Rating: 
Summary: not a fireplace
Review: As a conisseur of fireplace video programs, I would have to say that this is by far the worst. Or should I say "blurst." This DVD's technical shortcomings amount to visual misspelling, and I'm afraid I can't recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: What is this?
Review: As a conisseur of fireplace video programs, I would have to say that this is by far the worst. Or should I say "blurst." This DVD's technical shortcomings amount to visual misspelling, and I'm afraid I can't recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy it, play it and relax.
Review: Frankly, I'm a little puzzled by the other reviews of Fireplace - Visions of Tranquility. This DVD offers about as realistic a fire as one could expect on a TV screen. I liked the variety of angles and close-up views. No, you never see the entire fireplace, but if you did, the fire would be miniscule on the TV screen. The producers even went to the added expense of shooting the fire on film to better capture the subtleties of colors in the flames. You also get versions, 16:1 widescreen and 4:3 pan & scan. Sure you can play your own music for additional flavor, but the DVD comes with two music tracks. You can choose baroque Christmas music or a relaxing night music track. Both tracks play with or without a crackling fire sound effect, in your choice of 5.1. 2.0 and DTS surround sound. How many more choices do you want? Buy it. Play it. And relax.
Rating:
Summary: settle that camera down
Review: I agree that this is the worst fireplace video of them all. The makers just don't seem to understand that if watching a real fireplace is soothing and cozy then they should try to recreate that experience. They don't. Instead they fade shots in and out, most of which are annoyingly close up (as though you are sitting with your nose an inch from the fire). Just as you are adjusting to the shot and starting to relax, the shot switches again. It's like sitting to down to watch a fireplace and having to move to a totally different part of the room every minute or so. That wouldn't be relaxing, and neither is this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Relaxing realistic sound and picture
Review: I bought this DVD to put on during our family Christmas and everyone loved it. I mostly wanted it for warm background sound (I used the fireplace sound only option) and to make the TV less of a black hole in the living room. It worked great! It's also very relaxing for those of us who like to go to sleep with the TV on but don't want to be distracted by actual TV shows or movie playing. Nice soothing VERY realistic sound. I found the Christmas music option not very soothing but the night music is okay.
Rating:
Summary: Relaxing realistic sound and picture
Review: I bought this DVD to put on during our family Christmas and everyone loved it. I mostly wanted it for warm background sound (I used the fireplace sound only option) and to make the TV less of a black hole in the living room. It worked great! It's also very relaxing for those of us who like to go to sleep with the TV on but don't want to be distracted by actual TV shows or movie playing. Nice soothing VERY realistic sound. I found the Christmas music option not very soothing but the night music is okay.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect for wide screen viewing
Review: I bought this DVD, despite warnings here that it was a "waste of money," because it was the only DVD that offered a wide screen mode. We have moved to an old house where the fireplace can no longer be used. It seemed like the perfect time to put a flat screen TV right where the fire screen would be. What fun! We bought an extra DVD player so that all we have to do is change the input and voila we have the fire because this DVD is always running on that second player. It is amazing how much having this DVD on in the background warms up the room (well, maybe it is all the electronics producing the heat). This is no longer a two-DVD set; the whole scene is now on just one dvd which can be changed to play fire crackle with or without music. We like the music selections, but we play the DVD so much that we get tired of what's on the DVD. Now we play other music on our stereo speakers while keeping only the fire crackle going on our TV speakers. We work at home and used to have a news channel running in the background; now we mostly have this. The change of perspective on the fire works well for our use because we don't sit and stare at it, but rather just glance from time to time while enjoying the fire's sound and ambience.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect ambiance!
Review: I have to be honest and say I had some reservations when I bought this DVD to add a little more atmosphere to a winter holiday party. I guess I figured it might be a little cheesy. Happily, though, I was dead wrong. This is truly a well put-together production that really takes advantage of the DVD format to offer you not only a choice of screen formats, but also a choice of both classical or baroque-style Christmas music mixed in with the flames, or - if you prefer - nothing but the sound of the crackling fire. Bottom line: a great accompaniment to any winter occasion; whether it's a holiday party or simply something to have on in the background while you chat, cook, read a book, or do whatever. And - unlike a movie - this is something you can enjoy all night long, over and over again. My advice: a definite "buy".
Rating: 
Summary: Add a touch of Christmas music!
Review: I was, at first, disappointed with this DVD, primarily because it consists totally of close-up shots of a blazing fire in a fireplace. Some in-out panning would have decreased the boredom.However, I combined this DVD along with some very good Christmas music, and lit an aroma candle. Then I leaned back, watched, listened, smelled, and did some very serious, pleasant daydreaming.
Rating:
Summary: Zoom in, zoom out
Review: If you don't have a fireplace and want that fire ambience for Christmas or something, you might pick up this DVD and think, hey... here's something... but you'd be wrong. Instead of a steady shot on a full-sized fire, this is an hour of the camera zooming in and out on individual flames, logs, etc. Never once is there a full shot to give you that "fire" feeling. Definitely not worth the money.
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