Microcosmos [Remastered Edition] [1996] [DVD]

Using revolutionary cameras, the directors of this French film (with minimal English-language narration) have made an amazing chronicle of the insect world. There are at least a dozen fascinating, memorable images and the carnage is held to a minimum. Some favourites include a caterpillar traffic jam, a frog's bout with a rain storm and a bird that turns into Godzilla for a bunch of ants. Then there's the snail mating scene that must be seen to be believed. Great for families. --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com

Product Technical Details

Wildlife Diary (8 DVD Collector's Edition) [DVD]

Product Technical Details

Microcosmos - Special Edition [Blu-ray] [1996]

Using revolutionary cameras, the directors of this French film (with minimal English-language narration) have made an amazing chronicle of the insect world. There are at least a dozen fascinating, memorable images and the carnage is held to a minimum. Some favourites include a caterpillar traffic jam, a frog's bout with a rain storm and a bird that turns into Godzilla for a bunch of ants. Then there's the snail mating scene that must be seen to be believed. Great for families. --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com

Product Technical Details

The Wonders Collection - Special Edition Box Set [Blu-ray][Region Free]

Wonders of the Solar System Review
The latest example of just how much a terrific documentary series can benefit from the Blu-ray format, Wonders Of The Solar System is a fascinating six-part series that simply looks stunning in high definition.

Presented by Professor Brian Cox, the series takes time to investigate the solar system around us, and the many natural beauties contained within it. Across the episodes, Cox covers the likes of planets themselves, the rings of Saturn, the question of whether we’re alone in the universe, and the sun itself.

What lifts Wonders Of The Solar System above the many shows that have tackled the subject before, however, are two factors. Firstly, it’s Cox himself, an enthused and interesting host, who explains things well and really helps make accessible the material. Secondly, it’s the utterly stunning visuals. The BBC has mixed in CGI along with images sent directly from space to quite breathtaking effect.

And this, inevitably, is where the Blu-ray kicks in. Wonders Of The Solar System simply looks wonderful in high definition, with the visuals coming across terrifically well. On DVD, this all looked very impressive. Here, it’s simply brilliant, and the end result is a series that can sit alongside Planet Earth as an example of just what Blu-ray can do for material of this quality and ilk. --Jon Foster

Product Technical Details

The Wonders Collection - Special Edition Box Set [DVD]

Wonders of the Solar System Review
The latest example of just how much a terrific documentary series can benefit from the Blu-ray format, Wonders Of The Solar System is a fascinating six-part series that simply looks stunning in high definition.

Presented by Professor Brian Cox, the series takes time to investigate the solar system around us, and the many natural beauties contained within it. Across the episodes, Cox covers the likes of planets themselves, the rings of Saturn, the question of whether we’re alone in the universe, and the sun itself.

What lifts Wonders Of The Solar System above the many shows that have tackled the subject before, however, are two factors. Firstly, it’s Cox himself, an enthused and interesting host, who explains things well and really helps make accessible the material. Secondly, it’s the utterly stunning visuals. The BBC has mixed in CGI along with images sent directly from space to quite breathtaking effect.

And this, inevitably, is where the Blu-ray kicks in. Wonders Of The Solar System simply looks wonderful in high definition, with the visuals coming across terrifically well. On DVD, this all looked very impressive. Here, it’s simply brilliant, and the end result is a series that can sit alongside Planet Earth as an example of just what Blu-ray can do for material of this quality and ilk. --Jon Foster

Product Technical Details

Planet Earth - Special Edition [Blu-ray]

As befits the BBC’s reputation for producing some of the world’s best nature documentaries, Planet Earth is an epic travelogue, focussing on different ecologies and the unique animals that inhabit them. Once again, Sir David Attenborough provides the narration, as the cameras fly across the surface of the earth, zooming in to give us a bug’s eye view one minute, zooming out to give us an eagle’s perspective the next. The BBC’s cameramen filmed more than 200 locations, resulting in some truly spectacular footage, much of which has never before been seen--such as the rare sight of an endangered snow leopard hunting in the Himalayas, or great white sharks leaping from the water as they hunt. The creators of Planet Earth endured some of the world’s most hostile environments, from the deepest ocean depths to an Antarctic blizzard to a fetid, cockroach- and bat-infested cave, just to grab a few moments of film. --Ted Kord

Product Technical Details