CSI: The First Season Blu-ray

CSI: The First Season

 (TV) (2000)

Crime | Drama | Mystery



CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a fast-paced drama about a passionate team of forensic investigators trained to solve crimes the old-fashioned way - by examining the evidence. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is on the case 24-7, scouring the scene, collecting the irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that will solve the mystery.

For more details about CSI: The First Season on Blu-ray, see the CSI: The First Season Blu-ray Review

CSI: The First Season Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Reveling in CSI's hyperkinetic flash-n-splash aesthetics and presented in 1.78:1 widescreen for the first time on home video, CBS Video's 1080i/VC-1 Blu-ray transfer will satisfy Grissom fanatics but leave most casual viewers wanting. The series' patented palette gushes lush colors and inky blacks, primaries (particularly reds and blues) pop off the screen, and contrast is bright and vivid. At the same time, skintones are also often flushed or bronzed, whites are hot, and shadows generally envelop and repress details cloaked in the darkness. Overwrought as the visuals may sometimes be, the studio has faithfully replicated the creative team's every intention. What really concerns me here is a variety of distracting technical issues. Textures are surprisingly crisp and refined (especially during close-ups), but foreground elements frequently suffer from a harsh, at-times unnatural appearance that suggests the overzealous use of artificial sharpening. Even though it leads to some startlingly impressive shots and scenes, it also inadvertently produces aliasing, ringing, and pixelation. More distressingly, heavy busts of artifacts, severe night-sky banding, and rampant crush pepper the picture and undermine the integrity of the presentation. Regardless, the Blu-ray edition of CSI: The First Season outclasses its standard DVD counterpart in every way and provides the best renderings-to-date of its twenty-three episodes.

CSI: The First Season Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

A DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track may seem like overkill for a nine-year old television show, but CSI has always been one of the go-to series when it comes to Hollywood-quality sound design and big-budget production values. As a result, CBS Video's lossless package is far more impressive than I assumed it would be. LFE tones are sturdy, aggressive, and resonant, giving flashbacks and kill-cam sequences power and presence. Despite the show's age, the rear speakers are quite active as well, enhancing crime scene chatter, environmental ambience, and interior acoustics. The CSI offices are bristling with shuffling papers and ringing phones while desert investigations are host to rustling trees and skittering rocks. The show's soundtrack benefits as well -- each song is wonderfully mixed, lyrics are crystal clear, and downbeats drop with authority. Moreover, dialogue is crisp, neatly prioritized, and weighty, settling comfortably into atmospheric and bombastic scenes alike without any serious mishaps. Whispered lines are occasionally overwhelmed by other elements in the soundscape, but it rarely detracts from the overall impact of the presentation. Likewise, unavoidable air noise sometimes invades the soundfield but, more often than not, is kept under control. All things considered, CSI: The First Season defies expectation and will leave audiophiles with few complaints.

CSI: The First Season Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Season One of CSI Coming to Blu-ray - February 9, 2009

CSI: The First Season Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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