The people who have criticised this Blu-Ray disc fail to consider the following:This concert was filmed in 1983 on 16mm film at a time when even the best consumer video format(Laserdisc) had resolution less than what DVD has today. We can all agree that the performances and surround sound mix on this Blu-Ray disc are superb. I've purchased both the Blu-Ray & DVD editions from Amazon's British website and viewed both on my 54" plasma T.V. and can assure you that the Blu-Ray disc's picture is dramatically superior to the DVD edition, even if Blu-Ray makes the film grain more visible(the concert was filmed under low-light conditions).

I should explain that the reason why the U.S.A. price on the Blu-Ray & DVD editions is quite high is because Universal Music in the U.S.A. is merely importing the British discs instead of pressing their own. It's much, much cheaper to import them yourself from Amazon's British website. The British DVD set has been pressed with NTSC video/All regions, and the British Blu-Ray disc has been pressed for worldwide(all regions) playback compatability. Universal in the UK also offers a set which pairs the DVD with the 2-CD audio set. Universal can't officially distribute that edition in the U.S.A., where Warner Brothers' license on the group's CD releases is still in effect.

As for the music in this concert, it finds the group touring behind their "Love Over Gold" album, at a time when the group had added keyboards, saxophone and a more proficient drummer for a more exact reproduction of the group's increasingly melodic & complex arrangements. This doesn't mean that there isn't improvisation and elaboration. There is, and the group finds a groove and stretches out with renditions that are typically much longer than their studio counterparts.

But I do have two very valid criticisms: "Love Over Gold"(which is included in the CD version) is still omitted from the video version, though the film footage exists and has been used in video compilations such as "Sultans of Swing" & "Dire Straits-The Videos". And, of course, the annoying piece of hair fluttering around inside one of the three film cameras(during the last two songs) remains present with no attempt to retouch it, though certainly there are things that could have been done in the digital domain to retouch the image(techniques that were used on the DVD of "The Who-The Kids Are Alright")

What can I say except Mark Knopfler is at his best on this video. I don't think you will see a range in guitar styles and techniques on any other recording that could match Alchemy Live. Sultans of Swing, Tunnel of Love & the Opus Telegraph Road are among some of the best songs on this video and in the music industry overall. And best of all his songs actually tell a story and have meaning unlike a lot (not all) of the mundane pop songs that we hear today.

I have seen Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler live quite a few times, and of all the concert footage I have seen of Mark and the band, this is still the best. The concert was a sold out event at the Hammerstein Odeon in 1983, and presents a set of pre-"Brothers in Arms" classics that any Dire Straits fan should love. The concert also became the basis for the live two CD set of the same title, which is still probably my most played CD of all time.

For those of you that have never seen Mark in concert, understand that he never plays a song exactly the same way twice, and that the live versions of the songs are generally a bit longer than their studio versions. That's fine with me, especially in the classics like "Tunnel of Love," and especially the crowning achievement "Telegraph Road." The strength of the band is critical to achieve the sound Knopfler demands, and "Telegraph Road" better illustrates the strong, yet subtle, interplay of all instruments in a Dire Straits live set than any other song (Terry Williams' drumming is particularly strong during this performance.)

Seeing Dire Straits live was always my greatest musical thrill. This video is the next best thing to being there: it has great sound (much better than most concert films), great lighting, great photography, and is well edited. I give this video an unquestioned five stars.

Let's get the bad out of the way, Alchemy was filmed on video. What you see here on this Blu-ray is likely the best this will ever look, it's limited by the source material. No amount of baking, scanning and what-have-you is going to do this source material any favours.

This is also presented in the original aspect ratio of 4:3, meaning on a high definition TV you will have black bars on the sides. This is perfectly normal. If they were to re-scan the source material to present it in 16:9 you'd be now stuck with around 400 lines of source resolution and it would be ugly, so either zoom in on it or please hold your tongue...this is as good as it gets.

Now for the juice - Chuck Ainlay has gone back to the original master tapes and done an amazing re-mastering of Alchemy as well as an amazing multi-channel surround mix, mastering to 24-bit/96kHz and encoded using the dts Master Audio codec, which is of course lossless.

The surround mix is enveloping and accurately reflects the feel of a live concert. Every single nuance of the performance seems to come across with delightful clarity, from the subtleties of Private Investigations to the all out rock and roll of Sultans of Swing. Until now the best I've ever heard Alchemy sound is on the original German vinyl pressing, but I have a new favourite and it is this Blu-ray disc.

Whether you kick the lights and TV off and flick your receiver into a PURE DIRECT mode, shut your eyes and float away into this amazing concert or watch it at the same time, this one will be sure to be in constant rotation for a long time to come. Alas this isn't the pristine 1080p24 16:9 35mm transfer that I'm sure people would love to see, but with the elements available I think we're very lucky to finally have such an incredible audio presentation of this truly wonderful performance.

Thanks Universal Music and thanks Chuck Ainlay...and of course thanks to Dire Straits, you still rock as hard in 2010 as you did in 1983.

Dire Straits has gone through many stages as a band. This video is a fabulous example of the bands sound, quality, professionalism, and grace shown at the Hammerstein Odeon in 1983. This is set in the period after their smashing debut album, and just before the 20 million selling Brothers in Arms. These are the two albums that most fans are familiar with. I, for one am a huge Dire Straits fan, and have listened to the band for 13 years now. The concert concentrates on Knopfler's incredible guitar work which shows on such compositions as "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "Wild Theme--Local Hero." The music is strong and solid, always taking you in and immersing you in a visual display of rock at its absolute best. Vintage country music is also an obvious influcence to Dire Straits' sound, and is shown in Two Young Lovers, the only song they play off of the now discontinued EP, Extendance E Play. I strongly advise you to purchase the video and soundtrack to this live experience. The quality of this band is unsurpassed by most any band before or since.