Planet Earth: Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray] - ~$34 shipped from Amazon.co.uk

Pr0JectNymPh0!

Pr0JectNymPh0!

CAGiversary!
UPDATE#3: WENT DOWN TO ~$34 SHIPPED AS OF 01/24/2009

UPDATE#2: WENT UP TO ~$38 SHIPPED AS OF 01/09/2009

UPDATE#1: THANKS TO gi60 FOR THE HEADS-UP! NOW UPDATED WITH THE NEW PRICE AND LATEST EXCHANGE RATE AS OF 01/08/2009! NOW ~$32 SHIPPED.

NOTE: Your credit card may charge you 1-3% foreign surcharge fee.

I missed the Fry's Black Friday deal but fortunately I found this. It ships through Air Mail from the UK and the set will be delivered to your doorstep within 6-10 business days. It is an ALL REGION set narrated by Sir David Attenborough and not by Sigourney Weaver. This version also comes with a 5th disc.

NOTE: You can login using your existing Amazon account.

CLICK HERE

Here's what it looked like if shipped to California (It might vary with other states):

Delivery Method: Air Mail
Delivery Preference: Group my items into as few deliveries as possible
Subtotal of Items: £21.72
Postage & Packing: £3.08
------
Total before VAT: £24.80
VAT: £0.00
------
Total: £24.80
Promotional Gift Certificates: -£0.00
------
Total for this order: £24.80

CURRENT RATE AS OF 01/24/2009
£25.23 = $33.84


PACKAGE PIC

548zyh.jpg
 
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yeah price is now 32 something shipped. in for one, thanks for the find mate.

they wont cancel my order if i live in the states right?
 
[quote name='SGD316']yeah price is now 32 something shipped. in for one, thanks for the find mate.

they wont cancel my order if i live in the states right?[/quote]

That's interesting. That link shows the price dropped to £20.97, but if you check out, the price drops again to £18.23, an even better deal!

Thanks gi60! and OP too
 
[quote name='Conroy']That's interesting. That link shows the price dropped to £20.97, but if you check out, the price drops again to £18.23, an even better deal!

Thanks gi60! and OP too[/quote]

just right on time!
 
ok... I have the US version on HD-DVD

I've been waiting for it to get cheap to go over to Blu-Ray...

is the UK version any better??

can anyone with extensive knowledge of both fill me in on the way to go?

thanks
 
[quote name='DestroVega']ok... I have the US version on HD-DVD

I've been waiting for it to get cheap to go over to Blu-Ray...

is the UK version any better??

can anyone with extensive knowledge of both fill me in on the way to go?

thanks[/quote]

The UK version has a 5th disc.
 
[quote name='DestroVega']is the narration any better or worse?[/quote]

Depends on whether you have Discovery or BBC US version; BBC US version has same narration and video, just one fewer disc.

Discovery version is truncated and has Sigourney Weaver narrating instead of David Attenborough, and I've seen people who prefer both, with the DA version being more popular... I think the DA one is deeper and more informative.

US Amazon has lots of comparisons between the two US versions, and UK amazon has some comparisons between all 3 versions
 
Thanks OP, in for one! I have the BBC version on DVD, but for $32 on Blu-ray, I don't mind double-dipping, especially to see it in HD.
 
[quote name='SGD316']yeah price is now 32 something shipped. in for one, thanks for the find mate.

they wont cancel my order if i live in the states right?[/quote]

Nope.. I got mine within a week shipped to California when I ordered it during the holiday.
 
VAT should be removed from your order because it is being shipped outside the EU, that is why it drops to 18 sterling or so. I think VAT is either 13% or 17% but I am too lazy to calculate it.
 
Thanks for this, i just saw this one despite it's being here post new year. Awesome deal and at 5 discs at that!
 
[quote name='Arakias']VAT should be removed from your order because it is being shipped outside the EU, that is why it drops to 18 sterling or so. I think VAT is either 13% or 17% but I am too lazy to calculate it.[/QUOTE]

Ah that makes sense, thanks! I didn't think of that
 
[quote name='raybert']What's on the extra 5th disc?[/QUOTE]

Natural World: Desert Lions & Snow Leopards
The BBC’s flagship natural history series Natural World has consistently produced amazing wildlife stories with breathtaking imagery. These two gems from the series feature incredible footage of these rare, beautiful and magnificent big cats.

Yes, this is different from the 5th disc in the DVD version, and I think I would prefer the DVD's 5th disc, but oh well.
 
[quote name='oasisboy']So, do all UK Blu-Rays work on an american PS3?[/QUOTE]

Not all, you have to make sure that its region is ALL
 
I ordered it. I just started watching my first blu-ray series (Band of Brothers) and I am so impressed by the quality that I'd kind of been hunting for another film or set to buy. $30 seems damn good for the apparently superior release of this.
 
Funny thing is where getting this version shipped to us cheaper or almost the same as the blokes in UK who purchase it over there because of the tax deduction.
 
Incredible deal, op - thanks for posting this! I don't think I've seen this good a price on the PE Blu Ray set here in the US, much less one with an extra disk. Sweet!
 
updated first post and ordered another set. thanks to gi60 for heads-up on the drop! for those who are asking, this is an ALL REGION set, and the best blu-ray version out there in terms of content and narration.
 
[quote name='vx2']Funny thing is where getting this version shipped to us cheaper or almost the same as the blokes in UK who purchase it over there because of the tax deduction.[/quote]
They don't have to pay VAT either. Only other EU countries need to pay VAT.
 
[quote name='PhrostByte']They don't have to pay VAT either. Only other EU countries need to pay VAT.[/quote]


Ah my bad, anyway it's all good.

Good thing the A in cAg doesn't stand for France. ;)
 
[quote name='vx2']Ah my bad, anyway it's all good.

Good thing the A in cAg doesn't stand for France. ;)[/quote]

lolwut?
 
[quote name='PhrostByte']They don't have to pay VAT either. Only other EU countries need to pay VAT.[/QUOTE]

I traveled to the UK recently, and I was told (or was somehow under the impression) that all prices had VAT factored in (as they do on Amazon.co.uk, for instance), and then if you are taking the item out of the country you could get a VAT refund (as we did on this order).
Perhaps I'm confused, though.
 
[quote name='SDC']I traveled to the UK recently, and I was told (or was somehow under the impression) that all prices had VAT factored in (as they do on Amazon.co.uk, for instance), and then if you are taking the item out of the country you could get a VAT refund (as we did on this order).
Perhaps I'm confused, though.[/quote]

Looks like it depends on the country.

Different rates of VAT apply in different EU member states. The minimum standard rate of VAT throughout the EU is 15%, although reduced rates of VAT, as low as 0%, are applied in various states on various sorts of supply (for example, newspapers and certain magazines in Belgium). The maximum rate in the EU is 25%.
Click to expand...
 
I'm a little skeptical about getting the UK version (even though I prefer the Attenborough commentary), but for $32 I couldn't pass this up. I went in for one. $32.5X shipped to Los Angeles.
 
Thanks OP!! I just ordered mines right now.

This US edition of the series is different in several ways compared to the previously-released BBC edition. Among the changes made by The Discovery Channel for the US broadcast were a re-sequencing of the series' eleven episodes, a new main music theme, and the replacement of David Attenborough's narration with the decidedly less British actress/conservationist Sigourney Weaver. Most controversially, the Discovery Channel version also excised roughly 6- to 7-minutes of material out of each episode to allow for commercial interruptions. The result is a total runtime of approximately 480 minutes for the domestic version of 'Planet Earth,' versus 530 for the unexpurgated BBC edition.

The bad news, however, is twofold. Though evident in the original BBC/Warner releases as well, this US version has a much harder time resolving fine detail in dark scenes, where video noise often runs rampant. Some nighttime sequences look a bit more blurry and flat compared to the rest of the program. Blacks can also appear a bit gray in these scenes, and contrast doesn't have nearly the same pop as the brilliant majority of 'Planet Earth.'

Even more troubling is that Discovery's US edition has more obvious noise and edginess. For example, during the penultimate episode "Earth's Forests," there is a breathtaking scene tracking a redwood all the way from trunk to tree-top. On the BBC/Warner encode, the image is generally solid, with no apparent jaggies. The Discovery version, however, has unfortunate jitter, and some slight pixelization is evident.

Simply put, this 1080i encode is clearly the inferior choice given the source material, and it's certainly enough to knock a full star off the Video rating for the US version. For the complete 'Planet Earth' video experience, the BBC edition remains unmatched.

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/983/planetearth_us.html
 
I ordered this a couple of weeks ago for $35 shipped.

It took about 8-10 days (didn't count) to get it in CA; pretty impressive for about half way around the world.
 
Anyone know what about the difference between PAL and NTSC output on this? Do all bluray players (I have PS3) play both formats?

[quote name='PhrostByte']They don't have to pay VAT either. Only other EU countries need to pay VAT.[/QUOTE]

The UK does have VAT, thats why when we order it shipped to US, the VAT is taken out and we see a lower price.

[quote name='Pr0JectNymPh0!']
NOTE: Your credit card may charge you 1-3% foreign surcharge fee.
[/QUOTE]

Capital One Credit Cards do not charge the foreign currency surcharge fee, so if you have one, I suggest you use that.

And now the price is back up to £25.47. Drat.
 
Went from £20.97 to £25.47. Should have pulled the trigger last night. And if anyone is wondering, CitiBank cards charge a 3% foreign transaction fee.
 
for those curious about NTSC and PAL, blu-ray discs aren't either format since HD is its own standard. The only thing you need to worry about with importing BDs is region coding.
 
[quote name='erectiontown'] The only thing you need to worry about with importing BDs is region coding.[/quote]

And towns where everyone has an erection.
 
[quote name='kaw']Went from £20.97 to £25.47. Should have pulled the trigger last night. And if anyone is wondering, CitiBank cards charge a 3% foreign transaction fee.[/quote]


just confirmed that Bank of America also charges 3% for foreign transaction fee.
 
I ordered this 12/31, didn't have any in stock to ship until 1/5 and received 1/10. So all in all came rather quickly considering where it came from. Have not watched it yet so can't comment on it yet.
 
The price may change daily on this item. This morning I was considering it and it was at about $32 in my cart. I went back this afternoon to look at it again, and it was up to $38. I'll check again tomorrow morning to see if has changed again....
 
Holy cow, I ordered last Friday and my package just arrived!
I'm amazed; the estimated delivery date was the 20th.

How did you get the price to show up in dollars instead of pounds?
I think the exchange rate is constantly fluctuating.
 
You can't get it to show as USD on Amazon.co.uk AFAIK and I use them quite a bit. I'm still debating whether or not I want to add this to my current Amazon UK order of Tudors S2, The Goonies, Zulu, The Island, Assembly & The Guard Post. I've seen most of Planet Earth before and it didn't strike me as anything I'd want to watch again, even if it was just for eye candy on Blu.
 
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