BBC has ever produced, it's now taken on another role: as a superb demonstration disc for the potential of HD DVD and Blu-ray. Spread over a good ten hours, the series charts life and nature in dozens upon dozens of differing locations around the earth. Diligently and warmly narrated by Sir David Attenborough, Planet Earth calmly goes close in on its subject matter when required, and then pulls out some stunning perspective shots that are simply breathtaking. It's hard to come up with the right superlatives to do the photography on the programme any kind of justice, and that it's married to such fascinating subject matter is all the better. And if you think the original broadcast of Planet Earth was something special, or you were gobsmacked by the picture quality on DVD, just wait until you see it in 1080p HD glory. Particularly some of the broader shots here are all but without parallel, and it's a real reward for those who have invested ahead of the crowd in high definition technology. Presented over five discs, and matching wonderful content to spot-on visual presentation, Planet Earth is now not just a landmark in nature documentary film making. It's also a chartermark of quality for just what HD DVD and Blu-ray can offer. A stunning release, in more than one sense. --Jon Foster
BBC has ever produced, it's now taken on another role: as a superb demonstration disc for the potential of HD DVD and Blu-ray. Spread over a good ten hours, the series charts life and nature in dozens upon dozens of differing locations around the earth. Diligently and warmly narrated by Sir David Attenborough, Planet Earth calmly goes close in on its subject matter when required, and then pulls out some stunning perspective shots that are simply breathtaking. It's hard to come up with the right superlatives to do the photography on the programme any kind of justice, and that it's married to such fascinating subject matter is all the better. And if you think the original broadcast of Planet Earth was something special, or you were gobsmacked by the picture quality on DVD, just wait until you see it in 1080p HD glory. Particularly some of the broader shots here are all but without parallel, and it's a real reward for those who have invested ahead of the crowd in high definition technology. Presented over five discs, and matching wonderful content to spot-on visual presentation, Planet Earth is now not just a landmark in nature documentary film making. It's also a chartermark of quality for just what HD DVD and Blu-ray can offer. A stunning release, in more than one sense. --Jon Foster
Advantages: Informative and entertaining Disadvantages: none
My husband saw a couple of these programs a while ago and did nothing but rave about them. So when I saw the box set in Virgin for £10.99 I had to buy it to see what all the hype was about. I have to admit since starting to watch it, conversation has come to a grinding halt in our house due to the fact that I am glued to it. The set comes with 4 discs, each containing 3 x 45 minute long programs narrated by David Attenborough on different subjects ... ...Deserts to Jungles, etc. At the end of each program is a 10 minute "Diary" showing how they made the program and what the camera crew had to endure to get the filming. This is very funny to watch and almost worth buying the dvd for on its own. Its amazing to think that the 45 minutes of footage you have just seen can take up to a year in extreme conditions filming. There are no very gory bits in it, so it's fine for young children to watch, and doesn't ...
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