Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Planet Earth is one of the best documentaries of the new millennium and The Discovery Channel and the BBC join forces to bring us closer to how life begins on our planet with a view from every continent and habitat. Witness 130 stories in fabulous high-definition.

When the mood strikes me, I love to watch an episode of Planet Earth in order to appreciate the wonderful world in which we live. While Life is entertaining, I really miss the narration from Sir David Attenborough. Oprah Winfrey does nothing for me and sounds ill prepared in her delivery. Part of the issue could be the script, which seems like it's been dumbed-down for use in the classroom and not catered to the college educated crowd.

Video Highlights

• VC-1/1080i encodes on a BD-50 discs
• Inconsistent detail depending on the shooting environment
• Outstanding color saturation, especially in the rain forests around the world
• Occasional banding
• Awe-inspiring visuals of our planet

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Front-loaded presentation
• Clear narration from Winfrey
• Occasional surround activity with wind, waves, and animals

Some of the video footage is reference-quality, particularly the scenes involving multi-colored species such as snakes and lizards. The audio is serviceable and doesn't detract from the visuals.

Bonus Materials

• Life on location (HD)
• Deleted Scenes (HD)
• Music only viewing option

I was able to watch a portion of the BBC series with different narration and I'm not happy the studio sent me the Discovery Channel version and would have preferred the BBC narration from Attenborough (available at Amazon.com). Despite this shortcoming, this is a fabulous series that will cater to a younger audience and parents may learn a thing or two along the way. Reccomended.

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Release Date: June 1, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movie: 8/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics