<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: More than a travel video
Review: 5 stars for the program, 2 stars for the video quality and DVD transfer. 3.5 stars Average. This is the best and most detailed research documentary on "Silk Road" from historic and geographic viewpionts. There are total 12 episodes and last more than 600 minutes. A joint venture work between NHK and China Central TV which took 10 years and 50 millions to compete. The video was shot 10-20 years ago and certainly show its age. Central Park Media did not spend any more effort to improve its quality from the previous LD. There is no chapter selection in each episode. Once start, you have to sit through the entire episode which is about 50-55 minutes long. The sound is mono and passable. Kitaro's music score is nice but tend to get a little annoying after repeated listening at the the beginning of each episode.
Rating: 
Summary: thanks for the helpful review
Review: After reading the one star review, I was really glad to have checked reviews before buying it. As a doctor, I really have no problems spending thousands of dollars per month on dvds. But once you get a lemon, you are very very annoyed. I must thank the reviewer for pointing out the poor transfer to dvd. As for myself, I am a Kitaro fan. Hey, how can you do justice to Kitaro with a MONO soundtrack. Joke, right?
Rating:
Summary: thanks for the helpful review
Review: After reading the one star review, I was really glad to have checked reviews before buying it. As a doctor, I really have no problems spending thousands of dollars per month on dvds. But once you get a lemon, you are very very annoyed. I must thank the reviewer for pointing out the poor transfer to dvd. As for myself, I am a Kitaro fan. Hey, how can you do justice to Kitaro with a MONO soundtrack. Joke, right?
Rating: 
Summary: Buy Full NHK Box Set on E-BAY
Review: Excellent documentary of a fascinating area. If you are interested in this area, you will find this very enjoyable - I know of no other documentary that covers this territory so well.
The video quality is poor, as the other reviews state. But the series is watchable.
The entire series was issued as an NHK box set in asia, which you can get on E-bay for much less then the partial box set released in the US.
Rating:
Summary: Content 5 stars--video 3 stars
Review: Having watched this entire set, I can say that the quality of the content outweighs any qualms about sound or video quality. Yes, the picture looks more like an old VHS tape than a new DVD, but it's not THAT bad. I found it it didn't get in the way of enjoying one of the best documentaries ever made. Bottom line: if you're picky--make that super picky--about video quality, avoid this. If, however, you are really interested in an excellent documentary on the Silk Road, then take the plunge. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding documentary
Review: The content of this documentary is outstanding. Though the video deficiency is not as bad as previous reviews suggest, the content more than makes up for it. I give it a 4-star rating because of the technical deficiency. If not, this is definitely 5-star material.
Rating: 
Summary: A magnificent series.
Review: The DVDs faithfully reproduce the videotapes; I see complaints about the quality of the transfer as unjustified. One would think from reading the other reviews that the DVDs are somehow technically defective; this isn't the case. They don't improve on the original footage, but who reasonably expects them to do that? This is a fascinating documentary series, covering a retracement of the Silk Road from east to west, as recorded by NHK over the course of several years, beginning in 1979. This set contains the first dozen episodes, part I of the series (Boxed Set 1 and Boxed Set 2, which is not to be confused with Silk Road II, the final 18 episodes). It begins in Chang-An and ends in the Pamirs. Part II, alas, doesn't seem to have made it to DVD; that covers the journey from Central Asia to Rome. Titles of the episodes in this set are:
The Glories of Ancient Chang-An
A Thousand Kilometers Beyond the Yellow River
The Art Gallery in the Desert
The Dark Castle
In Search of the Kingdom of Lou-Lan
Across the Taklamakan Desert
Khotan -- Oasis of Silk and Jade
A Heat Wave Called Turfan
Through the Tian Shan Mountains by Rail
Journey into Music -- South Through the Tian Shan Mountains
Where Horses Fly Like the Wind
Two Roads to the Pamirs
Rating:
Summary: Beware - Poor dvd video quality
Review: This DVD suffers from very poor video quality. It doesn't look like they made any serious effort during the transfer to DVD. Unlike in other well produced DVDs, you can actually see very annoying and noticeable pixelations in this documentary. It is reminiscent of the highly-compressed MPEG video clips you can download over the web. If anyone has ever seen how such video clips appear when they are enlarged to full-screen view, then they have a good idea of the type of video quality to expect from this DVD. Yes, it is nearly that bad! The listed retail price for this DVD is VERY excessive considering the lack of effort they put in encoding the video to DVD format. What a shame since the documentary in other respects is very interesting and educational. The firm (Central Park Media) that produced this DVD owes an explanation to its customers as to why it produced such a poor-quality product. The NHK studio that originally filmed the documentary also owe an explanation for why it allowed its licensee (i.e., Central Park Media) to sell such a sloppily-produced DVD.... Potential customers await your explanations. As for myself, I will not be buying any other DVDs produced by Central Park Media. I feel I've been ripped off.
Rating:
Summary: A magnificent series.
Review: We have watched the series on VHS--also a very poor transfer but fascinating film. I had hoped the DVD would be a good transfer but sounds as if that is not the case.
Rating:
Summary: TOO BAD
Review: We have watched the series on VHS--also a very poor transfer but fascinating film. I had hoped the DVD would be a good transfer but sounds as if that is not the case.
<< 1 >>
| 
