Universe (1999) |
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Universe (1999) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Documentary | Main Menu Audio | |
| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 1999 | ||
| Running Time | 200:12 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | None Given |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring | John Hurt |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | $29.95 | Music | None Given |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
As you may have noticed from previous reviews, I am a fan of documentaries and enjoy watching them generally. Unfortunately, this 1999 English documentary series left me very cold indeed. I found it overly serious and self important and not very accessible for the casual viewer. Obviously, based on the title the show focuses on the universe around us. It includes four episodes of 50 minutes, each one focusing on a different aspect of the universe. The episodes are made up of commentary by John Hurt over computer graphics and images from space, along with interviews with famous scientists including Stephen Hawking.
The four episodes are:
This series would be of more interest to people with a specific interest in the subject area rather than for people who want to get an introduction to the subject.
The video quality is good but not without issue.
The feature is presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio 16x9 enhanced which is probably the original aspect ratio.
The picture was clear and sharp throughout, with no evidence of low level noise. Some sections of the show were a little grainy but generally it wasn't too bad.
The colour was generally very good although I did notice some cross-colouration.
Artefacts included some macro-blocking on fast moving scenes, some specks on archive footage and some little bits of aliasing on car grilles and the like.
There are yellow subtitles in English. They were clear and easy to read.
| 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 320 Kb/s.
Dialogue and narration were clear and easy to understand and there was no problem with audio sync.
The music by Roger Bolton is very grand and epic, fitting nicely with the very superior tone of the show.
The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use |  |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
None.
The menu was very simple allowing the user to select episodes, scenes and subtitles.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
I cannot find any evidence that this disc is available outside of Region 4.The disc is coded for all regions.
The video quality is 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 |