- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A
- Rating: Not Rated
- Discs: 2
- Studio: A&E Home Video
- Blu-ray Release Date: September 28, 2010
- List Price: $49.95
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003JQZY2G[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Patton 360: The Complete Season One on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Series
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Series
[Rating:4/5]
The History Channel’s series Patton 360° follows the famous US Army general George S. Patton through his campaign during World War II, beginning with the US’ first tentative steps in Northern Africa and going straight through Patton’s campaigns through Southern Europe and France, culminating in the Battle of the Bulge, the defeat of the Nazi’s in Germany, and the liberation of the Ohrdruf death camp.
As he battles the Germans, competes against his British rival, Field Marshal Montgomery, and comes up against pressures from his own commanders, Patton 360° reveals the strategies, weaponry of both allied and enemy sides, victories and missteps of this well-know hero, forever known as “old blood and guts.”
The series uses a combination of archival footage, reenactments, and CGI visual effects with commentary from war veterans, historians, and military personnel, coupled with an intriguing narrative to unfold the story of Patton’s Third Army throughout World War II.
The quick editing and constant barrage of visual effects means this one is never dull. There are a few violent moments captured on film, but for the most part, the imagery is relatively tame, so the timid need not worry too much about gore. Those out there that are into war documentaries, however, will still find much to appreciate about this one. I do not count myself among those who is particularly taken by this genre of documentary, but this one certainly held my interest over the course of its ten episodes.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Patton 360° is given a 1080p/24 AVC/MPEG-4 encoding that looks fairly good considering the mix-and-match sources of archival footage, reenactments, CGI, and constantly flashing visual effects. The high definition looks solid with strong detail, natural flesh tones, and compression artifacts aren’t an issue.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Patton 360°’s lossless stereo mix (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0) adequately conveys the narration and sound effects, which is just about all you can ask for, but in a series called “Patton 360°” it might have been nice to have a surround mix that did actually engulf the listener in those constant sounds of war.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
There are no supplements at all provided on this release.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
Patton 360° is a surprisingly refreshing look at a piece of history we have heard many times before. Its energetic visual style and insightful commentaries make it a must have for fans of the genre.
Additional Screen Captures:
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003JQZY2G[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Patton 360: The Complete Season One on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
