![Best of Europe: France Combo Pack [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61mDFkCJGxL.jpg)
Product Description Rudy Maxa, the most trusted name in travel, goes beyond the guidebooks to share his authoritative tips, trips and secret places. Now, Europe looks even better in spectacular Blu-ray. The world's most popular destinations, hidden treasures and off-the-beaten path surprises pop off the screen in spectacular high definition, making these discs a must-own collectible for millions of travel buffs. The first three discs in this collection make up the first travel series photographed in high definition. Rudy, one of America's foremost travel experts, is seen on more than 300 PBS stations every week, is the popular voice of The Savvy Traveler as heard on NPR, and is the contributing editor of National Geographic's Traveler magazine. Program 1: Paris - Discover the real Paris, city of style, art, and pastries! You will visit the Eiffel Tower, take in the stunning masterworks housed in the Louvre, and visit intimate neighborhoods such as the bohemian Latin Quarter and artistic Montmartre. Program 2: Provence - Explore the villages, country-sides and cities of Provence. On the itinerary are driving tours of the Alpilles and Luberon regions, visits to the delightful cities of Arles, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, and a dip in the Mediterranean at the seaside village of Cassis. Program 3: French Riviera - Rudy knows all the hot spots along the Mediterranean s famous Cote d Azur, and you will, too. Visit the beaches and superb modern art museums of Nice. Then it s on to wealthy Monaco, glamorous Cannes, and stylish St. Tropez. Your Riviera adventure concludes with a trip to Grasse to make your own perfume, and a magnificent medieval hill town. Program 4: France's Normandy - Enchanting villages, stunning abbeys and sparkling seaports beckon. You will visit Giverny s museums, where Impressionism was born, honor the soldiers who fought on Normandy s beaches on D-day, and marvel at the awe inspiring Abbey of Mont-St-Michel. In addition to the Blu-ray disc, this combo pack also includes: 1. DVD version of the program(s) that you can play in your DVD player, vehicle or computer. 2. Digital copy of the program that you can download to your computer and/or transfer to your mobile devices. Questar is pleased to offer you the ability to watch our award-wining programs whenever and wherever you want! Review Don't even think of hitting the road unless you've consulted Rudy Maxa, one of the country's premier travel gurus --Paul TherouxTrust Rudy if you want to travel in style --The Today Show
J**A
Stunning video quality, plays perfectly in my PS-3
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.
D**L
Great
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.
Z**A
A beautiful trip through France with Rudy Maxa
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.
T**O
4 "Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa" episodes on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
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.
R**M
Four Stars
Good production
A**B
Wow!
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!
L**L
Disc did not work in my machine or that of ...
Disc did not work in my machine or that of several friends. The second disc not not work either. Very disappointing.
B**Y
Certainly Doesn't Compare
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.
Trustpilot
5 days ago
2 weeks ago
