Sliders Video CD Reviews.

Date: 6/2/2000
From: SingularVisions

First, for those that aren't familiar with Video CD, I will lay out the technical specifications (in layman's terms!) and then go on with my reviews. If you're already familiar with what Video CD is and the technical aspects, skip to the reviews =^)

While Video CDs can be played on DVD players, they are not DVDs. In fact, they are quite different in several respects. While DVDs use MPEG-2 (MPEG stands for Moving Pictures Expert Group), an encoding process that results in clarity 10x than that of normal television, Video CDs use MPEG-1 compression. MPEG-1 is the standard compression process that was set for Video CDs overseas in countries like Europe and Malaysia.

MPEG-1 compression results in the highest level of VHS quality output and CD-quality sound. DVD, however, is 10x better than VHS and has DVD-audio, which is better than CD-quality audio. DVD picture is capable of displaying over 500 lines of resolution, whereas Video CDs display 256 lines of resolution -- the same amount of lines of res. as a normal NTSC VHS VCR or NTSC TV set.

As you should know by now, Video CDs never caught on in the United States. Since they are big overseas, some of the US companies that manufactured DVD players made a wise decision in incorporating a feature into the DVD player that allows it to play VCDs as well (check your owner's manual to make sure that it does play Video CDs before ordering). Video CDs even have their own dedicated players!!

On to the reviews (I watched these VCDs on my standalone Pioneer DV-525 DVD player hooked up to my TV):

Sliders 2: Luck of the Draw -- Since this episode occurs before Exodus, I decided to review (and WATCH!) this VCD first. There are minor problems that happened with the encoding process (it looked like the encoder might have dropped a frame or two) on Luck of the Draw, but they are very minor and aren't annoying. The Video CD is very enjoyable to watch (thank goodness they released this one instead of a different episode from Season 3!) You will be pleased to know that Into The Mystic is definitely on Disc #2. The quality is EXCELLENT, and there aren't any problems with the picture. What's best about these Video CDs is that you have NO COMMERCIALS!!! WHOO-HOO!!

Sliders: The Exodus Part I and II -- Perhaps the worst episodes of Season 3. It's where we lose the Professor and gained the not-so-talented Maggot F***-ette. The Video quality on this is superb - just like Into the Mystic. There are some spots where it becomes slightly blocky (nothing major and nothing to worry about). What's not too good is that whenever the "inside the wormhole" graphic animation is shown everything gets a bit blurred and slowed down. Besides that, however, everything is perfect.

The only other thing that could have been done to make Exodus Part I VCD "better" would have been to add the "To Be Continued..." at the bottom of the screen like the episode itself did. Unfortunately, however, they didn't do that, and it just cuts off while Quinn is in the hospital talking to Dr. Jensen (an incident that occured at the beginning of Part II of the first-aired episode). Then the second CD begins just after that point. At the end of The Exodus, Part II on Video CD #2, they have several previews of "upcoming" movies such as Avalanche, The Money Kings, and a few others. At the end of Exodus, Pt. 2, you don't get the standard black w/white text credits. You get a certain scene from part I of Exodus that runs while the credits for Part I fade in and out at the bottom of the screen. Then a scene from Part II is repeated in just the same manner with the credits from Part II showing at the bottom of the screen.

What's makes these VCDs official, however, is that at the end, you get the graphical "In Association with Studios USA," animation just like in the Season 4 and 5 episodes on SciFi channel. As Temporal Flux had pointed out, this clinches that the VCDs are official because Studios USA has only been around since 1999, and would not be known very well outside of the United States at this point in time. Especially somewhere like Malaysia (where these Video CDs were produced; and that's where absmusic.com is located). We also get the "St. Claire Entertainment" logo animation at the end of each VCD.

If you're a true Sliders fan with a DVD player capable of playing Video CDs, do NOT miss them!

 

- SingularVisions

Original URL http://www.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/21051
Nominated by SingularVisions