Silicon Valley appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Across the board, the shows looked attractive.
Sharpness was usually solid. A few wider shots showed a little softness, but those instances remained minor. Instead, the majority of the movie seemed accurate and concise. I saw no signs of jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent. Source flaws were a non-factor, as I witnessed no specks, marks or other debris.
Colors were good. The series opted for a fairly amber palette and the Blu-ray replicated these tones in an appealing manner. Black levels were appropriately deep, and shadows seemed clear and well-rendered. Across the board, the visuals proved to be pleasing.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack suited the shows pretty well but won't win any awards. The soundstage appeared nicely broad at the appropriate times and could be moderately engulfing on occasion. It's a talky little series, so the focus was mainly up front, but the audio expanded when necessary. This occurred mostly via gentle environmental ambience, so the surrounds didn’t have a lot to do. That said, the imaging made sense for the story.
Sound quality seemed fine. Dialogue always appeared crisp and natural, and I had no trouble understanding it. The low-key music that acted as the score was warm and distinctive. Effects also seemed realistic and adequate for the tasks at hand. Valley won't be anyone's demo track, but it worked well for the series.
Six episodes boast audio commentaries. Here’s what we find:
“Sand Hill Shuffle”: creator/exective producer/director Mike Judge and actors Thomas Middleditch, Amanda Crew, Kumail Nanjiani and Martin Starr.
“Runaway Devaluation”: Judge, Nanjiani, Middleditch, and actors Suzanne Cryer and TJ Miller.
“Bad Money”: Middleditch, executive producer/director/writer Alec Berg and actors Chris Diamantopoulos and Zach Woods.
“White Hat/Black Hat”: Middleditch, Woods, Berg, Diamantopoulos, Crew, and actor Jimmy O. Yang.
“Binding Arbitration”: Miller, Judge, and actors Josh Brener and Matt McCoy.
“Two Days of the Condor”: Middleditch, McCoy, Nanjiani, Starr and Berg.
“Optimal Tip-to-Tip”: Middleditch, Woods, Miller, Nanjiani, Starr, Berg and Judge.
During these chats, we learn about story/character areas, sets and locations, cast and performances, tech elements and deleted scenes. None of these topics get discussed in depth, but the commentaries cover them in a decent manner.
Overall, the tracks offer moderately enjoyable chats. We get a little too much fluff and joking, so we don’t learn a ton about the series. Still, they go down easily and seem mostly engaging, so they’re worth a listen.
Deleted Scenes come for six episodes: “Sand Hill Shuffle” (two scenes, 2:58), “Runaway Devaluation” (1, 2:51), “Server Space” (2, 1:57), “Homicide” (1, 0:36), “White Hat/Black Hat” (1, 1:17), and “Binding Arbitration” (1, 1:09). Most of these bring us some minor laughs, but a few semi-substantial moment appear, mainly at Hooli. We also see the fallout of Dinesh’s investment in his cousin’s app. None of the scenes excel, but they tend to be interesting.
Finally, Reality Bytes: The Art and Science of Silicon Valley runs three minutes, eight seconds and features Judge, Starr, Nanjiani, Berg, technical advisor Vinith Misra, and co-producer Jonathan Dotan. The featurette tells us a little about technical elements and attempts at accuracy in the series. Despite its brevity, the piece works reasonably well.
After a good first year, Season Two of Silicon Valley continues to prosper. Actually, S2 probably fares better than its predecessor, as it manages to develop story and characters in a more satisfying manner. The Blu-ray provides positive picture and audio along with some decent supplements. I enjoyed S2 of Silicon Valley and look forward to the next batch of shows.
