BBC Jumps Into Blu-ray, HD DVD With 'Planet Earth'

In a low-key, post-CES announcement, BBC Video has thrown their hat into the next-gen derby, bringing their landmark documentary 'Planet Earth' to Blu-ray and HD DVD this April.

With a budget of over $25 million and five years in production, the acclaimed British documentary is scheduled to make its domestic broadcast debut on The Discovery Channel in late March.

BBC Video (through parent distributor Warner Home Video) will follow that up with the release of 'Planet Earth: The Complete Collection,' a four-disc set due to hit DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD simultaneously on April 24.

There are no technical specs nor supplemental details available yet, but given the documentary's high production values, we expect some truly great high-resolution picture and sound.

BBC has set the list price for 'The Complete Collection' at a somewhat steep $99.98 on both formats.

Stay tuned for further specs to come, and we welcome BBC to the next-gen sweepstakes. We've added preliminary listings for both versions to our HD DVD Release Schedule and Blu-ray Release Schedule under April 24.

We've also set up dedicated threads for these latest titles in our new Forums area -- click the following links to discuss the 'Planet Earth' Blu-ray release or the 'Planet Earth' HD DVD release.