Universe [DVD] [2021]

I really enjoy this DVD I've watched it a few times since my purchase & I know I'll watch it a whole lot more, it's a beautiful depiction of our place in our universe

Why so different an opinion. See, I'm Dutch and not used to the sensationalism the way those Yankees seem to approach this - and all other - content. In their hands the growing of a potato is a major event and breaking news on CNN. There's danger on every corner; RIGHT NOW THERE's AN ENORMOUS ASTREOID COMING OUR WAY; RIGHT NOW WE'RE ON A ROLLERCOASTER HELL RIDE; RIGHT NOW A GAMMA BEAM FROM A ENORMOUS MILKY WAY EXPLOSION IS ON TARGET TO US and so on and so on. The most pitiable impression - episode 3 - made two brilliant young men being concerned about A MAJOR DISASTER that will strike earth around 150.000.000.000 years from now: THE BIG SHRINK OR CRUNCH. Brrrrrrrrrrrr. Should I bother, oh yes! You bet. Well I know my grandma is dead, but in 150.000.002.010 I'm gone too, and my children's children's children's children (Moody Blues), and my cat called Witmans. Earth by then is too because THE SUN ONLY LIVES ANOTHER short 5.000.000.000 YEARS and we'll be blasted away into space by then too. Come on boys, find another job! Over here in our nursery home there're plenty of old people who need a caring hand. I can't be blasted into space twice in a lifetime.We get Rusty Schweickart's mission. He's behind the computer the whole day. He's concerned about asteroid 99942 Apophis, it could hit earth in 2036 (Rusty'll be 101 years old by then). Come on man, take a dog and a walk; enjoy life; it's still possible. My problem is the way these things are presented: OVER THE TOPP so we had a fit of giggles instead of being scared out of our pants.Then there're the white flashes another reviewer mentioned. Yes, in many episodes there's a white flash, an explosion and a red fireball in every minute. Then there's the force of Repeat. Yankees like TO REPEAT THERE's A MAJOR DISASTER COMIN' OUR WAY. So many times you get 4 disasters for the price of one.When you put this approach aside and concentrate on the content you get a good series of documentaries, thoroughly researched and put together with a considerable amount of love and scientific enthusiasm.Picture quality varies very much because old and new images are used. The new ones are sometimes oversaturated - faces very red - but with some adjustment things went better. Sound quality in the explosions is good but they happily will not blast you out of your chair. Personally I like spoken voices better with lesser bass and more treble around the mike. Many Yankees speak through their nose and I'd some problems hearing the right words.All episodes are 45 minutes in duration and are edited. I mean the 15 minutes of commercials per episode are left out but you get the summary of `what has happened before' after every commercial brake. You'll get used to it.

I was able to pre order this DVD which was a bonus as I wanted it as a Christmas present.It was delivered in good time and the recipient was very pleased with the gift.Having .We enjoyed the recent TV series with excellent presentation by Brian Cox we can now enjoy watching it again and again should we choose

My first review of this set was of the American edition, which is far different from the BBC-edited set of the same name. Then, I said that "Aimed at dyslexic adolescents with a short attention span or the American disease of the moment, Attention Deficit Disorder, this is one of the more frustrating offerings on Blue Ray. Images are repeated so often, one might think there is a loop in the program, and the commentaries are on occasion adolescently laughable. Breaks for the commercials we are blessedly spared are preceded by breathless "coming up" comments, and followed by reminders of where the programme paused a few seconds earlier. Editing is execrable, but some of the photography is stunning ... stunning ... stunning. . . . Anachronisms abound - this is The History Channel stuff, after all - e.g. they place US President Reagan in the Air Force One 747 over the Pacific when he never used it - it was first used only after President Clinton took office."This set, however, aims at a higher plane, and achieves it. The unmerciful hommage to commercials is mostly eliminated, and factual errors are dropped. The repetitiousness of the American version is not here - and the emphasis is on knowledge and substance, not form and image. One would almost think there were two entirely different productions, the first for thinking Britain, the other for the History Channel audience.After viewing the entire BBC series, one comes away with a deeper understanding of the vast surround of our little speck in the sky, and how it was made, how it is evolving, where it may all end. Or not.If you aren't up-to-date with current theory on The Universe, this set will bring you a lot nearer to comprehension - and even if you are an old pro at astronomy, the BBC set is thoroughly enjoyable, and wel worth the time to watch.

The first DVD was very good but the second one was very loud music and you could not hear Brian Cox

I have watched the first 2 series only as a download, here in Australia, this programme is only shown on satellite TV so is hard to come by, so from going from watching it on my 19" computer monitor in SD to watching it on my 50" full hiDef Plasma is a revelation, the picture is awesome (other than the old footage) everything is in HiDef and pretty amazing to watch. Sadly the sound is only standard Doby Digital, no 5.1 True HD or surround sound here, I think this would have made a great difference.Some other reviewers say that the episodes search for ET and the Beyond the Big Bang episode are not here, well yes the search for ET isnt here, but the feature length BtBB episode IS ! To be honest I am dissapointed that the search for ET ep is missing, but seeing as I had to order this from the UK, and am not sure whether the uSA version would work on my region2 BluRay player, i will just have to suck it up and do without the missing ep.As far as the style of the show, well yes it is VERY American, cheesy, sometimes annoying and simplified with basic analogies, it is still watchable, some of the presenters are brilliant, of note Neil DeGrasse Tyson Michio Kaku and the perpetual grinning man. i still find myself going "Oh Wow I never knew that" and am amazed at what an insignificant small speck our planet truly is

Brought as a gift 🎁 but the person loves it