Way Things Work, The: Rolling Stones (2004) |
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Way Things Work, The: Rolling Stones (2004) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Documentary | Main Menu Audio | |
| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2004 | ||
| Running Time | 52:15 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Ads Then Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | None Given |
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Studio
Distributor |
Millimages Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring | None Given |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | $19.95 | Music | None Given |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | None | Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
The Way Things Work is an animated children's television series made in 2000, based upon a best-selling children's non-fiction book of the same name by David Macauley. It is a UK/French/German co-production. It is shown here in Australia on the ABC. The disc includes four of the 23 episodes which have been made. I would guess it would be aimed at a primary school audience.
The series is set on an island called Mammoth Island, which is populated by a lot of Woolly Mammoths, some people and a visiting scientist, known only as The Inventor. Each episode introduces a principle of science at a level children can understand using the islanders and the mammoths to illustrate each principle. Mostly the principles are shown by solving a problem facing the islanders and/or the mammoths, which they solve with the assistance of The Inventor. The islanders include Olive, a smart young girl, Frank, her dad, Pillbeam and Brenda, her uncle and aunt, and their son Troy.
The four episodes included here are:
This is entertaining and educational, a great combination for children's television.
The video quality is very good.
The feature is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio non 16x9 enhanced which is probably the original aspect ratio.
The picture was very clear and sharp throughout, with no evidence of low level noise.
The colour was rich and solid throughout.
There were no noticeable artefacts.
There are no subtitles.
| Sharpness |  |
| Shadow Detail |  |
| Colour |  |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
The audio quality is good.
This DVD contains an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at 224 Kb/s.
Dialogue was clear and easy to understand and there was no problem with audio sync.
The music features a catchy jazzy theme tune.
The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use | |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
None.
The menu allows for episode selection.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This series does not seem to be available in other regions on DVD, except as a teacher's/library resource in the US with every episode on a separate DVD for $20 each. The local product is the pick.
The video quality is very good.
The audio quality is good.
No extras.
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Extras | |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Pioneer DV667A DVD-V DVD-A SACD, using Component output |
| Display | Sony FD Trinitron Wega KV-AR34M36 80cm. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL)/480i (NTSC). |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Pioneer VSX-511 |
| Speakers | Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Yamaha YST SW90 subwoofer |