Hi-Def Preview

Prison Break – Season One

Fox Home Entertainment

Released: 11/13/07

Review By: Joshua Noyes

Picture Quality – 4.25/5

Audio Quality – 4.5/5

Special Features – 4/5

Overall – 4.25/5

Comments: Fox did a very nice job with this 6-disc set. It comes housed in a blu-ray case which is roughly 1-inch thick and each disc has its own unique disc art.

The Picture Quality of this set, simply put, is FANTASTIC. Fox used an AVC encode for each episode on to BD50 discs. At no time did I see any macroblocking from action or noise from objects. I also felt the colors were spot-on. They had a vibrant look to them, but not to the point of looking artificial. This really added a lot of “WOW” factor to the 1.78:1 encode as it filled the entire HD screen. I was also impressed with the sharpness of the picture. In many of the outdoors scenes, the sharpness of the images leads to a wonderful contrast between objects. This really created a strong 3-D feel to the image.

In-terms of AQ, this too was a very impressive showing by Fox. I listened using the DTS-HD MA option with my new Panasonic DMPBD30K and the results were AMAZING! This is one of the best if not the best television soundtrack I have heard thus far on HDM. The Center Channel presented the dialog perfectly. It was as though the characters were sitting on your couch with you. The Surrounds too were used to perfection and used frequently. At times I found myself almost jumping from what appeared to be sounds headed in my direction. Finally the LFE was used to perfection as well, albeit in a more discrete manner. It really added a “fullness” to many scenes and clearly enhanced the overall viewing experience.

This set comes with some excellent special features. My personal favorite was a featurette titled; “The Making Of Prison Break.” For the most part this is like most “making of” featurettes in that it gives a history of how the show began and how it is created and produced. There are several other featurettes included in the box set, which tell a similar story. In addition to these there is audio commentary for select episodes and various TV spots for the series.

In conclusion, the purchase of this disc simply put, is a no-brainer if you are a fan of this show. It has never looked or sounded better, is full of interesting special features and is a fun trip through the world of Prison Break. I highly recommend this purchase.