The Persuaders!
Volume 6 
Playable in all World regions
Macrovision copy protected
English sub-titles
Aspect ratio: full frame 4:3 (non 16:9 enhanced)
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0

This review is the property by Drummond Grieve. Unauthorised duplication in whole or in part is prohibited. All opinions expressed herein are mine and are not endorsed by Carlton or The Morning After.

All of the images on this page (with the exception of the DVD sleeve) were taken directly off the disc via a DVD-ROM drive, cropped, resized and compressed as jpg's. Clicking an image will take you to a larger version.

EPISODES:

  1. The Morning After
  2. Read and Destroy
  3. A Death in the Family
  4. The Ozerov Inheritance
DISC SUPPLEMENTALS: REVIEW EQUIPMENT:
THE PICTURE
While all other aspects of this volume feature a drop in quality from previous discs, I am very happy to report that the most important aspects of programme picture and sound have not been compromised in relation to the re-mastered episodes of volume 6's immediate predecessor's. In short, image quality is quite breathtaking with the viewing experience akin, once more, to watching with a brand spanking new pair of eyes. Image is pin sharp; colour rendition is superb; day-for-night sequences are clear with well defined shadow detail. 5-star transfers.

Artefacting was minimal and restricted to one or two instances of posterisation. Posterisation is probably the most unavoidable of DVD artefacts due to the native MPEG2 encoding parameters. It is usually always evident in areas of solid, flat unmoving colour such as walls; and it confuses the hell out of MPEG encoders. Bumping up the bitrate from 8mbps to 9mbps will help significantly (which could have been achieved on this disc due to available space freed up with the loss of extras).

THE SOUND
It still amazes me that monaural sound, especially of this vintage, can sound so crisp and dynamic. The familiar themes played like fresh recordings and once again I should remind everyone that the audio of these episodes has never sounded this good.

CHAPTER STOPS
Okay, okay, with the onset of the cold UK winter months, I can understand old Mr Carlton's need to economise, to cut-back on production costs, to reduce overheads - more shillings for the gas meter after all - but I'm buggered (Australian technical term to describe a sense of bamboozlement) if I can work out the Sterling cost of chapter stops. It must be astronomical for the number of stops to drop from 8 to 4 per episode.

Come on, guys, I myself (as opposed to I, somebody else) use a prohibitively complicated professional disc-authoring programme called, Sonic Scenarist to author my own DVD's and I don't exactly have to mortgage the cat to put chapter stops in. It's the little things, right?

THE EXTRA'S
If you thought the half-buttocked effort that went into the supplemental section on volume 5 was bad, it was a five-star product compared to this latest disc which has absolutely nothing at all in the way of extras. But it's nice to see the boffins at Carlton showing us they have a sense of humour by listing Interactive Menus as being a "Special Feature". Laugh? Never thought I'd start.

THE SUMMARY
The Persuaders! DVD volume 6 features terrific picture and sound, which play without fault or artefact - satisfying the most basic of consumer demands. The disc represents excellent value for money. Let us not confuse "lack of disc extras" with "lack of disc quality". The former is optional and while it would have been very nice indeed to have extras, there is no obligation on the part of dear old Mr Carlton (bless him) to actually provide any; Once again the departure of Jaz Wiseman from Carlton is less than subtly underscored.
 
 
 

 






RATINGS
(1 star poor rating - 5 star excellent)
ratings are relative to the age and quality
of the original elements
PICTURE:
GLITCHES
SOUND
EXTRA'S
VALUE