Boys' Weekend (2008)

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General		Extras
Category	Lifestyle	Main Menu Audio
Rating
Year Of Production	2008
Running Time	309:30 (Case: 312)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No Multi Disc Set (3)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	H2 Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Gary Mehigan Adrian Richardson Miguel Maestre Manu Fieldel
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$39.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Gary Mehigan is certainly making a name for himself these days with the success of Masterchef. In this Lifestyle Channel series he is teamed up with three other celebrity chefs Manu Fieldel, Miguel Maestre and Adrian Richardson for thirteen episodes of the four boys going away for weekends to different parts of Australia. They certainly enjoy themselves and also cook for each other (and the camera). The destinations include Port Douglas, The Great Ocean Road, the Daintree and the Huon Valley in Tasmania.

     Those looking for a straight cooking show will probably be disappointed as this show is not always focused on the cooking but more on the boys having fun. The dishes are not always fully explained and sometimes the dialogue is not well recorded, resulting in the recipe being hard to follow. This gets better after the first episode which lacks focus. On the other hand, fans of the chefs will certainly enjoy this series, seeing them relaxing in a different environment in each episode, swimming, fishing, BBQ'ing on the beach and more. If the idea of these guys getting their shirts off interests you, this set will provide ample reward.

     Each episode runs for approximately 23 minutes and the series is spread across 3 discs. If you are a fan of straight forward cooking shows like Poh's Kitchen or Cook & the Chef you would probably be best to rent rather than buy this series. If you are a fan of the chefs involved, you will enjoy this show.

Video

     The video quality is very good. The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was quite clear and sharp throughout. The colour was very good with no colour artefacts. There were no noticeable artefacts. There are no subtitles. There is no noticeable layer change during the program.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

     The audio quality is average although it may be more to do with the sound recording than the transfer.

     This DVD contains an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack encoded at 192 Kb/s. Dialogue was sometimes quite difficult to make out which was annoying. The music is decent although can get a little annoying. The surround speakers and subwoofer are not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    None

Menu

    The menu included music.

     This seems to be the only global release and is coded for all regions.

     A cooking/travelogue show featuring four celebrity chefs enjoying themselves. The video quality is very good. The audio quality is average. The extras are non-existent.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall