7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The further adventures of Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, Raj, Penny, Bernadette and Amy.
Starring: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal NayyarComedy | 100% |
Romance | 28% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish=American & Spaniard
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Season Nine of The Big Bang Theory saw several notable developments, including changes in
key relationships, numerous guest stars and the show's 200th episode. But the single most
noteworthy event in the most recent season of CBS's venerable comedy has gone largely unnoticed,
except for a few fan sites. Current half-hour network shows usually run about 22 minutes in
length, leaving eight minutes for commercials, which is already a shorter running time than in
earlier eras of TV, when 25 minutes was the standard running time. In BBT's most recent season,
however, episode length has steadily shrunk, with many episodes cut down to a mere 18:30
minutes of plot and punchlines, thereby allowing 11:30 minutes of ads and station promotions. If
you're like me and DVR the show in order to fast-forward through commercial breaks, you
weren't imagining the sensation that you had to hold down the FF button longer this season.
The reflex interpretation of this trend would be to blame CBS for shamelessly squeezing more
advertising revenue from one of its prize properties, but the network may not be entirely to
blame. The Blu-ray set of BBT's Season Nine includes not only a digital copy, but also an offer
with the bold, red-and-black headline: "Get 3 New Episodes with No Commercials". Submit the
included code, and you receive the option to stream the first three episodes of the new season the
day after they air, without the eleven-plus minutes of annoying interruptions. Of course, if you want
to see all of Season 10 that way, you'll have to pay Warner $39.99 for the privilege; so networks
aren't the only ones angling to profit from the show's ever-increasing commercial baggage.
Issues of length aside, BBT's Season Nine retains all the familiar qualities that the show's loyal
fanbase expects. The Blu-ray extras are a little thinner than in previous seasons, but the audio and
video quality remains consistently good.
As with previous seasons, Warner has released BBT's Season Eight on two 1080p, AVC-encoded BD-50s. The result, like BBT's visual style, is consistent with prior season releases. The digitally acquired image is sharp and detailed without any harshness, and there are no obvious artifacts in the form of video noise, banding or other anomalies. Blacks are deep and solid, and the bright colors reflect typical TV sitcom aesthetics. The image rarely "pops", but it's never dull. The average bitrate continues to hover around 15.9 Mbps for each episode, which seems to be sufficient given the nature of the material and the quality of the compression work.
On the audio front as well, the Blu-rays of BBT's Season Nine are consistent with prior seasons. The 5.1 sound mix, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, remains front-oriented, with audience reaction shading to the sides and a little to the rear. The major use of surrounds occurs during the whirling-atom scene changes and the Bare Naked Ladies theme song that opens and closes each episode. The Star Wars-themed Episode 11 ("The Opening Night Excitation") provides a few opportunities for a more daring audio presence, especially in the thunderous opening, but overall BBT's soundtrack remains focused on the dialogue, which is carefully prioritized over the studio audience reactions.
The announcement of each new BBT Blu-ray set inevitably provokes complaints at Blu-ray.com
that the show is past its prime, ripe for cancellation, etc. The legions of loyal fans who tune in
each week and routinely drive the Blu-ray sets to the top of the sales charts would beg to differ.
They don't even seem to mind that the episodes are being squeezed down to just over half the
show's time slot. At this rate, Sheldon may barely have time to say "Bazinga!" Still, Blu-ray
remains the format in which BBT is presented to best advantage, and for fans of the show, Season
Nine is highly recommended.
2007-2008
2007-2008
2008-2009
2008-2009
2009-2010
Comic Con Panel Q&A Bonus Disc
2009-2010
2010-2011
Comic Con Panel Q&A Bonus Disc
2010-2011
2011-2012
2011-2012
2012-2013
2012-2013
2013-2014
With Lenticular Packaging
2013-2014
2013-2014
2014-2015
2016-2017
2017-2018
2018-2019
2018-2019
1994-2004
2017-2024
2008-2009
2011-2012
2007
Extended Cut | Extra Dope Edition
2011
2015
2018
2003-2004
Extended Cut
2008
2011
2009
2009
2011
2018
2005
Collector's Edition
2012
2008
2011
2013-2014