New to Blu: TV > September 19-25

On the eve of their latest seasons going to air, Homeland and Glee can be taken home this week on Blu-ray – along with Birdsong, an outstanding BBC drama that’s yet to screen here.

“Homeland is captured on the Arri Alexa with Zeiss Ultra Prime and Angenieux Optimo Lenses in high definition.

“It has a clean image with strong details and natural colour reproduction.

“No issues with excessive video noise or aliasing creep in and the image has a natural appearance in this AVC/MPEG-4 1080p encodement.”

“Just like the video, the audio will do nothing but impress.”

With Glee about to start its fourth season on Four, Blu-ray soon will be the only way to view it in HD.

“If you’re familiar with the Glee season one and season two sets, you’ll notice no significant changes in picture quality with The Complete Third Season.

“Along with Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and a small handful of others, Glee is one of the few remaining TV series still shot on film—Super 35, specifically—and this sets it apart from slicker, glossier, digitally-shot shows.”

“The show’s sound design has improved a lot, as the DTS HD 5.1 soundtracks are terrific.

“The music is, of course, the main focus, with vocals and musical elements that make the most of the surrounds.

“The musical numbers are loud and well mixed, so they really shine in this presentation.”

Season three also can be bought in a box set with the first two.

Birdsong is the kind of highbrow literary adaptation, in the tradition of The English Patient and The End of the Affair, that no longer has primetime prospects in this market, so getting it first on Blu-ray is a bonus.

“Birdsong carries a processed look that’s tastefully offered on the AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation.

“It’s a crisp look at all of the dramatics and war zone troubles, providing an intense view of the characters as they march through misery.

“Detail is excellent, registering powerfully with make-up efforts, keeping bloodshed vivid.”

“The soft, beige-infused hues of the film’s colour palette seem as though they might be subject to rough digital break-up, but the transfer renders every shade of gray, cream, and mocha with great fidelity.”