Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Shot in full 4k. Hopefully it'll be as good as the first. And if we're lucky, Snoop Dog will narrate. Actually, David Attenborough will do it again.

http://variety.com/2016/tv/global/da...ii-1201711576/

David Attenborough to Narrate BBC Documentary Series ‘Planet Earth II’

LONDON — David Attenborough has come on board to narrate natural history series “Planet Earth II,” which is being presented to international buyers at a BBC Worldwide sales event in Liverpool, England, tomorrow.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the U.K. broadcaster, has inked its first sales on the six-part show, ahead of BBC Worldwide Showcase, which draws 700 international buyers.

The series, a co-production of the BBC, BBC America, ZDF in Germany and France Televisions in France, has just been picked up by Sweden’s SVT, Denmark’s DR and Italy’s Mediaset. Its launch comes a decade on from the critically acclaimed “Planet Earth,” which sold to more than 230 territories.

Attenborough will be in Liverpool for an event on Tuesday to launch the series. He will be interviewed on stage by documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux, and will be joined by the show’s executive producer, Mike Gunton, and the series producer, Tom Hugh-Jones.

“Planet Earth II,” previously known by its working title “One Planet,” explores “the characteristics of Earth’s most iconic habitats and the extraordinary ways animals survive within them.”

Gunton said: “Ten years after ‘Planet Earth’ first brought the wonders of the natural world to viewers in HD, ‘Planet Earth II’ is another game-changer. Shot in UHD, the epic scale and ambition of this series is second to none. It will be a truly immersive experience, providing audiences with a unique perspective on the most extraordinary places and animals on our planet.”

BBC Worldwide Showcase runs Feb. 22-24.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Shot in 4k, but will it be broadcast in 4k?

I'm hoping Netflix picks it up. Seems like it's a lock for the new UHD-Blu-Ray format.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

I hope Oprah does not do the narration when it airs in the U.S.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Unlike the original Planet Earth, Discovery Channel is not involved in new this production, so I don't expect David Attenborough's narration to be replaced when this airs on BBC America.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

It still wouldn't shock me if they get a popular American personality to narrate an American version. Attenborough's name simply doesn't move units with mainstream American customers. Morgan Freeman seems to be the go-to choice for these science specials.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

:up: Looking forward to it, but..

this is a pretty important detail. I don't have a 4k tv yet, but seems odd to pimp the 4k if no one can view it that way.

Also, only 6 episodes? Bummer.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Looks like the premier date is Saturday, February 18 according to Cinema Blend.

Also via that link, the show should be easier to watch as it will be airing on multiple networks: BBC America, AMC and Sundance TV.

Lastly, the list of Episodes:

01. Islands
02. Mountains
03. Jungles
04. Deserts
05. Grasslands
06. Cities

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Note that, according to the Cinema Blend article, the three-network simulcast appears to be only for the first episode, since "BBC America says that subsequent episodes will only be able to be caught on BBC America on the Saturday nights subsequent to the premiere."

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

They eventually offered it streaming in UHD HDR in the UK:
http://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-...h-ii-in-4k-hdr

Amazon has a listing for a UHD Blu-ray of the series. They tend to be released after the last episode airs.
https://smile.amazon.com/Planet-Eart...dp/B01LTHYICS/

BBC America streams video via its website and apps, but hasn't offered 4K UHD video on it before.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

I'm considering getting the British blu-ray, rather than waiting on the American release.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

It looks like the North America release will be March 14:
http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Planet-...ase-Date/22969

The UK Blu-ray is apparently 1080i50, so it may have playback issues on US Blu-ray players and TVs
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=283783&page=4
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Planet.../#RegionCoding

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Okay, cool. Amazon didn't have a date, so I thought it was gonna be far off.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

It is confirmed to work on the PlayStation 4, but not the PlayStation 3.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

So the US Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray release date is now March 28th.


Best Buy has the UHD Blu-ray on sale for $39.99. It looks like they have the list price wrong, which is why it's $20 cheaper than on Amazon:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/planet-e...?skuId=5721109

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Awesome, thanks for the heads up. Beats the Amazon $59.99 price.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

This started airing on BBCA this past Saturday.

If you missed it, the first episode is currently free in HD on Vudo, Amazon Video, and iTunes.


Vudu link:
http://www.vudu.com/movies/#!content...rth-II-Islands

Amazon Video:
https://smile.amazon.com/Trailer/dp/B01N35YDO6/

iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-seaso...i/id1185028441

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Aparently the UHD Blu-Ray might not be standard HDR. BBC is trying to push their own version of it. There might be a standard HDR version coming out later.

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

The BBC used Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) for streaming Planet Earth II in 4K on iPlayer, because it works for live content, vs. HDR10 and Dolby Vision, where the metadata has to be calculated in advance.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinio...mma-what-is-it
I feel it's doubtful that they'll use HLG for the UHD BD though, since HDR10 is the accepted standard with DV an option for the format.
https://recombu.com/digital/article/...the-difference

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

I found an article that says that, for the UHD BDs, they took the HLG master and converted it to HDR10:
http://www.whathifi.com/features/5-t...tra-hd-blu-ray

Re: Planet Earth II (BBC)
 

Best Buy and Amazon both have the UHD pre-order on sale for $39.99:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/planet-e...?skuId=5721109
https://smile.amazon.com/Planet-Eart...dp/B01LTHYICS/

The regular Blu-ray is $34.99.