HiRez Poll Porcupine Tree - FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET [DVD-A/BDA]

[elmer]

Where did you guys buy this? I can't seem to find a copy.

http://www.burningshed.com/store/porcupinetree/

 

[John Svensson]

Or ... you can go on Ebay and spend $40 for it as several folks have done.
I thought the DVD-A speculators were premature in offering this on Ebay when it is still available direct from the distributor....boy, was I wrong.
get it while you can. John S.

 

[timbre4]

The speculation is aided by the fact that this DVD-A is on the band's Transmission label without the additional constructive hoopla of Lava or DTS to help it's visibility and availability. The major outlets like Amazon.com or CD Universe carry $40 IMPORT CDs to confuse the matter!

The price of independence I suppose, just glad it exists and I got one. I suspect they will surely press more as needed, at least for a time. Im already thinking about a Blu-Ray re-issue of their concert DVD with the full audio impact.

 

[Cai Campbell]

PT suffer from the curse of being compared to themselves...

You got that right! They have set the bar so high for themselves. I am still blown away by "In Absentia" and "Deadwing". I always go back to those titles for their phenominal music and surround mixes.

...they have done both better records and better 5.1-mixes...

I was tempted to reach the same conclusion for "Fear of a Blank Planet", but I cannot. I believe FOABP gives us a more mature, contemplative PT. Some of the edge seems to have been purposefully shorn away and replaced with a more thoughtful sonic tapestry. It's at once familiar while covering new territory.

FOABP compares very favorably to past efforts. I'm happy to report, for myself at least, that PT have not yet succumbed to "the curse". Another perfect 10 here!

 

[HDJK]

I can't join the 10-party here. Don't get me wrong, the music is good and the mix is o.k., but sonically it's not even close to what In Absentia or Deadwing delivered (imho). It just doesn't come together the same way and sounds restrained to my ears. I wished Steve Wilson would have let Elliot Scheiner mix it again instead of doing it himself.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I finally ordered this DVD-A tonight. I have been reluctant to import it to the US at the prices I had seen previously when I checked but thought I would look at the price tonight at The Burning Shed. This is better than the last time I had checked so I finally picked it up to add to my four other DVD-A's.

Shopping Basket
1 x porcupine tree
fear of a blank planet (dvda)
addremove
Subtotal: $12.49 USD
Shipping: $3.05 USD
Total: $15.54 USD

Chris

 

[John Svensson]

Some very good tunes on it...but I don't recall it being expensive when it came out?? If you pre-ordered as most folks did it was only about $20 or so.
But good to know that it is still available. John S.

 

[neil wilkes]

But good to know that it is still available. John S.

All the PT DVDA are still in print, and will remain so for the forseeable future too.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

Some very good tunes on it...but I don't recall it being expensive when it came out?? If you pre-ordered as most folks did it was only about $20 or so.
But good to know that it is still available. John S.

I don't recall exactly but that that might be right since I won't pay $20 for a DVD-A and only rarely $15.

Chris

 

[rusinurbe]

Exchange rate makes a big difference at the moment. !!

 

[Chris Gerhard]

Exchange rate makes a big difference at the moment. !!

Yes and the previous DVD-A's were distributed differently, retailers like Best Buy carried some and discount online sellers had them. I am not complaining really, I understand a release like this can't be mainstream and sold at mass market prices. I waited and I am happy and sure expect to like it, but probably fifth best out of the five I will own. I even like the live DVD-V so well, this will likely fall below it for me based on the little snippets I have heard and reviews I have read. It should still be better than just about any release of the last two years I will own.

Chris

 

[Chris Gerhard]

They got it to me pretty quickly, received Thursday, the case perfect. It is a great album, no complaints at all about mix or fidelity. It is just a little less than a perfect 10 for me but I can't think of any artist I own this many titles from that is as consistently impressive. It rates a solid 9, it is even better than I hoped and my fear that I am going to grow tired of their music is behind me, I can't wait for the next one.

Chris

 

[Chiburb]

Having recently seen PT in concert, I HAD to order this DVD-A. After 3 listens it scores a 10 from me.

 

[JohnG]

10 from me. Great album by PT. Saw this tour in NYC.

 

[LizardKing]

It's NTSC simply because there are very, very few DVD-A players in the USA that can accept PAL, and you can count the DVD-V players using the fingers of one hand. I have never yet seen a PAL DVD-A player that cannot handle NTSC though.
This is a "One size fits all" disc, so it had to be NTSC.
There are no speed differences on this one - I assure you of that. This has all been very carefully checked.

Doesn't the DVDA standard state NTSC? For the reasons you've stated above?

BTW - I rate this 9...great disc but I like some of the other PT DVDAs better (Deadwing, Lightbulb Sun, Stupid Dream)

The Incident is also really growing on me.

 

[neil wilkes]

Doesn't the DVDA standard state NTSC? For the reasons you've stated above?

No. You can use either PAL or NTSC for DVDA.

BTW - I rate this 9...great disc but I like some of the other PT DVDAs better (Deadwing, Lightbulb Sun, Stupid Dream)

The Incident is also really growing on me.

That is good to know. Thank you for your kind words!

 

[bangsezmax]

I finally bit the bullet on P Tree after seeing all of the raves here. I've been going through them one by one, taking the time to absorb them fully before moving on to the next one. I really like Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun a lot, but I was unprepared for the gut-punch that is Fear of a Blank Planet. It's just a tour-de-force musically. Being able to hear it in 5.1 is beyond a treat. Wow.

This music is definitely "heavier" than what I normally listen to (and heavier than the other P Tree discs that I've heard so far), but that certainly isn't bothering me with this disk. The heaviness works to convey the alienation/angst content in the lyrics. It strikes me as a distant cousin to Green Day's American Idiot thematically, although this record is a lot less light-hearted than that one.

I "needle-dropped" the DVD-A stereo onto a CD for car listening, and even that sounds great. A 10 all the way, and one of my new favorite records.

 

[kap'n krunch]

Got this for about 12 Euros...talk about great value!!!!

A TENNER!!!

Now, Im hooked to PT...maybe cause I like SW as a musician AND a person...and because...well, they are freakin' great....in spite of being 48/24!!!

Besides, Neil, the master has done a great job here...

 

[The Rang]

Well, I'm definitely in the minority here.

The surround mix as usual is very good so that gets a 9.

But the content is disappointingly tedious to my ears, especially considering how much I like the other PT discs I own.
In that regard a 5 is best I can do which results in an overall score of : 7

 

[Cygnus_X1]

Got my DVD-A copy today...popped it in the Acura TL and went for a drive.
I've never heard of these guys before and I was completely blown away with the sound quality and the musical arrangements.
Time to buy more of their music.

To add to my original post:
I've listened to this a few times now and to me it's one of the best albums I've ever heard. I'm 48 years old and Rush has been my favorite band since the late 70's so I have pretty high standards for the types of music I'll listen to. This album reminds me of the first time I heard Moving Pictures when it came out in 1981....the music flows so well from beginning to end. Too bad Rush doesn't have Steve Wilson remix some of their old albums in 5.1 instead of Richard Chycki.