6.5 C
New York
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Advertisement

Nature: Fabulous Frogs Blu-ray Review

nature-fabulous-frogs-blurayU.S. Release

– –

The Film

[Rating:4.5/5]

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_01

In another splendid on-off release from the long-running PBS series Nature, we get the episode Fabulous Frogs wherein Sir David Attenborough takes us on a guided tour through the varied and often weird world of frogs, animals he’s loved since he was a young man. You’ll notice the eye-catching variety of colors – the most colorful of which are often a sign to predators to beware, “I’m poisonous” – and the mating rituals. African bullfrogs, some of the largest in the world, have brutal battles for supremacy in their tiny ponds for the right to mate all the females. One male frog ‘eats’ the eggs after the female has laid them and carries them in his throat pouch until they develop and leap out from his mouth fully grown.

The videography is fantastic, as to be expected from the BBC, which produced this episode in partnership with WNET. And Attenborough, as always, is a wellspring of information. He always finds the best way to explain a topic. And when it comes to these frogs, creatures he obviously has a special feeling for, he seems very enthusiastic to not only get the information across, but to also let us know how much they mean to our ecosystem.

Video Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_02

This is a very good AVC 1080i/60 encodement to Blu-ray that really conveys the colors and textures of the frogs, the greenery, and the other elements of their surroundings with almost flawless perfection. Things look crisp and nuanced with no hints of color banding, combing, or any other obvious issues.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4/5]

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_03

As with previous PBS Nature episode releases on Blu-ray, we only get a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a LPCM 2.0 stereo (48kHz/16-bit) track alongside an English Descriptive Video Service Dolby Digital 2.0 track. Despite being lossy Dolby Digital (@640Kbps), the 5.1 track is nicely balanced and atmospheric, with clear narration from David Attenborough in the center channel as well. It does manage to bring one into the midst of the action in the natural settings, if not quite as convincingly as a lossless track might have. The LPCM 2.0 track is a lot more forward than the surround mix, placing Mr. Attenborough very close and above other sounds in the mix, and the stereo imaging seems to be slightly narrower as well.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:0/5]

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_04

In keeping with the previous releases in this Nature series so far, we get nothing here, not a booklet, not a bonus featurette or interview segment.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_05

If you’ve been collecting these Nature series releases on Blu-ray, then chalk Fabulous Frogs up as another top notch release that you must add to the collection. It is beautifully filmed and written, and fantastically presented by David Attenborough.

Additional Screen Captures

[amazon-product]B00K6K9G86[/amazon-product]

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_06

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_07

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_08

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_09

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_10

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_11

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_12

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_13

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_14

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_15

Nature-Fabulous-Frogs-BD_16

[amazon-product]B00K6K9G86[/amazon-product]

Advertisement

Related Articles

Join the Discussion on TheaterByte!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

301FansLike
0FollowersFollow
184FollowersFollow
1,710FollowersFollow
- Advertisement -

Notice of Compliance with FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255

In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR part 255 guidelines, this website hereby states that it receives free discs and other theatrical or home entertainment "screeners" and access to screening links from studios and/or PR firms, and is provided with consumer electronics devices on loan from hardware manufacturers and/or PR firms respectively for the purposes of evaluating the products and its content for editorial reviews. We receive no compensation from these companies for our opinions or for the writing of reviews or editorials.
Permission is sometimes granted to companies to quote our work and editorial reviews free of charge. Our website may contain affiliate marketing links, which means we may get paid commission on sales of those products or the services we write about. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Latest Articles