![]() However, unlike the flaws in the picture quality that are noticeable on any decent display, the soundtrack here is just fine as it is and does not distract from its core purpose of informing the viewer and filling in gaps in the narration with appropriate segues. Once again, this is an unfair judgement, but a natural one given the timing of this release. As a result, one must temper their expectations after becoming spoiled by the great soundtrack present on the Planet Earth series on HD DVD. The soundtrack is two-channel Dolby Digital, which was par for the course back in 2002 for shows like this. Such are the limits of standard definition, and further justification for more productions to be released on HD and enjoyed with HD displays. If you watch this on a standard definition television smaller than 40" you probably won't notice the artifacts as much. ![]() While it may be a bit unfair, it's a result of the combined factor of 1) the BBC setting their own bar very high with the latter production, and 2) not releasing this set on HD DVD for us die-hard nature documentary fans. We are, after all, comparing a production that is at least 5 years old and on standard definition DVD with a brand new production shot in HD and released on HD DVD. The BBC did such an incredible job with the HD DVD release of "Planet Earth" that my expectations might be unfairly high. It's possible that the other discs might have looked better had they been mastered at a higher bitrate, but that's just a guess. My Pioneer DVD player displayed a bitrate of around 7 Mbps on disc 5, as opposed to 5 Mbps on the other discs. These flaws are much less noticeable on disc 5, probably as a result of being mastered using contemporary techniques. Banding is also evident in many of the underwater scenes, where gradients of overhead light appear as bands of color from light to dark instead of gradual color changes. MPEG artifacts abound in areas, appearing as sparkly distortions, especially on the edges of divers as they are interviewed above water. I was a little disappointed in the picture quality of many of the segments on these discs. The "Blue Planet" series is only available on DVD as of this writing. That series was released not only on DVD, but also in high definition on HD DVD and Blu-ray disc. This release is no doubt as a result of their very successful "Planet Earth" series which debuted earlier in 2007 to great acclaim. The original four DVD series was released in 2002, and now they are following up that release with a 5-disc Special Edition which includes a bonus disc containing four additional shows. ![]() Spanning the globe's oceans, we get to see Blue Whales, coral reefs, and creatures rarely seen by humans. It was a fascinating look into our oceans, and any fan of nature shows watched every episode because of its production quality and sheer breadth of coverage of the subject material.
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