6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 1.0 | |
Overall | 1.0 |
Sport | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 720p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 1.0 |
If this release were worth anything at all, it would come at a good time for Cubs fans. While the team is hovering near the top of the National League central standings, at time of writing half a game behind the upstart and surprising Milwaukee Brewers, it's been something of a disappointing season. After all, coming off a World Series win, the first since 1908 and the team seemingly a dynasty in the making, the North Siders have sort of just floundered around the .500 mark, good enough to likely win the division when it's all said-and-done but not running away with it, as was expected. But who knows. Maybe the Brewers are for real. The Cardinals have a miserable record, but they're the Cardinals and always an annual threat. The Pirates would likely be in first place were it not for a horrendous bullpen, a steroid user, and a drunk. The Reds are still a couple of years away. So it is indeed good timing for Cubs fans who might need a little jolt in the middle of a middling season. That said, Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 doesn't offer much that the combined forces of the two previous releases -- 2016 World Series Collector's Edition and 2016 World Series Champions -- have to offer already. And the more one digs through it, the more repetitive it proves to be and disappointing it becomes.
Because the video quality is identical to the other Cubs release, below is simply a reprint of that collection's video review:
Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 features a 720p transfer framed at the broadcast 1.78:1
aspect ratio. The image is
fine, reflecting the TV broadcast as it was, and fairly precisely. Macroblocking in backgrounds is occasionally visible, sometimes severely, and
aliasing is also prevalent and usually around letters on jerseys, but at-a-glance the presentation satisfies. Uniform details are adequately revealing of
finer material and stitching both on the fabric and various letters, numbers, and patches on jerseys and ball caps alike. Facial
definition isn't movie level complex, but basic pores and flaws, as well as some thick facial hairs, are well defined. Dirt and grass on the field can look a
bit flat; there's not a lot of nuance. Colors are impressive with good basic saturation on the bright Cub blue, Indians red and navy, and green grasses.
Background details in the dugouts, signage around the ballpark, and fans in the stands aren't too terribly exciting, but basic sharpness is fine. Expect
this to look
about the same as the TV broadcasts. Note that all of the World Series games are from FOX broadcasts while the NLCS game is from FS1, but there's
no perceptible differences in quality, unsurprising since they're two branches of the same outfit.
Because the audio quality is identical to the other Cubs release, below is simply a reprint of that collection's audio review:
Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 contains four audio options, three English language tracks and one Spanish track, all
presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless audio. The tracks include the FOX TV broadcast, Cubs and Indians radio, as well as a Spanish language
call. The tracks are fine, with the radio presentations a bit better. The TV broadcast isn't particularly great. Dialogue struggles to push to the middle,
sounding like it's dual-flowing from the
sides and stuck somewhere between the front left and right speakers and the middle of the stage. Background crowd chants are a bit muffled, as is
stadium music and other ambience. Bats on balls and balls into the catcher's mit are identifiable, but not particularly realistic. The radio broadcasts fare
a little better. Background ambience is more muted in comparison, and play-by-play is a little more clear and conscience with a slight bit better push to
the middle.
For fans who already own game seven in the multi-disc box set with all seven games, the real attraction here can only be the two, but lengthy,
supplements, both of which may be found on disc two. The packaging does include an inner-print with game seven's boxscore.
Who is this release for? Likely budget-minded Cubs fans who want to own the complete game seven but who didn't want to shell out the extra money for the rest of the series. It's also for die-hards, but truth be told the release feels uninspired and, to be blunt, pointless. The added supplements are nothing to write home about. The parade footage is fine but could be much better (why not just offer the entire thing as it was aired on television?) and the condensed playoff highlights are fine but choppy and of poor video quality (why not packages with all of the games in their entirety?). The release seems built to capitalize on Cubs fever, right down to just recycling disc seven of the other release as the main attraction. Yes it's the Cubs, yes they won the World Series, but this release, unlike the other two, should not enjoy a spot in any Cubs fan's collection. For those who already own the big eight-disc release: skip it. For those who don't, look for a sale and buy that eight-disc set instead, or pick it up right now; at time of writing, it's only a bit more than twice the cost of this set, and it's a treasure for fans.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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