7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In the early 21st century, mankind has colonized the oceans. The United Earth Oceans Organization enlists Captain Nathan Bridger and the submarine seaQuest DSV to keep the peace and explore the last frontier on Earth.
Starring: Roy Scheider, Stacy Haiduk, Don Franklin, Jonathan Brandis, John D'AquinoSci-Fi | 100% |
Adventure | 43% |
Fantasy | 14% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Ten-disc set (10 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There is no question that man's desire to explore has been one of the cornerstone driving influences of his existence for many millennia now. It is only recently, at least within the larger history of the species, that the desire to explore space took off, sparked by imagination, of course, writings like those of Jules Verne, and the recent technological advancements that have put man in space, on the moon, in orbit, and, hopefully in the years to come, beyond. Space has become within reach, and the vastness of the heavenly expanse affords literally endless opportunity for current and future study. But there is another place, right here on Earth, that is also ripe for exploration: Earth's oceans. Earth's underwater regions, vast as they may be, are certainly much more finite and plausibly explorable today, whether in terms of technology, cost, time investment, and so on. Unlike space, there's a limited field of exploration, yet man has barely scratched the surface, so to speak, of true underwater exploration. Enter SeaQuest DSV, a mid-90s TV show about a (then) future undersea world where both scientific exploration and complex political systems merge into a forward-looking show that finds its place below rather than above yet still tackles many of the same issues that define many of the best space-based Sci-Fi TV shows.
Mill Creek presents SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer framed at its original broadcast 1.33:1 aspect ratio,
which preserves the original TV parameters by placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 HD display. The show looks pretty solid overall.
Certainly, some of the visual effects shots show their age, and the opening title sequence looks awful, but was likely finished on SD video. There are
some banding artifacts here and there, especially in underwater exteriors. While some compression artifacts are apparent, the picture rarely looks like a
glob of digital chunks, even in darker backgrounds. A few speckles pop up here and there, and some static, baked-on debris
crops up in spots, but the picture is fairly clean overall. It's also fairly clean in terms of grain. The show is not at all grainy but rather fairly-to-very
glossy and
lacking much filmic character. To be sure, the level of noise reduction does not push as severe as some of the worst offenders, but there is no mistaking
the clean appearance that is a result of grain removal, leaving details still complex, but inorganic. The picture clearly benefits from the 1080p resolution
anyway. It's sharper than anything viewers have seen before, with crisp and effective textures and clarity, and even looks good in many places,
but there is some room for improvement.
Colors are handled will, offering good depth and natural contrast and temperature grading. Flesh tones are
solid, and many of the darker SeaQuest interiors, made of various shades of black, blue, and gray, hold up well, especially with various
computer terminal accents that offer an abundance of colorful buttons: blue, yellow, red, green, and so forth. Black levels are solid with no major push
to light or to crush. Things could be better, but things could be much worse. If fans watch for the show rather than the peculiars of the transfer -- which
is not perfect but far from poor -- this should make for a serviceable watching experience.
Mill Creek launches SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The presentation neither sinks nor swims, just sort of treading water and delivering a good, solidly foundational listening experience. The two-channel parameters obviously limit the opportunity for expansive activity, which is obvious during some of the more intensive action scenes, but it does allow for standard length across the front and good clarity to all of the basic necessities. Musical spacing and definition satisfy while dialogue is clear and images nicely to the center. Light ambience inside the ship is pleasantly complementary if lacking a bit in terms of substantial immersion. Overall, this is a healthy listen that satisfies within the show's original audio engineering parameters.
This Blu-ray release of SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series contains supplements scattered throughout the set. No DVD or digital copies are
included with purchase. The discs ship inside an overlarge Amaray case (each disc sits on its own hub with no stacking) which itself fits into a
decently
beefy outer box with different artwork.
Season One, Disc One:
SeaQuest never really found consistent footing, but even though it's more like three separate (though obviously very interrelated) shows rather than one unified experience, it's still a fairly solid watch worthy of any Sci-Fi fan's time. Mill Creek's Blu-ray presentation is not at all bad. Video could be better, but it is infinitely watchable. Audio is fine within the two-channel parameters, and supplements are fair in number, at least through the first few discs. Recommended.
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