Sunrise Earth: Seaside Collection (Discovery Channel/Image Entertainment Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B+     Sound: A-     Extras: D     Film: B+

 

 

If you are planning on having a luau or filling your television room with sand, a beach umbrella, and palm trees then Sunrise Earth: Seaside Collection is for you.  The picturesque Blu-ray set is simply hours of scenic coast lines as the sunsets.

 

There will be lots of “ooo’s” and “ahhh’s” but beyond that there is little too no substance.  Of course it goes without saying there is no plot; so unless you are looking for a “Yule Log” like experience there is no point to this set.  Essentially what you see is what you get.  The set is Sunrise Earth: Seaside Collection and you get seaside sunrises on 4 discs (A-D); bada bing… Sunrise Earth.

 

The picture and sound on this set are quite nice and good thing because that is all it has going for it.  The picture is presented in a 1080p VC-1, 1.78 x 1 image that is for the most part fantastic with only the occasional seaside segment being less than perfect.  Ninagiak Island is the one segment that had a noticeable amount of digital noise and grain; but by contrast the Barrier Reef segment was one of the most beautiful images this reviewer has ever seen on Blu-ray.  The sound (or background noise) is offered as either a Dolby 2.0 Stereo Mix as well as a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, the DD 5.1 track being the obviously better choice.  The sound has wonderful directionality and a pristinely clear track that allows every minuscule sound to be heard.

 

No extras are found on this 4-Disc set.

 

Whether you use Sunrise Earth: Seaside Collection for a good High Definition presentation on your HD TV or to have something playing when you have guests over or perhaps that tranquilizer dart just hasn’t set in yet; it fits the bill perfectly.  Though the set lacks substance, the beautiful scenic shots make it all worth while.

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II