• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
  
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
• Audio Codec: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit), English Dolby 2.0 Surround, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby 2.0 Surround
  
• Subtitles: English, English SDH
  
• Subtitles Color: White
• Region: A (Region-Locked)
• Rating: Not Rated
• Run Time: 618 Mins.
  
• Discs: 3 (3 x Blu-ray)
• Studio: Showtime Entertainment
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: August 14, 2012
• List Price: $67.99

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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Series
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Series

[Rating:4.5/5]

Showtime’s successful series about a serial killer who goes after the worst of the worst of the criminal element in Miami continues on in its Sixth Season with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) still struggling to raise his young son alone after the death of his wife at the hands of another serial killer. Meanwhile, his sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) has been promoted to Lieutenant and is struggling through emotional issues of her own after witnessing her lover get killed in front of her. This all comes, as is familiar territory with Dexter, as a new serial killer using the prophecies of the final book of the Bible, Revelations, is terrorizing the Miami Metro area. This new “Doomsday Killer,” as he has been dubbed, is actually a duo of a retired college professor (played by Edward James Olmos) and his former protege (Colin Hanks). Tracking the doomsday killer also parallel’s Dexter’s own personal search for religious meaning in his life as he strikes up an unlikely friendship with a former criminal turned preacher (played by Mos).

The sixth season of Dexter, I hate to say, is in fact a revelation, managing to take the same basic plot of this now long running series and making it enjoyable again. There’s also a surprise ending that hardly anyone could have seen coming, which should make for a very interesting Season 7.

Video Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

Shooting on a Panavision modified Sony HDW-F900 HD camera, Dexter is an original high definition production arriving on Blu-ray with a strong AVC/MPEG-4 1080p/24 encodement from Showtime Entertainment. Surpassing any and all broadcasts of the series by a wide margin, the image is clean, clear, and crisp, with wonderful contrast and superb details in the often darkly lit scenes. Gone are the instances of posterization, macroblocking, and wavering white levels that afflict the series on cable or satellite. The many outdoor shots around Miami with its bright, pastel colors continue to be a strong point, but there are hardly any weaknesses part from a few soft spots here and there and some rare cut scenes shot on film that standout just a tad.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack is a good one that is full of atmospherics that heighten the mood and sense of dread. The low frequency extension is quite full, with big lows during the “jumps” and the opening theme.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:3/5]

The supplements in this set are all offered via BD-Live, so you’ll need a capable, up-to-date player and a network connection to access them. They include the first two episodes of the other, quite strong Showtime series The Borgias, Californication and new series House of Lies in addition to interviews with all the key cast members. I should also note that all three discs launched directly into the BD-Live portal rather than going to the disc menu screen. This caused serious issues on my reference Oppo BDP-93 player, with the discs refusing to play at all. I was forced to watch the series on my trusty old PS3, which played back without issues.

The supplements:

• Via BD-Live:
  • Borgias Season 2 Ep. 1 – “The Borgia Bull”
  • Borgias Season 2 Ep. 2 – “Paolo”
  • Californication Season 5 Ep. 1 – “JFK LAX”
  • Californication Season 5 Ep. 2 – “The Way of the Fist”
  • House of Lies Ep. 1 – “Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments”
  • House of Lies Ep. 2 – “Amsterdam”
  • Interview with Colin Hanks
  • Interview with C.S. Lee
  • Interview with David Zayas
  • Interview with Desmond Harrington
  • Interview with Jennifer Carpenter
  • Interview with Lauren Vélez
  • Interview with Michael C. Hall

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

The dark passenger rides on in season 6 of Showtime’s Dexter, an improvement over season 5 and a great set up for season 7. The Blu-ray is a strong effort and the perfect way to watch the series straight through.

Additional Screen Captures

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Purchase Dexter: The Complete Sixth Season on Blu-ray at CD Universe

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[amazon-product]B005FISBV2[/amazon-product]

Purchase Dexter: The Complete Sixth Season on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Series
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]

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