Jump to content

Dvds Of Beijing 2008


hektor

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 64
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

NBC will be offering several Olympic DVDs, among them a 2-disc set with the opening ceremony, then Olympic highlights with extras featuring memorable American performances in full, and a DVD commemorating Michael Phelps' 8 gold medal performance, with behind-the-scenes footage and all 8 races in their entirety.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

NBC will be offering several Olympic DVDs, among them a 2-disc set with the opening ceremony, then Olympic highlights with extras featuring memorable American performances in full, and a DVD commemorating Michael Phelps' 8 gold medal performance, with behind-the-scenes footage and all 8 races in their entirety.

Looking forward to that DVD! Should be great

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't seen aything announced yet but I'm sure CBC will be releasing something. If I recall they did a 6 DVD set for Torino.

I have the Torino DVD myself and I hoping the CBC will have for Beijing as well. I hope the CBC with the IOC permission will produce DVD's of previous Olympics gone past when the had the network rights.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well here are the various official Olympic dvd's and cd's released in Beijing in the first week or so of the Games...

imgp1147qo9.jpg

In the top row are (left to right) -

The Official Opening and Closing Ceremonies - Athens 2004 (DVD) - A 2 dvd set that features both ceremonies. Both are with Mandarin commentary you can't turn off (dammit!) and the opening has the entire athletes march left out - so Baron would love it! It is released via CCTV under license to BOCOG from the IOC according to the back. I was hoping to find Atlanta, Sydney, Barcelona etc sets as well - but only Athens has been released.

The Official Opening Ceremonies of Beijing 2008 (DVD) - the CCTV broadcasted opening over 2 dvds. There is a Mandarin commentary track - but you can turn it off. The 'English' version features no commentary at all - just the stadium announcements. The ceremony is split between the 2 dvds and there are no bonus features.

The Live Concert for Beijing 2008 (DVD) - basically a live spectacle featuring 27 songs performed live. This concert was shown over and over on CCTV in the days leading up to the Games and features a whole ton of Chinese singers warbling away for 2 odd hours.

In the bottom row (left to right) -

The Official Album For Beijing 2008 (CD) - the English edition featuring songs by Shayne Ward, Avril (Keep Holding On), John Mayer, Pink, Sean Kingston, Donna Summer etc. Very similar to the 'Rhythm Of The Games' collection brought out during the Atlanta games. Your bog standard 'inspirational' rubbish. Sadly it doesnt feature the hysterical 'punk rock' version of 'Wind Beneath My Wings' they kept playing during athletics sessions in the Bird Cage.

The Official Album for Beijing 2008 - Jackie Chan edition (CD) - I must be honest - I havent listened to this one yet. It has Jackie Chan on the cover, 10 tracks and I assume Jackie sings them all? Probably the campest souvenir I picked up. Utterly bizarro and frankly I dont know if I want to hear it.

The Official Album for Beijing 2008 (CD) - Mandarin edition.A 24 track, 2 cd set that features all the official themes - but not that song Sarah Brightman performed at the Opening sadly. There is also a bonus (3rd) cd inside that features the Flame relay theme 'Light The Passion - Share The Dream' as well.

To the far right the other DVD is The Official Album for Beijing 2008 - Music Video collection (DVD) - a 2 DVD set that includes a crad set featuring all the performers. I havent watched this one yet - but the record store (FAB at Oriental Plaza) had this one on when I bought it. Images of athletes and singers... usual crap.

There were posters advertising that after the Games CCTV is releasing the Closing Ceremony on DVD, a collectors set titled 'The Games Highlights' that appears to be coming out in 'week one' and 'week two' editions as well as a box set and some other sports specific dvds. I'll try to pick some up when I head back in October.

Now this next photo is the Official Opening Ceremony DVD - it comes in a slipcase which contains the DVD cover and I took out the 2 DVDs.

imgp1148cx2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Official Opening and Closing Ceremonies - Athens 2004 (DVD) - A 2 dvd set that features both ceremonies. Both are with Mandarin commentary you can't turn off (dammit!) and the opening has the entire athletes march left out - so Baron would love it! It is released via CCTV under license to BOCOG from the IOC according to the back. I was hoping to find Atlanta, Sydney, Barcelona etc sets as well - but only Athens has been released.

They put out an OFFICIAL DVD of the Athens' Ceremonies? :blink:Sacre bleu!! But...but...that would mean -- in the words of a few forumers here -- that means one wouldn't have to think and just be a lazy bum and view the visuals over and over on a loop.

And which is why I DON'T like having to deal with the Parade of Athetes. It is so OUT THERE. You DON'T have to think.

Whereas...if that portion weren't included and merely suggested, THEN I would have to think and imagine...oh? is Georgia pouting and skipping the March this year? ... What outfits are the Mongolians wearing this year? Nice!! Very chic!! ...or, wait, did Bob Costas say that Prada designed the Bahamanian outfits this year? Wow!! ... Nah, nah, the Moldovans can't be serious with that...or Oh thank God, there's a big boycott, and the other 185 nano-nations aren't marching!!

See, Mr. Pretentious Lexus, I can think!! :wacko:

BTW, your totally nimrod interpretation of Ceremonies (i.e., Athens) being for thinkers? Too funny. These ARE Olympic Ceremonies -- they are meant to entertain...to awe... to be fun...NOT TO be intellectual or cerebral. These are NOT board or bar exams. It is the height of pretentiousness and pseudo-intellectual affectations to make of them anymore that what they superficially are. It is the job of the creators to THINK for you and you to enjoy. That is WHY you are paying primo PRICES to get in -- to be awed and entertained.

Unless of course the creator did NOT do their job right, i.e., '... leaving 'stuff open to the viewer's interpretation.' :rolleyes: Yup, the lazy catch-all cop-out for all those hokey neo-realist 'foreign films'. If they paid me to THINK for them, then I would do it. But the fact is, Mr. Snot-Genius, it is YOU the viewer who paid top ticket prices and your cable bills to VIEW their work -- NOT the other way around. So it is they who should be doing the work for you -- not you. Or is that equation too fundamentally basic for you to comprehend? :blink:

But I guess, as you said, you are going back to your life... in other words, you THINK during the Olympic Ceremonies when you venture here every 4 years, and then retreat to your life where you obviously DON'T DO ANY SORT of daily thinking... :lol::lol:

Okey-doke, to each his own....

Edited by baron-pierreIV
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can best be sure that Australians will get their Olympic DVDs soon with the official wrapup DVD and the Australian highlights with all of the Aussie medalists.

I saw on NZOC's website the 2004 Athens NZ review DVD being sold. I would like get that if it's still available. I think Kiwis will get the Beijing DVD version to that.

With all of those golds China earned, we will see a DVD set of all of their golden performances.

If NBC was smart, all of Team USA gold medal performances in the team sports should be in their entirties on separate DVDs on the NBC's USA review set.

I hope to get the 3-DVD Beijing Opening and Closing Ceremony set in the near future, but it's a shame that there will be no English commentary save for the PA announcements.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was just over at eBay when I noticed there were Cantonese versions of both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies on DVD. Plus what is believed to be the Australian Channel 7 version with 7's commentaryincluded. however, I have yet to see this on the likes of EZYDVD.

I saw the same DVD on ebay but have a feeling it might be a recoreded from TV dvd (fake) as if CH7 were to put out a DVD it would have the 7 logo on the front cover and why is it coming from Singapore and not Australia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw the same DVD on ebay but have a feeling it might be a recoreded from TV dvd (fake) as if CH7 were to put out a DVD it would have the 7 logo on the front cover and why is it coming from Singapore and not Australia

If the item was indeed a TV-recorded fake from Singapore, it would be odd as the version shown in Singapore was sourced from New Zealand?

Anyway if I do fly to Hong Kong next month, I may actually help some of you buy the item if that is of any help. I will charge you for the cover price and the exact shipping charges to your location from Singapore, with no middleman charges. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just checked CBC's website. They don't yet have a Beijing DVD. I think they'll probably release it in late October or November - in time for the Christmas rush.

CBC does still have the 2006 Torino games 4 DVD set and it is reduced from $44.99 to $9.99! Here's the link:

http://www.cbcshop.ca/CBC/shopping/product...〈=en-CA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Speaking of Christmas, I'd would like to see Blu-Ray DVD releases for all these aforementioned items since the Beijing Olympics was on HD and, of course, it's a very special event. I can only wish for two other things with the CBC's Beijing release: one, get both entire ceremonies on each disc, something that wasn't done with Torino but should've been done instead of just the highlights. Two is having the French language audio on all discs, when necessary, as opposed to a separate DVD set in that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok I just found and purchased the official CCTV DVDs for the opening and closing ceremonies, all for S$14.90 (about US$10.40). As people mentioned, it indicates "International Version" and "Chinese and English Narration", but do not be fooled. The "English Narration" just means no narration at all accept whatever announcements could be heard at the venue. Why they could not take the time to translate and have an English commentary, I fail to understand.

Another piff is that this version is slightly edited from the version I see on screen, in that there are various times, especially during the fireworks, when they prefer to show closeups of the spectators. Not just any spectator, but those who were seated ramrod straight as thou they were attending a political conference. This puts me off especially when viewed with the Chinese Narration (which I could understand), full of typical pompous and often over-the-top statements and phrases synonymous with many Chinese state productions.

If there is anyone still willing to obtain this set from me at the stated price of S$14.90 + Postage, do let me know. I do not think it worthwhile to get it from HK. But if I DO find TVB versions, I may reconsider my options.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree about the camera angles.

I was particularly p1ssed off at the coverage of the segment featuring the collumns, imo, the best of the segments. It was beautiful, but the dvd coverage is dotted wif long shots of spectators.

There are very few shots of the ladies , few up close shots fullstop to be honest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


×
×
  • Create New...