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Here at DVDBlokes we are constantly seeking to improve things in order to make the site more user friendly. To that end we have created this, the DVDBlokes review guide! The guide is designed to allow our visitors to better understand how we decide on what marks to award a disc, and it breaks down like this:
Film
- 0 to 1 - Terrible, absolutely no redeeming features!
- 2 to 3 - Lacking in any real merit, one for the die-hard fans only.
- 4 to 5 - An average film, neither good nor bad.
- 6 to 7 - An above average film with some standout moments. Worth a look.
- 8 to 9 - An excellent film that should definitely be on your �to see� list.
- 10/10 - Outstanding. You absolutely, positively have to watch this film!
This rating is intended to give an indication of how good the actual movie on the disc is. All to often studios release poor blockbuster films with an abundance of extra features, expecting the public to be seduced by the lure of deleted scenes and commentaries etc. As most of us know, bigger isn't always better, and there are some lesser known classic films out there just waiting to be discovered. Hopefully this score will give you an indication of whether or not the film is worth seeing in the first place.
Video
- 0 to 1 - Sub-VHS standard; an awful picture that has no place on DVD.
- 2 to 3 - Grainy, scratched, or otherwise flawed, but still better than VHS!
- 4 to 5 - A reasonable picture, without too many flaws.
- 6 to 7 - A quality transfer marred by one or two minor issues.
- 8 to 9 � An excellent transfer that falls just short of perfection.
- 10/10 - Perfection; a reference quality transfer with little or no image problems.
This rating concerns the quality of the transfer to disc, as well as encompassing things like the visual style of the film. If the transfer is perfect, but the visual effects are poor, this will bring the overall score down. On the other hand, a visually stunning film with slightly flawed transfer may be more visually appealing overall. It is best to take this as a guide to the whole visual experience.
Audio
- 0 to 1 - Very poor quality track(s) that completely ruins the listening experience.
- 2 to 3 - Sub par track(s) that detracts significantly from overall enjoyment.
- 4 to 5 - Reasonable track(s) with some good moments, but could have been better.
- 6 to 7 - Quality track(s) that enhances your overall enjoyment of the film.
- 8 to 9 - Brilliant track(s) that will give your system a real workout!
- 10/10 � Exceptional; reference quality audio that is among the best available.
This rating covers the quality of the soundtrack(s) on the disc. Like the video score before it, this encompasses the whole aural experience, not just the technical aspects. A film with a fantastic score and sound effects can be completely ruined if given a substandard audio mix. Conversely, a relatively old, weak sounding movie can be given a new lease of life with a remixed multi-channel surround soundtrack.
Extras
- 0 to 1 - Your average back catalogue title, with little or no extras.
- 2 to 3 - A few extras, but nothing of real value.
- 4 to 5 - Some nice features, but not enough to justify the price.
- 6 to 7 - A nice selection of extras featuring interesting content.
- 8 to 9 - A large selection of high quality material.
- 10/10 � A veritable feast of extras, virtually unmatched elsewhere!
This rating concentrates on those lovely little extras features found on many DVDs. However, quantity does not always equal quality, and discs with a huge amount of uninteresting additional material are obviously not as worthwhile as a disc with a smaller number of high quality features. Think of this as an at a glance score of how worthy the extras are.
Overall
- 0 to 1 - Don't touch with a ten-foot pole, a real waste of money.
- 2 to 3 - Recommended only to die hard fans and people with too much cash!
- 4 to 5 - You may like it, you may not. Perhaps one to try before you buy.
- 6 to 7 - Definitely worthy of your hard earned money.
- 8 to 9 - What are you doing reading this? Go and buy it!
- 10/10 - An absolute classic. This is what DVD was invented for!
Not an average of the other scores, but rather an at a glance indication of the overall worth of the DVD. Just because a disc is devoid of extras doesn't mean that it's not worth buying. The same can be true in reverse, and an average film can be transformed into a great package with the inclusion of some high quality bonus material. This is perhaps the most important score to reference when deciding on a new purchase.
To compliment our movie review guide, we at DVDBlokes decided to write a short article detailing how we decide what marks to award the various DVD players we review. The scoring system is simple; the higher the mark, the better the player is in any given category.
Build
This score reflects the overall build quality of the machine. As many of you will know, DVD players vary greatly in terms of build quality, with some of the budget options feeling very cheap and nasty. The score also takes into account the aesthetic qualities of the player. While it doesn�t affect the functionality of the machine, it�s much nicer to have a sleek, sexy box under your TV, than an ugly plastic brick. Connectivity also falls under this category.
Performance
This is probably the single most important category when deciding on a player. The performance score encompasses video and audio quality, as well as reliability. Other factors, including layer changes, navigation speed, video and audio compatibility and even general unit noise, all go towards the final mark.
Features
This is your guide to all of the non-essential bells and whistles found on the player, things such as CDR/RW and MP3 compatibility, zoom, slow motion and freeze frame, preset audio and video filters and so on. Although not strictly necessary, it�s nice to have a few of the optional extras to play around with.
Value
This is quite simply the player�s value for money, taking into account the previous categories. While a particular machine may have many more trick play and connectivity options then another player, it may well cost three times as much!! This will give you an indication of whether the machine warrants its price tag.
Overall
As with the movie reviews, this is your at a glance guide to the player. This is not an average of the other scores, but rather what we feel the player is worth.
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