NSYNC-Live from Madison Square Garden (2000)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio & Animation Scene Selection Anim & Audio Gallery-Photo DVD Credits Web Links
Rating
Year Of Production	2000
Running Time	89:21
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Marty Callner
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Lance Bass J.C. Chasez Joey Fatone Chris Kirkpatrick Justin Timberlake
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$34.95	Music	NSYNC

    Before watching this disc, the sum total of my NSYNC knowledge could have been counted on one finger. My only exposure to the band had been via the radio or the Fox music channel. I was not sure what to expect when I placed NSYNC: Live from Madison Square Garden into my DVD player, and so I slid back into the couch to watch the concert.

    What a surprise!! Joey, Chris, JC, Justin and Lance have a boundless amount of energy that does not stop. The lads put on a great show and the numerous costume changes and stage design made for great viewing.

    It all starts outside Madison Square Garden, where you get to meet the girls that want to go on-stage, and see an impromptu dance from each one. We then move inside to join the screaming fans and wait for No Strings Attached to begin.

    The concert is not the total extent of the show. We also get some backstage footage at 41:30 where you get to see the boys relaxing in front of a large screen TV. At 43:35, you get to meet the contest winners and see who will be going on-stage to dance with the lads. Funnily enough, not one guy was chosen.

    This two hour concert was simultaneously broadcast on HBO (Home Box Office) in the U.S.A. live from Madison Square Garden (hence the title I suppose). The DVD does not cover the full 2 hours, but shows the most exciting 90 minutes. The sheer size of the venue allowed for more flexibility with the stage layout, not to mention the number of fans that could attend. One example of the excellent set design is at 66:30 where the front of the stage pulls away and starts moving up to the back of the crowd while singing This I Promise You

Video

    Overall the quality of the source material used for the transfer was great. There were no signs of MPEG artefacts or low level noise problems. The only problem I found was not caused by the transfer - during the interviews with the fans an object falls in front of the camera at 44:26. It is quickly pulled away but is very noticeable.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (Full Frame) and is not 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer is clear and sharp with bright colours. The large on-stage TV monitor was the only area that contained smudgy images. These large screens are never clear, even when viewed with the naked eye, so this isn't that much of a problem. One shot on this screen that was particularly blurry was the computer animated keyboard at 77:16, but that's just being picky.

    There are 4 subtitle tracks on this disc in a white font with black edging. They are clear and quite legible, and the choice of white works well with the black background of the crowd.

    This disc is RSDL-formatted, but I was unable to detect the layer change.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The lead vocals remain clear throughout the title, with a well-balanced surround sound coming from the band instruments. I did not notice any hiss or audio dropouts.

    Audio sync was not a problem at all with this transfer, and was completely spot-on.

    The surround channels were well-used for the crowd and you always felt like you were standing amongst the screaming fans. The surrounds were also used to carry some echo, no doubt to give you the same sense of depth that you would have felt if attending the venue live.

    The subwoofer was used to provide the necessary bass tones and was well-balanced with the rest of the audio levels.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    The extras aren't worth looking at. I think it would have been better if these extras were expanded and placed into a booklet included inside the slip case. At least the photos could then be cut out and maybe even a small bio could be included about each of the lads.

Main Menu Audio & Animation

    The menu is easy to navigate and a small concert screen shows music clips while you browse through the menu. It does not have any 16x9 enhancement.

Scene Selection Animation & Audio

    The scene selections are live clips from the show which I always prefer over still shots of each scene. Each selection is broken down by song title so you can jump directly to your favourites.

Gallery-Photo

    The Photo Gallery contains stills of all the band members in various costumes and poses cut from their live performance.

DVD Credits

    This lists all of the people involved in this presentation.

Web Links

    A web links section lists three websites including the official NSYNC address.

    Both versions of this DVD appear to be identically specified.

    Overall, I found NSYNC-Live From Madison Square Garden to be a great concert. For me, it was a good introduction to NSYNC.There were no problems with the audio or video quality. If you are an NSYNC fan, this one is a must for your collection.

    Bye, bye, bye...

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall