Chuck: The Complete First Season Blu-ray

Warner Bros. | 2007 | Not rated | Nov 11, 2008

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Video Video codec: VC-1 Video resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 Audio English: Dolby Digital 5.1 French: Dolby Digital 2.0 German: Dolby Digital 2.0 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 French: Dolby Digital 2.0 German: Dolby Digital 2.0 (less) Subtitles English, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese English, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (less) Discs 50GB Blu-ray Disc Three-disc set

Price List price: $49.99  Amazon: $20.99 (Save 58%) Third party: $20.98 (Save 58%) Usually ships in 24 hours Blu-ray rating Users 3.6 Reviewer 2.5 Overall 3.2 Based on 7 user ratings Playback Region free

Chuck: The Complete First Season

I'm not sure why I had such high hopes for Chuck's 1080p/VC-1 transfer: even the series' most die-hard fans will tell you the show's HD television broadcast is a weekly eyesore that looks noticeably worse than most other high-profile NBC hits. Every episode suffers from heavy artifacting, rampant mosquito noise, wavering contrast, distracting black crush, and uneven grain fields. Any one of these issues would reduce overall image clarity... but the appearance of several at a time undermine any sense of consistent fine detail. Textures are regularly obscured behind a veneer of digital clutter and background objects are often indistinct and unimpressive. Interior shots in the Buy-More or in Chuck's home are usually more pristine, but as soon as Chuck dives into his latest mission, problems pop up everywhere. Moreover, black levels are unresolved, object definition is mediocre, and severe ringing is a constant issue.

The Blu-ray edition does offer inherent qualities that allow it to best the standard DVD -- edges are sharper, colors are bolder, contrast is brighter, and black levels are deeper -- but noise is more prominent, skintones are oversaturated, and delineation is terribly mediocre. All things considered, fans will be disappointed and newcomers will wonder if something is wrong with their discs.

(Please note Chuck: The Complete First Season is presented on three discs: one dual-layer BD-50 and two single-layer BD-25s.)

Chuck: The Complete First Season Blu-ray, Audio Quality

Chuck: The Complete First Season features a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track (sorry guys, no lossless audio here) that handles the series' limited sound design fairly well. Dialogue is clear and intelligible, and effects are evenly distributed across the front soundstage. A welcome dose of LFE support adds a bit of oomph to gunfire and explosions even though, for the most part, conversational scenes go without. While overall dynamics are lacking at times, treble tones are stable, shouts and screams have decided presence, and the show's quirky soundtrack is crisp and nicely prioritized amidst action beats and quieter dramatic scenes. Unfortunately, the rear speakers are timid throughout the series and rarely manage to create an immersive listening experience. Buy-More crowds are eerily silent (as are most scenes in which you would expect a heavier level of ambience), hurried car chases are crammed into the front channels, and interior acoustics are less than convincing. A handful of chaotic action sequences up the ante, but only enough to make this track a passable offering.

As it stands, Chuck's DD track is faithful to the series' original audio, but struggles to draw the listener into its supposedly bustling universe. While fans will be mildly pleased that it replicates the television presentation, I doubt they'll be very excited by what they hear. Audiophiles will shrug their shoulders as well since it's pretty clear that the inclusion of a lossless track really would probably not have made the experience any more involving.