Man, am I torn.

I have the SD version still in shrinkwrap, but I'm jonesin' for the HD-DVD version. But the SD version has an extra 260 minutes of material (10 minutes per episode of behind the scenes footage, times 11 episodes, plus the 2.5 hour "Planet Earth: The Future" companion series). But the HD-DVD version is, well, in HD.

I'm loathe to pop the shrinkwrap on the SD version if I'm going to get the HD-DVD version, since I can eBay the SD for more if it's unopened. But I *might* want to keep the bonus disk from the SD set and donate the rest to my local library for a tax writeoff. But I don't know if the 10 minute x 11 episode behind the scenes stuff are all on the bonus disk or if they're tacked on to each episode. And I don't know if the HD-DVD version will be more "knock my socks off" than I expect the SD version to be. I watched it when it aired on Discovery (SD) and it was damn fine. While the HD reviews have been consistently good, some reviewers have complained about it not being as good as it could be, leaving me to wonder if the step up from the SD to the HD versions is justified.

The HD-DVD version is $54 after 20% discount at DDD. It's OOS at DVD Planet, but would be $56. I spent $35 out of pocket for the SD version from B&N (I had a $10 gift card and a coupon). New SD sets are fetching $50 on eBay.

Arrgh! Someone, quick, give me a tiebreaker here!

I could not imagine watching Planet Earth in standard definition, so I recommend treating yourself and buying the HD DVD. For the majority of the program, it looks gorgeous in HD. If you really want to see the DVD bonus features, watch them once and then sell the set or donate it to your library.

tough call. my friend has the blue-ray version and i can vouch, it looks amazing.

I feel your pain, but HD wins out IMO. You could always get the SD later when it goes on sale.

Okay, thanks all. I've taken the plunge for the HD-DVD Planet Earth. I'll decide what to do with the SD version later. If my library has its own copy by mid-summer, I'll eBay the SD set intact. If they don't, I'll probably take disc 5 from the SD set and donate discs 1-4. (My library tends to make individual discs from sets available for checkout, and has been known to discard bonus discs. They get what they want, I get what I want.)

The 10-minute bonus documentaries are tacked on to discs 1-4 of the SD version, unfortunately.

Yeah, I figured. At least I can console myself knowing that the bonus documentaries are only in SD, and if I end up going the library route I can view them before I send the discs away.

I went HD instead of SD. I know the SD versions have a ton more bonus material. But I would watch that probably once. I'll watch the main content multiple times. Seemed like an easy choice to me.

Of course I've seen people who buy both sets so they can have the best of both worlds.

I found the HD version to be pretty underwhelming. It does look better than the SD version, but not by the leaps and bounds I was expecting. If I had to do it again I would buy the cheaper SD version.

Well, those 10-minute making-ofs were broadcast in HD, so I have no idea why they couldn't at least include those in HD releases.

I think I've seen some of the short documentaries and they are pretty underwhelming. Not quite as bad as EPK's, but pretty close.

I appreciate your frankness Darkside. I have been confused as to which version to buy, but am leaning towards purchasing the SD version at this time (though it would be a blind buy for me.) I am not as discriminating when it comes to documentaries as I am to movies.

Buy the HD and rent the fifth disk.

one of the big selling points of these docs is the HD aspect so it's really a no-brainer to get the HD versions over the SD versions if you want to watch docs only. i have the BD version and it's just gorgeous! if they never release the bonus stuff from the SD set in their own HD set, then i'll probably get the SD set in the future just to watch the docs. i'm a big fan bonus stuff like those. it's a shame that they weren't released with the HD/BD sets.