Planet Earth II (Blu-ray) (2016) |
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Planet Earth II (Blu-ray) (2016) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Documentary | None | |
| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2016 | ||
| Running Time | 342 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper |
No/No Dual Disc Set |
Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | None Given |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring | David Attenborough |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | ? | Music | Hans Zimmer |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 | |
| 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 | 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 series is an absolute standout from those over the last couple of years. Ten years ago, the original Planet Earth was produced which was a phenomenal collection of great nature footage done using cutting edge technology. This new series raises the bar much, much higher with some awe inspiring footage of natural dramas as they play out. The first episode features an awesome sequence involving sea going iguana's running the gauntlet of a valley full of racer snakes trying to catch them. It is heart-pounding, visceral and more than a little disturbing. Like many other sequences in this show it brings the full on drama of nature into your living room. There is another sequence involving penguins which is gory and extremely memorable. This realistic drama includes the deaths and injuries that are a part of the natural world, probably in a more front and centre way than previous series of this ilk. Some sequences are breathtakingly beautiful such as one about a tiny frog or the snow leopards.
The show includes 6 episodes each of just short of an hour. Each one is focused on a different style of habitat, starting with Islands and then one into Mountains, Jungles, Desert, Grasslands & finally the newest habitat Cities. The footage is amazing throughout, with incredible detail and close ups of the action. The technology and challenges of each episode is explored in a segment at the end of the episode, showing behind the scenes and making of information.
Highly Recommended.
The video quality is very good but only 1080i which leaves a few artefacts.
The series is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced and in 1080i high definition as it was shown on television.
The picture was nicely sharp throughout with incredible detail. The sharpness was only marred by the motion blur due to the interlaced transfer and some occasional grain on long shots. There is a 4K version available which I would expect to be magnificent assuming it is not just an upscale. The shadow detail was good.
The colour was excellent highlighting the beautiful scenery and the colours of the wildlife.
There are subtitles available in English which are clear and easy to read.
There are no obvious layer changes during playback.
| Sharpness |   |
| Shadow Detail | |
| Colour | |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
The audio quality is excellent for a television show.
The discs contain an English soundtrack in DTS HD-MA 5.1 which is magnificent.
Dialogue was clear and easy to hear and understand. The music is by Oscar winning composer Hans Zimmer and it is wonderful, adding so much to the show. It sounds great on this lossless transfer. Besides the music there are enveloping sounds of nature which also provide a great soundscape for the drama which unfolds.
The surround speakers were used for music and the sounds of nature in glorious surround.
The subwoofer supported the music and added rumble to thunder and waves.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use | |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
The menu included music and motion.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This show is available in the UK in the same format.
The video quality is very good.
The audio quality is excellent.
The extras were caught by a snake trying to cross to the rocks.| 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 |