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Live From Abbey Road: Best Of Season One (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

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#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

87






Studio and Year: Navarre Corporation - 2007
MPAA Rating: TV-14
Feature running time: 146 Minutes
Genre:

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/60


Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: None
Starring: Natasha Bedingfield, Craig David, Dr. John, David Gilmour, Gipsy Kings, Gnarls Barkley, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Good, the Bad and the Queen, Josh Groban, Iron Maiden, Jamiroquai, Norah Jones, Kasabian, The Kooks, Ray Lamontagne, Amos Lee, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Nerina Pallot, Primal Scream, Corinne Bailey Rae, Damien Rice, LeAnn Rimes, The Zutons
Directed by: AJ Jankel
Produced by: Michael Gleason & Peter Van Hooke
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: November 11, 2008







"Up close and musical"



Film Synopsis:


Features highlights from the first season of the Channel 4 show LIVE FROM ABBEY ROAD, which saw various musical artists perform live at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. The show took the artists into the hallowed studios, and with the only audience being the TV cameras and technicians, they recorded a selection of songs later broadcast in the twelve hour-long episodes. Augmented with interviews, the shows cut through the normal visual effects and studio trickery to showcase the music itself.



My Take:


Airing on the Sundance channel this incredible TV series brings together some of today’s most exciting musicians at London’s famous Abbey Road Studios. Recorded without an audience, it simulates the intimate yet intense atmosphere of the recording studio. Viewers have a unique perspective as they have access to these stellar musicians while they spend the day at Abbey Road, rehearsing, performing, and sharing their musical impressions. This is a great lineup of quality talent that ranges in style and genre. Some I haven’t heard of while there are many whose work I either own or am familiar with. There were several who made an impression, such as Craig David and Corinne Bailey Rae that I now plan on checking out. Each performer has a brief interview where they discuss anything from how it feels to be recording at Abbey Road Studios to how their career has progressed since their early days. I found all of them to be quite interesting and in some cases enlightening. Each performs one musical number which follows their interview and each can be accessed separately from the disc menu. The 25 performances are spread out with 1 through 14 featured in part 1 and 15 through 25 in part 2 on a dual layered BD50. The atmosphere in the studio was a relaxed one that made use of various camera angles to simultaneously capture each of the musicians along with their respective bands performing. I thought this was an excellent experience and a great way to be introduced to these talented craftsman.




Parental Guide:


There was some brief language but nothing that would be inappropriate for the stated rating.





AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 88


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:





Video: 86


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

Live from Abbey Road: Best of season one comes to Blu-ray Disc from Navarre Corporation/BCI featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate 17 mbps and both DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel lossless audio options that have respective average bitrates of 3.0 and 2.3 mbps.

The video was presented in a 1.78:1 frame that seemed well suited to the essence of this material. Images were rendered cleanly with relatively stable sharpness and good high definition resolution that highlighted the physical features of the entertainers and the environment within the studio. Colors had rich tonal depth and naturally vibrant hues that nicely accentuated bright primaries. The divergent complexional characteristics among the various performers had excellent tonal delineation, subtle texture and lifelike quality. Blacks were solid with appreciable gradations in dark areas and backgrounds. Other than some minor background noise I didn’t see any obvious video related anomalies.

With a disc like this it is all about the sound and there are two lossless options that sound equally wonderful. I listened to both and can’t say that I preferred one over the other but it is certainly nice to have a choice. The first thing that jumped out was the superlative clarity of dialogue through the center channel during the interviews. Voices had crystal clear intonation and distinguishable character that elevated even the most minute changes in pitch or inflection to a discernible level. The sound mix didn’t use the center channel during the musical numbers. The front two channels carried the vocals and instrumentation while the surrounds received an ambient mix of the same information that served to extend the soundstage generated by the front speakers. The effect worked quite well and created a satisfying and immersive rear sound field. I was amazed at the depth and imaging that the audio had across the front of the room. Vocals were firmly planted between the main speakers with a noticeable off axis shift that wasn’t as sweet spot sensitive as I would have thought. When in the sweet spot the vocals seemed to be emanating right from the screen itself. They sounded sibilant free, incredibly textured and noticeably smooth in the upper treble. The various instruments hung appropriately in acoustic space outside of the boundaries of the speakers, with each having definitive placement that coincided with where they appeared onscreen. Bass was quick, and tight with excellent low level resonance and decay. It was well focused with snappy low end punch that could easily be felt from anywhere in the room. This was an excellent all around experience that was truly entertaining.

Track list:

  1. John Mayer: "Vultures"
  2. Corinne Bailey Rae: "Put Your Records On"
  3. Dr. John: "I Ain't No Johnny Mercer"
  4. Craig David: "Hypnotic"
  5. Damien Rice: "9 Crimes"
  6. LeAnn Rimes: "Can't Fight the Moonlight"
  7. Josh Groban: "February Song"
  8. Natasha Bedingfield: "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
  9. Wynton Marsalis: "You and Me"
  10. Nerina Pallot: "Idaho"
  11. Jamiroquai: "Love Foolosophy"
  12. Ray LaMontagne: "Trouble"
  13. Gipsy Kings: "Bamboleo"
  14. Norah Jones: "Thinking About You"
  15. David Gilmour: "On an Island"
  16. The Good, the Bad & the Queen: "Nature Springs"
  17. The Kooks: "Naïve"
  18. Gnarls Barkley: "Smiley Faces"
  19. The Goo Goo Dolls: "Iris"
  20. Iron Maiden: "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
  21. Kasabian: "Shoot the Runner"
  22. Primal Scream: "Rocks"
  23. The Zutons: "Valerie"
  24. Dave Matthews: "American Baby"
  25. Amos Lee: "Truth"




Bonus Features:

  • Extended interviews of:

  1. Dave Matthews
  2. Kasabian
  3. Dave Gilmour
  4. Corinne Bailey Rae
  5. Dr. John
  6. John Mayer
  7. Ray LaMontagne

  • Behind the scenes look – 5 minute making of feature





Final Thoughts:


Live from Abbey Road: Best of season one is a must have for music fans. It features some of today’s best artists recording in one of the most revered recording locations in the world. It gives fans a chance to hear from them directly in addition to experiencing them playing live. This Blu-ray Disc presentation from Navarre Corporation/BCI is an excellent one as it delivers high quality video and near reference lossless audio quality that comes in both Dolby and DTS flavors. Recommended.














Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





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Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen

Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

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Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player

Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor

B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 seven Channel amplifier

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APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector

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15
#3 ·
 John Mayer: "Vultures"

Corinne Bailey Rae: "Put Your Records On"

Dr. John: "I Ain't No Johnny Mercer"

Craig David: "Hypnotic"

Damien Rice: "9 Crimes"

LeAnn Rimes: "Can't Fight the Moonlight"

Josh Groban: "February Song"

Natasha Bedingfield: "I Wanna Have Your Babies"

Wynton Marsalis: "You and Me"

Nerina Pallot: "Idaho"

Jamiroquai: "Love Foolosophy"

Ray LaMontagne: "Trouble"

Gipsy Kings: "Bamboleo"

Norah Jones: "Thinking About You"

David Gilmour: "On an Island"

The Good, the Bad & the Queen: "Nature Springs"

The Kooks: "Naïve"

Gnarls Barkley: "Smiley Faces"

The Goo Goo Dolls: "Iris"

Iron Maiden: "Hallowed Be Thy Name"

Kasabian: "Shoot the Runner"

Primal Scream: "Rocks"

The Zutons: "Valerie"

Dave Matthews: "American Baby"

Amos Lee: "Truth"
 
#6 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Potts /forum/post/15096704


The 25 performances are spread out with 1 through 14 featured in part 1 and 15 through 25 in part 2 on a dual sided BD50.

Do I understand this correctly to mean that the disc has layers on each face - i.e. you flip the disc over to play part two?
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinema Squid /forum/post/15099415


Do I understand this correctly to mean that the disc has layers on each face - i.e. you flip the disc over to play part two?

Greetings,


No. The dual layers on the same side. I should have said Dual Layered rather than Sided. In this case after song 14 (Norah Jones) it runs through a brief Abbey Road Montage and begins with part 2.


Cheers,
 
#10 ·
I have the Vivaldi: 4 Seasons Bluray 7.1 and the sound is superb. The mix recreates the experience of near floor seats in a Concert Hall, keeping the stage in front of you but letting the space be created in the surround field. The HD audio track really gives a powerful dynamic range that you need listening to Vivaldi; even in just 5.1, you can definitely tell that you're not listening to a DVD.
 
#12 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by stormcrow2121 /forum/post/15115631


I have the Vivaldi: 4 Seasons Bluray 7.1 and the sound is superb. The mix recreates the experience of near floor seats in a Concert Hall, keeping the stage in front of you but letting the space be created in the surround field. The HD audio track really gives a powerful dynamic range that you need listening to Vivaldi; even in just 5.1, you can definitely tell that you're not listening to a DVD.


Excellent, ordered it just for lossless 7.1 alone, can't wait for it to arrive.
 
#13 ·
Hi Ralph, how many concerts, music type discs have you heard? With all due respect I cannot agree with your audio assesment at all. This is a little disconcerting to me as I use your reviews as do many others to consider buying or not.


I have around 60-70 concerts on BD, HD DVD and DVD and alot of them sound good, some sound great and a few are superb, I have a pretty good system in a sound studio type HT/listening room and its dialed in pretty much spot on.


The AQ on this disc is pretty much complete crap, considering it was done in a studio adds insult to injury. Its a life less, horrible mix that is just plainly lacking any kind of fidelity at all.

Some tracks were marginally better than others but overall a miserable disc in the AQ department, my rating for AQ is 2/5 stars.........rent it at best.


Chris
 
#14 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by JetJockey1 /forum/post/15204813


Hi Ralph, how many concerts, music type discs have you heard? With all due respect I cannot agree with your audio assesment at all. This is a little disconcerting to me as I use your reviews as do many others to consider buying or not.


I have around 60-70 concerts on BD, HD DVD and DVD and alot of them sound good, some sound great and a few are superb, I have a pretty good system in a sound studio type HT/listening room and its dialed in pretty much spot on.


The AQ on this disc is pretty much complete crap, considering it was done in a studio adds insult to injury. Its a life less, horrible mix that is just plainly lacking any kind of fidelity at all.

Some tracks were marginally better than others but overall a miserable disc in the AQ department, my rating for AQ is 2/5 stars.........rent it at best.


Chris

Greetings,


Thanks for offering your assessment Chris. Obviously I don't share your opinion but we are certainly allowed to disagree. I would try not to take that to imply that we must always be in agreement..



Regards,
 
#15 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Potts /forum/post/15205771


Greetings,


Thanks for offering your assessment Chris. Obviously I don't share your opinion but we are certainly allowed to disagree. I would try not to take that to imply that we must always be in agreement..



Regards,

Ralph, of course not, it never ceases to amaze me how so many people have different opinions on audio tracks, I guess thats what makes this hobby so interesting. Must be different ears and likes and dislikes but also big differences in gear and how we have our rigs setup.


On a different note, have you heard the Police concert on BD? I would love to hear your thoughts on the AQ as I believe this is one of the finest music discs for AQ ever. If you like you can PM me if you want to keep your thoughts private.


Kind regards and thanks for replying,


Chris
 
#16 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by JetJockey1 /forum/post/15206209


it never ceases to amaze me how so many people have different opinions on audio tracks, I guess thats what makes this hobby so interesting. Must be different ears and likes and dislikes but also big differences in gear and how we have our rigs setup.

Chris

Agreed with what you said here, especialy with concert audio tracks. I have listened to concert tracks that have come HIGHLY reccomended before and have been less than impressed. A lot of variables as to why we all hear this so dif and I agree that is part of the fascination of the HT hobby



For what its worth here is my mini "humble"
review of the sound of this disc that I put in the tier thread..............



Live from Abbey Road: Best of season 1..............Tier 0


Fantastic mix on this one, and close to ref vote from me. This disc does bass the way it should be done which not all discs do. Full, strong, deep, tight, fills the room nicely and rewards those with a sub or subs that have been properly eq'd. Check out Norah Jones, jamiroquai, David Gilmour, Iron Maden, Gipsy Kings and Dave Matthews for great demonstrations on how bass should sound on disc. Vocals are crystal clear, nice wide soundstage, etc....One thing to note though, and this was not an issue for me as I sit dead center between my Front L @ R speakers is the vocals come out of the L @ R speaker, NOT the center channel for the actual performances which may be an issue if you dont sit in the sweet spot so to speak. These observations are from the DTS-MA track, I did not listen or compare to the TrueHD track.




Needless to say I realy liked this one, especialy the low end. I totaly respect your opinion though jetjocky as we hear these things dif and so many variables as well



I know I allready posted this in the other thread, but if you are looking to get rid of this disc jetjocky(you bought it, right?) I would take it off your hands for a good price. Shoot me a PM if interested. Thanks
 
#17 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toe /forum/post/15207098


Agreed with what you said here, especialy with concert audio tracks. I have listened to concert tracks that have come HIGHLY reccomended before and have been less than impressed. A lot of variables as to why we all hear this so dif and I agree that is part of the fascination of the HT hobby



For what its worth here is my mini "humble"
review of the sound of this disc that I put in the tier thread..............



Live from Abbey Road: Best of season 1..............Tier 0


Fantastic mix on this one, and close to ref vote from me. This disc does bass the way it should be done which not all discs do. Full, strong, deep, tight, fills the room nicely and rewards those with a sub or subs that have been properly eq'd. Check out Norah Jones, jamiroquai, David Gilmour, Iron Maden, Gipsy Kings and Dave Matthews for great demonstrations on how bass should sound on disc. Vocals are crystal clear, nice wide soundstage, etc....One thing to note though, and this was not an issue for me as I sit dead center between my Front L @ R speakers is the vocals come out of the L @ R speaker, NOT the center channel for the actual performances which may be an issue if you dont sit in the sweet spot so to speak. These observations are from the DTS-MA track, I did not listen or compare to the TrueHD track.




Needless to say I realy liked this one, especialy the low end. I totaly respect your opinion though jetjocky as we hear these things dif and so many variables as well



I know I allready posted this in the other thread, but if you are looking to get rid of this disc jetjocky(you bought it, right?) I would take it off your hands for a good price. Shoot me a PM if interested. Thanks

Hey Toe, its not really worth it because I'm in Canada...shipping charges etc.


Thanks though.


And its nice to hear that you have found the same things with others recommends....oh well..its all good fun. And I just realised that I missed the second part of the disc
..I thought it was rather short.LOL


Chris
 
#18 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by JetJockey1 /forum/post/15207586


Hey Toe, its not really worth it because I'm in Canada...shipping charges etc.


Thanks though.


And its nice to hear that you have found the same things with others recommends....oh well..its all good fun. And I just realised that I missed the second part of the disc
..I thought it was rather short.LOL


Chris

Yeah, not realy worth it since you are in Canada, but thanks anyway.


There are some great performances on part 2 when you get a chance
That is funny though as I got up to turn it off after part 1 because I thought it was over
Part 2 started right before I hit the off button on my pre/pro.
 
#19 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by JetJockey1 /forum/post/15204813


The AQ on this disc is pretty much complete crap, considering it was done in a studio adds insult to injury.

Chris

Hi Chris,


Wow, I just listened to the disk and your comments really surprise me. Give me the name of a couple of titles that you really like.......preferably that are the same type format (i.e BD, studio setting...mainly vocals). I'd like to listen to them.


You do know that most pilots are half deaf.



Regards,

John
 
#21 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by evdberg /forum/post/15922326


The back cover states that the region is 1 (NTSC), which is nonsense for a Blu-ray. The review mentions that the region is A. Can somebody confirm that this disc is truly region protected?

I can confirm it is region protected....


I have a bluray player from Japan and it won't play stating "region code error"


 
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