The Fabric of the Cosmos (2011)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2011
Running Time	210:32 (Case: 212)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Josh Rosen Graham Judd Sabin Streeter
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Brian Greene David Albert Raphael Bousso Robert Cannon S. James Gates Peter Higgs Craig Hogan Clifford Johnson Rocky Kolb Janna Levin Joseph Lykken Brad Parkinson Saul Perlmutter
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$29.95	Music	Ed Tomney

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	Unknown	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     The Fabric of the Cosmos was first shown between July and August 2012 on the Public Broadcast Channel in the United States. It was produced by Graham Judd and Sabin Streeter and hosted by Professor Brian Greene, an American theoretical physicist and string theorist who is currently leading a research program applying superstring theory to cosmological questions at Columbia University. He proves to be a capable host, and the general aim of this four-part documentary series is to explain the physics of the universe in layman's terms. The series was premiered on SBS television in Australia in April, 2013.

     The Madman webpage for The Fabric of the Cosmos states that the documentary series is a mind-blowing new exploration of space, time, and the very nature of reality. Its aim is to discover how our perceptions have fooled us as empty space is not empty; why time may be an illusion; how a hidden realm, where the seemingly impossible is possible, lies just beneath the surface of the everyday world; and why other universes — even copies of you — may exist.

     A short synopsis of each episode is below. Each show is about 53 minutes in length.

     Episode 1: What is Space? (52:36)

     Space. It separates objects, one galaxy from the next, and atoms from each other. It is everywhere in the universe. But to most of us, space is nothing, an empty void. Well, it turns out space is not what it seems. From the passenger seat of a New York cab driving near the speed of light to a pool hall where billiard tables do fantastical things, Brian Greene reveals space as a dynamic fabric that can stretch, twist, warp, and ripple under the influence of gravity.

     Episode 2: The Illusion of Time (52:38)

     Time. We waste it, save it, kill it, make it. The world runs on it. Yet, ask physicists, what is time actually, and the answer might shock you: they have no idea. Even more surprising, the deep sense we have of time passing from present to past may be nothing more than an illusion. How can our understanding of something so familiar be so wrong? In search of answers, Brian Greene takes us on the ultimate time traveling adventure, hurtling 50 years into the future before stepping into a wormhole to travel back to the past.

     Episode 3: Quantum Leap (52:40)

     Join Brian Greene on a wild ride into the weird realm of quantum physics, which governs the universe on the tiniest of scales. Greene brings quantum mechanics to life in a nightclub like no other, where objects pop in and out of existence and things over here can affect others over there, instantaneously — without anything crossing the space between them.

     Episode 4: Universe or Multiverse? (52:38)

     Hard as it is to swallow, cutting-edge theories are suggesting that our universe may not be the only universe. Instead, it may be just one of an infinite number of worlds that make up the multiverse. Brian Greene takes us on a tour of this brave new theory at the frontier of physics, explaining why scientists believe it’s true and showing what some of these alternate realities might be like.

     The Fabric of the Cosmos is based on Brian Greene's bestselling 2004 book of the same name, and is the follow-up to his 1999 book, The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. It is a valiant attempt at unifying the diverse changes in physics, especially in the 20th century. There are many references to the breakthroughs of Albert Einstein, while comparing Einstein's theories with current thinking in Quantum Mechanics and it concludes by showing the current theories on alternate universes and realities.

Video

     Computer animation is used in all four episodes to visually explain modern scientific theories in relation to time, space and reality. These help to make the subject matter easier to understand for the layman.

     The aspect ratio is 1:78:1, 16x9 enhanced for widescreen televisions, which is the modern aspect ratio for television shows.

     This four-part series is contained on a single dual-layered DVD 7.49 gb in size. The episodes total about three-and-a-half hours in running time, so compression is an issue. The average bitrate for the four episodes varies between 4.18 m/b per sec to 5.81 m/b per sec, which is low for a DVD video transfer.

     There are many visual effects which employ neon and bright colours as visual aids to explain complicated scientific theories. I thought these were very beneficial to explaining difficult concepts and maintaining audience interest.

     Due to the compression issues on this disc, there is evidence of macro-blocking and minor edge enhancement.

     Optional subtitles are provided in English, in yellow.

     There is no RSDL change as two episodes are presented on each layer of the DVD.

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Audio

     Despite been made for television, the audio transfer employs some very decent stereo effects to demonstrate key physics concepts. On the whole, it's an above average audio transfer for a television series.

     The main audio track for each episode is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track encoded at 224 kbps.

     The dialogue is clear and synchronised.

Audio Ratings Summary

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    There are no extras unfortunately, but given the fact that there's three-and-half hours of documentary episodes on this DVD, I'd say there's no space for them anyway without putting them on a second disc.

    The Region 1 United States release by NOVA is identical to the Region 4 DVD release by Madman.

     There are some ideas here that will challenge conventional layman thinking about reality such as the importance of dark matter, the depiction of space-time along two-dimensional planes and entropy (or the scientific theory of disorder). The shows are so cutting-edge and recent in showing the many developments in modern-day physics that the segment on the Higgs boson, showing why fundamental particles have mass when their interactions dictate that they should be without mass, was tentatively confirmed to exist in March 2013 after experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland were concluded in 2012.

     The Fabric of the Cosmos is a well-produced documentary which will provide you with some challenging ideas in relation to common perceptions about time, reality and the greater universe. I found it fascinating and entertaining at the same time, and I know you will too.

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