In 2007 we released the incomparable Planet Earth on DVD and Blu-ray. It was our very first foray into the Blu-ray format, and we admit we’d do a few things differently now. The original Blu-ray was on four BD25 discs; today we’d opt for the higher bit rate capacity of BD50 discs. Also, it was decided for purity’s sake that the Blu-ray would contain only high-def material. Unfortunately, the standard-def material included the remarkable stories in the “Making Of” featurettes as well as the three-part documentary Planet Earth – The Future, and we began to get clamors for those to be added to the Blu-ray.
Among the extras that are new in both the DVD and Blu-ray Special Editions are audio commentaries, isolated music and effects option, and two high-def programs, Planet Earth’s Greatest Moments and Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth, a 50-minute look at the elusive cat in the mountains of Pakistan. Two standard definition extras, Secrets of the Mayan Underworld and Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert, were shot at the same time that Planet Earth crews were in the location. Finally, both Special Editions will offer a special sneak peek at Executive Producer Alastair Fothergill’s next blockbuster project, Frozen Planet.
Fan Alert: The May 28th issue of Radio Times has revealed the next three Sherlock stories which will make up Season Two. The exact titles are “A Scandal in Belgravia,” “The Hounds of Baskerville” and (oh, no! not yet!) “The Reichenbach Fall.” The cognoscenti are already arguing over who should play Irene Adler, the woman who (as Holmes remarks) “eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.”
Tags: Alastair Fothergill, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Attenborough, Frozen Planet, Planet Earth, sherlock
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Shows produced by the BBC’s Natural History Unit were staple viewing to me as a kid growing up in England. And that was one of the things I missed most after moving to Canada. But then I discovered a couple of channels here broadcasting the ‘new’ show “PLanet Earth”. Wow what a production. Nature as we had never seen it before. I loved the show so much I went out and bought the DVD series as soon as it was launched in Canada, spending over $100 for the privilege. Just recently I have upgraded to the Blue-Ray version. Now this Special Edition is coming. One the one hand I love that there is more to see. But it’s also very frustrating that ‘Special/Enhanced/Extended’ editions come out after the original. If you do this there should be some program whereby purchasers of the original program can get a rebate or discount to upgrade to the later release.
I would like to send Frozen Planet to my friends in Tallahassee, is it availabe in american format?