The Essential Collection [DVD] [2012] [NTSC]

We really enjoyed this on Saturday evening with a couple of friends, one who knew a lot about Abba but found the promotional videos that had been shot in Sweden gave a different slant and are quite artistic. It is very good value for money as it runs for two and a half hours and packed full of interest.

My Favourite ever band, all of their videos!

Great part of any collection

For my sister for Christmas 😀

The last video is just too much. It would be better to add another original video

as described and a brill dvd for any abba fans out there and is really worth the price and value for money

The DVD of Abba is very good

Firstly, the audio. All Abba studio albums have been remastered since The Definitive Collection in 2002, so the audio on the Essential Collection should be an improvement to most people's ears. Now, the videos....Let's clear up the 'aspect ratio' debate. These videos were shot in a format just slightly wider than 4:3, so displaying them in 16:9 with black bars at the sides means that we are seeing the whole thing, unlike on The Definitive Collection DVD. So, can we throw away our old Abba DVDs? No!So, what favourites are missing? 'When I Kissed The Teacher' and 'Lay All Your Love On Me' are missing, as is the 'Money, Money, Money' cartoon version. There is also no 'random' option like that featured on The Definitive Collection DVD. However, the Eurovision/Waterloo anniversary comedy short called 'Our Last Video Ever' in which Abba appear as puppets, and also make a live cameo appearance, is included.The restoration is impressive, with whites looking white, but some of the videos look as if the restorers have been a little too enthusiastic with the colour setting. Whether or not this is a 'feature' of converting from NTSC to PAL, I have no way of knowing. And that brings me to my final point....This is yet another Abba DVD presented in NTSC for worldwide consumption. NTSC is inferior to PAL, and on a TV here in the UK it gives a 'soft focus' and a 'jerking' effect. This doesn't do justice to these excellent videos. Next time, Universal, GIVE US PAL!