DVD Aquarium (Remastered) (PAL) (2000) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Screensaver | Trailer-DVD Fireplace | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2000 | ||
Running Time | 40:00 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | None Given |
Studio
Distributor |
Holborne Australasia |
Starring | None Given |
Case | Soft Brackley-Transp | ||
RPI | $29.95 | Music | None Given |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame |
English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) 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 | English | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
DVD Aquarium is not surprisingly a disc containing footage of an aquarium.
This disc contains footage from two different tropical tanks filmed at the Sydney Aquarium. These tanks are presented as a static shot of part of a larger tank with fish swimming across the frame. The first tank is a tropical saltwater display featuring live corals, anemones and a wide selection of fish. The second tank displays part of a rock wall with similar fish as seen in the first tank. Unfortunately no other information regarding the footage is provided on the disc. A collection of fishographies would be helpful to allow viewers to identify the fish and learn a little more about them.
This disc was previously released with only a single bubble audio track. A review of the previous version may be found here. Due to interest from overseas viewers a NTSC version was created and an ambient audio track added. Other than the obvious format difference, both the current PAL and NTSC versions are identical.
The full frame transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The inclusion of a 16x9 version would have been a nice addition to this disc but unfortunately is not provided.
The transfer is slightly soft as it appears to have been transferred from a DV source and not the higher definition sources we are used to seeing for most DVDs. A small amount of low level noise is visible during the first tank footage but this is very minimal and is not distracting to the viewer. Both tanks are well lit and therefore shadow detail does not become a problem at any stage.
The backgrounds of both tanks are quite plain but the fish themselves are quite vibrant and appear to be displayed accurately throughout the transfer.
At no stage were any MPEG artefacts detected during the transfer. At no stage were any instances of aliasing detecting during the transfer. No film artefacts are present during the transfer as the video appears to have originated from a tape source.
A single English subtitle track is accessible via the player's remote but does not contain any information.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The included audio tracks provide the choice between an ambient musical track and a bubble noise track. Both tracks are provided as Dolby Digital 224 kbps 2.0 mixes. The natural bubble mix appears to have been recorded on-site near the filtration section at the aquarium and the sounds of workers are clearly evident at numerous points throughout the mix.
There is no dialogue and consequently there are no sync problems associated with this transfer. At no stage during the transfer were any audio dropouts detected.
I personally found the new age ambient musical track for each tank quite annoying, but this may appeal to some viewers.
There is no surround or subwoofer channel use during the transfer.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This disc is region free and does not appear to be available in any other region at this time.
DVD Aquarium is an unusual title that may appeal to viewers who are looking for a simple DVD-based screen saver.
The video is adequately presented but the addition of a widescreen tank presentation would have been appreciated.
The two soundtracks are adequate and may be enjoyed by some viewers.
The inclusion of some information regarding the fish displayed or the aquariums featured would have been appreciated but unfortunately there are no real extras provided on this disc.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Toshiba 1200, using S-Video output |
Display | Sony KP-E41SN11. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Front left/right: ME75b; Center: DA50ES; rear left/right: DA50ES; subwoofer: NAD 2600 (Bridged) |
Speakers | Front left/right: VAF DC-X; Center: VAF DC-6; rear left/right: VAF DC-7; subwoofer: Custom NHT-1259 |