The multi talented progressive rock band the Porcupine Tree on Blu Ray and DVD provides both clarity and crispness with their latest live offering. From the classic Way Out of Here, Sentimental , Sever and Normal this is a glimpse of the band playing some of their older and newer songs with the renditions sounding much better than the rawness of their prior live DVDS. A must for all Porcupine Tree fan and lovers of Progressive Rock

I purchased this Blu-Ray initially because there were so little Prog-Rock Blu-Rays out there. All I can say is this did not disappoint one bit. I have been a Porcupine Tree fan for a while, but this Blu-Ray has made me an even bigger fan.

VIDEO

I haven't seen much that matches the absolutely jaw-droppingly outstanding picture quality of ‘Foo Fighters – Live At Wembley Stadium’, but this Blu-ray comes very close to it. It is extremely difficult to get good footage in a low light concert situation especially when capturing in 1080p high definition. However this Blu-Ray has exceptional picture quality overall, and the cameras captured every last angle in superb detail. Shots are nicely distributed between the numerous, well placed cameras, with some nice shots of the underside of certain drums, getting you nice and close to the “on-stage experience”. The high definition video of this Blu-Ray is completely essential to get the full atmosphere.

AUDIO

In a word: Exceptional!!

I would hazard a guess that these guys had a lot of input into the mastering of the audio on this disc, and it really shows through. The instruments and vocals are extremely well mixed, and are quite often spread across the left and right channels to portray “on-stage” position. This adds a really nice effect. Vocals are superb and not too over bearing. The two main vocalists are extremely good live, with the harmonies between them really meshing well. Drums come through clear and well defined but with sufficient punchy-ness. Overall, an extremely nice and well balanced surround mix that really ‘puts you in the concert hall’, and lets you hear every detail. I would even go as far as saying that this audio mix surpasses their studio recorded CD's. It really is that good!! The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track bitrate is consistantly above 5Mbps and it really does make a difference, especially when compared to the paltry 755kbps DTS bitrate on the DVD version. It even tops the barely 5Mbps bitrate of the mpeg-2 video on the DVD version.

The main vocalist (Steven Wilson) destroys iPods in various inventive ways (check out his videos on YouTube) as a hobby just because he hates the ‘128kpbs factor’ and ‘shuffle syndrome’ aspect of them. He believes that albums should be a start-to-finish immersive experience. Which shows through, as they play the entire “Fear Of A Blank Planet” album at the start of this Blu-Ray!!

This concert would have been magic to attent, but this is certainly the next best thing to being there. It must be watched on Blu-Ray in a full home theater/surround sound situation!! This set also comes with a DVD version of the concert. So give the DVD version to one of your friends who is still stuck in poor old DVD land. This Blu-Ray is simply a stunning experience, and a “must-have” for any Porcupine Tree fan, or general Prog-Rock lover (i.e. Dreamtheater, Opeth, Katatonia… etc).