Robin Hood: Season One Blu-ray

Robin Hood: Season One

 (TV) (2006)

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance



People's hero, war hero, romantic hero and leader of the world's most famous resistance group...Robin Hood is known and loved by millions around the world. His fight against a corrupt government and greedy officials is something we all can connect with. Fun, modern and intelligent, the BBC's Robin Hood is guaranteed to appeal to today's sophisticated viewers and is set to be as popular as the new Doctor Who. Sharp, witty scripts by Dominic Minghella and a striking new look set the tone as the BBC updates this popular legend for all the family.

For more details about Robin Hood: Season One on Blu-ray, see the Robin Hood: Season One Blu-ray Review

Robin Hood: Season One Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Robin Hood: Season One arrives on Blu-ray with a nauseating 1080i/VC-1 transfer that renders the lively forests of Sherwood with rather haphazard care. First, the good. The series’ lush palette looks far more lifelike in high definition than it did on the first season's flat and murky DVD release. Skintones are more natural, primaries are more vibrant, and blacks are substantially deeper. That’s not to say the darkest scenes are flawless -- source noise and crushing are frequent issues, fine detail is occasionally blotted out by overzealous contrast, and delineation isn't nearly as revealing as I would have liked. Even so, the image has clearly reaped the inherent rewards of the BD upgrade.

Unfortunately, it's just not enough. While fine textures and background details are sharper, too many hazy shots, soft edges, and clarity inconsistencies litter the proceedings. Worse still, artifacting pops up on more than one occasion, faint banding affects bright skies and candlelit interiors, and bouts of crush are a distraction during nighttime scenes. Moreover, faces are often texture-free, resolution is faulty, and I suspect some heavy-handed DNR was even slathered on the transfer (for what reason I can't imagine). I even caught regular instances of motion smearing, ghosting, aliasing, and mosquito noise. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the transfer a complete waste of space, but it's definitely one of the worst BD television presentations I've reviewed.

All things considered, diehard series regulars might appreciate the slight visual improvements, but newcomers and casual fans will be far too annoyed with the crumbling image to care.

Robin Hood: Season One Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

The back cover of Robin Hood: Season One only lists a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix, but the discs themselves also offer a fuller Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track for each episode (the only catch being that you have to access the audio menu to select this more appealing option). Alas, even the upgrade to a proper 5.1 track isn't enough to save this release from the series' uninspired sound design. Dialogue may be crisp and well-prioritized, but the rear speakers provide little more than stagey ambience and weak acoustic support. Likewise, a few action scenes offer a handful of hearty bass thooms but, for the most part, the LFE channel is painfully weak and surprisingly inconsistent. As it stands, the track doesn't exhibit the sort of immersive qualities high-def enthusiasts have come to expect from more recent lossless presentations. Pans are stocky, directionality is imprecise, and most of effects are relegated to the front soundstage.

Granted, the sonics aren't a complete wash since dynamics are fairly impressive for a standard DD track, but it’s still quite disappointing (especially when you consider the fervor of the on-screen action). There just isn’t a lot to enjoy other than the track's lack of glaring technical mishaps or compression deficiencies. Fans of the series probably won't care about Robin Hood's lackluster audio, but I thought it sounded too much like its standard DVD counterpart to get excited by what I was hearing.

Robin Hood: Season One Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - August 5th - August 5, 2008


• BBC Brings Robin Hood Season One to Blu-ray - March 27, 2008

Robin Hood: Season One Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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