Galapagos [HD DVD] :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Galapagos [HD DVD]

2008-06-30
I wanted to see good quality of pictures and saw the views that I didn't have chance to meet them. I found that the Galapagos [HD DVD]gave me more than I expected.

amazing photography, glorious in HD

2008-04-06
A remarkable documentary that is a joy to view. The only reason I didn't go five stars is that the producers diminished the stature of the presentation by bringing in Mr. Darwin's religion. They would have gained stature by staying with the pure science of creation. The facts, ma'am, only the facts!

One of the best nature documentary in High Definition

2008-03-11
After viewing BBC's Planet Earth, I did not think that any other title would ever match that title. I was wrong. This Galapagos HD DVD is at least equal to Planet Earth. In some respect, its narrow focus makes it even better.

Lets start with the technical details. This 30GB HD DVD was shot in 1080p and encoded in VC-1. The 1.78 aspect ratio makes it perfect for use with the 16:9 HDTV screens. The audio is rendered in Dolby Digital Plus 2.0 Stereo. It does not have any supplements but none is needed.

There is nothing exceptional about the audio but it gets the job done. The video quality however is second to none. The video quality is on par with Planet Earth. There is probably none better out there as of this writing.

The impact of Charles Darwin short visit to the Galapagos continues to reverberate till today. This video allows us to visit and experience Galapagos far better and far deeper than Charles Darwin ever did during his stay.

We view the Galapagos from the sky with satellite like shots, breath taking rushes from helicopters, panoramic views from mountain tops, incredible underwater shots. We are able to see Galapagos in ways that even a visit to Galapagos itself will not provide unless one is willing to spent as much resources and time as the producers of this feature.

Narrated by Tilda Swinton, the features provides tremendous educational and entertainment value. The feature is visually very engaging and with little effort, imparts a great deal of scientific information in an entertaining manner for all people from all ages. I highly recommend Galapagos.

Absolutely gorgeous on HD DVD

2008-03-07
I've always been very interested in the Galapagos...primarily the Giant Tortoises. So I eagerly snapped this HD DVD up, because I'm a new HD DVD player owner (and VERY disappointed in the death of the format...although my player is an OUTSTANDING upconverter...anyway, back to the subject at hand).

The visuals are absolutely stunning. No other word will do. The HD detail is magnificent and the beauty of these islands probably could never be captured better. Obviously, going there in person would be unbeatable...but until then, this disc will serve.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the discs from an educational level. I learned a lot about the geology and biology of the place, and "met" many creatures I was only glancingly familiar with. The footage of the Marine Iguanas diving below the choppy ocean to eat was a true high point in my lifetime viewing...no exagerration. That acts of such awkward beauty take place regularly on our planet is pretty amazing to me.

Newly minted Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton provides suitable quiet, respectful, "vedy British" narration.

Only gripe: because this disc is actually several episodes, there is some repetition of material presented. You get to hear the geologic history of the islands a few times. It's a fairly minor quibble...and absolutely does not deter me from recommending.

When I watched episode 1, my 20 year old son was around. He was fixing to leave for the evening to hand out with friends...but ended up glued to the sofa for the whole episode. The next night, my 15 year old daughter griped and moaned about watching an episode...but sure enough...five minutes later she was entranced. This is really good stuff...made even more remarkable by HD.

golapagos

2008-02-24
the quality of this hd-dvd is outstanding even better than planet earth
highly recommended

Wonderful movie

2008-02-18
The inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution, the Galapagos Islands are a living laboratory, a geological conveyor belt that has given birth to and seen the death of many species of plants and animals. As the western islands rise up from the sea offering a chance of life, the eastern islands sink back beneath the waves guaranteeing only death. Between the two are the middle islands; fertile, lush land in its prime that contains an incredible diversity of life. Nowhere else on the Earth are the twin processes of creation and extinction of species so starkly apparent... see it all unfold before your eyes in this stunning series filmed entirely in high definition from the BBC and the National Geographic Channel.

a must own

2008-01-20
Great visuals.
Great music.
Great narration. Kudos to Tilda Swinton
Great didactic content.
This is a no-brainer.
Get it today!!!

Great footage, great HD content, a bit repetative though.

2008-01-19
Having bought, and viewed planet earth 3 times, I found this HD DVD to be of equal, excellent, quality. The BBC represent the pinnacle of educational viewing on the planet in terms of content and execution; usually. This one is a 4 star and here's why:

I felt that the Galapagos series was 2 episodes stretched into 3, spoiled I feel, by some of this content having been very similar to footage found on planet earth.

My advice would be watch this one first, then planet earth. This is why I only give it 4 stars.

If you can buy it on HD DVD. I own both players and my 3rd gen Blu Ray exhibits all manner of artifacts when there is action/motion that the HD A20 does not. It's a shame sony seem to be winning the hi def war, their product is not mature, even now..

Excellent video

2008-01-07
I ordered this video in the HD format since I recently purchased a HD
DVD player. I was not disappointed. It is well worth the extra cost to upgrade to HD. The service I have received from Amazon has been exemplary in every way. The DVD was shipped very fast even during the Holidays when I did not expect to get it so soon.

Another treat from BBC!

2007-12-29
This is such a wonderful documentary and i really recommend this to anybody and everybody who loves nature documentaries. I find the piqture quality to be absolutely stunning, just amazing, especially the close-ups and the undewater shots, they're just so crisp and clear. Only letdown is that this documentary is 2.0 Stereo, it would have deserved 5.1 or 7.1. I can't recommend this documentary much enough, it is definitely high up in my top 5 list!!!! Can't wait for more from BBC