Record Details
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Record ID
2150
Artist
Peter Gabriel
Title
New Blood - Live In London
Field / Genre
Rock
Year Recorded
2011
Label
Eagle Vision
Pressing
Aus
Rating
****
Discs
1
Media
Blu-ray
Date Bought
25 Nov 2011
Cost
¤22.00
Cover Name
—
Review
<p>Filmed live at The HMV Hammersmith Apollo London, on March 23rd and 24th, 2011, the show looks quite good. Multiple cameras follow Peter Gabriel as he moves around the stage as well as the different orchestral groups whenever they have prominent solos. During close-ups clarity is very good and during larger shots that capture the entire orchestra there are no serious shadow effects. Furthermore, motion-judder is not a serious issue of concern, while background noise is present only during a few selected shots where the camera captures the heavy red lights from an awkward angle. This being said, the actual camerawork/camera movement isn't overly impressive. The show was apparently filmed in 2D and 3D and there are various light and laser effects that simply look a bit over the top in 2D (see screencapture #2). I have not seen the 3D Blu-ray version of the show and therefore do not know how successful these effects are in 3D, but visually the 2D version is somewhat inconsistent for my taste. I also wasn't overly impressed by the raw footage from the stage camera which Peter Gabriel uses towards the end of the show - the idea is good but the execution isn't convincing. Regardless, there are no purely transfer-specific anomalies to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).</p><p>There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0, and English Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.</p><p>The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track boasts a wide range of nuanced dynamics that handle the new arrangements for Peter Gabriel's songs very well. What impressed me the most was the lush orchestral sound and the prominent solos -- the bassoon and flute solos, in particular, sound as well rounded as the vocals (quite a rarity), while the strings are never overpowering. Surround activity is modest, but frankly, the new orchestral arrangements do not demand anything more than what the lossless 5.1 track delivers. Finally, balance is very good and there are no problematic audio dropouts or sync issues to report in this review.</p><p>The English LPCM 2.0 track is serviceable but lacks the depth and fluidity of the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. A lot of the nuanced dynamics mentioned earlier are simply missing. This is fairly easy to hear if one compares "Biko" (listen and compare the double bass entry and the bassoon solo that follows) and "Don't Give Up". Lastly, I tested only two songs, but as expected, the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track is anemic at best. </p>