Product: Frame 313: The JFK Assassination Theories (2008)
Rating: 1.0
A rip-off
Frame 313 The JFK Assassination Theories (Sundown Entertainment)This is total rip-off. The technical quality standard of this DVD is horrible.First of all: this is a computer written DVD, not a pressed one. This fact is not very clear on the product data.The source for this DVD is obviously an analog NTSC VHS tape as typical analog NTSC artifacts are present throughout. Video is also very noisy, another clue of the VHS source. Horizontal definition is very poor, even in the modern parts of the footage (the interviewees). Small print in credits is usually unreadable.Picture quality is further marred by the abundant presence of digital artifacts, stemming from the fact that at one point the source material clearly was in 360x240 (half D1) resolution. Camera pans are almost always jerky and shuddering, which is an authoring problem.DVD authoring is a mess. It starts with a totally useless and confusing menu in 4:3 aspect ratio, as there is nothing to choose from: there is only one title and no extra's, subtitles or alternate audio tracks.The documentary itself is presented in 4:3 letterbox format, although it clearly was produced originally in full 4:3; 33 percent of the image info is therefore missing. The mutilation into a pseudo-widescreen version also has some interviewees' top heads chopped off and several credits missing at the screen bottom, as they extend into the black bars.The DVD authors could not be bothered to put in a few chapter stops; there aren't any. This makes this almost two hour video virtually impossible to navigate.There are at least ten instances of sound being seriously asynchronous for prolonged periods of time.The title is totally misleading; the number 313 is only mentioned once in the entire production! If you expect material on why the official version of the JFK assassination is doubtful using the Zapruder film, you will be disappointed as there is virtually none. In fact, the original title was clearly a different one.Copyright is of 2008, the actual documentary is of 2003 or 2004, a fact that is credited nowhere.The documentary lists five numbered theories in the beginning, however further on they are presented as the Warren Commission, the HSCA and 3 theories numbered differently.Finally the artwork on the box is cut in such a way that the publisher's name and website are almost completely cut off. They did not even get that part right. Or was this on purpose?Total worth of the package: less than a dollar, for the box and one blank computer DVD. $11,49 is way too much for a poor quick and dirty VHS tape copy on DVD.You would be well advised to skip this one. It adds nothing new to the JFK assassination discussion, and even contains historically incorrect information.