Mythbusters-Box 1-Volumes 1-3 (2003)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

    Mythbusters Box 1 contains the first three volumes in the series plus a special bonus episode on a fourth disc. Some of the myths busted in this set include - will urinating on the electrified third rail of a train line cause instant death, does owning an electric eel skin wallet cause your credit card to malfunction, how long can a human remain breathing while buried alive in a coffin and is it possible to make a medieval cannon out of a tree stump? (Why anyone would want to do this is beyond me!).

    This is a really fun and almost always informative show that provides some excellent entertainment.

    Highly recommended for fans of the show and those yet to catch it on free-to-air television.

Bonus Episode

     Disc four in this box set contains one bonus episode where the guys bust two more myths. Running for 49:33 this episode looks to bust the myth that a sheet of plywood can act as a parachute should you fall from a building and follows this up testing out the various ways suggested to beat a police radar.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Mythbusters-Volume 1 (2003)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Outtakes Featurette-Myths Revisited
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	99:31 (Case: 121)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Nomad Distribution	Starring	Jamie Hyneman Adam Savage Tory Belleci Scottie Chapman Kari Byron Christine Chamberlain Heather Joseph-Witham Robert Lee
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	?	Music	Neil Sutherland Bill Aiers Dana Hughes

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.33:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    It could be easily argued that Mythbusters hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage have just about the best jobs in the world. Where else do you get to mess around with all manner of fancy gadgets and really cool toys in addition to having the chance to create some really big explosions? Welcome to the world of the Mythbusters where no myth goes unbusted and no explosion can be deemed too big.

    With more than 30 years experience in the world of special effects between them, hosts Hyneman and Savage know a lot about building things, improvising with all manner of materials they have on hand in their large storage facility and making the biggest explosion they possibly can. The pair bring an entertaining and zany yet almost always informative vibe to the show which relies more on the banter and ribbing between the two hosts for laughs than the need for any bikini-clad bimbos such as the Brainiac Babes in the English television show Brainiac which is closely related to Mythbusters.

    Screening on SBS here in Australia (and as a segment of Beyond Tomorrow I believe), each Mythbusters episode sees our intrepid hosts enthusiastically setting out to prove or debunk some of the more well known (and I must admit some I have never heard of) urban myths that abound in every day life. Calling on the resources of their special effects storage facility, which houses a virtual cornucopia of building material, gadgets, toys and tools the two set about building various rigs and dummies needed to test out these various myths with the aim of finally proving or disproving them for good. Along the way they have all manner of funny experiences which often involve copious amounts of fire and explosives.

    Volume One of Mythbusters sees the guys tackle a whole range of new myths over two episodes:

    Episode 1 - 50:01

    Three myths are busted in this episode with the guys seeing if a mobile phone can cause an explosion while refuelling a car, could breast implants explode if the owner went flying, and finally can a CD-ROM disc actually shatter at high speed inside a computer.

    Episode 2 - 49:31

    Three more myths are busted in this episode with the age-old barrel of bricks myth first up. What happens when a worker tries to lift down a 500 pound barrel of bricks attached to a rope and pulley? Next up is the infamous story of someone peeing on the electrified third rail of a train track, while the last myth sees the lads trying to bust the theory that an eel skin wallet will destroy the magnetic strip on credit cards.

    This is a really fun and almost always informative show that provides some excellent entertainment. Highly recommended for fans of the show and those yet to catch it on free-to-air television.

Video

    This is a lovely video transfer, obviously benefiting from modern digital cameras. It is presented in the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is also 16x9 enhanced. IMDB lists the original aspect ratio as 1.33:1, but I'm not sure that this is correct based on how the image framing presented here looks.

    All the vision is incredibly sharp and detailed, and is consistently good throughout. There isn't a trace of edge enhancement and there are absolutely no problems with shadow detail. There is little grain.

    The colours are excellent, with deep saturation and even and consistent shading.

    There are no compression artefacts and video artefacts are also absent. All up, this is a very clean image with no problems to report.

    Unfortunately, there are no subtitles available at all on this disc. This is disappointing.

    The disc is dual layered with the layer change placed between episodes.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There is only one audio soundtrack on the disc, that being an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at the bitrate of 224 Kb/s. Despite the surround flag not being embedded in the bitstream, there is certainly enough separation across the front and rear left/right channels to suggest it is surround encoded. It is quite a decent soundtrack that is as clear and precise as you could hope for.

    Dialogue is extremely important here. The odd word or two is a little muffled, more than likely a result of the poor surroundings in which they were recorded. I noticed no obvious audio sync issues.

    The theme tune for the show features at the beginning of each episode and is incredibly catchy.

    There is only minimal surround and subwoofer use.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Outtakes

    Not outtakes in the traditional blooper-style sense, these extras are really just a bit more footage from some of the myths that didn't quite make it to the final cut. Included here in Volume 1 is additional material for Wiping a Credit Card (2:32) and Coin Derailing a Train (1:55).

Featurette - Myths Revisited

    Myths Revisited sees the guys respond to some comments and criticism from viewers about the myths they previously busted. Viewers claimed the guys didn't take into account certain factors when they conducted their experiments so this is an opportunity for them to follow-up and answer this criticism. Here they revisit the exploding mobile phone (6:45), the exploding breast implants (4:05) and peeing on the third rail (5:33).

    Mythbusters episodes are available in Region 1, though the actual episodes contained in each volume are different.

    Mythbusters is a dead-set classic television show, combining laughs with some real educational facts to produce something that is fun, informative and best of all  - entertaining. Hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have a rare chemistry with each other that add so much to the success of each episode.

    The video quality is excellent while the two channel audio is more than up to the job.

    There are a few extras.

    This comes wholeheartedly recommended for a great night's entertainment. And you might even learn something.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Mythbusters-Volume 2 (2003)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Outtakes
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	99:34 (Case: 105)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Nomad Distribution	Starring	Jamie Hyneman Adam Savage Tory Belleci Scottie Chapman Kari Byron Christine Chamberlain Heather Joseph-Witham Robert Lee
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	?	Music	Neil Sutherland Bill Aiers Dana Hughes

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
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

    Mythbusters Volume 2 contains two more episodes of the popular and highly entertaining science based programme that sets out to debunk some of the world's most enduring myths. Hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage have just about the best jobs in the world. Where else do you get to mess around with all manner of fancy gadgets and really cool toys in addition to having the chance to create some really big explosions? Welcome to the world of the Mythbusters where no myth goes unbusted and no explosion can be deemed too big.

    With more than 30 years experience in the world of special effects between them, hosts Hyneman and Savage know a lot about building things, improvising with all manner of materials they have on hand in their large storage facility and making the biggest explosion they possibly can. The pair bring an entertaining and zany yet almost always informative vibe to the show which relies more on the banter and ribbing between the two hosts for laughs than the need for any bikini-clad bimbos such as the Brainiac Babes in the English television show Brainiac which is closely related to Mythbusters.

    Screening on SBS here in Australia (and as a segment of Beyond Tomorrow I believe), each Mythbusters episode sees our intrepid hosts enthusiastically setting out to prove or debunk some of the more well known (and I must admit some I have never heard of) urban myths that abound in everyday life. Calling on the resources of their special effects storage facility, which houses a virtual cornucopia of building material, gadgets, toys and tools the two set about building various rigs and dummies need to test out these various myths with the aim of finally proving or disproving them for good. Along the way they have all manner of funny experiences which often involve copious amounts of fire and explosives.

    Volume Two of Mythbusters sees the guys tackle a whole range of new myths over two episodes:

    Episode 1 - 50:04

    What happens when you are buried alive and just how long could a human last enclosed in a snug coffin? The Mythbusters boys set out to debunk the myth that someone could last for days buried alive. Also in this episode the boys will see just how powerful cola (it's Coke but they can't name it) is as an industrial cleaner and can a worker break their fall from a bridge into a river by using nothing more than a sledge hammer.

    Episode 2 - 49:30

    Does wearing a tongue stud increase your chances of being struck by lightning? Watch this episode to find out. Also included here are some of the supposed sure-fire ways of beating a police breathalyser and can you make a cannon that will actually fire a projectile using nothing more than a tree stump?

    This is a really fun and almost always informative show that provides some excellent entertainment. Highly recommended for fans of the show and those yet to catch it on free-to-air television.

Video

    This is a lovely video transfer, obviously benefiting from modern digital cameras. It is presented in the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is also 16x9 enhanced. IMDB lists the original aspect ratio as 1.33:1, but I'm not sure that this is correct based on how the image framing presented here looks.

    All the vision is incredibly sharp and detailed, and is consistently good throughout. There isn't a trace of edge enhancement and there are absolutely no problems with shadow detail. There is little grain.

    The colours are excellent, with deep saturation and even and consistent shading.

    There are no compression artefacts and video artefacts are also absent. All up, this is a very clean image with no problems to report.

    Unfortunately, there are no subtitles available at all on this disc. This is disappointing.

    The disc is dual layered with the layer change placed between episodes.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There is only one audio soundtrack on the disc, that being an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at the bitrate of 224 Kb/s. Despite the surround flag not being embedded in the bitstream, there is certainly enough separation across the front and rear left/right channels to suggest it is surround encoded. It is quite a decent soundtrack that is as clear and precise as you could hope for.

    Dialogue is extremely important here. The odd word or two is a little muffled, more than likely a result of the poor surroundings in which they were recorded. I noticed no obvious audio sync issues.

    The theme tune for the show features at the beginning of each episode and is incredibly catchy.

    There is only minimal surround and subwoofer use.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Outtakes

    Not outtakes in the traditional blooper-style sense, these extras are really just a bit more footage from some of the myths that didn't quite make it to the final cut. Included here in Volume 2 is additional material for Buried Alive (2:09)and Cola Myths (2:44),

    Mythbusters episodes are available in Region 1, though the actual episodes contained in each volume are different.

    Mythbusters - Volume Two continues the fun found in this dead-set classic television show, combining laughs with some real educational facts to produce something that is fun, informative and best of all  - entertaining. Hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have a rare chemistry with each other that add so much to the success of each episode.

    The video quality is excellent while the two channel audio is more than up to the job.

    There are a few extras.

    This comes wholeheartedly recommended for a great night's entertainment. And you might even learn something.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Mythbusters-Volume 3 (2003)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Outtakes
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	99:00 (Case: 105)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Nomad Distribution	Starring	Jamie Hyneman Adam Savage Tory Belleci Scottie Chapman Kari Byron Christine Chamberlain Heather Joseph-Witham Robert Lee
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	?	Music	Neil Sutherland Bill Aiers Dana Hughes

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
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

    Mythbusters Volume 3 contains two more episodes of the popular and highly entertaining science based programme that sets out to debunk some of the world's most enduring myths. Hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage have just about the best jobs in the world. Where else do you get to mess around with all manner of fancy gadgets and really cool toys in addition to having the chance to create some really big explosions? Welcome to the world of the Mythbusters where no myth goes unbusted and no explosion can be deemed too big.

    With more than 30 years experience in the world of special effects between them, hosts Hyneman and Savage know a lot about building things, improvising with all manner of materials they have on hand in their large storage facility and making the biggest explosion they possibly can. The pair bring an entertaining and zany yet almost always informative vibe to the show which relies more on the banter and ribbing between the two hosts for laughs than the need for any bikini-clad bimbos such as the Brainiac Babes in the English television show Brainiac which is closely related to Mythbusters.

    Screening on SBS here in Australia (and as a segment of Beyond Tomorrow I believe), each Mythbusters episode sees our intrepid hosts enthusiastically setting out to prove or debunk some of the more well known (and I must admit some I have never heard of) urban myths that abound in every day life. Calling on the resources of their special effects storage facility, which houses a virtual cornucopia of building material, gadgets, toys and tools the two set about building various rigs and dummies need to test out these various myths with the aim of finally proving or disproving them for good. Along the way they have all manner of funny experiences which often involve copious amounts of fire and explosives.

    Volume Three of Mythbusters sees the guys tackle a whole range of new myths over two episodes:

    Episode 1 - 49:30

    The Mythbusters put decomposing pigs in a car to see if the stink will make the vehicle completely uncleanable - just like the myth that says if someone dies in a car then the car might as well be scrapped because it is unsellable. Also in this episode the boys see what happens when petrol is poured down a drain to flush out a squirrel and can the famed Alcatraz prison actually be escaped from successfully?

    Episode 2 - 49:30

    Do duck's quacks echo? The boys set out to test this once and for all and is there such a thing as mind control microchips used by the Government on unsuspecting citizens?

    This is a really fun and almost always informative show that provides some excellent entertainment. Highly recommended for fans of the show and those yet to catch it on free-to-air television.

Video

    This is a lovely video transfer, obviously benefiting from modern digital cameras. It is presented in the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is also 16x9 enhanced. IMDB lists the original aspect ratio as 1.33:1, but I'm not sure that this is correct based on how the image framing presented here looks.

    All the vision is incredibly sharp and detailed, and is consistently good throughout. There isn't a trace of edge enhancement and there are absolutely no problems with shadow detail. There is little grain.

    The colours are excellent, with deep saturation and even and consistent shading.

    There are no compression artefacts and video artefacts are also absent. All up, this is a very clean image with no problems to report.

    Unfortunately, there are no subtitles available at all on this disc. This is disappointing.

    The disc is dual layered with the layer change placed between episodes.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There is only one audio soundtrack on the disc, that being an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at the bitrate of 224 Kb/s. Despite the surround flag not being embedded in the bitstream, there is certainly enough separation across the front and rear left/right channels to suggest it is surround encoded. It is quite a decent soundtrack that is as clear and precise as you could hope for.

    Dialogue is extremely important here. The odd word or two is a little muffled, more than likely a result of the poor surroundings in which they were recorded. I noticed no obvious audio sync issues.

    The theme tune for the show features at the beginning of each episode and is incredibly catchy.

    There is only minimal surround and subwoofer use.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Outtakes

    Not outtakes in the traditional blooper-style sense, these extras are really just a bit more footage from some of the myths that didn't quite make it to the final cut of each episode. Included here is additional material for Alcatraz Escape (1:40) and Pop Rocks and Cola (2:28).

    Mythbusters episodes are available in Region 1, though the actual episodes contained in each volume are different.

    Mythbusters - Volume Three continues the fun found in this dead-set classic television show, combining laughs with some real educational facts to produce something that is fun, informative and best of all  - entertaining. Hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have a rare chemistry with each other that adds so much to the success of each episode.

    The video quality is excellent while the two channel audio is more than up to the job.

    There are a few extras.

    This comes wholeheartedly recommended for a great night's entertainment. And you might even learn something.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall