24 replies to this topic

[ikryan]

I have just purchased the region 4 DVD season review and I wanted to basically vent my feelings about how crap these season reviews are getting these days. For those who are interested, the region 2 release was reviewed here a little while ago, and the region 4 version is exactly the same. I know that this dvd has been the subject of a thread before, but I wanted to actually outline a specific series of categories.

SO what elements are crappy u ask?

1. No qualifying info. That is, no run down of the session itself (very annoying when u live in a country that does not have coverage at all). This means that one has to pretty much remember or quess (or peer at the paused picture to figure it out) what the hell the starting grid is. Actually, u can go to the 'data' section and see it, but should u have to?

2. No pre-season review. Is my memory faulty or did some of the older reviews have a pre season rundown? In any case, they should.

3. The whole way in which a race is reviewed stinks. They totally drain a race of any drama and ignore some of the details of a race (Suzuka is particularly poor).

This dvd review is not any different from the video version apart from the extra features. The extra features are, in fact, excellent and worth the price alone. The onboard footage is just fantastic. Given this, why the hell can't I just press play and watch the whole thing from beginning to end? Instead, a viewer has to go back the the central menu and then negoitiate the plethora of secondary menus for each grand prix!!

In general, I think the reviews have gone down hill since ITV took over. Also, they are obviously designed to promote the digital tv service in Europe. Look, Burnie, I can't get digital in Australia, so stick it up yr arse. In any case, should that really be the charter of a 'season review'? Given that I think that 2000 may well be the last season of real racing in the F1 class (i.e. silly electronic gadgets and automatic gearboxes! Please!) I am unlikely to buy another one after this, so my rant may have been in vain.

Other thoughts on this season review and the quality of reviews generally?

Ian.

[rek]

I bought the 2000 season review on DVD just recently too, and it is really poor (and I don't have any of the earlier tapes to compare to). I saw on the back that it was about 200+ minutes long, and I was hoping that it'd be a movie-length "documentary" style going through each race and generally telling the stories of the season that way.

Instead we get all this crap (that just seems to be put together at random) broken up into about 4 sections per race, making it virtually impossible to really follow what's going on etc. The onboard-only section is cool, but the only decent thing on the disc IMO.

Think of it as a selection of 5 or 6 clips per race from the old www.f-1.ru site chucked onto a DVD, that's all it is.

[Linus27]

Guys, I agree with everything you say. I also think it is very poor and like you said Rek, I was hoping to have a movie length type of documentry. The way it is split into sections which you have to go back and forth through stupid menu's is incredibly annoying. I have every other F1 review of VHS and they have got poorer each season with a notable drop from 96 onwards but none of them are as bad this DVD.

I tried to take mine back today and get a refund but the shop refused. GITS. They have not heard the last of me but if all fails then I can exchange it and so I will get Braveheart DVD.

[JDeRosa]

What is region 4? I have the 200 review on vhs and its not bad. Each race they review the qual session and pick out the best of the race.
On a different note, I've just bought on DVD 'The Greatest F1 Cars' released by DUKE and I think its excellent. About 100 cars starting from the 30's right the way through to 2000. Very informative and good footage. Special features include every WDC and WCC winner since 1950 and their details, also there is a 15 minute clip of on-board with theTyrrel P34 from the start right the way till he gets bumped off.....this bit is my favourite. Check it out.

[Linus27]

JdeRosa

Yeah the video is good as I have it also. The DVD does not follow on from race to race. You have to choose which race you want and then camera you want to watch after after a while its bloody annoying. I am sure you would go through about 6 sets of batterys in one session with the amount of buttom pressing on the remote you have to do.

[JDeRosa]

I see what you're saying, that sucks.

[ikryan]

I have also recently bought 'The Worlds Greatest F1 Cars' on DVD. Now that is how a motorsport DVD should be! Just love the onboard race on the 6 wheel Tyrell. Watching the tyres warm up and then seeing the driving power correct is very cool. Anyone know if plans are afoot for the release of other season reviews on DVD or indeed other European racing titles on DVD generally?

Ian

[bira]

Quote

Originally posted by ikryan
In general, I think the reviews have gone down hill since ITV took over.

what has ITV got to do with reviews?!?

[daz]

i got it free with f1 2001 - i have only watched some of it, wasnt that good

[ikryan]

what has ITV got to do with reviews?!?

Good Point - yet it seems to me that after '96 the reviews changed 'tone' to something more akin to commercial television . This may simply be a change in philosophy at the F1 company. Certainly a change is obvious after Digital tele came in.

Ian.

[Mat]

When I first bought the F1 2001 review DVD I was quite impressed. But after a few viewing sessions, it does become very annoying.

Firstly, the best way to enjoy it to watch each race through the 'interactive' mode and flick to other angles when/if you wish.

There should definately be a pre-season preview and information on anything which happened during practice or qualifying (ie Shueys crash in Melbourne friday practice). I remember a few years back there would also be 'news' segments between the grands prix. These should be brought back.

Unfortunately, these days they are all low budget reviews with individual clips brought together and thats it. And, we will buy it usually no matter what, considering it is the only one available.

Mat

[ScudBoy]

godammit!!! i just bought it:mad: should have read this thread yesterday!

[silver fan]

Just to clear things up a bit. The 2000 DVD review is not the official review of the F1 season. The DVD was produced at the last minute as a bonus supplement to people buying that F1 game on PS2. It has since become available on it's own. The official FIA/FOCA yearly review is only available on VHS.

[Jimmino]

I have tried my DVD only on PC so far and continual version doesn´t work. I can watch continual only Brasilian GP. So on the beginning of DVD I can only move in menu to the right which is interactive version with options to switch cameras. Also I can´t get to "credits" in the end of DVD. My question is: it is possible to watch it from first GP to the last without using remote control and menu? Is my DVD broken, or softwere is broken on PC?

[philhitchings]

For those of you who bought it as a stand alone you might be dissapointed but for a freebie with the PS2-F1 it's great.

BTW ITV have nothing to do with the review neither does any other TV company except Bernie and Bakersville. The only company to have the TV rights for any F1 footage are an Austrailian Company that own the rights to Allen Jones' championship winning season......................... hence no footage commercially available for that year:(

[Gemini]

a month ago in another thread I posted this...

"Once you got VHS do not bother with DVD. it's crap. No single full lap of on-board view, just 15 seconds pieces, and one thing that got me mad: no single shot from qualifing from a whole season. The editor of this DVD really knows what present day F1 is all about "


...and I still do not change my opinion. The format and the content of this DVD were big disapoinments for me...

[andy_bee]

Quote

Originally posted by silver fan
Just to clear things up a bit. The 2000 DVD review is not the official review of the F1 season. The DVD was produced at the last minute as a bonus supplement to people buying that F1 game on PS2. It has since become available on it's own. The official FIA/FOCA yearly review is only available on VHS.

It is official, it has to be to be able to be called the Formula One review. Correct, it was done by Coloumbia TriStar and Sony and it different to the VHS review, but its still official. Lack of qualifying, decent commentary and points tables are my main gripes.

[Mat]

I was under the impression that the free PS2 version is a scaled down version of the stand-alone DVD on sale. How long does the PS2 version go for??

I believe the stand-alone DVD runs for 4 hours 15 mins. But I believe that is calculated by adding each channel seperately.

Mat

[silver fan]

This is what I mean by the 'official' yearly review....

[Jimmino]

Quote

Originally posted by philhitchings
BTW ITV have nothing to do with the review neither does any other TV company except Bernie and Bakersville. The only company to have the TV rights for any F1 footage are an Austrailian Company that own the rights to Allen Jones' championship winning season......................... hence no footage commercially available for that year:(

So we are lucky, there is only one Australian WDC after 1980.:yawn:

[rek]

and this is the review thats utter shite (or as our British friends would say -- 'pants' -- never quite understood the origins of that )



so much for the idea that DVDs are always better than VHS

[Jimmino]

I have tried my DVD only on PC so far and continual version doesn´t work. I can watch continual only Brasilian GP. So on the beginning of DVD I can only move in menu to the right which is interactive version with options to switch cameras. Also I can´t get to "credits" in the end of DVD. My question is: it is possible to watch it from first GP to the last without using remote control and menu? Is my DVD broken, or softwere is broken on PC?

[Linus27]

Rek

Quote

and this is the review thats utter shite (or as our British friends would say -- 'pants' -- never quite understood the origins of that )

:lol:

Spot on mate.

[Jackman]

Quote

Originally posted by Jimmino
I have tried my DVD only on PC so far and continual version doesn´t work. I can watch continual only Brasilian GP. So on the beginning of DVD I can only move in menu to the right which is interactive version with options to switch cameras. Also I can´t get to "credits" in the end of DVD. My question is: it is possible to watch it from first GP to the last without using remote control and menu? Is my DVD broken, or softwere is broken on PC?

I watched it on my laptop, so maybe you have a problem.

Quote

Originally posted by philhitchings
BTW ITV have nothing to do with the review neither does any other TV company except Bernie and Bakersville. The only company to have the TV rights for any F1 footage are an Austrailian Company that own the rights to Allen Jones' championship winning season......................... hence no footage commercially available for that year:(

Damn - I alway wondered why there was no video for that year.

The lack of flow from one race to another is annoying, and it took ages to watch it all, but we did get way more than we ever got on the tapes in the past, so I'm not willing to write off the format entirely. They certainly need to work on their formatting, though.

[Witt]

Quote

Originally posted by philhitchings
For those of you who bought it as a stand alone you might be dissapointed but for a freebie with the PS2-F1 it's great.

BTW ITV have nothing to do with the review neither does any other TV company except Bernie and Bakersville. The only company to have the TV rights for any F1 footage are an Austrailian Company that own the rights to Allen Jones' championship winning season......................... hence no footage commercially available for that year:(

Tell me more about this!! What company is it and why would they bother to own the rights? It seems like a pretty stupid thing to own since i have not seen or heard of any company using the footage for any program in this country. Unless they bought it all to do one stupid 1 hour documentary that was shown at the end of 1980. But still, wouldn't it have been cheaper to just rent some footage, or whatever you call it when you use someone elses footage for another program?

So many questions........ sorry.