Finding all these new objects, it became necessary for astronomers to get more specific about what we mean by the word "planet," and figure out which category Pluto fit into. More like Pluto, in some ways, than Pluto is like the other planets. But as astronomers discovered more and more about the Kuiper Belt (and the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter), we learned that there are lots of objects like Pluto. Why is Pluto no longer considered a planet?įor a long time, we thought Pluto was unique in the Kuiper Belt. Nevertheless, as we listen through our reference PMC Twenty 23 5.1 speaker package, scuttling locusts and tropical storms are certainly made more immersive by what surround sound is offered.Emily Safron is an astronomy instructor at Case Western Reserve University. But while his comforting, conversant tone certainly puts pressure on your centre channel to perform, and the front-heavy Hans Zimmer soundtrack requires a strong stereo presence, the surround sound channels are often filled with slight yet rewarding effects. Think Planet Earth II, think David Attenborough’s narration. You can tell Tom Hanks to go again, but not a hippo. While some 4K Blu-rays are treated to an immersive audio upgrade, whether Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, the track on the Planet Earth II 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray is the same as on the standard Blu-ray: 5.1 DTS-HD.Īnyone familiar with the making-of ‘Diaries’ segment at the end of each episode should have a good idea why apparently chasing giraffes and lions across the Namibian desert with extra microphones rigs and overhead equipment wasn’t – who’d have thought it! – practical. The audio side of things are a little more tempered in comparison. MORE: 4K Blu-ray vs 4K streaming vs Blu-ray: which is better? Sound Hopefully you're getting the idea: the Planet Earth II 4K Blu-ray is hugely impressive, and a big step-up from the HD quality offered by the standard Blu-ray (which is also included, and still looks very impressive). And the edge-of-your-seat action looks clean as a whistle - the picture likely remaining much stabler than your emotional state during this heart-stopping showdown. For that, we turn to the 'internet-famous' racer snake versus baby iguana chase scene. They may look stunning, but these slow-movers certainly aren't much of a test of slow motion. On Komodo island, the slushy mud beneath the dragons is given almost tangible texture, and if you had the will, and patience, you could count each scale on the dragon without even needing a close-up. It’s also the surfacing of smaller things that help to make Planet Earth II quite so immersive, from the flicker of flowers caused by a bird’s flapping wings, to the steam billowing from hot springs, to the snow specs on a bobcat’s fur coat – all brought to our attention by the exceptional picture. The Galapagos’ volcanic landscape and the ‘Cities’ episode are perhaps the pinnacle of the HDR experience, the luminescent lava and Toronto city lights punching out from the plunging blacks of the ash-covered rock and the night sky. HDR is all about expanding contrast ratio and colour reproduction capabilities, so it’s no shock that the pinks of flamingos, the yellow of an eagle’s claw and the multi-coloured feathers of a Hummingbird are all wonderfully vibrant and realistic. MORE: HDR TV: What is it? How can you get it? Every corner of the TV is filled with a picture so crisp and detail-rich you’d feel confident tweezing out a specific hair from a Pygmy sloth’s coat. The thistle-sharp definition and stunning colours are not only a credit to the videographer’s camera work, but also to the 4K Blu-ray disc format. and from the opening island shot alone, we're adamant this is a must buy for any 4K fan. We hurry disc one (containing episodes 1-3) into an Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, hooked up to a Sony KD-55XE9305 4K HDR TV. But the complex process clearly wasn't rushed - and the results are superb. It wasn’t a quick task, we’ve been assured, as 4TB files had to be handled and transported. Ergo, unlike some Ultra HD Blu-rays, this transfer is the real deal: true, bona fide, native 4K stuff.Īs Planet Earth II was shot in Hybrid Log-Gamma – the BBC and Japanese national broadcaster NHK's form of HDR, which can, unlike alternative HDR formats, be decoded by both HDR and non-HDR receivers – it had to be re-encoded into HDR10, the HDR format suitable for physical media, for the Ultra HD Blu-ray. Planet Earth II was shot in 4K from the beginning of filming (back in 2013).
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