The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace Blu-ray Movie Review

Yule not get warm by this fire, but it's a nice enough substitute for the real thing.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 21, 2015

Baby, it's not cold outside. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania had its privileges, chief amongst them cold Christmas days and at least a reasonable chance of a White Christmas. Contrast that to Central Texas where the high on Christmas Day 2015 is scheduled to be a whopping 75. Seriously? It's hard to get into the Holiday spirit when one cannot even wear a favorite Christmas sweater for fear of melting into a puddle in five minutes. So much for a white Christmas, unless a white T-shirt counts, or maybe one of those hideous artificial white trees. Count out hot chocolate, too, and forget about cozying up to the fireplace after all the gifts have been ripped open. That is unless, of course, one owns The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace, a Blu-ray that's 80-some minutes of fireplace imagery and optional Christmas music playing on top. It's fine for what it is, not without a wish list for self-improvement and a few items on its naughty list, but it's a serviceable holiday themed "fireplace" video that's just right for those times when it's too hot for the real deal.

There's no gathering wood and no need for pokers, but there's also no warmth and no place to cuddle. The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace suffers from the same crude problems, but brings the same raw benefits, of other fireplace videos. What's different here is that this isn't a static image. It's not panning around, but the video intermittently cuts from one shot to another, usually switching between a casual medium-distance image that captures the entirety of the hearth and a zoomed-in view of something inside. But at all times it's strictly a fireplace. There are no shots of the surrounding mantle or any decorations that may or may not be there -- this could have been filmed in July for all anyone knows -- so at the very least audiences are literally getting what they pay for, the somewhat misleading image on the front cover that also shows a decorated Christmas tree notwithstanding.

There's also a selection of thirty Christmas songs (and a couple of overlapping variations thereof) that are available, each selectable via chapter select. There's no real standard or theme here beyond "Christmas." Instrumental and vocal are mixed together. Styles range from traditional to cheerful with all variety in between. The music may be heard either by itself or in conjunction with fireplace crackles (which is the default option). There's also a music-less option that features just the crackling fireplace sounds so one may read or listen to their on music instead. Unfortunately, artists are not identified; the disc lists song titles only, making it a little harder to track down a favorite (fortunately, it's 2015 and the curious can just ask Siri).

Below is a list of songs available on the release. Each is selectable via menu option.

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• Away in a Manger
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
• Mary Had a Baby
• Jesus, Joy of Man's Desiring
• O Holy Night
• The First Noel
• O Come All Ye Faithful
• Ave Maria
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Medley)
• Silent Night
• March From "The Nutcracker"
• Angels We Have Heard on High
• Carol of the Bells
• We Three Kings
• What Child Is This
• Here We Come A Caroling
• Sleighride
• Go Tell It On the Mountain
• O Holy Night
• O Come O Come Emmanuel
• In the Manger
• Joy to the World
• O Little Town of Bethlehem
• Angels We Have Heard on High
• Good King Wenceslas
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas
• O How Joyfully/Deck the Halls
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
• O Tannenbaum

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace's 1080i image varies a bit but generally satisfies. General medium-distance fireplace shots look quite nice. Viewers will note fine details on the andirons and, of course, the textured wood itself, showing fine bark textures and burned spots. Colors are limited to fiery reds, oranges, and yellows. The deeper reds underneath contrast nicely with the orange and yellow flickering flames that dance around the middle and top. Extreme close-ups tend to push blacks a bit more pale than is ideal, noise is more pronounced, and details tend to go a little softer the closer to the wood the camera goes.

Of crucial note is the image's single worst flaw. There's a stuck white pixel a bit to the left of, and slightly above, center, which stands out like an eyesore. It's noticeable throughout, though if the shot is just right it can get eaten up by the fire or almost look like something in the background. Unfortunately, once one sees it it's impossible for the eye not to be drawn to it.

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace contains three soundtrack options, two of which are mislabeled in the menu. The first, and the only correctly described, option is a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that combines music and the sounds of the crackling fireplace. Track two, listed as "5.1 Dolby Digital - Music Only" in the menu is actually a second TrueHD 5.1 track that keeps music and eliminates the fireplace ambience. Last in the menu is "2.0 - Fireplace Crackling," which is actually a Dolby Digital 5.1 track.

The combination TrueHD track presents material with a wide berth across to the sides and throughout the back. Balance is fine. The opening song, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, plays with lyrics dominating the front-center portion of the stage. O Holy Night enjoys a much wider vocal choral spread. Instrumental clarity is solid though not quite spectacular in all instances, and there's a nice low end support, not dominant or even very prominent but helpful in giving the music a fuller, more detailed definition. Surrounds are engaged just enough to aid, not overburden, though the more aggressive songs send a bit more information into the back channels. The crackling fireplace ambience actually adds a nice touch and covers up some of the crunchy flaws and generally unkempt variations in tracks like In the Manger. The Dolby Digital "crackling" 5.1 track produces a touch of ambience but is stationed predominantly up the middle. Little sonic details aren't totally transparent and realistic, but it gets the basic sonic signature across well enough that a casual walk-by might fool somebody into believing they're hearing a real fireplace.

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace contains no supplemental content.

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Yule Log: Christmas by the Fireplace is for people who either don't have a fireplace and want that fireplace ambiance -- minus the warmth -- or people who don't live in a climate that's exactly ripe for a fire on Christmas morning. Video is fine (minus the pixel annoyance) and audio is suitably robust. At least in Texas Santa will probably have a clean chimney into which he can descend with his bag full of presents. Sigh. Oh, to be young and in a real Christmas climate again.