the picture is gorgeous and the subject matter is great...but they always seem to stop short of giving you the whole story behind what they're filming. and they never show the end of any hunt where the predator makes the kill and eats the prey. show the whole thing!

for this, i'm disappointed.

yea for animal docs, Discovery has done alot of much better ones in the 90s. In the 80s, alot of great animal docs aired on PBS and public access. Today, I regard National Geography as as being the best animal doc producers. I would love to see them on HD DVD

the picture is gorgeous and the subject matter is great...but they always seem to stop short of giving you the whole story behind what they're filming. and they never show the end of any hunt where the predator makes the kill and eats the prey. show the whole thing!

for this, i'm disappointed.

Hey you've suddenly made it appeal more to me. I saw the preview on Amazon and thought "do I really want to see animals snuff each other every five minutes?" Yes, that's nature but not all there is to nature, and I don't know that I need to see a neck pulled open to get the picture as it were.

Maybe they were trying to remain broad in scope rather than go for the easy visceral response?

Hey you've suddenly made it appeal more to me. I saw the preview on Amazon and thought "do I really want to see animals snuff each other every five minutes?" Yes, that's nature but not all there is to nature, and I don't know that I need to see a neck pulled open to get the picture as it were.

Maybe they were trying to remain broad in scope rather than go for the easy visceral response?
I'm with you, I don't want to see a bunch of animals get snuffed, and I plan on showing this to a 4 year old, I don't want him to see that kind of stuff either. Just because its natural doesn't mean its fun to watch. I certainly don't need to go to a slaughter house to see how animals are butchered.

I don't need to see animals get killed by preditors, I know what happens. I thought the show lacked depth, always leaving me wanting just a little more info. Perhaps because it took so long to make, I really didn't find anything new n the series. It was good, but not great, IMO.
J

I agree, I don't always need to see the final death blow, it's the stalk/hunt/chase (and several times here, the escape) that matters for me...we can fill in the blanks. For example, the chimps that were expanding their territory and attacking the neighboring group, we saw the build up, the actual conflict and then the *spoils of victory* (I won't ruin it for anyone that hasn't seen that one yet, but it's a bit gruesome as is, glad they spared us at least some of that), but I would've liked to have had them give us more about the "why" they do that stuff, how often, etc.

I also wanted to see more Amazon forest stuff, maybe the large reptiles like the Anaconda - don't think they touched on anything like that (of course I haven't watched every disc yet, just skimmed)...oh well, it's still a ton of great content for $65!

I for one am glad they dont focus on the kill shots- poor deers :(

The chimp part bothered us, I don't mind the normal hunting stuff but that was a little much.

Overall I really really like it, and have been very impressed by all that I have seen so far. But I just recorded it off of DHD and didn't pay $65.

There have been a number of better animal\earth related documentaries. This one seems to wander with no real point, visually it's one of the best out there but I think they rely on the visual aspect instead of the informational aspect. Most Nova series and other BBC series have been better written and though out compared to Planet Earth.

The chimp part bothered us, I don't mind the normal hunting stuff but that was a little much.

Overall I really really like it, and have been very impressed by all that I have seen so far. But I just recorded it off of DHD and didn't pay $65.
I haven't seen Planet Earth, but I remember some shameless nature show called "Animal Cannibals." Gorillas ate gorillas children over paternity issues, mice ate their litters because a house cat was too near the nest, you get the idea. It was like a "Faces of Death" for animals.

Yes, this was part of nature, but it was playing of my cultural taboos as species that doesn't routinely eat their own.

Likewise if I see too many animals croaking each other, they are making a "kock-fight" out of nature.

By the same token IMAX movies usually irk me in the the opposite direction by presenting nature as a travelogue.

Planet Earth was good, it did show some animals succeed in getting their meals and some fail, that poor polar bear :( I don't always need to see the predator ripping the head of some other creature

One thing I wish Planet Earth had was Sigourny Weavers narration, not in place of David Attenboroughs but as a second audio track, they could definetly fit it. It would be nice to hear another narration especially when I watch my favorite episode again.

show the whole thing!

for this, i'm disappointed.

Actually they have shown more than what we would have liked. Infact most of the chases they show actually ends in a kill - not what happens in the real world (anyone who has been to safaris in Africa know what I'm saying here).

Firstly, any BBC nature documentary presented by David Attenborough is inherently good. Life on Earth is probably the best nature series ever made. Attenborough was recently voted greatest living englishman, ahead of Paul McCartney! His brother may have made Ghandi and run around with CG dinosaurs, but David got to groom gorillas!

However, Planet Earth is primarily about breathtaking photography rather than presenting a central thesis (e.g. evolution in the case of Life on Earth), so it doesn't feel as highbrow as the others. But it is the best suited to HD - as it was shot on 16:9 HD video & film, it's going to have better picture quality than any of the older series.

Does the set come with the making-of documentaries and the feature about climate change that aired in the UK? The behind the scenes stuff was fascinating; the efforts they went through to get those shots makes you appreciate them even more.

Yes, I think Mars would be much better :D



Sorry, couldn't resist.

I would much rather take amazing photography and shots of animals never before photographed than seeing animals get ripped apart. I know animals get maimed and killed in the wild, doesn't mean I want to see it. It isn't like they are putting mosaics over the scenes....

Umm, I saw plenty of kills in PE. ???

Yep, I agree with everyone above. Planet Earth was way too violent. I was hoping that this series would get away from the sensationalism of animals killing each other or animals getting lost (elephant looking for it's mother) and dying, etc. After skipping past the violent parts on the first disc, there seemed to only be about 30 minutes of really beautiful scenes I wanted to watch. I didn't bother with the other three discs. What a bummer.

Yep, I agree with everyone above. Planet Earth was way too violent. I was hoping that this series would get away from the sensationalism of animals killing each other or animals getting lost (elephant looking for it's mother) and dying, etc. After skipping past the violent parts on the first disc, there seemed to only be about 30 minutes of really beautiful scenes I wanted to watch. I didn't bother with the other three discs. What a bummer.


It wasn't waay to violent! This is nature, did you want them to sugar coat that?

nope ... just leave it out.

killing is natural ... humans do it everyday ... still don't want to see it.

It wasn't waay to violent! This is nature, did you want them to sugar coat that?

I'd agree. I don't think it was way too violent. Though we had to FF all those portions.

Having seen tons of other animal documentaries, I'd say these are very nicely made. Some of the shots are really unique (esp. for those seasonal change shots the would have to visit remote places multiple times).

wow, i can't believe most of you! it's a nature documentary! animals eating each other is part of nature! i'm not saying they should go out of their way to film this sort of brutal violence, but they obviously had the footage and just didn't feel like including it, thus making me feel like i was left out.

it's not for the sake of shock as some of you have put it...but for the sake of completeness. if your kid can't handle this sort of thing, then he/she shouldn't watch it.

it's a nature documentary people! not a tourism video!

the picture is gorgeous and the subject matter is great...but they always seem to stop short of giving you the whole story behind what they're filming. and they never show the end of any hunt where the predator makes the kill and eats the prey. show the whole thing!

for this, i'm disappointed.

I understand what you mean. The most interesting nature documentary that I've seen in recent years is "The March of the Penguins". I really liked its storytelling.

So, my wife and I were thinking after watch a few episodes of "Planet Earth" that it was too ADD-ish... That is, showing bits and pieces but not going any deeper, not much of a story.

We stopped watching them although I have them all recorded.

Hong.

wow, i can't believe most of you! it's a nature documentary! animals eating each other is part of nature! i'm not saying they should go out of their way to film this sort of brutal violence, but they obviously had the footage and just didn't feel like including it, thus making me feel like i was left out.

it's not for the sake of shock as some of you have put it...but for the sake of completeness. if your kid can't handle this sort of thing, then he/she shouldn't watch it.

it's a nature documentary people! not a tourism video!


BINGO! What the hell were some of you expecting? Plus, it's not like it's over the top or anything, and no different than what you see in National Geographic magazines. Do you want the flowers and sunshine version? I thought some of the predator/prey footage was quite amazing. Like the stuff on the Great White shark.

BINGO! What the hell were some of you expecting? Plus, it's not like it's over the top or anything, and no different than what you see in National Geographic magazines. Do you want the flowers and sunshine version? I thought some of the predator/prey footage was quite amazing. Like the stuff on the Great White shark.

Did you mean the "Killer Whales"? The Killer Whale (also called Orca's or Shamu) piece was really cool. When they showed the whale come up out of the water and chomp on the seal, knowing those seals are several hundred pounds, was incredibly amazing. Even though the seal was in the Orca's mouth, it wasn't gory or sensationalized by any means, IMHO.

I thought I saw all of them, and the PE on "forests" was more like Sunrise Earth, and was pretty boring. I don't remember any nasty animal kill stuff in those. I did miss about half of the arctic/polar/frozen tundra show.

Nope, I'm pretty certain it they were great whites. I think its on the very first episode. They show it in slow mo rising out of the water underneath the sea lion. Pop your disc in agian, you'll see it's not a killer whale ;)


I haven't watched them all yet, so forgive me if there actually is a similar segment on orcas.

I don't recall seeing anything about Orcas, but I haven't fully watched all the discs yet, but yeah, the GW piece was cool, makes me wish we'd get some friggin' news on Jaws already...

Animals poop, screw, and sleep a lot too. How much of that was there compared to stalking prey? ;)

Jeez you guys are a tough crowd. I am absolutely enthralled by this stuff. Really seems what hi-def is made for. Brings back some good memories of sitting by the tube watching mutual of omaha

if a movie has two sides adamantly saying the opposite (i.e. too violent/not enough violence), it achieved a good balance.

i think it has JUST the right amount of balance. even though i would have LIKED to see the killing, i am betting it would get boring after the first ribs/pec muscle gets ripped out.

some episodes were slow, some were quick. ALL were beautiful. strangely enough, it made me appreciate earth a little more. im not going to go out to recycle any more than i do now, but man, nature is a beautiful beast.

Did you mean the "Killer Whales"? The Killer Whale (also called Orca's or Shamu) piece was really cool. When they showed the whale come up out of the water and chomp on the seal, knowing those seals are several hundred pounds, was incredibly amazing. Even though the seal was in the Orca's mouth, it wasn't gory or sensationalized by any means, IMHO.

They are not whales - they are great white sharks. Yes, the shot was great - the whole whale had shot up in the air to probably 50 ft.

Our local TWC runs a Discovery HD Channel promo for PE that shows a flock of artifacts (birds) taking off. How is it on HDM?

Dont worry, you dont get flying blocks on the HD DVD.

Our local TWC runs a Discovery HD Channel promo for PE that shows a flock of artifacts (birds) taking off. How is it on HDM?
It's better in HDM in similar scenes, the one I remember is overhead shot of thousands of white birds against dark background, it's a very tough scene, with all birds flapping their wings. Discovery HD version is certainly more blocky.

I'm 4 episodes into Planet Earth so far. I have no gripes with video.

My only gripe is that each episode really only hits a few points (which may/may not be connected), and usually ends abruptly. It's almost as if someone threw a stack of film discs in a script writers face, told him to "make a show out of this", and he did the best he could... mixing in some music during any weak points.

almost as if someone threw a stack of film discs in a script writers face, told him to "make a show out of this"Yeah those BBC blokes, what a bunch of hacks :rolleyes:

I think people may be expecting too much detail on specific species, etc.
Like the title, Planet Earth is a big place with a lot to cover.

Sure at times it leaves you wanting more but even at 550 minutes something
has to be left out that's why there are other nature shows that are more specific.

To me there are kill scenes and there are kill scenes.
The big cats are great because they go for the quick kill neck bite.
Canines are brutal, basically eating the hapless victim... well you know.

A question to the too violent viewpoint; what were you expecting?
Lion King? C'mon. Maybe PE is too violent for the youngsters.
Certainly if it was heavily editted people would be screaming and rightfully so.

So far I think PE has struck a decent balance.
I find much more to praise than to critique.

I am not disappointed at all.

I find it interesting that people get so wound up about banding in a couple scenes....I would guess the source isn't perfect and each encoder handles issues in the source a bit differently. Most interesting to me is just how good everything already looks...anyone remember DVDs first two years? A lot of terrible transfers...we need people to point the issues out, so they can be fixed, sure...

HOWEVER...take a step back after you get done pointing out what could be better. There is absolutely no comparison of the PQ of the BD/HD-DVD release compared to what I saw on Discovery HD on Comcast. The discs are so much better it isn't even funny.

I enjoy having people in my life who don't nitpick like I do and can watch HD material and just enjoy. It is fun with my girlfriend or her mom...they are just blown away...keep making comments how clear everything is...how they feel right there.

Planet Earth is an amazingly cinematic overview of many of nature's most amazing sights. It is not an in depth documentary on the ins and outs of everyday life for every species. It succeeds in what it tries to do, has more scenes than anything I have seen which just blow me away. Yeah every so often there is an SD shot in there (way less than I would think), once and a while if you are looking you can pick up a bit of banding.

That said, PE is, out of any DVD, BD, HD-DVD disc or set I have bought...the one I have no regrets about. I can watch these over and over.

I do have one legitimate complaint to level at Warner...there is only two episodes on the last disk, there is no reason whatsoever that they couldn't have fit a number of special features on that disk (fine if they are in SD.) They were on the DVD version, and should not have been left off.

there is only two episodes on the last disk, there is no reason whatsoever that they couldn't have fit a number of special features on that disk (fine if they are in SD.) They were on the DVD version, and should not have been left off.
I agree. The single nit I have to pick, otherwise nada.

One thing I left out earlier:
More than most movies I see, I get totally immersed in these episodes.
No distractions by plot holes, annoying performances etc.
The show starts, it's over and I come back to the here and now.
Can't ask for more. :D

I'm disappointed because there is so much chromatic abberation (purple fringing) in the entire movie.

I am not disappointed at all.

I find it interesting that people get so wound up about banding in a couple scenes...

...

I do have one legitimate complaint to level at Warner...there is only two episodes on the last disk, there is no reason whatsoever that they couldn't have fit a number of special features on that disk (fine if they are in SD.) They were on the DVD version, and should not have been left off.
It's a bit amusing that people are nitpicking rather than enjoying these spectacular footages :rolleyes: Nothing is perfect in this world, these folks need to learn how to appreciate what is actually available.

It's a pity WB does not include some extra on disc 4 since it only uses ~15GB. I complained to WB ((contact WB) (http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/main/help/customer_service.jsp) , I suggest we all do, it's not going to change anything for PE, but maybe for future releases.

the PQ is amazing but you can see the difference between what they filmed 5 years ago and things that they filmed 1-2 years ago. The one thing that bugged me and i can agree that they never seem to give the full story is in the Fresh Water episode. i live near Lake Superior, on the Minnesota side, and there was no mention of any of the great lakes in the freshwater show. they are the largest freshwater system in the world and yet no mention. :confused:

just one northerners opinion ;)

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t49/joshmanley/400px-Great_Lakes_from_space.jpg

Even @ 550 minutes, it is impossible to cover everything on earth. Heck if the entire documentary was twice as long, 1100 minutes there would still be things missing.

It's a bit amusing that people are nitpicking rather than enjoying these spectacular footages :rolleyes: Nothing is perfect in this world, these folks need to learn how to appreciate what is actually available.

It's a pity WB does not include some extra on disc 4 since it only uses ~15GB. I complained to WB ((contact WB) (http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/main/help/customer_service.jsp) , I suggest we all do, it's not going to change anything for PE, but maybe for future releases.

I can understand some complaining...or at least pointing it out. I do think that on some threads it has been blown out of proportion. It probably amounts to a small tweak to be changed in the encoder for a certain type of scene.

I try to remember that nitpicking does help make the PQ better, but there is a difference between showing an issue, and what seems to be taking it to the nth degree as an attack on a specific format or codec.

The point is PE does not in any way claim to be exhaustive in coverage of any species. Rather it uses examples to illustrate some particular points or a particular theme. And what is available and possible to shoot under the circumstances and budget will to some extent dictate the topics to be covered.

The point is PE does not in any way claim to be exhaustive in coverage of any species. Rather it uses examples to illustrate some particular points or a particular theme. And what is available and possible to shoot under the circumstances and budget will to some extent dictate the topics to be covered.

i do agree but they did have a $25 million budget :eek:

PS i love this set!

I'm 2 discs into the HD DVD set and I can't say that the word 'disappointed' even enters my mind. No documentary is going to be perfect, but this is damn impressive.

This will definitely get rewatched and is also great family viewing, rather than picking up some inane thing like Happily N'ever After or similar for the kiddies.

I'm 2 discs into the HD DVD set and I can't say that the word 'disappointed' even enters my mind. No documentary is going to be perfect, but this is damn impressive.

This will definitely get rewatched and is also great family viewing, rather than picking up some inane thing like Happily N'ever After or similar for the kiddies.


I agree. I dont have HD cable so I avoided watching it on TV at all costs and blind-bought this set.

My jaw was open in disbelief for the 51 minutes of Pole to Pole.

There were some absolutely spectacular shots. Never have I see anything like this. I'm looking foreword to the rest.

the PQ is amazing but you can see the difference between what they filmed 5 years ago and things that they filmed 1-2 years ago. The one thing that bugged me and i can agree that they never seem to give the full story is in the Fresh Water episode. i live near Lake Superior, on the Minnesota side, and there was no mention of any of the great lakes in the freshwater show. they are the largest freshwater system in the world and yet no mention. :confused:

just one northerners opinion ;)

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t49/joshmanley/400px-Great_Lakes_from_space.jpg
Theoretically in HD-DVD you can download alternate video and sound tracks. Maybe some one will come up with a way to "patch" that episode :p

I enjoy having people in my life who don't nitpick like I do and can watch HD material and just enjoy. It is fun with my girlfriend or her mom...they are just blown away...keep making comments how clear everything is...how they feel right there.



Bingo. :)

The killer ap for waf? - hmmmm, good to know

I'm 2 discs into the HD DVD set and I can't say that the word 'disappointed' even enters my mind. No documentary is going to be perfect, but this is damn impressive.

I'd agree.

We need to recalibrate. Instead of seeing what they left out - we need to see how good is the material that was presented - after all there is so much more to show.

Every episode seemed to end before I wanted it to end. I think it is a good sign that this is a great documentary.

It'd be cool to get a measurement on how high out of the water that shark really was. That was damn impressive. Never thought they could pull that off!

It'd be cool to get a measurement on how high out of the water that shark really was. That was damn impressive. Never thought they could pull that off!


No kidding!... I was screaming down the hall for anyone in the house listening to me to come check that out.

That was flat out amazing.

$25 mio for production cost is relatively low, actually.

It'd be cool to get a measurement on how high out of the water that shark really was. That was damn impressive. Never thought they could pull that off!
I dove with Great Whites in South Africa a few years back. I never got to see any breach like in PE, but I did get to see 24 different sharks over the course of my 7 day trip.

Based on my experience, the one in the film was probably between 14-17 feet long or so if that helps put things into perspective. So for instance... in the below shot, I would guess the height of the shark's nose is a little less than the length of the shark's body... maybe 12-15 feet in the air (picture rotating the shark so it's tail touched the water at where the splash is). I don't have access to a series of shots so it is difficult to determine the maximum height it reached. From what I remember, though, I would guess maybe 20 feet, but no where near 50 feet.
-Matt



http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/entertainment_planet_earth/img/8.jpg

I am..... so glad I don't go swiming in the middle of the ocean :eek:

I did like how the seal tries to out manuveur the Great White by jumping over it and such.