8.9 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
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.
Narrator: David Attenborough, Nikolay Drozdov, Thomas Anguti JohnstonDocumentary | 100% |
Nature | 92% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD HR 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Dolby Digital track is an isolated score track
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Six-disc set (6 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Planet Earth not only helped sell second generation adopters on the wonders of high definition, it remains one of the most popular Blu-ray releases to date. If you have a Blu-ray collection, chances are the original 2007 release of Planet Earth is sitting on one of your shelves. It's no mystery either. The eleven-episode nature documentary series boasts some of the most gorgeous, jaw-dropping imagery to ever grace the screen and offers viewers an opportunity to see things they would never otherwise see, to learn about remote locations and exotic animal they would never otherwise know existed, and to experience the the majesty and fury of the planet in ways they never thought possible. Rather than dive into the series itself, though, this review will focus on the differences between the 6-disc 2011 Special Edition release of Planet Earth and its 4-disc 2007 predecessor. The quality of the series almost goes without saying. The quality of its upcoming re-issue... well, read on.
The back cover of Planet Earth touts "the greatest Blu-ray release of all time just got even better, newly encoded to take advantage of recent innovations in Blu-ray technology." All well and good; vague but promising. I was, suffice it to say, genuinely excited. Why, then, the studio chose to present the series in 1080i rather than 1080p is a bit of mystery, especially when the original 2007 Warner/BBC release of Planet Earth is presented in 1080p. Disc space? Some other limitation? It isn't entirely clear. What is clear is that, interlaced or no, BBC Video's 1080i/AVC MPEG-4 encode impresses. That said, Planet Earth is beginning to show some signs of age, more recent BBC nature documentaries are more crisp and colorful, and the new encode suffers from several issues, minor as each one may be.
First, the good. (Or great in most cases.) Colors don't always erupt off the screen in every shot and segment, but the series still comes alive with lifelike hues, beautiful earthtones, pleasing contrast and reasonably deep (albeit imperfect) black levels. Stark frozen tundra whites, sweltering desert oranges, brisk ocean blues, vibrant jungle flora, smoldering volcanic reds and flourishing forest greens, all drawn from the Natural History Unit's stunning photography. Detail is also notable, just not reference-quality. (Don't be so quick to lay blame solely at the feet of the new encode or its 1080i presentation, though. The 2007 1080p release isn't as immaculate as it once seemed. Technically speaking, that is.) Textures are nicely resolved (despite numerous inconsistencies from scene to scene and episode to episode); edge definition is sharp and satisfying throughout (despite the presence of intermittent ringing and edge halos); and bristling fur, sleek scales, smooth skin, ruffled feathers, tangled underbrush, canopy leaves and branches, and wind-swept snow and sand still leave their mark (despite some softness inherent to the series' photography and source, as well as a variety of unavoidable anomalies that appear beneath the ocean and in the darkest corners of the planet).
Differences between the 2011 Special Edition presentation and its 2007 counterpart aren't all that apparent, regardless of what innovations and technologies were used to produce the new encode. I'm sure a committed screenshot scientist somewhere will pick out every pixel and primary that exhibits a measure of gain or loss, but when the episodes are barreling along, the 2011 and 2007 video experiences are, for the most part, comparable. Noise is a bigger issue this time around, be it ingrained noise courtesy of the photography, mosquito noise courtesy of the encode, or digital noise courtesy of a few largely negligible compression mishaps. By my estimation, it affects the 2011 release more than the original, but not to debilitating ends. (In early episodes of the Special Edition, hundreds-strong flocks of fleeing birds and herds of migrating beasts are occasionally swarmed by noise. Look closely if you must; you can't miss it.) Banding still pops up from time to time too, generally when the NHU cameras plunge beneath the waves, soar over mountains against the bright blue sky, or swim in deep waters with whales, sharks and creatures that lurk even further below the surface. But when it comes to banding, the new Special Edition actually bests the 2007 original. And then there's aliasing, which makes a round of (thankfully fleeting) appearances, albeit not enough to label it a problem of any sort.
The "i" in "1080i" will surely scare away some fans and leave others grumbling, but in motion, the 1080i encode isn't going to disappoint very many people. Comparisons between the 1080i and 1080p versions end in a near draw, although I will go on record as saying the 2007 1080p presentation still has an edge, particularly when it comes to wide shots teeming with fields of birds or beasts. Ultimately, anyone straddling the fence should focus on the real upgrades the Special Edition affords: a DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 surround track and more than thirteen hours of special features and bonus documentaries.
While previous releases of Planet Earth were hindered by lower bitrate Dolby Digital lossy audio, the 2011 Special Edition release boasts a strong (albeit still lossy) 2.0Mbps DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 surround track. (Not to be confused with a full-fledged lossless DTS-HD Master Audio mix). Of course, David Attenborough's narration dominates each episode, so the vast majority of the improvements inherent to the High Resolution audio are only apparent when Attenborough pauses and allows the planet's enveloping soundscapes to surge forward. Not that anyone should expect much more. Rear speaker activity isn't overwhelming, but it isn't overbearing either. Waterfalls, thunder storms, raging rivers, bustling jungles and the cacophony of animal calls, insect noise and environmental ambience are clean and clear. Likewise, LFE output isn't earth-shaking, but it also doesn't overpower the soundstage. Throaty roars and thunderous stampedes are given ample support, dynamics are satisfying, and the mix strikes a welcome balance between the might and meekness of the world's most exotic locales. All the while, Attenborough's voice has real presence and the weight of his words, the gravity of his emphases, and the rich quality of his tone never falters. The resulting sonic experience isn't nearly as moving or immersive as the series' photography, but BBC's High Resolution mix is technically sound and bests its Planet Earth predecessors.
The other notable upgrade the 6-disc Special Edition release provides? Extras, extras, extras. Audio commentaries for five episodes, two and a half hours of behind-the-scenes production featurettes and materials, nearly six hours of secondary documentaries, and an isolated score option. Yes, some of the content is presented in standard definition. Yes, most of the featurettes and documentaries are presented with lossy Dolby Digital stereo mixes. And yes, six episodes go without a commentary. However, in the grand scheme of things, thirteen-plus hours of special features adds tremendous value to the set, and it's difficult to be too disappointed with such limited shortcomings. As for the packaging, Planet Earth's discs are housed in an attractive book that's a half-inch taller and a half-inch wider than a standard Blu-ray case. Inside, the book's six glossy cardboard pages hold the set's discs, snuggly but not tightly. (See the image at the top of this review for a closer look at the packaging.) It's a tad flimsy, I'll admit. Especially compared to the handsome, altogether sturdy packaging Fox has used for the Alien and Star Wars sets and HBO has used for releases like Deadwood and Rome. That said, I'll take more easily accessible discs any day of the week. A side-access slipcover is also included for good measure.
A hundred years ago, there were one-and-a-half billion people on Earth. Now, over six billion crowd our fragile planet. But even so, there are still places barely touched by humanity. This series will take you to the last wildernesses and show you the planet and its wildlife as you have never seen them before.
Planet Earth belongs on everyone's shelf. That's the easy part. Whether you should stick with your 2007 copy or shell out enough cash to upgrade to the 2011 6-disc Special Edition release is a bit more complicated. If you're a stickler for 1080p, the use of a 1080i presentation may frighten you away. Don't let it. Yes, the series suffers a slight downgrade in terms of video, but it isn't all that apparent when the episodes are in motion. (Key words: "all that.") The decision to add it to your cart or walk away, then, really comes down to a different matter altogether: how much is a (still lossy but higher bitrate) DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 surround track and thirteen hours of special features and bonus documentaries worth to you? If money is no object, add both to your shelf. It isn't a perfect best-of-both-worlds scenario, but it'll do. If money is tight, you might want to hold off for a sale (unless you're a true supplemental junkie, in which case you may want to ready your credit card). Either way, fans and newcomers alike will be pleased with the 6-disc results and, I would imagine, feel their hard-earned high-def dollars have been well spent.
The Complete Series
2006
US Discovery Channel Edition
2006
The Complete Series | Limited Edition
2006
BBC / Narrated by David Attenborough
2009
BBC
2011
2016
2006
2007
2007
The Original UK Series
2011
2009
2008
2008
2009
IMAX
2008
Double Feature with The Dream is Alive
1990
2017
2010
IMAX
2009
2008
1992
Disneynature
2007
2003