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Taking a complicated order for a simple burger involves smorgasbord of holding this or extras on that when it comes to every tailored garnish? Well, here's the scoop on this 6-disc Special Edition blu-ray set, as the problem with distributors setting the final cut allows no a la carte freedom to pick and chose extras. After all, this IS another chance for distributors to double dip, like in any industry, music, movies, etc. a genealogy of remakes, re-mix edits, extended edition, director's cut, previously unreleased bonuses tracks, re-master, new cover art, all in the name of gouging consumers. Especially with blockbusters, and Planet Earth (PE) is no exception. Yes folks, as long as you buy into it, you've suckered up into their marketing ploy. It was all in their strategies from the very start. After all, companies hire a panel full time solely dedicated to all the nitty-gritty tactical ways in capitalizing the bottom line of $, every chance they get, AKA milking the system. What can you do? Really nothing. You are at their helm when the goods are dangled to you in tantalization, and your pavlovian response is beyond your control. But I'm sure as you're reading this, you're wondering if this set is worth it. So without further a due, let's see what you get, and whether or not you can beat the system to your advantage.
So here's the 411 scoop of accompaniments NEW to this 6-disc 2012 BD set that's NOT on the 2007 4-disc BD set, listed in the order of importance:
1) Diaries (bonus in disc 1-4), the 10-min making of clip following each of the 11 main features. Total of ~107 min in SD. Worthy to note, unlike the DVD version and other BBC nature diaries, which auto-plays the diaries immediately following the credits, here you do need to navigate back to the main menu to select these bonuses.
2) 3 new bonus documentaries (disc 6), total 150 min's:
a) Snow Leopards: Beyond the Myth 50 min in HD
b) Secrets of Maya Underworld 50 min in SD
c) Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert 50 min in SD
-Note: the UK version contains Natural World - Desert Lions 50 min. Not sure why US version left this out. But lucky for US version, UK left out Maya Underworld and Elephants Nomads.
3) The Future (disc 5), 3 episodes in SD; total 3 hours:
a) Saving Species 60 min
b) Into the Wilderness 60 min
c) Living Together 60 min
4) Great PE moments (disc 4) 46 min in SD, narrated by Sir David the Great Attenborough himself.
5) Audio commentaries by producers, but only for 5 of the 11 main episodes: Pole to Pole, Mountains, Caves, Great Plains, Shallow Seas.
6) Music only viewing audio. This feature is a bust. Why in the world would you ever watch a documentary without a narrator? BTW, it's not really music only. The sound effects (water falling, animal sounds, etc.) are still tracked in. I guess they couldn't get rid of that. In my opinion any upgrade to the audio portion should have been to include the Sigourney Weaver (Discovery version) narration.
7) Sneak Peak at Frozen Planet (disc 6) 13 min's in HD. Oh great, more advertising :(. But this IS BBC's next big release following the Life and Human Planet series.
Technical issue: the transfer is 1080i. From my research regarding the ad nauseam debate of PE being i or p, the original cameras used to film this series were no better than 1080i, so that's the limiting step. Though some earlier 2007 BD packages states 1080p, and the signal to your TV indicates p, later releases of the 2007 version corrected this to say 1080i on the package. Considering this series was filmed over the course of the early 2000's, you really can't notch about this (it was the best they had then). The main feature is still reference quality by 2012 standards. However, regarding the extras, for the most part, ALL the bonus features (with the exception of Snow Leopard and the Sneak Peak Frozen Planet which are clearly HD) are all in SD, and at best, an upscaled 720 clearly not full HD from my sharp 20/20 on my 65" panny.
So back to the title of my review, can you beat the system to your advantage? Well, I'll tell you what I did. Ordered used (much cheaper, note: got mine for $22), tossed out the scarfed package (it's cheap cardboard anyways). Bought a 6 disc blu-ray case (brand viva elite) for $2.50 from casetopia dot com, which BTW is the exact same size as the 4 disc case (15 mm thickness). Fit's perfectly into your old slip case. Successful upgrade. Donated the old version to a friend. Done.
Ultimately it's up to you, the well informed consumer to flip the switch or say screw you Mr. distributor leech. Everyone's economics and shelf space run the gamut to savvy your rations, like those must have fan boys. Still not sure?, here a logical final decision making:
-If you have both the dvd and original 2007 BD versions, no real need to upgrade unless you really need the bonus of Elephant Nomads.
-If you only have the Discovery US version of Sigourney Weaver narrating and want the original David Attenborough, then go for it.
-If you don't have the dvd version but only have original 2007 BD version, your upgrade will be solely for all those bonus extras, but keep in mind those extras are in standard def.
-If you don't have any copies of PE, this is a must own in every household for all ages. Starting with this Special Edition 6-disc version, you'd be skipping all other previous wasted versions.
-When it comes to double dipping, price of course is always an issue. Currently as of this writing, the price on Amazon is as follows: Amaz $35; MarketPlace $33; used $26.
To top it off, a globe limited edition (gift version) is also available. Contains the same materials, just the hardware/ packaging is different,
Planet Earth: Limited Edition [Blu-ray
]
Good luck PE fans. Hope this helps. Note: this updated PE review is written on 01/21/12.
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Used But flawless
Great series. Haven’t watched it yet but seems pretty good. I bought this used and it’s like a new product. Case had normal wear but not bad at all. Great seller. Dark scenes are pixelated bad. Looks like dvd quality. Dropped from 5 stars to 4.
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Andy
Planet Earth
Reviewed in Mexico on April 17, 2019
Andy
Reviewed in Mexico on April 17, 2019
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