Alaska

ID: 00MW-0008

Price: 14,800 yen

Discs: 1

Sound: B-Mode

Running Time: 21 minutes

Released: Sony

This disc is a virtual Alaska tour. Highlights include ice flows, glaciers (crumbling glaciers are awesome), and the local eco-system. This disc isn’t all snow and ice, and the latter part with the eco-system highlights the plant life in the local forest. There is quite a bit of fly-by footage, giving the feeling of being on the move. If you’ve thought about visiting Alaska or have visited, this disc is a great memento or enticement to actually visit Alaska.

Picture quality is very good. It appears to be shot with earlier HDVS camera systems, as the picture isn’t razor sharp like many of the later Hi-Vision scenery discs. The picture is very clean and detailed, with only a slight amount of softness. There are basically no visual compression artifacts that I can remember noticing throughout my viewing of this disc. Overall a very splendid picture that has very rich colors, especially in the varying shades of blue water.

Sound is present with B-Mode, and is pleasant to listen too. Soundtrack consists mainly of atmospheric music (not rock, not classical) except during the crumbling glacier scenes. Here, music is absent, but the sound of the glaciers crumbling while minimal in the front channels, gives any subwoofer a workout. It feels like you are there witnessing this exciting event take place. Surround channels are basically dead, with minimal if any ambient sound coming from them.

If you like scenery discs, or have been or thought of visiting Alaska, I can’t recommend this disc enough. Very interesting, and certainly not boring this disc is a pleasure to watch.