One of the main reasons I bought my first 4K TV was to watch nature and science documentaries. Watching animals in the jungle, the desert, or the depths of the ocean is one of the most obvious places you could see that 4K difference.
And yet, the most beautiful nature documentary series in history (at least in my opinion) is shot in FHD, not UHD. Despite only using a quarter of the resolution my TV can display, and despite not being in HDR (obviously), Planet Earth still feels like the best thing I can play on my OLED. So what gives?
Planet Earth set the gold standard for nature documentaries
Released in 2006, this BBC documentary series brought a revolutionary cinematic vision to the small screen. Planet Earth follows the well-regarded Blue Planet, which was originally produced in SD and got an FHD upscale later for its Blu-ray release.
Planet Earth, however, is notable for being shot and produced using digital FHD cameras, and at the time it was essentially the highest-quality nature documentary in history. Anything that came after would be measured against it and almost always found wanting.
The cinematography still embarrasses most modern 4K content
Resolution is only a small part of how we perceive the quality of images. Consider that an FHD movie that’s been beautifully lit and shot looks far nicer than a modern video game rendered at 4K. As I’ve always said, better a 1080p oil painting than a 4K crayon drawing!
Planet Earth has incredible cinematography that goes beyond the typical nature footage, where the filmmakers are happy to get any footage of something they’ve been sitting in the mud for a month to see.
This series pushed the limits of digital camera technology with brilliant use of long lenses and aerial photography that predates the camera drones.
Watching this on Blu-ray (a streamed version is too compressed) on my LG OLED TV, the level of quality puts most modern 4K documentaries to shame.
It was mastered with patience, not algorithmic churn
You could say it’s an endangered species these days
If you watch the special features on the disc, you’ll see just how much time and dedication it took to get the shots required. The crew spent weeks or even months staking out a part of nature until they finally saw what they needed. So a lot of what you see in Planet Earth likely won’t be captured again.
That footage has been edited into something with wonderful, meditative pacing, but it’s definitely not a show that was made to be played in the background, like the soulless algorithmic slop TV series we get today. Where the creators assume you’re going to be on your phone the whole time.
The sound design and narration are still reference-grade
Did you think the sounds were real?
It’s easy to just talk about the sumptuous visuals, but I can’t gloss over the sound design in Planet Earth. It also brings up again how much better Blu-ray sounds. So much better than the streaming versions of the same show. It’s like taking off earmuffs when going from streaming to disc, but even among Blu-ray releases, Planet Earth sounds amazing.
Nature documentaries in general don’t get the respect they deserve. Most of the sounds you hear on these shows are not actually from what was filmed. It’s all deliberate foley and sound design, mixed in with some audio captures on location.
Apart from top-notch sound effects, the music and the unfair advantage of Sir David Attenborough’s voice come together in a way that I can’t get enough of.
It’s a great stress test for your TV
You can chill, but your TV will sweat
As I said before, resolution is only a small part of image quality. In fact, you probably sit too far from your 4K TV to actually resolve that detail.
In most other areas, Planet Earth will give modern TVs a decent workout. Bright snow, deep dark oceans, lush green forests, and fast-moving wildlife are a great way to see if your TV actually has the bases covered.
If your TV has a bad backlight implementation or handles motion poorly, I think this show will expose those issues. I’m not saying this is the best torture test for modern TVs, but it’s no walk in the park either.
4K Upscaling vs. Native 4K: What’s the Difference, and Which Is Better?
There’s more to 4K than meets the eye.
Sequels are great—but the original still hits harder
Lightning only strikes once
In case you didn’t know, Planet Earth has two sequels so far, and these were produced in 4K. They are excellent and worth watching, but the same magic from the original isn’t quite there. Maybe it’s just nostalgia or because it was a unique time and place culturally, but to me the original Planet Earth is timeless.
Planet Earth
- Release Date
-
2006 – 2006-00-00
- Network
-
BBC One
- Writers
-
Gary Parker, David Attenborough
