Toto - 25th Anniversary Live In
Amsterdam (2003/HD-DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C Concert: C
Toto - 25th Anniversary
Live In Amsterdam
(2003) continues to be enough of a choice release from Eagle Rock that after DVD-Video
and Blu-ray editions, they have decided to issue the concert in HD-DVD and it
offers the best playback of the concert to date. The following links show the
coverage of its content:
DVD-Video
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/502/Toto+25th+Anniversary+in+Amsterdam
Blu-ray
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4583/Toto+-+25th+Anniversary+Live+In+Amsterdam+(2003/Blu-ray)
This new
HD-DVD has 30GB versus the 25GB of the single-layer Blu-ray and the Eagle
Vision HD label is taking advantage of that with an audio upgrade. The 1080i 1.78 X 1/16 X 9 digital High Definition
image was not so great at the time, though HD-to-DVD tradedowns were more
volatile then. In this new 1080p format
of Blu-ray, you can see limits of the HD shoot, that this was an early shoot
when HD was not used as often and the new clarity shows new flaws. With that said, this looks better than the
previous DVD, but with again reservations.
It is more on par with the Blu-ray and both show the limits of the
interlaced source.
I am
still not impressed with the sound mix either, here again offering PCM 2.0
Stereo and 5.1 mixes in Dolby Digital and DTS HD 5.1. The DTS HD (96/24) 5.1 is better than the
standard DTS on the previous editions and is the one fans will want, but the
DTS was the preferred mix in the first place making that no surprise. The combination of sound and picture makes a
mixed concert nicer to sit through, but this is not necessarily the better of
the first wave of Eagle HD-DVD titles.
The extras are also the same as the DVD and Blu-ray, but once again they
exhibit no major difference. In both HD
versions, this is as good as this program is going to get.
- Nicholas Sheffo
