At least the 5.1 DTS - HD MA remix of the original Cantonese audio offers a genuine upgrade (that
mono track is on board as well in DD 2.0), although it mostly just broadens the front channels during the gunfights — sporadically and randomly at that.
Both a DD 5.1 remix and the original
mono track are on board, the latter of which is the preferred option: Though the musical sequences are spacious and loud -LRB-!)
Not exact matches
Mono meals
are very easy
on your digestive
track making them desirable for those who have a sensitive system
Filmed in 2.35:1 Panavision and originally released in four -
track magnetic stereo sound (a rarity in 1975, a period in which nearly all movies
were mono), the movie
was all but impossible to appreciate
on television and even subsequent superior home video formats like laserdisc.
What
is the point of having a
mono track on a Blu - ray disk?
The attendant remix seems more reverent of the movie's aesthetic virtues and limitations, barely doing more than providing a lossless platform for the original
mono track, which
is on board as well in DD 2.0.
The sound
on the film
is also notable packing a great DTS - HD Master Audio
Mono track.
Ultimately, the most frustrating thing about it
is that there
's plenty of room left
on the BD - 50 for one measly
mono track.
This uncompressed
mono track retains the authenticity of the time period and
is surprisingly dynamic
on this Blu - Ray release.
I
was meanwhile pleasantly surprised by the Dolby Digital 5.1 listening option, an enveloping remix marred less by its lossy encode than by an indecisive use of the subwoofer that made me glad the original
mono audio
was preserved
on another
track.
The Dolby Digital 2.0
Mono tracks may not
be perfect but they
are able to deliver for these aged film, especially with Max Steiner's amazing score
on «She».
The original
mono mix hasn't aged as well — it
's shrilling in the highs, and dialogue levels
are a bit rough in spots — but similar to Fox» Son of Fury and the Castile DVDs, Newman
's score has
been isolated
on a separate
track, and as a special bonus, contains the true stereo remixes used for the 2000 soundtrack CD from Film Score Monthly, plus additional score and source cues from a surviving music & effects mix not used for the CD.
The late composer enjoyed a lengthy career scoring television and feature films (including - surprise - «Patrick») and though a stereo album of his music
was released
on CD, the DVD includes an isolated
mono score
track which allows viewers to not only experience May's gift for enhancing the film's eerie mood, but compare his contributions with that of mixer Fenton, himself still involved with many of Peter Weir's films.
A full remix or surround - sound conversion
was not necessary, but the absence of a more robust lossless
track for the
mono on both releases
is odd.
Shout presents a 2.0 DTS - HD MA
track, which
is great for those who prefer two - channel
mono, but the
track should snap to centre - channel monaural, as God intended, if you turn
on your receiver's Pro-Logic decoding.
Presented in 1080p high definition
on Blu - ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a great sounding DTS - HD MA (Master Audio)
Mono lossless
track, the low budget film has
been superbly restored for HD.
The Blu - ray dispensed with the awful fake stereo
track from the DVD and just went with the appealing monaural mix that also appeared
on that release; the DTS - HD MA
mono was a little warmer and cleaner than the DVD's audio.
Voices
are clear but static
is thick in the background — and though there
's less of it
on the
mono track (which
is a bit punchier as well), the two
are otherwise virtually indistinguishable.
It would
be a nice touch to provide a
mono soundtrack for movies like this that
was unrestored, preserving more of the flavour that an optical
track might have had
on release, but it sounds as if all three mixes
on the disc (a Dolby Digital Surround EX option running at 640 kbps splits the difference between the DTS and the
mono) come from the same scrubbed and remastered source.
The sound
on the other hand
is good but nothing amazing with its DTS - HD MA
Mono audio
track.
Disc 2 includes the music video, and though the liner notes state Tangerine Dream
's music appears
on an isolated
track, it
's actually the album
tracks in
mono, minus the Ferry and Jon Anderson vocal cuts.
BAC claims the
Mono has twice the suspension travel of a Lotus 2 - Eleven and that it
's primarily a road car that happens to
be mighty
on track.
We've also got a
track test of the BAC
Mono 2.5 (also at Anglesey), and with Christmas
on the horizon there
's a comprehensive product guide to give you some ideas.
With Webb himself
being involved in the development work
on the BAC
Mono circuit - focused sports car, a seemingly proportionate amount of his time spent
on pCARS
was spent trying out the semi-sim game's own rendering of the Cheshire - built
track day toy, pointing out to the developers where their version of the car does and doesn't mirror the real deal.
The company included a special one - ear mode, which allows runners to listen to their favorite
tracks in
mono while maintaining the ability to hear what
's going
on in the world around them.
For those who run in high - traffic environments, the company has included a special one - ear mode, which allows runners to listen to their favorite
tracks in
mono while maintaining the ability to hear what
's going
on in the world around them.