- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English & French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French (Quebecois)
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Running Time: 350 minutes
- Rating: Not Rated
- Discs: 3 (3 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: BBC
- Blu-ray Release Date: April 17, 2012
- List Price: $54.98
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Series
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(The below TheaterByte screen captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray Discs and losslessly compressed in the PNG format. There should be no loss of picture quality with this format. All screen captures should be regarded only as an approximation of the full capabilities of the Blu-ray format.
The Series
[Rating:4.5/5]
The BBC Earth series is an unprecedented project to expose home viewing audiences to the many wonders of our natural world. Here narrator Sir David Attenborough teams up with executive producer Alastair Fothergill to take us to the literal ends of the earth: North and South Poles or Frozen Planet. This seven episode 350-minute was originally televised in 2011 and now makes its three-disc Blu-ray debut. Once again, we get the perfect score composed by George Fenton. The episodes are listed below:
Disc One contains:
- To the Ends of the Earth: Life on both poles, limited by extreme cold and prolonged darkness
- Spring: The thaw begins and so does new life on the poles.
- Summer: A short, ever-bright season allows the varied species to enjoy the brief warmth of the sun.
- Bonus: “Freeze Frame”: brief featurettes on the making of each episode.
Disc Two contains:
- Autumn: This episode follows the migration of most animals south anticipating the cold winter that will soon begin.
- Winter: The harshest season is at hand and we see the adaptive strategies of the hardy creatures that survive the bitter frost and harsh winds.
- The Last Frontier: Human life is sparse but active in the North Pole, while the South Pole is only visited by the occasional tourist or scientist..
- Bonus: “Freeze Frame” brief featurettes on the making of each episode.
Disc Three contains:
- On Thin Ice: The apparent effects of global warning on the “Frozen Planet.”
- Bonus material
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Another adventure in awe-inspiring cinematography with absolutely incredible close ups of the polar creatures caught in the wild. Highlights abound from the vast bird migration, the synchronized swims of orcas or a wolf pack pursuing a herd of bison. Detail and color are magnificent creating scene after scene of natural beauty. Seamless time-lapse filming give us a temporal sense of the change of seasons.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The master of nature film scoring, George Fenton does it yet again with perfect pacing and mood (Note: the final episode is scored by Barnaby Taylor). The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is the only audio option with either English or French narration. It is open and very atmospheric conveying the sense of the huge spaces and its massive sounds that are presented to us in full-bodied surround sound.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4/5]
Disc 3 offers us three new bonus programs, interviews and extra footage (all in Dolby Digital Stereo):
- Science at the Ends of the Earth : A 21-minute documentary that chronicles scientific expeditions to Antarctica.
- Production Video Diaries: 47 video shorts covering the entire series.
- Frozen Planet: The Epic Journey: one hour of highlights from the series
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4.5/5]
Frozen Planet more than maintains the tradition of excellence that we have come to expect from the BBC Earth Blu-ray catalog. This series presents the incredible continuing saga of animals and some humans enduring some of the most forbidding weather on Earth just to survive. Of all of the entries in the BBC Earth series this one takes us to more places hardly ever visited or inhabited by humans, yet it is the spread of humanity that appears to have exerted a growing influence on the polar climates. The final chapter, On Thin Ice, stirred up some controversy with its global warming message delivered articulately by Sir David. Like its nature documentary predecessors, Frozen Planet is an essential watch for all of us.
Additional Screen Captures
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Purchase Frozen Planet on Blu-ray at CD Universe
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[amazon-product]B005SH65UO[/amazon-product]
Purchase Frozen Planet on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Series
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]