Excellent performance, good sound but catastrophic picture
599219
I bought these DVDs separately a couple of years ago. Now I am amazed by the high score given by the other reviewers. I have no argument with them about the excellent performances. In CD format, I would give them five stars but for god's sake how could you tolerate the bad picture full of haze and bad lighting. I watched these performances once and couldn't watch them any more.
2060922
5 stars for the performance, but -4 stars for the DVD. :(

The sound on this is almost unlistenable and the picture also shakes throughout the entire DVD making it also unwatchable. I've been waiting for a DVD copy of this for years. It's finally here and it's been absolutely ruined.

EDIT: On a side note, I actually own the VHS version of this concert and it is nearly flawless. The video on the DVD shakes so bad that it literally gave me a headache. The audio contains a low pitched hum in the background that absolutely ruins the music itself. I cannot stress this enough - you will be extremely disappointed unless the manufacturers can somehow fix these problems. I bought 2 copies and had to send them both back.

EDIT #2: Some of these reviewers giving this DVD 5 stars must not have even watched this. I'll state this as clearly as possible AGAIN. The VHS performance of this released overseas has good sound and video. This DVD has horrible sound and video. It's not the 'source' material. The company manufacturing these DVDs blew it big time. I've seen this performance on laserdisc, VHS and television. All were just fine. But I had to turn off this DVD after 5 minutes - I couldn't believe how bad it actually was. It makes me mad that some people on here are giving this release 5 stars and misleading people. Please don't support companies that release fantastic concerts in such a horrible way.
1744505
A fantastic performance recorded with an outstanding 5.1 audio track. but the video is very poor, even when played through one of the finest DVD players made and watched on a 50" Pioneer Elite plasma screen. Im a big Sarah Brightman fan but, if they can, the video portion of this program needs to be cleaned up. if the video was up to modern standards I would have given this disc 5 plus stars.
1099558
Bought this a couple of days ago.
The good:
Nice picture - 5 stars (would have given it 3 stars if it weren't for the picture)

The bad:
Digital Optical Out appears to be downgrading the signal from Dolby/DTS to what sounds like stereo (this even when the source is the BluRay player which for sure outputs the full surround sound.  My A/V Receiver is an Onkyo with no HDMI inputs so I use the Optical Input to receive sound from the TV hoping that it would faithfully deal with the sound from the HDMI source and output Dolby Digital or DTS - but it does not - it seems to be PCM or some lower quality sound - certainly it's a lower volume. When I connect the BluRay and Satellite box directly to my Onkyo receiver to its other Digital Optical inputs, I get the full surround sound experience with Dolby/DTS so there isn't any problem with the A/V receiver.

Smart TV
a) Not so smart as far as handling the network connection. I also have an old Logitech Revue Google TV connected and that handles Netflix and YouTube streaming perfectly. The Smart TV almost instantly gives up stops and tells me my (wired) network connection is not good enough.
b) No capability (as far as I can make out) to download Google TV applications.
586528
This is rated 5 for performance, 3 for sound.

All in all, this is a terrfic interpretation of the Mahler 1st, lushly and thrillingly played by the LA Phil, which is long overdue its deserved recognition.

However, DG seems intent on bringing us Maestro Dudamel largely through the medium of recorded live performances.  While that does cut the budget nicely, it can result in less than ideal quality of sound, which is the case here. On the positive side, the engineers turn up the volume during the quiet and slow sections, letting us hear details that are missing in typical symphonic recordings.  And the excessive reverberation provides a wonderfully warm patina over the entire performance.

On the negative side, the reverb is way overdone. Brasses have an "otherwordly" sound to them like something out of Hearts of Space. Lower frequencies are reproduced not as the musical sound of drums and bass fiddles, but as some sort of generic rumble,like the sound of a passing subway train or railroad car.

Much of the excitement that Maestro Dudamel is so clearly trying to establish is blunted by the tendency of the engineers to turn the volume way down during the louder and faster sections, particularly at the end of the first movement.  In the video we see the conductor clearly signal "forte" (louder) and we see the musicians digging in.  However, the sound on the recording actually gets quieter at that point. It is hoped that DG will provide better sound quality for the remaining recordings in Maestro Dudamel's Mahler cycle.

If you are a Dudamel fan, this DVD provides a solid momento of an auspicious occassion. However, it does not replace Bernstein (Sony) or Walter (Sony) or Leinsdorf (London Phase 4 LP) as my favorite recordings of Mahler's magnificent symphony.
4102421
I'd actually rate this 4.5

The limitations of this film are minor, PROVIDED it is watched (1) on a big screen, (2) in high definition and (3) with high quality, powerful surround sound.  If -- and only if -- all these are present the beauty and realism extends far beyond one scene or two, involvement in the action becomes intense, and the sheer reality that comes through one's senses is convincing and powerful.

A cautionary tale: Though I ordered this in HD via Roku streaming, I immediately noticed the picture was soft and unfocused, clearly not HD.  Turns out the Amazon video menu on my Roku, though saying "HD" (with no other choices offered), delivered a picture more washed out and blurry than most SD films; even the audio was thin and lacking heft. Bad news!

I couldn't bear to watch more than five minutes before phoning Amazon to complain and demand a refund.  Surprisingly, they were able to correct the problem and route an HD version to my video library at the same cost. HUGE difference!  Rather than a tepid low budget yawner, it was hard to believe this wasn't a big budget spectacular.  Like a fortuitous string of dominoes, the realism made the danger SEEM dangerous, the spaceship (despite a few technical gaffes) a REAL deathtrap and even the characters better rounded and more sympathetic.  In short, everything then "clicked."

I have no idea if this problem extends to other platforms, but even in HD a small screen or mediocre sound may cripple this film's impact.  It REQUIRES sensory dazzle to actually work.  Be sure you get it -- or stay away.
2223980
The performances of the three works are among the best I have heard. The sound quality of the Concerto and the Dance Suite is outstanding, but the last movement of MUSP&C is marred by distortion. I'm giving the disc 5 stars despite this flaw. Unfortunately, the same recording of MUSP&C is included in other London/Decca compilations.
2742792
Excellent picture, easy set up, excellent style and appearance. The only serious deficinecy is audio output where the sound can be controlled by the TV volume control.

Curbside delivery of such a large object is inappropriate.
2843335
Litton and the Dallas Symphony give a technically brilliant performance.  I bought this album for the Festive Overture, a difficult piece to find played by a major symphony, but enjoyed the other works as well.  The major drawback is the absolutely awful engineering.  It sounds like it was recorded at a very low dynamic level as noted by other reviewers, then "played with" to make it sound more "dramatic."  It did not work!  If you are looking for a great Symphony No. 5 with superb sound, try the Previn/Chicago Symphony remastered edition with the 4th as a great bonus.  It is an interpretation with real bite, superb playing by CSO, and exceptional sound.  The Haitink/Concertgebouw disc is DDD, and the interpretation, while a bit more reserved, is also spot on.
4420284
The performances are very good -- propulsive and exciting.

The sound is excellent, albeit slightly sterile, sounding almost as if it were recorded in a studio.

The video is poor, the worst I've encountered in a symphonic performance Blu-ray. A diffusion filter appears to have been used, and it softens the image, reduces detail and adds an unfortunate bloom to the whites.

Worse yet, the direction, camerawork and editing are awful. There are a lot of frequent cuts and overlapping images. At times, a freeze frame is used -- a very gimmicky effect that pulls you right out of the moment and makes you aware of the director. It made me appreciate even more the crystal-clear, well-directed EuroArts Blu-rays, which successfully convey a "you are there" quality that adds greatly to the excitement.

This was a lost opportunity.
3520856
This is a glorious concert and beautiful presentation. Other reviews have elaborated on what makes this such an enjoyable disc to possess. I would only add a couple of disclaimers:

Sony has not provided a subwoofer channel for either the stereo or surround tracks. While it is normal not to provide a subwoofer channel for PCM stereo, it is unusual not to provide it for surround. (The surround track on this disc is 5.0, not 5.1.) This means that in surround mode the typical home-theater setup will lack all bass below a certain frequency. Depending on your A/V receiver, you may or may not be able to select a setting that will extract the bass from the other 2 or 5 channels and re-direct to your sub. I have a workaround whereby I can hear the bass, along with synthesized, rather than the original, surround sound; thus, unlike one of the reviewers, I find the sound perfectly fine. The negative review is ostensibly from the CD, which could have sound problems not shared with the Blu-ray; however, I also note that some of these reviews mis-attribute their source. One reviewer clearly refers to the quality of the video in spite of having entered his review under the CD category; so one can't really be sure of exactly what is being reviewed here. Could it be that the reviewer who didn't like the sound was actually reviewing the Blu-ray or DVD and got caught in the subwoofer trap? Sony should be ashamed of not releasing this in 5.1.

Also, some have noted the lack of Julie Andrews' introductions on this disc, while at least one other review said they were present. My copy does not have her introductions; the only sign of her is a brief glimpse of her in the audience. I am not aware of multiple versions of this disc, so be aware that you probably won't get Julie. Fortunately, however, the ballet sequences are present, as bonuses rather than merged in as they were on the U. S. telecast.

One other trifle: the run time is given as 145 minutes; this is a little strange because it includes some, but not all the bonuses. The run time for the concert itself is 119 minutes. If you add the bonus ballet sequences, you get approximately 145 minutes (really 144). If you also add the "Musik in der Luft" bonus, the grand total is 165 minutes. Maybe they didn't count "Musik in der Luft" because it was the only feature lacking surround sound?
3635208
Beautiful sound, beautiful performance, the change is so dramatic it is unbelievable.  The most irritating thing is the speaker wire hook ups.
Essentially screw post type, but a new improved twenty-first century design
to help you learn new cuss words.  Seriously, I love this amp and would
highly recommend it to anyone.
329810
The picture on this hdtv is gorgeous, but the sound is horrible: tinny and annoying.  I considered returning the tv and replacing it with one that includes a headphone jack.  After researching expensive solutions like sound bars that are move expensive -- and larger--than the tv and failing to locate any pc speakers that don't require a headphone jack, which this tv does not have, I found that my old Altec ipod speaker plus a $9.99 stereo mini to RCA "Y" cable met my needs.  The sound is terrific.  Yes, I do have to turn the sound on and off manually, but with the fantastic Toshiba picture and the low price of the tv I'm very happy with my bargain.
429198
Interesting performance.  Extremes in dynamics will challenge even the best sound systems.  The strings become so soft at times that they lose quality,  become raspy & suffer intonation problems. However, I find the performance heart-felt and at times moving. But, really, the players of the Berlin Philharmonic are artists, and to have to endure a conductor hovering over them, making demented faces and wild gestures is surely an insult and demeaning experience, and as such is a testiment to their powers of restraint.  I would have thrown my mute at him after the 1st movement.  Also, Mahler's instructions aside, I find the horn soloist being repositioned at the front problematic.  Abbado's placing him alone at the back in the Lucernce performance is more effective, as it doesn't give promenance to accompanying motifs which the soloist sometimes plays. I have viewed the DVD once, but because of Rattle's antics I'll stick to the included sound-only DVD in the future.
1286652
The early performances of Tom Jones performed on this DVD are

good and entertaining, but the quality of the picture sharpness and the quality of sound are inferior, perhaps due to he age of the performances filmed in this DVD.

It's great to see him in his younger days, so handsome and so full of talent - he is the best entertainer I have ever seen. It is okay to have this in your collection, you will enjoy it, but don't expect great sound or total clarity. I suppose I would still recommend this DVD despite the poor quality of film, etc.

If you want a really great sound and performance, I recommend the most recent DVD "Tom Jones Live at Cardiff Castle". The sound is great, the band is absolutely terrific and Tom Jones will prove to you in this DVD that "he still has it" - his performance is outstanding and he puts his total heart and soul into his performance. Although, he must now be in his mid 60's, he still has the power in his voice. He is a perfectionist...he is the best!!! The interview of him is interesting. This DVD is highly entertaining and lengthy. You will not be disappointed.
3935103
This movie is beautiful in Blu Ray but when I first attempted to play it, my Sony 300 and 301 shut down right as the movie started.  I noticed that it used a brand new DTS-HD Master Audio (only!) 5.1 surround sound and suspected that this was causing the problem, so I went to the Sony site and downloaded and then burned the latest firmware for each of the players, installed them and now the disc plays perfectly on both players.  The trouble is that Sony had notified me in the past about such upgraded firmware and they didn't this time.  You can also get the CD of the upgrade on the Sony site as well and they'll send it to you.
1546799
Id really like to give this Blu-ray 5 stars, but it only deserves 4.

The good: Well, its Rush, so its going to be good. The setlist is fantastic, the music is incredible, the new music from Clockwork Angels is among their best in 30 years (the string ensemble adds a unique touch), and these guys have more energy and far more talent than musicians half their age.

The not so good: Theres definitely something wrong with the sound. Of the four Rush Blu-ray concerts I own, I need to crank the volume 3 times louder to get the same level of sound. I only have 2.1 channels, but I echo reviews from others about the sound quality. Geddys voice is also not what it used to be, but hes 60. Give him a break.

The bad: This concerts editing looks like it was done with a blender. The director and producers wanted to capture the concert-like feel from the perspective of the concertgoers. But it flops. Carnies is a perfect example of the horrendous editing. Whenever the camera should be on Geddy, it's on Alex. When it should be on Alex, it's on Neil. Et cetera. And who wants to see the concertgoers more than the band? With so many cameras, how can the editors be late showing the pyrotechnics? Unbelievable. We don't watch Rush to see whos attending  we watch it to see the band.

I still recommend the disc as the setlist is among their best, Neil is ageless and has never played better, and because, well, its Rush. I'll support this band no matter what.