Accessories

Near perfect collective look at Planet Earth
First of all, David Attenborough is a terrific narrator. Had he not narrated this, I doubt I would have purchased it. He compliments documentary films THAT well, and enhances the overall enjoyment and fulfillment of viewing such works.

Now about the DVD. Wow. I give this documentary and the DVD's 5 stars easy, but there were some extremely MINOR things that I thought could have been better.

The film has coverage from quite a large amount of the Earth. From the Amazon, to the Rocky Mountains, to the artic tundra and everywhere possible in between. This film brought me videos of truly bizarre animals I'd never imagined existed. It showed a more up-close and intimate view in the life of many animals that I was already aware of. There was a point in the video that brought me down a bit, and that was the footage and story of the snow leopards of of northern Siberia whose numbers are dwindling horribly low. You get a personal look at so many different terrains, species, and ecosystems.

Footage was taken from some amazing areas of the planet that made you wonder at times how anyone even got to these places safely. The camera crew clearly goes above and beyond in order to bring us spectacles that most of us will never see in person. At the end of each episode, there is a behind the scenes look at what it took to film in certain places. You really get a better appreciation for the amount of time, work, and personal risk that each member of the film crew had put on the line. It was this portion of the DVD's alone that made me feel better about how much I had paid for them.

Picture and Sound Quality = 10/10
Even without blueray, the picture here is so amazing that it was almost as if you were there personally. Sounds were sharp and crystal clear and the images precise and spectacular. I was very impressed.

Coverage = 9/10
There were times when I wanted to see more footage of rare places that I thought they could have probably added in. Then at other times I felt they spent a little too much time on certain places or animals. Also, footage from the behind the scenes shots really only focused on one shooting session from each episode. Overall I was still impressed with the coverage of the film.

Narration = 10/10
David Attenborough, like I said before, is just terrific to listen to. The script and insight given by him to the viewer was perfect. He never overwhelms you with too much information about a particular species or scene, offering just enough dialogue to peak your curiosity and inform you, and also offering just enough quiet time for you to take it all in. Attenborough is the best.

My complaints:
Really I had only a few, and will just discuss two rather than go on and on nit-picking the every point of the film. First, there were scenes which the action happened so fast that they had to slow it down many many times in order for you to be able to clearly see what happened. This was really awesome to view. However, there were times they did this and then never actually show you the full real life speed in which it happened. A very minor complaint that really doesn't take away from the quality of the film.
My only other complaint is that if you're a hardcore outdoors/nature enthusiast, it might leave you happy, but not feeling satisfied. At the end of each episode, I was disappointed that it was over. I personally wanted more.

Conclusion:
Planet Earth is a fantastic collective look at our planet. It is a little pricey, but definitely worth it if you want to see some very impressive stuff. BBC has once again provided its audience with a superior product that easily beats out other nature documentaries. Also if you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to pick up The Blue Planet, also by BBC and narrated by David Attenborough.

Buenisimo
El documental es buenisimo, el mejor que he visto en mi vida, con esas imagenes vale la pena comprarlo (en Bluray-Disc) no malgasten su dinero comprandolo en DVD, lo unico esque aca decia que si estaba en Español y en realidad lamentablemente tiene unicamento subtitulos es Spanish, eso fue lo unico que si me decepciono pero, por todo lo demas esta super ... 1080p es lo mejor...!

Amaz-ing!
I bought this item about a year ago and never really got around to watching it til this month, but as soon as I popped that first DVD in, I remembered why I got it. This film series has unprecedented footage, the most beautiful scenery, the most exotic creatures, the most advanced technology... There is just nothing out there that compares to the majesty of this series. I know that I will keep these for as long as I can and share it with friends and family because it takes your breath away to observe the planet you live on in such a spectacular way. No complaints about quality, price, anything. This product is one of a kind!

Great family entertainment
This is a wonderful series with dramatic footage. The whole family will enjoy this collection.

Window on the World
My general rule about Blu-ray is that I will not replace a DVD I already own with a Blu-ray DVD. Like every good rule, it should have a few exceptions and Planet Earth is one of them.

This series was made for Blu-ray.The photography, stunning even on standard definition, is astonishing in 1080p. As the camera moves from helicopter sweeps of vast herds of yaks on the high plains of Mongolia, to elephants emerging ghostlike from high grasses in India to vibrant underwater vistas of barrier reefs teeming with tropical life, we get a sense of our own relative place on our blue ball.

David Attenborough's career has been devoted to the interface between the communication arts and the natural sciences. He is the perfect narrator for such an ambitious series, bringing scientific credibility together with a classic BBC voice. Attenborough is no mere narrator however. He is the principal writer of this award winning series.

Once you have committed to HDTV and Blu-ray this should be an essential part of your collection, even if you already own the standard definition DVD.