Conquest of the Skies (Blu-ray) (2015) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Documentary | Bonus Episode-Making of | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2015 | ||
Running Time | 200 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Ads Then Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | None Given |
Studio
Distributor |
Sky Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring | David Attenborough |
Case | Standard Blu-ray | ||
RPI | ? | Music | None Given |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 English Dolby Digital 2.0 |
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Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 1080i | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | English for the Hearing Impaired | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
David Attenborough just keeps on churning out these natural history shows for British television. He does less travelling these days but his dulcet tones and recognisable physical presence continue to grace our screens. This one consists of three 50 minute episodes which focus on the mechanics and development of flight within different groups of living organisms. It includes some wonderful photography and some quite impressive CGI which recreates some of the prehistoric flying animals which are discussed in the show. The three episodes here focus on insects, vertebrates including pre-historic ones, birds and more including how they have battled for aerial supremacy over the ages. The series was made for 3D however this local Blu-ray version is 2D only. There is a 3D Blu-ray available in the UK but not locally.
This is a visually stunning series with very impressive photography and CGI, however it lacks something in the presentation as the stunning vistas and CGI flying creatures don't seem to gel that well with Attenborough. He doesn't seem comfortable with what is designed to look like seamless interaction. Regardless, there is much to enjoy here for natural history documentary fans on this release.
The video here is very obviously shot digitally giving it a harsh and possibly too sharp look which may also be to do with the mixture of live action and effects. The colour is very good and the picture sharp, however there is some shimmer and digital noise. Technically it is 1.78:1 and 1080i.
There are subtitles available in English for the Hearing Impaired. They were clear and easy to read.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The main audio on this Blu-ray is a DTS HD-MA 5.1 track in English, plus an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track for those without hi-def sound capability. This is a high quality Blu-ray sound transfer which provides lots of surround ambiance and effects. The dialogue is clear and easy to understand, the music comes across well and the surround speakers provide ambiance and music. The subwoofer also supports the music.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The menu included music and scenes from the show.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Both the US and UK versions of this show are 3D Blu-rays. If you have 3D you will probably want to import.
The video quality is a bit harsher than I would expect.
The audio quality is very good.
The extra is an episode length making of.Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Panasonic DMR-PWT500, using HDMI output |
Display | Sharp LC52LE820X Quattron 52" Full HD LED-LCD TV . Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
Audio Decoder | Built into amplifier. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. |
Amplification | Marantz SR5005 |
Speakers | Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer |