Product: Thunderbirds [VHS] (1965)
Rating: 4.0
Great Quality
Even thought the origianl sereis was filmed in the 1.33:1 ratio and this release is has been re-formated to fill a 1.85:1 widescreen TV I can't really complain. I know Granada did 2 Hi-Def transfers, 1.33:1 and this 1.85:1, both really should have been included for the viewer to choose. However, when dealing with puppets and since I own the previous DVD release the amount of visual information cut off in order to make a widescreen presentation isn't really all that much. In fact, the top part of the origianl picture being cut off just mean less wires to be seen.The 5.1 soundtrack is the same that was previously released on DVD but it's a bit more cleaner in tone now. I live in the US and since most Blu-rays are region free I was happy to get this release have be able to play in on my Panasonic player. The downside it that the bonus materials won't play. I don't understand why, I've purchased Blu-rays released in the UK before and they all play fine. My guess is the bonus material on this release are NOT in HD.The elements used for this release have been cleaned up and color corrected a bit and it shows off for the better in HD. I was surprised that the grain level was so low, especially since the image was blow-up in order to fill the widescreen monitor for 1.85:1.Fans the series, as with most of the Gerry Anderson sereies tend to be a bit hyper and will put down any release if it isn't up to their standards. They need to cut-the strings and get with life in the real world and open their minds a bit. After all Gerry Anderson has been given all the credit over the years while his wife Sylvia played a major role in the look and construction of these series - probably much more than anyone has given her credit. Every sereis the man has produced without her has failed.If you enjoyed the series I'd say go out and get this Blu-ray release. Unless you sit side-by-side and do a comparsion of the two aspect ratios, I doubt you'll miss anything. In a perfect world it would have been nice to have a choice, but I'd rather have this release than anything by A&E;.