Planet Earth - The RIGHT Version? (1 Viewer)

Reading reports (via amazon feedback) of the US version being `Dumbed down' and out of order. I had no idea David Attenborough was the original voice, so what gives with Weaver on the US version, and claims of some material missing, etc.
After catching a few in the series on Discovery, I'm hooked, but if the DA voice version is the ONE to get, where is a region 0 of the UK version?

Hopefully this does not break any rules here. If we're being deprived of the best version for some completely stupid studio decision making, I don't see why we can't access what we deserve.

Any Thoughts?

E

The version being offered for pre-sale on Amazon.com is the full version with the David Attenborough (sp?) narration. I seem to think that there's about 90mins. material that was cut from the original for the Discovery Channel broadcast.

Thanks Mark! That's what I saw!

Thanks guys, but I didn't notice this note when I first checked amazon -
• Note: this edition features the original narration by David Attenborough

Seems like the complaints were toward the discovery aired version. Still, the 110 minutes not on the BD is strange. More space, less content? Doesn't make sense.

E

The HD versions are actually missing 260 minutes (over 4 hours) of material that's on the SD version. I don't understand this - they couldn't throw another disc in the HD-DVD & BluRay boxes??

Yeah the "DVD only" exclusive is upsetting...because the show was SHOT IN HD!

This makes no sense.

What?!? Seriously? I missed that. What all is missing?

Edit:
O'wait... are you only talking about the two extras or are there missing parts of the actual show?

I'd like to hear what is missing from the HD versions as well. And should this thread be moved to the TV section?

Here's a summary of all the information I've seen about the various Planet Earth releases:

Discovery Channel DVD Set:
*Discs 1-4: All 11 episodes, about 43 minutes each, narration by Sigourney Weaver
*Discs 1-4: A 10-minute "behind-the-scenes" featurette for each episode
*Disc 5: Planet Earth: The Future documentary (no information on the Discovery website if these episodes are edited and have different narration)

BBC standard DVD Set:
*Discs 1-4: All 11 episodes, about 50 minutes each, narration by David Attenborough
*Discs 1-4: A 10-minute "behind-the-scenes" featurette for each episode
*Disc 5: Planet Earth: The Future documentary (3 episodes x 50 minutes, or 150 minutes total)

BBC HD-DVD & Blu-Ray Sets:
*Discs 1-4: All 11 episodes, about 50 minutes each, narration by David Attenborough

So, each BBC episode is about 7 minutes longer than its Discovery Channel counterpart (and has a different narrator). This is most likely the only difference between the BBC standard and Discovery Channel DVD sets.

The BBC HD-DVD and Blu-Ray sets have the 50-minute BBC episodes, but remove the 5th disc (150 minutes) and the behind-the-scenes featurettes (110 minutes).

Also, it looks like the Discovery Channel version is only available at their store, and for $79.98, while the BBC versions are available "everywhere" (and discounted 30% off at many online shops).

I wonder how many people watching this on the Discovery Channel will go straight to their website to buy this, without knowing they could buy a set with longer episodes and the original narrator -- and most likely save 30%!

Yeah, this is a bit of a slap in the face to those who have taken the plunge into HD. Rather aggravating, if you ask me.

Oh jeez, and people would be bitching if the HD versions contained more than the SD did. Actually, people would also be calling it a "Conspiracy"

Absolutely. Which is why the smart thing, the logical thing, would be to include the same features. Doesn't sound so hard, but apparently it is!

Are we sure those extra documentaries were available in HD? And if not, would it really have been feasible (price-wise) or even possible to have them upconverted?

And if they hadn't, what would have been the critique then? Should they have authored the docs for HD-medium (as 480i) anyway? Or would "we" have allowed an SDVD as an extra disc?

Also, I don't think it's totally fair in this respect to compare two different releases. The HD versions simply aren't 5 disc versions. Perhaps when the formats really get established, they may bring out a bigger HD box set like that as well.

This may have been one of those instances where they couldn't win either way.


Cees


PS: I'm buying the HD DVD set.
C.

I think that including the same supplemental material across all formats could be considered a "win."

I believe that the documenaries in question were produced in high-definition. That's irrelevant, however, since both HD-DVD and Blu-ray support standard-definition video.

But Cees,

in order to view the bonus material, which most fans will want to see, now an HD consumer has to buy *both* the SD and HD copies (twice the price), rather than just adding an additional SD-DVD with those docs to the HD versions and keeping the price relative to a single purchase.


If those bonus items had been shot in HD, naturally most of us would pay what we needed to in order to see them in native HD on BD or HD DVD. However, if they were shot 480i, that would be easily tolerated... as are all the other SD extras included on most of the HD DVD/BDs in our libraries now.

An extra SD-DVD disc included in the set if need be to provide them? Sure! Saves the consumer an added purchase. I have DVD sets that include music CDs and I never complained... I also remember hearing of another BD set coming out that will include an SD-DVD with SD bonus items to keep parity with the SD-DVD stand-alone release. I think it's Pirates of the Caribbean. Can anyone confirm?

Being a uk resident I saw the original BBC broadcasts last year, so can confirm that the behind the scenes mini-doc's mostly contained footage shot at the time of the production, so that would all have been hi-def too.

Planet Earth the future was a mostly "talking heads" style documentary on global warming and mankind's general effect on wildlife containing little or no footage from the series, and would likely have been shot betacam in the 576i format as it's a PAL originated standard BBC production.

Even now comparatively very little british TV except for period dramas and special projects are hi-def originated, even the very latest 3rd series of Dr Who isn't, whereas the new series of Robin Hood is..

Regardless there is no excuse for not including these in HD or SD on the HD release.

M

wow - I didn't realise that the HD versions were missing those behind the scenes docs at the end of each episode!

Oh well, maybe one day the BBC will get around to releasing stuff in HD here in the UK and then we'll get the whole series

And even if the extras weren't in HD, it wouldn't be the first time that non-feature items on HD discs aren't in 1080p. Many current HD-DVD and BR discs have extras in 480p. I just want the same extras as the DVD. I don't see how them providing it would be a non-win for them.

If the extras were the same, I have to believe that is a win-win. I certainly wouldn't complain as a BD owner, and I doubt any DVD owners would have cried about it either.

If the set I see Tuesday has David Attenborough, I buy.
I completely get why some bone head recut with Weavers VO - Some New Age soft fluffy attitude. Please... Attenborough's the Man on this material.

Perhaps the extra docs are nothing more than a rehash of the main features & a Global Warming doc (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) We'll see, but if I had BD and a 1080 TV, It would certainly make me pause. Then again, hard to resist if you like the material.

E