three songs from the feature are available with music only, enabling the kids to sing along to titles on screen. Some of the titles move pretty quickly, so it may be hard for very little ones to keep up.
Trailers are included for a range of other Hi-5 VHS and DVD titles.
Pop the disc into your DVD-ROM drive for links to the official Hi-5 website and Village Roadshow.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This disc is only available in Region 4 at the moment.
The video transfer is disappointing, and there are a couple of little extras included on the disc.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV-525, using Component output |
Display | Panasonic TX76PW10A 76cm Widescreen 100Hz. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Denon AVR-2802 Dolby EX/DTS ES Discrete |
Speakers | Orpheus Aurora lll Mains (bi-wired), Rears, Centre Rear. Orpheus Centaurus .5 Front Centre. Mirage 10 inch sub. |