Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD] at DVD Hills.com

Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]

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DVD details

Actor: David Attenborough
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Published)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 550 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-04-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Video
Accessories:

Planet Toys Planet Earth Digital Microscope Kit

DVD Reviews of Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]

DVD Review: Great series but Audio/Video quality disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars

I know that I will be in the extreme minority here based on what I'm about to say but here it goes.

I watched this series on Discovery HD and purchased the HD-DVD set shortly after it was released. I read many reviews and forum posts about this set especially on Sigorny Weaver's narration. (Most couldn't stand her narration and were applauding the Attenborough narration on the new sets).

While I don't dislike David Attenborough's narration, I really prefer Weaver's. (I can't believe I said that!) Attenborough does sound older, (naturally) and I have to turn the volume up to hear him as well, I just feel Weaver's narration is more "effortless" to listen to and understand. This is not because of Attenborough's accent.

My remaining gripes about this set are in the Audio/Video quality, lack of features and the addition of the Weaver narration track if possible. Although someone in the forum did give good reasons as to why that probably did not happen due to the editing for American TV.

I know everyone loves the quality of the picture on this set and it is HD, but I have had HD for a few years, and am used to looking at it. I am very critical of picture quality and am disappointed... There is a lot of noise in many of the scenes for HD quality. I have 2 HD Televisions and basically the top of the line 1080p HD player as of this writing. (Toshiba XA-2)
I have hooked it up on HDMI and component, 1080p and 1080i, and the noise is there in many of the scenes. Some scenes are jaw dropping with almost no noise whatsoever, 3D-ish with incredible "POP" and many are just downright disappointing and I'm not only talking about dark scenes which digital cameras will naturally show noise. I feel that although this set was filmed mostly in HD, I'm sure they could have spent more time in the editing room cleaning up the picture in many scenes. I am going to say that this version at 1080p didn't really look better than the broadcast in HD. Although the broadcast is at lower resolution, 720p or 1080i, it did not look as noisy as the HD-DVD set. This may be because at higher resolution, imperfections are amplified and easier to see. Sitting 10-15+ feet away, many people will not even notice.

The audio quality of this set is not very good for an HD production. It could have been much better and would have added even more to the viewing experience of the series.

I know many will disagree with my opinion here, but they could have spent more time and care on this HD set. Just putting it on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD is not enough. They spent an ungodly amount making this thing over 5 years, spend and extra 2-3 months cleaning it up and make it look even better before you release it. I'm sure they were rushing to get this set commercial as soon as the initial airing was completed on Discovery Channel. It is possible to realease a 1080p disc with poor video quality. While I won't say the video quality is poor, I was expecting better and more consistant video quality.

I have come across other posts and reviews complaining of noise and grain in the picture. I am hoping to find someone I know with the Blu-Ray version to see if it's exactly like this one.

I doubt my review will deter anyone from purchasing this set. (It's not intended too.) It's more of a heads up and know what to expect. Don't pay the $99.99 retail like many stores have it for.

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Description of Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]

With an unprecedented production budget of $25 million, and from the makers of Blue Planet: Seas of Life, comes the epic story of life on Earth. Five years in production, over 2,000 days in the field, using 40 cameramen filming across 200 locations, shot entirely in high definition, this is the ultimate portrait of our planet. A stunning television experience that captures rare action, impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet's best-loved, wildest and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers, this blockbuster series takes you on an unforgettable journey through the daily struggle for survival in Earth's most extreme habitats. Planet Earth takes you to places you have never seen before, to experience sights and sounds you may never experience anywhere else.

As of its release in early 2007, Planet Earth is quite simply the greatest nature/wildlife series ever produced. Following the similarly monumental achievement of The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, this astonishing 11-part BBC series is brilliantly narrated by Sir David Attenborough and sensibly organized so that each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the most astonishing sights and sounds you'll ever experience from the comforts of home. The premiere episode, "From Pole to Pole," serves as a primer for things to come, placing the entire series in proper context and giving a general overview of what to expect from each individual episode. Without being overtly political, the series maintains a consistent and subtle emphasis on the urgent need for ongoing conservation, best illustrated by the plight of polar bears whose very behavior is changing (to accommodate life-threatening changes in their fast-melting habitat) in the wake of global warming--a phenomenon that this series appropriately presents as scientific fact. With this harsh reality as subtext, the series proceeds to accentuate the positive, delivering a seemingly endless variety of natural wonders, from the spectacular mating displays of New Guinea's various birds of paradise to a rare encounter with Siberia's nearly-extinct Amur Leopards, of which only 30 remain in the wild.

That's just a hint of the marvels on display. Accompanied by majestic orchestral scores by George Fenton, every episode is packed with images so beautiful or so forcefully impressive (and so perfectly photographed by the BBC's tenacious high-definition camera crews) that you'll be rendered speechless by the splendor of it all. You'll see a seal struggling to out-maneuver a Great White Shark; swimming macaques in the Ganges delta; massive flocks of snow geese numbering in the hundreds of thousands; an awesome night-vision sequence of lions attacking an elephant; the Colugo (or "flying lemur"--not really a lemur!) of the Philippines; a hunting alliance of fish and snakes on Indonesia's magnificent coral reef; the bioluminescent "vampire squid" of the deep oceans... these are just a few of countless highlights, masterfully filmed from every conceivable angle, with frequent use of super-slow-motion and amazing motion-controlled time-lapse cinematography, and narrated by Attenborough with his trademark combination of observational wit and informative authority. The result is a hugely entertaining series that doesn't flinch from the predatory realities of nature (death is a constant presence, without being off-putting).

At a time when the multiple threats of global warming should be obvious to all, let's give Sir David the last word, from the closing of Planet Earth's final episode: "We can now destroy or we can cherish--the choice is ours." --Jeff Shannon

Stills from Planet Earth (click for larger image)

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Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]