Rudy MaxaBest of Europe: France Combo Pack [Blu-ray]

The images are stunning. It is in 1080i but still looks fantastic. Very informative. Rudy Maxa is interesting to listen to and he gives good tips for travelling in the areas he documents. I felt I had to review this blu-ray when I saw one of the two reviews showing a one star review because the person apparantly didn't update their firmware for their Sony laptop computer and had problems watching the disk and rated this one star. They dinged all 3 blu-ray videos in this series for the same reason. There are other titles in this series including England and Italy which are also filmed beautifully and are interesting. Also video is 16:9 and not 1.33:1. Beautiful widescreen.

All the Videos of Europe are real nice, my wife and I love the scenery. It feels like you are in the country because of the way the Videos are made, very good job.

I studied French for six years, but have not yet been to France. My granddaughters, who have a French Canadian father, have been to France several times. This blu-ray, DVD and digital copy set looks at four regions: Burgundy and Loire, Champagne, Bordeaux and Dordogne, Carcassonne and the Pyranees. The French are gourmets and will take long trips to visit fine dining places.The photography on the blu-ray is outstanding. I am waiting for Rudy Maxa's set on Greece and Spain.

I was unfamiliar with Rudy Maxa before purchasing this and the second "Beautiful France" set. The programs presented here are from "Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa". From season one, there's episode 8 "Paris" originally aired May 11, 2002 and episode 7 "Provence" which aired May 4, 2002. "French Rivera" is from season 2, episode 3 (April 19, 2003). "France's Normandy" comes from season 3, episode 11 (June 12, 2004). So travel information maybe severely dated for a 2010 blu-ray release and certainly for a 2021 purchase like mine.However I do find the programs well made, interesting, educational, visually captivating and occasionally humorous.The digital copies included on the DVD are, of course, in standard definition. Only 1 of the 4 had the correct .mp4 file extension on it, so I had to copy the "unknown file format" programs to my computer and then add the mp4 extension to view them properly. I've also included the episode information here from IMDb so users could add meta-data to the files and place them in accurate TV show & season folders. They also do not have niceties like chapter markers. It's doubtful I will watch the standard definition stuff since so much better picture on the blu-ray.I've never been to France, but these programs make me want to visit. Good value for the $7 I spent on this, but probably not worth $20+ like other sets in "Best of Europe/Travel" I'm seeing on Amazon.

Good production

I couldn't wait to see how the Rudy Maxa series would look in hi-def- it was well worth the wait.Fantastic transfer on the France disc- rich bold colors, excellent detail, didn't notice a trace of video noise or artifacting. Note- the Amazon description lists this series (France, Italy, England) as being in 1:33 aspect ratio- they are NOT! Full 16x9/- glorious!If you love the Maxa series/and or France, you will love this disc- an absolute no-brainer.5 stars- highly recommended!

Disc did not work in my machine or that of several friends. The second disc not not work either. Very disappointing.

The biggest disappointment was that it is sold as a two disc set with one disc a blu-ray and the other being the same but in DVD...I guess I'm at fault for not noticing the details but the publishers should more clearly identify this is not a two disc blu-ray!! This is the main reason I ranked it only a 2 star. Although the quality of blu-ray disc is great, the episodes certainly do not compare with the series "Magnifica Italia". There's too much time spent on frivolous details in each short 25 minute episode vs. seeing more of the regions landscapes and significant natural and cultural features. It's the first time I have seen a travelogue with Rudi Maxa and find him uninspiring (at least Rick Steves is a better host). They really should find someone with a personality like Ian Stewart ("Earth Biography" and "How the Earth Changed History") who shows incredible enthusiasm and excitement and draws you right into his work. All in all, it's so-so but I'm hesitant to buy any more in this series as I don't see it as good value for the cost + shipping.