Hi-5: Dance Hits-Volume 2 (2005) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Childrens |
Main Menu Audio & Animation Featurette-Have A Dance Lesson! Karaoke |
|
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2005 | ||
Running Time | 57:40 (Case: 59) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | None Given |
Studio
Distributor |
Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring | None Given |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
RPI | $24.95 | Music | None Given |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Screen, not known whether Pan & Scan or Full Frame | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.29:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | Unknown | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles |
English for the Hearing Impaired English Song Lyrics |
Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
KC:
If you're interested in reading this review, then I'll take two things for granted. 1. You have kids. 2. You are familiar with the group and some of their other work.
When reading the cover of Hi-5 Dance Hits Volume 2 I was sceptical about the quality of this particular release. All of the other Hi-5 DVDs have been colourful, well presented, interesting, energetic and new. Kids lapped it up. Dancing, learning, familiar pieces with familiar characters (for example Chup Chup) and themes. But here the cover looked like 10 dance segments, a bit of karaoke and nothing more.
So what do we have? Well, it is 10 dance segments. Some of the songs are new, some are recycled from previous Hi-5 DVD releases (with the exact same footage, in fact, spliced into this DVD). The Hi-5 crew perform a dance to each song, then after the song has finished two members of the team demonstrate how the dance steps go to the song, then they add music, and before you know it the kids have been talked through the actions and are now also expected to be dancing along. To show how easy the dance steps are to learn, there follows some short footage of a group of kids dancing to the music.
This formula repeats for each of the 10 songs. The song is performed by Hi-5, two members talk the kids through and demonstrate the dance steps, and finally we see groups of kids performing the dances for a short time. Repeat for next song.
The positives are that the 10 dances on their own are energetic and it's exhausting to watch one after the other, let alone dance as well. But my 2 year old was full of go and wanted to see the DVD out. She rested during the instruction and kids dancing part and danced along when Hi-5 performed. On the negative side there is no variety in segments as seen in other DVDs (segments such as Chup Chup, musical fun or stories). Some of the routines are very familiar from other discs.
The disc runs for 57:40 before the credits roll, but it is pretty intense for the little tackers. My (almost) 4 year old niece enjoyed the instructional aspect of the dancing more than my own 2 year old.
The dances in order are;
Hi-5 Introduction - Hi-5 Groove It
So Many Animals
North, South, East and West
Feelings
Three Wishes
Feel the Beat
Robot Number 1
Mirror Mirror
Special Days
It's a Party
Hi-5 Goodbye - Thanks for the Party
Woody:
This is a home exercise DVD for kids. KC has kids. I don't. Thanks for making me sit through this, KC.
To be fair, I tested the DVD on the target audience and used, uh.., enlisted, my two year old niece Ashlee. While her dancing isn't as funky as her Uncle Woody after a few beers, she loved it and was bopping away cheerily after only a few seconds. Which is the aim of the whole thing, so I have to admit Hi-5 are a success at what they set out to do.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.29:1, Hi-5 is 4x3 full frame and not 16x9 enhanced, unlike other Hi-5 DVDs. Why other Hi-5 DVDs are 16x9 enhanced and this isn't is anyone's guess. The picture is very sharp, and there is no grain or low level noise worth mentioning.
The dance stage, costumes and lighting are all very bright and a lot of fun.
English subtitles are present and are clear and easy to read, which is important for getting those lyrics right when you are singing along.
This is a single sided, single layer DVD.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
There are no dialogue or audio sync problems.
The music is very clear and is, understandably, mixed with vocals being the most prominent component. Despite some songs being found on other DVDs my 2 year old was not fussed, and seemed to enjoy recognising the familiar songs.
There is no surround channel usage or subwoofer effects.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
When the disc first loads up and brings you to the main menu, the character Chats pops up and introduces you to the disc, helping you to use the various features.
This extra is basically the same songs with subtitles activated and the option to turn off the vocals. However, when we tried to activate this feature on a Pioneer DV-533K, the DVD would not advance to the dance chapters, and hung on the menu screen. We then used the feature on a Pioneer DVR-520H with no problems. We are unsure why this didn't work on the earlier model player, however it is a point worth mentioning.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV-533K, using S-Video output |
Display | Panasonic TX-51P15H rear projection TV (136cm). |
Audio Decoder | Built in to Amplifier. |
Amplification | Onkyo TX-DS494 |
Speakers | Krix Lyrix front speakers, Krix KDX-C centre speaker, Krix Equinox rear speakers, BIC D-121OR 12' 200 watt powered sub-woofer. |