Destiny's Child: Live In Atlanta Blu-ray Review

by AVForums
Movies & TV Shows Review

Destiny's Child: Live In Atlanta Blu-ray Review
MSRP: £12.39

Picture

This will fill your screen with an impressive 1.78:1 ratio coded using the earlier MPEG-2 system and not with the now standard 1080p but with 1080i. Now as long as the de-interlacer somewhere in your playback chain is up to the task what you will get is a glorious presentation.

Live in Atlanta offers up crisp images, bursting with colours; even during the slow panning shots of the crowd. Skin tones are a little oversaturated, and I wondered if that was a little too much make up, but the definition of the girls clothes, sparkly costumes and even sweat on their cheeks is all there now for the world to see. Never overly bright, apart from a few in your face Super Troopers, there's a wealth of detail to be captured from the audience themselves.

On stage colour and vibrancy rests firmly on the shoulders of Destiny's Child, it is when the camera pans out to the audience though that the detail on offer on this BluRay disc comes alive, albeit it for short bursts of time, on individual joyful faces, patterns and colour definition on their clothing and the depth to which that crowd stretches back.

No signs of any damage or marks and whilst it's never really reference material it's still better than some later 1080p releases I have watched.
Destiny

Sound

Concerts, video or otherwise, of course are not judged on their video quality but the atmosphere and the sound on offer. As would be expected for a release such as this we have PCM tracks on offer, an immersive 5.1 and a play it by the numbers stereo. As well as this there is a Dolby Digital 5.1 and if that's all you can take advantage of then I feel you'll be missing out somewhat as a comparison between this track and the other two on some songs definitely shows it to be the poorer cousin. It's weaker and lacks depth which the others have in abundance.

Of the two PCM tracks, both are very front heavy and really the 5.1 system only wins out a tad because it places crowd noise and adulation around your listening position, allowing the viewer really to feel they are part of that crowd there in Atlanta.

The dance tracks are beat ridden, bright affairs and the music itself comes across wonderfully from the fronts, storming into the centre of your living room. I did feel though the voices of the singers themselves just couldn't quite keep up and sometimes they were lost in the heavy overflowing music of the original songs. The backgrounds of the audience generally fit in well with the 5.1 track, if sometimes feeling a little too in your face.
Destiny

Extras

There's not that much to expand your knowledge of the history of the group here unfortunately but at least it's better than nothing.


  • Destiny's Child: A Family Affair.

    A decent enough documentary I suppose for the fans, detailing their individual histories and the fates which brought them together. A very lurvie piece, each really can't say enough about the others, perhaps this affability is why they have endeared themselves to their worldwide audiences.



  • Fan Testimonials.

    Very short interviews with some of the fans as they leave the arena in Atlanta. What they liked about the concert and what their favourite songs or moments were during it.

  • Bonus Audio Tracks.

    One audio track for each of the remaining band members, audio only set to a static images.



So as I say not that much to go on. It would perhaps have been interesting to have more detail on the individual band members and what they have been working on since that final tour, since this is after all part swansong, part advert for their own individual talents.
Destiny
Not my kind of thing really, I'll stay with David Byrne and Roger Waters thanks, but I can understand why Destiny's Child's fan base will love this movie/concert experience. Unfortunately not all of their fans would have been able to see them, never mind on their final tour, so for these people this would be a worthwhile addition to their Destiny's Child collection.

I can't comment if the video has improved from it's DVD incarnation as I've never seen that original offering but what I can say is even at 1080i the picture offers up a wonderful feast for the eye, colours and details stretching way back into the distance, bathed in gradients of blue and orange hues.

The girls come across well and obviously put their heart and soul into this performance and it's always good to see a band making an effort for their fans. It is the fans themselves though that this will really only appeal to, and if you are one of them then I would have to say that you're probably going to enjoy it. If not then I'm sure there are other video concerts available for your own tastes.

Scores

Movie

.
.
.
.
.
5

Picture Quality

.
.
.
7

Sound Quality

.
.
.
7

Extras

.
.
.
.
.
5

Overall

.
.
.
.
6
6
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

Our Review Ethos

Read about our review ethos and the meaning of our review badges.

To comment on what you've read here, click the Discussion tab and post a reply.

Related Content

Top 10 Blu-rays (UK) for November 2022
  • By Mark Costello
  • Published
Top 10 Blu-rays (UK) for October 2022
  • By Mark Costello
  • Published
Top 10 Blu-rays (UK) for August 2022
  • By Mark Costello
  • Published
Top 10 Blu-rays (UK) for June 2022
  • By Mark Costello
  • Published
The Father Blu-ray Review
  • By Casimir Harlow
  • Published

Latest Headlines

AVForums 4K and Blu-ray Podcast: 28th March 2024
  • By Phil Hinton
  • Published
AVForums Movies and TV Show Podcast: 25th March 2024
  • By Phil Hinton
  • Published
Where to watch the 2024 Oscar best picture nominees
  • By Andy Bassett
  • Published
Back
Top Bottom