Kelly, R.-TP-2.com: The Videos (2001)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio & Animation Scene Selection Anim & Audio DVD Credits Web Links
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	58:45 (Case: 63)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	R. Kelly
Studio Distributor	Zomba Records	Starring	R. Kelly
Case	Soft Brackley-Opaque
RPI	$34.95	Music	R. Kelly

    The cover of this disc categorizes R. Kelly as the “mastermind of modern R&B.” Whilst I am no expert, it would seem that R&B is a fairly restrictive pigeonhole, given that the music on this disc extends from rap influence to contemporary rock. Mr Kelly writes from his past, and seems a genuine character who wants to "freak the world with his talent." With songs like "To The Homies That We Lost", I was surely more surprised than anyone to actually find that I enjoyed watching this video, though in truth it is not my bag. However, it clearly is the bag of a great many people given the number of albums this man has sold, and whatever kind of music this is, it is done with a slickness of production in both sound and visuals that puts end to your wonderings of where all the money in the world ends up – it’s in the hands of studios and successful recording artists. Good work if you can get it.

Video

    The disc is presented in a variety of aspect ratios, but on the whole is 1.33:1, and is always non-16x9 enhanced.

    Whilst the interviews are of the usual average shot-on-video quality, the actual music videos are nicely sharp and detailed. Everything about the look is exaggerated, including the contrast which tends to lend a nice sense of depth. There is no grain to speak of, nor is there any low-level noise.

    From the opening warning, it is apparent that composite processing has been used. Colours exhibit some noise and plenty of dot crawl on occasion. Cross-colouration is also rife at times, which does degrade the quality of the otherwise fine presentation. Apart from that, colours are bold, strong and have a warmth to them, and the videos are definitely pleasing to the eye (some exceptionally so).

    MPEG generated blocking and noise was evident throughout, with complex scenes blocking quite severely at times (a quick pause reveals some dreadful macro blocking, especially in the first clip), but on the whole it was not overly problematic. There were no film-to-video artefacts, though I did notice an analogue tape tracking error during an interview with Robert.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There are two decent soundtracks on offer, one being the usual stereo Dolby Digital 2.0 (why not PCM?) and the other a rather well done Dolby Digital 5.1.

    There were no problems with dialogue or audio sync.

    Whilst musical tastes are very personal, I can say that the sound quality is certainly high enough for passive listening. There is plenty of sparkle to the sound, with good fidelity, and certainly it is a superb Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, even given the lower data rate. However, I would temper that with a proviso that it does not stand close scrutiny, and critical listeners would do best to listen to the CD. It would have been nice if the stereo track was PCM instead of Dolby Digital 2.0, since this application is ideal for PCM audio.

    The surrounds were used as ambience fills, though they also carried a component of the main feeds giving a pleasant if artificial surround experience.

    The subwoofer was used well, giving weight where needed.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Scene Selection Animation & Audio

    There are three different ways you can access the material. You can either jump directly to a video clip and watch it in isolation, or you can jump straight to one of the three “behind the scenes” interview clips, which are quite extensive. You may also watch the whole disc as a “press play and sit back” affair and watch each video in turn with the featurettes inserted with (almost) seamless branching at the relevant spot.

DVD Credits

Web Links

    Both versions are identical, even down to the running time (58 minutes).

    A rather well-presented collection of video clips and interviews, it is obvious that there is money to be found from making what the jacket calls “modern R&B.” R. Kelly fans should need little more incentive to grab this one.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall