Sade-Live (1994) (NTSC) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Music |
Discography Biographies-Cast |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1994 | ||
Running Time | 96:00 (Case: 88) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Programme | ||
Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Sophie Muller |
Studio
Distributor |
Sony Music |
Starring | Sade |
Case | Brackley-Trans-No Lip | ||
RPI | $24.95 | Music | Sade |
Video (NTSC) | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame |
English Linear PCM 48/16 2.0 (1536Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) |
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Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 480i (NTSC) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles |
English Spanish French |
Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
My prior exposure to Sade is via the half a dozen or so FM-friendly songs that regularly get an airing - familiar numbers such as Sweetest Taboo, No Ordinary Love and the very distinctive classic, Smooth Operator.
Sade-Live was filmed at the San Diego Open Air theatre on 3 October 1993 and has presumably been released on DVD at this time to help promote Sade's first new studio album in some eight years - Lovers Rock.
Helen Folasade Adu certainly has some talent, and a definite stage presence. Her voice can certainly reach some amazing levels, and yet still maintain a certain sexiness that few female performers can achieve.
One aspect of this concert that I particularly liked was the lack of inclusion of audience footage. I want to see the performers perform, not the audience enjoying themselves. I don't mind hearing them through all the speakers, but I want to feel like I am in the front row and all the other paying punters are seated behind me.
1. The Sweetest Taboo 2. Keep Looking 3. Your Love is King 4. Love Is Stronger Than Pride 5. Smooth Operator 6. Red Eye 7. Haunt Me 8. Like a Tattoo 9. Kiss Of Life | 10. Nothing Can Come Between Us 11. Cherry Pie 12. Pearls 13. No Ordinary Love 14. Is It a Crime 15. Cherish The Day 16. Paradise 17. Jezebel |
It is presented full screen (1.33:1) and is therefore not 16x9 Enhanced. Like many of the Sony music titles it is an NTSC disc so I wasn't expecting outstanding video quality.
The majority of the transfer is reasonably sharp, with nice even colour distribution, though it is let down by some serious oversaturation of red during several of the songs (Smooth Operator at 19:30 and Kiss Of Life at 39:09 are specific examples), that leave the background performers looking like red blobs on legs.
The shadow detail is somewhat lacking at times, though this may be intentional on the part of the lighting crew as it only involves the support band and not Sade herself. Concert footage can sometimes be difficult to assess, as you need to determine if you should actually be able to see a particular performer, or just hear them!
I did not notice any MPEG artefacts and there were no aliasing problems.
There are subtitles for English, French, and Spanish. I turned on the English subtitles for the majority of the disc and did not notice any errors.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
There are no visible audio sync problems and Sade was always clear and easy to understand.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track was actually more of a 3.1 track, as the rear effects were not used at all. This didn't overly detract from the listening experience as the soundstage is spread nicely across the front, and many would argue that the only thing they should hear from the rears is the audience.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 had the benefit of the centre speaker to create a wider soundstage, but I thought the PCM track handled the brass instruments better, especially in the higher range. Some of the percussion instruments such as bongos were nicely enhanced by the subwoofer in the Dolby Digital Soundtrack.
The subwoofer received only a moderate workout, though it did enhance several songs quite nicely without drawing undue attention to itself.
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.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Toshiba 1200, using S-Video output |
Display | Loewe Calida (84cm). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Harmon/Kardon AVR7000. |
Speakers | Front - B&W 602S2, Centre - B&W CC6S2, Rear - B&W 601S2, Sub - Energy E:xl S10 |