Official Bootleg DVDs

[ravenheart1982]

Hi all,

I've never ordered, or even seen, one of the official Testament bootleg DVDs, so I've got a very basic question about them. Are they audience shot videos that have been donated to the band or recordings from TV networks etc?

Cheers,
RH.

 

[istari]

Most of them (if not all?) are filmed by Walter Morgan who worked for and toured with the band through out the years... So I think most of them are first generation copies filmed with a video camera.

 

[SnakeSkinner]

All the ones i've seen are in excellent quality

 

[toodiesel]

please don't ban me for this criticism, but I've bought 4 of the dvds and only the Monsters of Rock 1988 was decent quality (it's a proshot 2 and a half song set from germany i believe)... The other shows I have (Omni '88, Paris '05, and Istanbul '06) have ok video, but the audio is an absolute wreck... whoever recorded, transferred, or mastered the audio made the levels WAY too hot, and audio clipping is a huge problem on the Istanbul/Paris dvds. I understand this is a bootleg, but even for an audience recording bootleg, the audio is horrible. Even the Italy '05 show that's floating around has decent audio, as do most of the non-cameraphone youtube clips from the reunion year.

Also, mini tripods only cost $15 and you don't have to hold (and shake) the camcorder for one and a half hours.

I really want to get the Independent and Taiwan reunion shows but I just can't without seeing and, more importantly, hearing a sample

 

[toodiesel]

ok, rewatched the Paris 2005 and Istanbul 2006 videos and have this to say about them...

The Paris show has better audio then I remembered, but still subpar for a modern bootleg. Also, the audio is directed into only one channel, so if you are running a stereo setup, be prepared for nothing to be coming out of one speaker. Also, the show is shot at an odd angle (right balcony) which makes it a little odd watching the gig.

The Istanbul show is filmed great, 16:9, but authored in 4:3, so it's letterboxed, but whatever. The band plays great, but the audio on the dvd is as bad as I remember, and suffers from clipping constantly... not sure what the problem was, but it sounds like the mics couldn't handle the bass..

Anyone got reviews for the Independent show and the Taiwan show, as I've heard these are great and want to get them but am still a little hesitant until I read some more reviews

 

[SlayerNPG]

I think the ones from the New Order tour and the PWYP tours have the best audio out of all of them. And I agree, the audio on the newer ones is pretty lousy for some reason. That's why I havent bought one since the Tilburg show. Tokyo 99 is just unlistenable.

 

[eriked]

If you buy these official bootleg DVDs and expect professional quality you'll be disappointed. They are called bootleg for a reason. You'll buy them if you're a fan and want to see complete shows from different times in Testament's history. Although the ones I've seen have far greeter quality than the unofficial bootleg dvds I've seen.

(I just wote this to give my opinion. I realise that of much of the posts here are constructive criticism).

 

[JAMF]

The early DVDs appear to be shot by fans. (I know Walter shot them, but I’m just trying to describe the video.) The camera is handheld and shaky. It’s just one camera, not multiple shots like a TV broadcast. And the screen goes completely white any time there’s a big blast of lights from the stage. The audio is decent, in my opinion. I can hear the instruments and solos. So that’s how the early DVDs look and sound to me. At the same time, they’re a ton of fun to watch. In the Omni vid, you see some guy dive from a second floor balcony and fall through the smoke and lights--headfirst into the crowd below. Insane. I hope that guy left the show on his own 2 feet. In the Santa Monica vid, Walter takes the camera backstage. Like Eriked said, definitely for fans and fun as hell.