As any self-respecting home theater enthusiast knows, the first thing you watch on a new piece of equipment can be akin to a religious experience, and each new video format seems to have its demo disc of choice. For DVD, it was ‘The Matrix,’ and although it’s too soon to make a definitive call for the two high-def disc formats, the dual-format release of the shot-on-HD documentary series ‘Planet Earth’ certainly takes early claim to the title.

Filmed over five years at a reported budget of $25 million by the BBC (and aired stateside by the Discovery Channel), the landmark series employed over a dozen of the world’s most reknowned nature photographers and set them out to capture the planet’s most amazing landscapes and creatures with high definition cameras. The resulting presentation legitimately earned comparisons to to the grandest Hollywood blockbusters, and has become even more of a phenomenon among high-def disc early adopters for its flawless video presentation. In fact, within two months its dual-format release in April 2007, ‘Planet Earth’ had smashed high-def sales records, and to this day it continues to regularly top the charts on both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

If you’re new to the wonders of high-def disc and are looking to feed your player with some stunning shot-on-HD material, this one’s a no-brainer.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Planet Earth: Complete Series’ (High-Def Digest)
HD DVD Review: ‘Planet Earth: Complete Series’ (High-Def Digest)