# Planet Earth -- Discovery Channel



## Otto (May 18, 2006)

So has anyone been watching the Planet Earth series on The Discovery Channel? It was getting hyped up a bit before we went on vacation last week (Cancun), and we made a point to record it while we were away.

As of now, I've watched four of the episodes. The first was a general episode about the sun and its interaction with the earth. There were episodes on mountains, oceans and deserts also. I _think _there are 11 total, but I could be wrong...

This series is about the earth, obviously, and really specializes in capturing things that have not been captured before on film (or hard disc, as the case may be...). On my Dish Network feed, it's in HD. As is common, the Discover Channel's work with HD is better than most -- truly stunning, richly colorful, and with excellent sound -- the mixes in the jungle give you chirps and cheeps all around you, and there's frequently an underlying bass rumble that's very effective.

There are a number of stunning hunt scenes between various animals. Cats and dogs chasing antelopes and gazelles (or something like that). I recall some truly bizarre birds from the first episode -- they have strange rituals to attract a mate, and they employ all types of feathers and other "attachments" to stand out. They are extremely colorful and contortable. The bottom-of-the-ocean section displays some really weird stuff as well. 

It's narrated by Sigourney Weaver, and is mostly to the point. She does take the time to point out that "this has never before been captured on film," or that the "photographers had to wait two years for this shot," and such. At first it seemed a little cheesy, but it _is_ relevant information, and helps put in perspective how valuable their work is. Also, at the end, there's about five minutes of the cinematographers discussing how they did their work, what the conditions were like, and so on.

Overall, this is one of the best displays of the world in which we live that I've seen. From the rare scenes and animals, to the patiently awaited events (waiting for a sandstorm gets kinda boring), to the vivid colors and sound -- an excellent job. Highly recommended if you like this type of thing, and good for the whole family (there's not a lot of gore in the hunt scenes). Highly recommended.


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## Ayreonaut (Apr 26, 2006)

I've got it Tivo-ed, and I've watched the first episode. Even in SD its incredible! I can't wait to see the rest of it.


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

Yup, been TiVo-ing the entire thing. I was disappointed that it wasn't mastered in 5.1. We will be purchasing the DVD set but it doesn't appear that it will be 5.1 either  Stunning footage, unreal camera work.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I've missed it thus far... :hissyfit: Thanks for reminding me about it.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Otto said:


> So has anyone been watching the Planet Earth series on The Discovery Channel? .... Highly recommended.


I watch a lot of programs in Discovery Channel and I also like Equator ... they show a lot of nice programs from different parts of the wold and cultures ....:yes: :yes: :yes:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

We even have it over here on ABC...Absolutely stunning!!..Great pic and sound, even with SD..
It's also available on ABC21 which shows it in HD. and 5.1 sound..


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## SteveB (Oct 20, 2006)

I've watched the entire series so far. The picture is stunning. I recently upgraded my cable hd package to include the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. After watching Planet Earth I finally feel like I've seen the picture quality that my TV is capable of showing. Yes, 5.1 surround would be nice but the picture is what the show is about.


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## Otto (May 18, 2006)

Hi there,

What order have your episodes been in? The order they showed up on Dish was:

1 Pole to Pole
2 Mountains
3 Deep Ocean
10 Deserts
11 Ice Worlds

They were listed having episode number as shown. Anyone else have this? Did I miss episodes 4-9?


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I set it up last night with the DVR. Looks like there are two episodes beginning Saturday at 2am and several more over the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll get them all.


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

This series seems to have created a big impact in terms of increasing the popularity of HD - hopefully more stations and programs jump on board. What I find most amazing visually is when the camera will be up close and personal with an animal or group of animals, then start zooming out....and keep zooming out.....and keep zooming out, to the point that the animals are just a tiny dot on my screen. It's amazing because even when fully zoomed in or out, the detail and quality is still superb.

The jumping sharks scene is a favorite as well :T


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I've been watching these and they are stellar HD. I imagine they would be awesome on HD-DVD or Blu-ray.


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## Sthrndream (Apr 21, 2006)

I watched the Planet Earth series and enjoyed it very much. When I first setup my home theater I went looking for some good edutainment DVDs. One that proved to be evry interesting was The Blue Planet series. It is done by the same folks as the Planet Earth series but all about the underwater world. I don't know if it is available in HD formats but in regular DVD format it is quite spectacular.


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## Ayreonaut (Apr 26, 2006)

tiddler said:


> One that proved to be evry interesting was The Blue Planet series. It is done by the same folks as the Planet Earth series but all about the underwater world. I don't know if it is available in HD formats but in regular DVD format it is quite spectacular.


I raved about Blue Planet in another thread here!


Ayreonaut said:


> I've been renting this nature series by BBC.
> *This is the best nature documentary series that I've seen.*
> The footage is incredible. I've have marvelled at some of the
> Creator's handiwork that I never knew existed. There are eight episodes.
> Narrated by David Attenborough.


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## Sthrndream (Apr 21, 2006)

Ayreonaut said:


> I raved about Blue Planet in another thread here!


I did not see your post. Someone over on Projector Central recommended it to me. I found the 4 Pack at BestBuy and grabbed it. I don't usually buy DVDs but this was worth it. Really spectacular footage and no long peroids of talking heads, just underwater footage.


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## Sthrndream (Apr 21, 2006)

For those who like this type of edutainment here is a great website called Spirit of Baraka.


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## JRace (Aug 24, 2006)

I watched a Divx copy and was blown away by the PQ. Can't wait to see the HD version. 

I also heard the Living World with David Attenborough (same narrator) was excellent.


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