Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series

Planet Earth received a huge amount of hype when it was released, and for good reason. It has fantastic imagery, great music and David Attenborough.I have a lot to say about how fantastic this series is, but that won't be necessary seeing as how the 1,982 (and counting) reviews have already sufficiently covered that.However, I have not seen the content of this box-set covered in depth, so I'll do so here...PLANET EARTHDISC 1FROM POLE TO POLE: The introduction to the series looks at our planet as a whole and considers the key factors that have shaped its natural history. Without fresh water there is no life on land, while the sun dominates the lives of all animals and plants on Earth and defines their habitats.MOUNTAINS: This tour of our mightiest mountain ranges, starting with the birth of a mountain at one of the lowest places on Earth and ending at the summit of Everest, takes in some of the most reclusive creatures on the planet and reveals the secrets of their survival.FRESH WATER: This episode follows the descent of rivers from their mountain sources to the sea and showcases the unique and dramatic wildlife found within Earth's unexplored waters. Together the waterfalls, canyons, frozen lakes, wetlands, and great rivers form a world of mystery, excitement and awe-inspiring sights.DISC 2CAVES: Deep in an undiscovered world, including both poisonous and flooded caves, we find astonishing crystals; cave anglerfish; the five million bats of Deer Cave in Borneo; and troglodytes - weird creatures, like the Texas cave salamander, that never see daylight nor set foot on the surface.DESERTS: Deserts, which make up a staggering 30% of the land's surface, seem empty and lifeless, yet they are the most varied of our planet's ecosystems. With remarkable footage Planet Earth unravels the secrets behind desert survival and for the first time on such a scale, reveals the ephemeral nature of the desert environment.ICE WORLDS: The advance and retreat of polar ice is the real challenge to life. As the sea freezes in Antarctica all animals flee, except for the Emperor Penguin. Meanwhile, in the Arctic, the polar bear is forced to swim vast distances and take on one of the deadliest adversaries on the planet.DISC 3GREAT PLAINS: On these immense wildernesses, from the baking savannahs of Africa to the frozen tundra of the Arctic, we find the greatest gatherings of wildlife on Earth; but close on the heels of gazelles, caribou or wildebeest comes an array of plains predators... eagles, wolves and lions.JUNGLES: With little seasonality and a longer growing period, jungles are the most productive places on Earth, but surviving in the jungle is far from easy. Using state-of-the-art tracking shots and stunning aerials, Planet Earth moves along the dark forest floor, up through the layers of vegetation and across the canopy.SHALLOW SEAS: Planet Earth follows a humpback whale mother and calf on an epic journey through the shallow seas of our planet. From tropical coral paradises, where the new-born calf takes his first faltering breaths, to the storm-ravaged icy polar seas, the whales' great feeding grounds, we reveal seas of great contrast and surprise.DISC 4SEASONAL FORESTS: From the evergreen forests of the frozen North to the deciduous dry forests of the tropics, these woodlands illustrate the intense seasonality of the Earth. The tallest, largest and oldest organisms on the planet, they are home to a fascinating range of wildlife.OCEAN DEEP: Feast or famine - it's the governing principle of ocean life. From the sailfish, three-meter-long, rapier-billed predators, and the exquisitely shelled Nautilus to the threatened blue whale, this journey into the most unexplored part of the planet reveals the extraordinary survivors of this immense and barren realm.PLANET EARTH - THE FUTUREDISC 5SAVING SPECIES: Many of the animals featured in Planet Earth are endangered so do we face an extinction crisis? Saving Species asks the experts if there really is a problem, looks at the reasons behind the declining numbers of particular animals and questions how we choose which species we want to conserve.INTO THE WILDERNESS: Pollution, climate change and a growing human population are all putting pressure on earth's wildernesses including the Bialowieza forest, the Gobi desert & the Arctic tundra. So how much of the planet is still wilderness? And why should we care? Into the Wilderness explores why these uninhabited expanses are important for our survival as well as that of all creatures on the planet.LIVING TOGETHER: The history of conservation throws up some interesting ideas as we look to the future of an ever more populated planet. How can conservation fit into this new world driven by economics and development? Living Together looks at the challenges facing conservation in the 21st Century and looks at the role of religion in promoting a moral and ethical approach to the world we live in.BONUS FEATURES (only available on the standard edition)OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF OF BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE - One 10-minute featurette for each episode.PLANET EARTH - THE FUTURE - This 150 minute companion series looks at what the future may hold for endangered animals, habitats and - ultimately - ourselves.Well, I hope that was helpful to anyone who hasn't yet picked up this title (although I doubt there are many left) and wants to know more about it. As you can see, this is quite an extensive DVD set, but well worth it. Like everyone else is saying, highly recommended!

I have always been very interested in Nature and wildlife, so naturally I was interested when I kept seeing previews for Planet Earth by the BBC in movie theaters. I watched the Discovery Channel as a kid every night for years, and even now at 21 I watch nature shows on PBS whenever I can, but Planet Earth trumps every nature show I have ever watched. To me, Planet Earth is the culmination of everything that I have ever thought or felt about Nature.Planet Earth is just so great that I don't know where to begin describing it. Perhaps its most fulfilling quality is that some of the animal behavior that was filmed on Planet Earth had not ever been filmed before, and probably will never be filmed again, due to the nearly unbearable weather and demography of the locations involved. From the extremely rare snow leopard chasing a goat down the side of the Himalayas to a pride of lions bringing down and eating a huge elephant, Planet Earth truly does live up to its claim of showing "planet Earth as you've never seen it before. Several new species were filmed for the first time in the wild as well, like New Guniea's amazing birds of paradise.As if all of the adventurous and breathtaking filming wasn't enough by itself, the whole series is filmed in HDTV, and is the first wildlife documentary to do so. Many of the views are so clear and fresh that at times you feel as if you are actually there. Also, the Planet Earth film crew used some pioneering filming methods, like filming the majority of the series in a helicopter instead of on the ground, flying in a hot air balloon over forests in Madagascar, and using satellite imaging to show certain areas and demographic features not visible or not nearly as detailed when seen with the naked eye. The film crew of Planet Earth really put their lives on hold to make this documentary the best wildlife documentary ever, and it shows. Another feature of this series that I love is that there is a 10 minute video at the end of each episode which gives you an inside look at the daunting, dangerous, and nearly insurmountable tasks the production and film crews had to face in each unique environment.The scale of Planet Earth could also be said to be its defining quality, as it is the largest wildlife documentary in several ways. BBC literally spanned the globe in the filming of Planet Earth, visiting 62 different countries and 204 different locations. It took over five years for the series to be completed, and the BBCs production budget of $25 million U.S. dollars was the biggest ever for any wildlife documentary.In the end, you should buy Planet Earth for the same reason that the series was created - to become aware of the inherent beauty and value of Nature, and to see firsthand humanity's mostly negative impact on our Planet's wildlife. Planet Earth's main premise is that the more we see and learn about our amazing planet and its wildlife, the more we will want to protect and conserve it from global warming and other man-made problems that threaten or destroy wildlife and its habitats. Planet Earth shows us a planet that is fragile yet strong, beautiful yet harsh, explored yet unknown. Above all, Planet Earth shows us a planet worth cherishing and conserving.

What a great work of love, of craftsmanship.This is spellbinding, in the truest sense of the word. Once you have started viewing this fascinating work of art, time, all sense of time, is frozen.It is a transcendent experience, as you are drawn into the looking glass in front of you for a peek at our world. what a marvel, how so much fits conceptually into the little screen in front of you. it is as breath taking on a small screen as it is on a large screen .it is all just a peephole allowing you to gaze upon our earth. Every shot is beautifully framed. Reverence abounds,and craftsmanship guides you as one marvel after another is revealed .This is an 11 part series each featuring a different aspect of planet earth ."from pole to pole" "caves" "desert" "forests""jungles" great plains""shallow seas" "ocean deep""ice worlds""seasonal forests""fresh water".This is not just point and shoot pretty pictures. It shows the beauty for sure, but also the synchronicity. Those fine lines of interdependency as well as the many obvious interconnections and interdependencies.We all should know what a powerful medium film is, and at it's very best I feel it can stand with the bestof the "arts" in Music as well as paint and sculpture .I do think this work has proved that point .I was as elevated watching this film as I have been listening to a Beethoven symphony, or a Bach fugue, or viewing the paintings of the masters.I cannot even begin to guess how they captured so much on high resolution film. The time exposures, the vistas , the rituals , and some of natures best kept secrets, , the many forms of unusual life occurring in every corner, nook and cranny, of this beautiful planet so full of life .I cannot wait to view this with my grandchildren, nieces, and nephews,I am sure it will create memories for them, I am sure of this .There is so much wonderful and wondrous information presented here in this set. knowledge, and the most glorious visuals, capturing our amazing planet earth .This is a most enjoyable experience. share it ,create around it, teachers, families, friends this should be an event not just a film .My wife and I are seriously thinking that we will for one night a week throughout the summer show this on our front lawn. prepare a few simple snacks have the grandchildren and family over and open this up to the neighborhood some lawn chairs, popcorn, blankets, and you have a wonderful summer event .I am sure the children as well as the adults will look forward each week .Yes it is that good.Even if you have never really enjoyed a nature documentary this may well be the exception .If only for the stunning visuals .But I find that the new, odd, often exciting and amazing facts that seem to fill every minute of this great work thrilling .Again I wish to state that the vision of those who put this masterpiece together must be on par with the works of the masters of ages past. this is an achievement in film that boggles the mind in scope and succeeds !It would seem that in our age we also have those who future generations will likely look upon as Masters of their crafts as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I do not intend on promoting capitalism when suggesting people should purchase this blu-ray but they should. BBC have created a marvellous 11 50 minute episodes of sheer splendour and entetainment. Each episode is constanlty fascinating and intensely interesting to watch and learn about this real world we live in but most of us do not see. In some cases in caves stretching miles beneath the earth and cavities stretched within the deepest most uninhibitable places on earth not many people in the hstory of the world have seen until the BBC got there. My favourite episodes would have to be the first episode, the one about underwater caves, ice worlds and shallow seas but really they all deserve about 4-5 stars each. I believe this would be an excellent documentary to show to all children as it is very educational. In pristine, breathtaking 1080i Full High Defintion this is a great show case which could easily spark children's interest in science and geography.I hope no one is fooled because this is a documentary, because I have seen many documentaries like this and March of the Penguins which are as entertaining as 5 star movies like North by Northwest.I definetly recommend this blu-ray wholeheartedly.Thank you BBC,Thank you David AttenboroughThank you amazon.com for the exceptionally fast shipping and bargain pricesnote: Also I heard there was a new blu-ray vesion of Planet Earth available that has a special features, so you might want to consider that. Although I think there may be other narrators for other versions of this series but I personally like David Attenborough's narration which is awe-inspiring. I doubt other narrators could have done a better job but I haven't listened to them so I am not in a postion to compare. This was my first global network online review, I am just a begginer reviewer and I hope you liked it.

I love all things narrated by David Attenborough, he's just a great narrator. Period.Narrator aside, planet earth is just simply a documentary that I cannot take my eyes off of. The cinematography is (in my opinion) completely unrivaled by any other nature series / shows I've seen. It puts to shame most of the work by Nat Geo, and animal planet, discovery channel, etc. It's just a visually breathtaking show to watch. Make sure and get this in 1080P and watch it on a very good TV. They did a fantastic job at really making the cinematography as perfect as it can be - do yourself a favor and watch it as it should be (in full 1080p, and in its full visual glory)!I cannot say that I've been interested at all in watching any nature documentaries more than one time. This is the only one that I find to be so involving to watch, that I can watch it many times, and still feel a sense of awe at what the planet and mother nature does. While the structure some may not like (it's fairly whimsical), I like it. It switches from complex to simple, and turns things around, it keeps my attention.As for the educational value, you get a bit of all kinds of ecosystems, from the deep seas, great plains, to the jungles, caves, etc. It's not a super deep look at everything, but the material is all quite interesting. They are separated by episode, see the list below:- From Pole to Pole ( a bit of everything )- Mountains- Freshwater- Caves- Deserts- Ice Worlds- Great Plains- Jungles- Shallow Seas- Seasonal Forests- Ocean DeepThis is in my opinion - the best nature series there is. It's a treat to watch. Do yourself a favor and watch it without any distractions.

If anyone in your house loves nature, wildlife or the outdoors you simply MUST get this series. It is beyond astonishing.I grew up watching Disney documentaries like "The Vanishing Prairie" which included amazing footage of prairie dogs and buffaloes and sidewinders. A few years ago my attention was captured by "March of the Penguins". I was amazed not only by the year-long story of the Emperor Penguins living their life-cycle in the most harsh climate on earth, but also by the film crews who braved the same climate to shoot the footage.Now we have this series and it is huge. "Planet Earth" is to "March of the Penguins" what the Space Shuttle is to a paper airplane. Okay - I'm exaggerating... but only a little.A host of intrepid, experienced and well-financed film crews were dispatched over a five year period to collect this footage. We see Emperor Penguins huddling over their eggs in Antarctica, Cranes in their life or death struggling migratory flight over Mount Everest, huge herds of migrating caribou and elephants, mating dances of exotic birds, and endless varieties of predator and prey. Speaking of - thought should be given to the context of viewing for the young and tender-hearted. For those who might cry when Bambi's mother is shot - off-screen - it may be quite traumatic to see wolves and cheetah and hyena successfully corralling deer, or little seal fins protruding from the gaping maws of breeching great white sharks. It may be the perfect introduction of the budding naturalist to the "circle of life" or food chain or however you wish to introduce these scenes.But the footage - oh my - absolutely takes your BREATH away. The flora and fauna of the earth are filmed in breathtaking natural surroundings. Helicopter borne cameras zoom across waterfalls and savannahs. Intimate moments with some of the rarest creatures on earth are mesmerizing: birds of paradise perform their cirque du soleil mating dances and the nearly extinct snow leopard is caught high above the tree line in titanic Asian mountain ranges.Disney edited this series into their recent "Earth", but the truth is that all 11 episodes are astonishing, and for less than twice the cost, you get more than 5 times more of this amazing series.The scope of the project is titanic: I don't expect another nature documentary this expansive and well-produced for decades. Come one - come all. You will see things that you never thought you'd see, may never see again, and will never forget.

Well first let me say that filmwork here is beautiful and amazing. It is definitely on par with The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set (Parts 1-4).Now for what is not here. Those who have seen The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set (Parts 1-4), Life in the Undergrowth, The Life of Mammals, The Life of Birds, and (not or) Life in the Freezer will be surprised to discover that this is first of the collection to offer few new behaviors and observations. Indeed if you have seen them all or own them all (as i do) little here will be new to you. This was somewhat shocking to me as so many reviews talk of seeing all these new behaviors that have never been filmed before. Having seen every minute of this dvd i can say that if you own the lot there is little new here. Even the scene praised before were the ducklings jump from the tree for dear life and than race for water was already seen in The Life of Birds and there the little baby birds did it at night without their parents presence using only the sound of their voice to guide them to water.So is this worth owning if you own the lot, yes and no. If you own all the others released in the states this is still worth owning, if you have the money and if you are ok with getting a visual update but accept that little here is "new" in the way that The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set (Parts 1-4), Life in the Undergrowth, The Life of Mammals and The Life of Birds were new. Without a doubt this is worth seeing for any veteran of all the others.If you do not own the others I would STRONGLY recommend you seeing all the ones mentioned here in and THEN deciding which or all you would like to own.For me, I own the lot and have seen them each maybe 10-20 times. This was a gift and a great one, I am very happy to own it. It is simply beautiful and the dvd transfer here is really good (Compare with Birds where the DVD transfer was horrible). Sir David is thrilling as always. However, like the 1st reviewer mentioned because he is not on-location most of his trademark on-location wit is missing. One can easily see the Directorial style of blue planet here. By and large i think it works here. However there are times when one wishes they would borrow from the team that did Undergrowth as the treatment of tight spaces leaves much to be desired.This nitpicking that am doing is not to discorage people from seeing Planet Earth, but rather to encougare them to see the full BBC version with sir david before deciding to buy *IF* money is an issue. If money is no object than there is no reason not to add to this to your collection of the other "Life of.." and "Planet" DVDs.

Awesome.David Attenborough and the BBC team use state of the art technology to take us through the various eco systems of our planet - polar ice caps, mountains, plains, rivers, caves and deserts.You get to see the regions from the space, from the sky, from a tree top, on land and on occasions from down under. Rare events (births, first moments, hunts, survivals) have been captured with great alacrity and patience and presented in one continuous seamless flow.Ever seen Niagara falls from various observation points? Right atop the horse shoe falls? On a "maid of the mist" boat tour taking you as close to the falls as possible? On the "hurricane thunder" platform where the secondary spray itself is powerful to knock you off and the huge mass of flowing water above your head "scares" you? On a "journey behind the falls (on the Canadian side)? On a balloon overlooking the falls?Ever seen the Grand Canyon from Hopi point with the Colorado appearing as a nice serene silver ribbon barely visible in the total landscape? Ever "trekked" down Hermit's rest to realize how rugged the terrain is? Ever took a "white water rapids" ride to experience the thunderous flow that the silver ribbon has become? Ever took a copter ride over the canyon to see Peak Brahma and Peak Vishnu in their inspiring splendour lording over the canyon?Ever snorkelled in the Great barrier reefs in Australia? Ever did an underwater glass boat ride over the reefs (and get teased for it because your kids got to do a 50 m scuba dive around the same time)?Ever spent a day to reach Jungfraujoch (through the Eiger tunnel) to see the picturesque view atop the Sphinx observatory deck? Ever saw the same stuff atop a chartered flight over the Swiss alps?Ever stood on an Alpine farm land with a parasail (and a tandem pilot) attached to you and run at breakneck speed toward the edge of a cliff? Ever experienced the magic moment when your feet are off the ground and you are flying/floating/sailing/gliding with nothing between your feet and the lake town 2,000 m below? Ever moved from the embarrassing moment when you have self doubts (while your little girls and wife have taken off smoothly) to the moment when you are in air catching a thermal and getting a big uplift?Every time you have an awesome moment like this in your life your respect for Planet Earth goes up. So does your fun in living with this postal address.This exceptionally entertaining DVD series brings those magic moments of joy you experienced and those you have not right into your living room.Grab one. Watch in a big screen TV. Enjoy. And preserve the DVD as part of your inheritance.

Mi sono imbattuto in quetso prodotto quasi per caso mentre ero alla ricerca di qualcosa che potesse farmi brillare gli occhi e gustarmi appieno la qualità del bluray. Ho trovato il cofanetto giusto! Questa è la versione inglese con 6 dischi contente 11 documentari, ognugo della lunghezza di una 50ina di min., audio e sottotitoli esclusivamente in inglese ma per chi mastica un po di questa lingua, non troverà nessuna difficoltà nel comprendere la voce narrante del famoso David Attenborough, grande narratore e divulgatore scientifico. Per quanto riguarda la qualità sono rimasto molto soddisfatto: il 90% delle immagini presenti, sono veramente pultie e nitide e tifanno venire voglia di partire all'istante per osservare ad occhio nudo le meraviglie della natura. Perchè oltre ad essere spettacolari questi documentari sono il frutto di un grande ed oneroso lavoro che ci permette di assistere a riprese inedite riduardo alla natura selvaggia. Per chi cerca qualità ed è amante dei documentari, a questo prezzo( l'ho pagato 27 euro, 10 in meno rispetto alla versione italiana con 4 dischi) è un acquisto obbligato!

First of all 5/5 for Amazon service. Ordered for 1 day delivery & got it as promised, on time.The good part of this are :* Great narration by Alastair,* Fantastic photography & filming. Attention to details is evident,* Exposes us to lot more things on this planet which many are totally unaware of,* Snow, mountains, caves, desert..... you name it & you have it in here. Really fantastic.And there are lot more but it needs to be experienced as this one is hell lot of piece of great work. Kudos to BBC.Some get confused between Planet Earth & Life. I would say opt for planet earth if interested in knowing the earth better, opt for life (some part is picked up from planet earth) if you are interested in animals, fish etc. but yeah, in 'Life' there are mating scenes too, so decide with whom you would like to watch. :PIf you are not buying planet earth, then you are missing something really beautiful in life. Its a great collection. Keep exploring.Cheers.

Planet Earth is one of the most beautifully shot documentaries ever. The complete box set has hours of awe inspiring facts about our planet. Everyone is bound to learn something new here. It also comes with a bonuses documentry on a separate disk too. This set went for a hundred bucks a few years back, so at under 30 dollars now, it is the best bang for your buck now, and deserves to be in any collection.

Worst DVD ever. Doesn't play on any device - with any DVD player. Glitchy and makes for one horrible viewing experience when it does play.

Documentary: 5/5, Picture: 3-5/5, Extras: 4/5THE DOCUMENTARYPlanet Earth takes a rather different approach to Sir David Attenborough's previous Life series: instead of taking a species or phylum, it explores a particular habitat. This is not so much a geological study of the Earth but rather a broad survey of the rarely seen or visited habitats and their inhabitants, with an emphasis on how they adapt to the forces of nature. At times it looks more like showing off spectacular scenery than a systematic study. Coverage is by no means exhaustive but what is presented is truly remarkable. Episode one takes you from the South to the North Pole, passing the various forest ecosystems and desserts in between and is a preview of later episodes.If you have watched the Life series and the BBC's Blue Planet you will notice some familiarity in Planet Earth. There are recurrent themes on survival and adaptive behaviour. I am constantly reminded of and impressed by the resilience of life.Memorable shots are too many to mention but polar bear cubs exploring the snowy slopes, the great white shark leaping out of water (with footage slowed down 40 times) and snow covered mountains come to mind. I particularly like the aerial views.PICTURE: VC-1 1080p 16:9The main feature IS "1080/24p", as indicated by my Pioneer BD player. The production for broadcast is mastered in 25p from various framerates (details on bbcresources.com); the PAL DVD is in 50i (equivalent to 25p) and each episode runs for 48 minutes (excluding the extras) compared to 50 minutes on Blu-ray. So the Blu-ray runtime is in keeping with a 25p to 24p slowdown. The 1080i v. 1080p feud has been blown out of all proportions. For the material shot on video the HD cameras used in the early 2000s were mostly 720p; note it says on the back "some footage was not captured in full HD". While a lot of scenes are spectacular there are occasional artefacts. People who find Blu-ray to be softer than HD broadcast have incorrect set-up somewhere in the video signal chain: it is not the fault of the Blu-ray.THE NARRATION AND SOUND TRACK (Dolby Digital 5.1)The background narration is occasionally too soft. The script is very well written, full of interesting statistics and entirely appropriate without being verbose. The music when present adds to the serenity of the magnificent scenery or the drama of hunting scenes. Subtitles are in English only.THE SUBSTITUTED EXTRAS (1080/60i)Regrettably this release does not have the original DVD extras: the 10 minute "Diaries" at the end of each episode and the 'Planet Earth - The Future' feature (2h56') and people felt let down. The "Dairies" are interesting and the message on the state of the planet is of course important and the BBC underestimated the viewer's sentiment. But the extras included here, Dessert Lions and Snow Leopards (the subject of DVD episode 2 "Diaries") from the BBC's Natural World in HD are interesting programmes in their own right and more amenable to repeated viewing. The biologist who tagged collars on the snow leopards died recently so that makes it even more valuable to watch. But it would be better to give us the original extras and have Natural World on a separate release.WHICH VERSION TO GET?The US Discovery Channel version is truncated and has an American non-naturalist narrator so that is a non-starter. This UK version has the same encoding as the US BBC/Warner four-disc version (both region free) but has the extras on a fifth disc and hence the best value. If you cannot live without the original extras then borrow the DVD.UPDATEI would now recommend the Special Edition instead as it has the Diaries and more extra features at similar price, but note the main episodes are 1080i50 (the original broadcast frame-rate) and the Diaries are 576i50. There is an American SE version in 1080i60 over there.A MUST-HAVE FOR EVERY BLU-RAY LIBRARYJust marvel at the contents: once you understand the technical issues you will realise that whatever technical limitations there are they are really of no great significance here.