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- Amaz-ing!I bought this item about a year ago and never really got around to watching it til this month, but as soon as I popped that first DVD in, I remembered why I got it. This film series has unprecedented footage, the most beautiful scenery, the most exotic creatures, the most advanced technology... There is just nothing out there that compares to the majesty of this series. I know that I will keep these for as long as I can and share it with friends and family because it takes your breath away to observe the planet you live on in such a spectacular way. No complaints about quality, price, anything. This product is one of a kind! Rating: - Great family entertainmentThis is a wonderful series with dramatic footage. The whole family will enjoy this collection. Rating: - Window on the WorldMy general rule about Blu-ray is that I will not replace a DVD I already own with a Blu-ray DVD. Like every good rule, it should have a few exceptions and Planet Earth is one of them. This series was made for Blu-ray.The photography, stunning even on standard definition, is astonishing in 1080p. As the camera moves from helicopter sweeps of vast herds of yaks on the high plains of Mongolia, to elephants emerging ghostlike from high grasses in India to vibrant underwater vistas of barrier reefs teeming with tropical life, we get a sense of our own relative place on our blue ball. David Attenborough's career has been devoted to the interface between the communication arts and the natural sciences. He is the perfect narrator for such an ambitious series, bringing scientific credibility together with a classic BBC voice. Attenborough is no mere narrator however. He is the principal writer of this award winning series. Once you have committed to HDTV and Blu-ray this should be an essential part of your collection, even if you already own the standard definition DVD. Rating: - Planet Earth the seriesThis product is a great teaching tool. It brings the reading content of earth from the page to life for the chidren. Rating: - Blu-ray version vs standard DVDSo many times on Amazon I look for a review of the PRODUCT, and end up getting a review of the movie/documentary/story etc. So I will attempt to review the PRODUCT (blu-ray vs standard) rather than Planet Earth itself. I bought the standard DVD format after seeing a few episodes on Discovery, and before I managed to get my blu-ray setup. I was thoroughly engrossed, the visuals, the quality, the information, and the narration by David Attenborough on this standard DVD were superb. Absolutely no complaints on this format. Got my blu-ray setup, and this was the first product on my list (I actually bought the entire BBC collection which included Galapagos, Wild China, Ganges). Quality was as I expected of blu-ray, really brought out the images as 1080p would. Major flaw on the blu-ray version however - the last disc of the standard DVD is not included, exactly why, I have been unable to find a reason. This disc contained some valuable extras, including a great segment on the state of the planet right now, and some compelling examples and visuals of our human impact on many locations around the globe. My feelings towards this product are consequently mixed. There is no arguing the superiority of blu-ray vs regular DVD. However, Planet Earth was so spectacularly done, that looking at the images on the standard DVD format are still fantastic. If this blu-ray version had all the discs included, I would recommend it hands-down ahead of the regular. If you are willing to surcumb to the marketing strategies (or whatever was the reason) of BBC and pay for both versions (as I ended up doing), then you're set. However, if you are looking to buy just 1 version, I personally think that the extra disc, partnered with the already magnificent quality of the standard DVD, puts it ahead of the blu-ray package offered.
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