Blu-Ray Review: First Two Seasons of ‘Lost’ Finally Available in HD

CHICAGO – A majority of people who watch television in HD would cite ABC’s “Lost” as having the highest quality broadcast on television from a technical level but the first two seasons were only available in standard definition. Until now. J.J. Abrams’ mysterious island and its residents look absolutely amazing in HD and now fans can catch up with the first two seasons of “Lost”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

There are a few franchises that simply do TV on DVD better than others - “The Simpsons,” “24,” and, of course, “Lost” stand among the best. With fantastic special features and gorgeous transfers, these shows aren’t just documents of a program’s original broadcast, they stand on their own and enhance the show instead of just giving viewers an opportunity to watch it again.

The first four season releases of “Lost” have been among the most acclaimed in the history of standard DVD and seasons three and four proved that Buena Vista Home Video was going to bring the same craftsmanship in designing a single set to Blu-Ray. Instead of making fans wait, before the final season airs early in 2010, viewers can watch all five seasons that came before in HD.

If you already own the first two seasons of “Lost,” should you upgrade? Well, HD really is the way to go for a show like this one but a few more interesting new special features would have been a nice addition for fans tempted to open their wallet for a majority of material they already own (although buyers ARE given a $20 mail-in certificate if they own the complete first or second season already, which is a nice incentive).

The first two seasons of “Lost” are already some of the most influential television of the ’00s. I can still remember the first time I saw the amazing pilot and, like a lot of fans, I’m sure that I will one day work my way through all six seasons of this great show.

The technical details and special features:

Lost: The Complete First Season was released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009. Photo credit: Buena Vista Home Video

“Lost: The Complete First Season”

The 25 episodes (1,068 minutes) of “Lost: The Complete First Season” are presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The video is close to flawless and the audio mix, in English 5.1 Uncompressed (48kHz/16-bit) Audio (with a French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 track also available), is significantly better than the original broadcast. Sound design has always been a significant part of Lost, and the Blu-Ray audio track places the appropriate emphasis on that element of the show.

Like all “Lost” seasons, the first comes with hours of special features:

“The Lost Flashbacks” - All-New, Unseen Flashbacks Reveal Additional Secrets
“Welcome to Oahu: The Making Of The Pilot’ - Behind-the-Scenes Featurette on Lost’s Premiere Episode
“The Genesis of Lost” - Series’ Creators Tell How the Show Was Conceived
“Designing a Disaster” - Exciting Insights Into the Look of Lost
“Commentaries” - Observations From The Cast and Creators
“Before They Were Lost” - Audition Tapes and Personal Stories From the Cast
“Deleted Scenes and Bloopers”
Exclusive to Blu-Ray - “SeasonPlay, Seamless Menus, And Much More”

Lost: The Complete Second Season was released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009. Photo credit: Buena Vista Home Video

“Lost: The Complete Second Season”

The 24 episodes (1,056 minutes) of “Lost: The Complete Second Season” are presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The audio mix is an English 5.1 Uncompressed (48kHz/16-bit) Audio (with a French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 track also available) track.

Over eight hours of original bonus material includes:

“Lost Flashbacks” - Secrets Revealed in All-New, Never-Before-Seen Flashbacks
“The Official Lost Connections’ - Shocking Character Connections Are Uncovered in This Exclusive Immersive Experience
“Secrets From the Hatch” - Go Inside To Discover “The Swan”
“Mysteries, Theories And Conspiracies” - The Virgin Mary Statues, Alvar Hanso And Snow Globes - The Truth Revealed
“Lost on Location” - An All-Access Pass To The Set
“Fire + Water” - An Episode From Concept to Completion
“Audio Commentaries”
“Deleted Scenes and Bloopers”
Exclusive to Blu-Ray - “SeasonPlay, Seamless Menus, And Much More”

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com