Just a reminder that Ken Burns National Parks is coming up on PBS.

[amerikat]

I saw I earlier in the day and it was excellent. 8 pm Eastern time.

[Beaverhausen]

1. thanks for the reminder

going to set the VCR now. :hi:

[elocs]

7. What is a VCR?

:shrug:

[Beaverhausen]

12. Oops - I meant DVR. VCRs were quaint, old time recording devices used back in the olden days

am I that old? :cry:

[lamp_shade]

2. To anybody reading this thread -- ***DON'T MISS IT***

[triple point]

3. It's already on the fundy shitlist, talking about 225 million year old petrified trees

:shrug:

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. And commie socialist parks .... on a commie socialist network.

[triple point]

5. Yeah, that too. Arrgh

:grr:

[elleng]

6. Watching it now.

Lots of talk.

[Electric Monk]

8. Quite a smart algorithm for the ads here. This thread has one to buy the DVDs for it.

http://www.shoppbs.org/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3696840&cid=

I'm recording it on my PVR (SD, not HD) already, but this series looks like it could be worth buying on Blu-ray too.

[elocs]

9. I watched this in HD and to tell the truth, it did not look that good.

I don't think it was filmed using HD cameras. I have documentaries such as Baraka and Home and they look stunning in Blu-ray. This didn't really look that good and I have seen some very good HD on PBS. Before I would buy this series on Blu-ray I would either rent it or see how its HD quality was reviewed on this forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17241987#post17241987

Also, I am sure I saw this last night on my Wisconsin PBS.

On edit: I am referring to the picture quality as it relates to a high definition picture and to Blu-ray and not to the content. Yes, the scenery was great, I just don't think it was great high definition quality. Also, I wish it had a different narrator. This could have used a great to listen to voice. It sounded like Ken Burns and he is OK, but I think there are better voices.

[Touchdown]

13. I just bought Disney's Earth and it is much more stunning than Nat Parks.

Probably the sharpest picture of all my Blu-Rays. It's also a very good documentary. The sequel, Disney's Ocean will be out next Earth Day. James Earl Jones narrates Earth.

This may have more history than the Disney film, but the photography is not nearly as emotionally gripping.

[paulsby]

18. yes

Earth is excellent. it makes a great present. i have relatives of all political stripes and got this for several of them and they all love it.

[elocs]

22. Check out the film "Baraka" and look at the list of Blu-ray dvds on this site:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342

It lists "Baraka" as being reference quality, which means you use it to really show off how good a Blu-ray dvd can look. It really has no narration. Another good one which deals with global warming and has a stunning picture is "Home" narrated by Glenn Close.

James Earl Jones certainly has a voice for narration.

[Touchdown]

15. BTW: The narrator was Peter Coyote.

He was "Keys" in ET... the government man with the keys around his waist. Coyote narrates a lot of documentaries.

It was apparently captured with HD cameras. Although I just saw it on Standard Def, and the picture was cropped to old style 4X3. Heavily compressed and pixelized. Some of it looked as bad as a YouTube video.

http://www.kansascity.com/211/story/1467287.html?storylink=omni_popular

"This 12-hour, high-definition jaw-dropper does not involve a journey (like “Lewis & Clark” or “The West”), a conflagration of epic scale (his two war films), or a beloved American pastime (like boxing, baseball or jazz). All of those topics have lent themselves time and again to Burns’ signature form of dramatic reminiscence."

[elocs]

21. Well, my bad, and don't I feel stupid. I hadn't watched the right show when I posted.

I thought the program was on after I read the OP and I tuned into my local PBS and there was a show about Yellowstone and it sounded like it was narrated by Ken Burns, so I assumed it was the one, but it wasn't. It didn't come on until 8 p.m. my time.

This time I know I watched the right program. It was good, but I still would not buy it on Blu-ray. Actually I would not buy it at all because I know that even though it was interesting to watch if I owned it then it would just sit on the shelf and I would be lucky to watch it once a year. I already have too many dvds like that.

It's quality was better than the program I mistakenly thought was the Ken Burns special, but there were too many old photos and pictures to merit owning it on Blu-ray and the HD on PBS was as good as the original material would allow. I did like the narrator.

It was an interesting program and I will certainly watch the other episodes, but I wouldn't buy the dvds.

[HillbillyBob]

10. Watching it now. Not HD but we have a projector making it 104" screen

It is not just the pictures which are very good. I like the history being told too.

[elocs]

11. I have a front projector which is dvd quality, but HD and Blu-ray does spoil you.

I haven't used my FP since I bought a 50" plasma with HD. I do remember watching documentaries about the Grand Canyon on the big screen with the FP and they did look great being so big.

[asdjrocky]

14. Thanks for the reminder!

Can't wait to see this.

[gauguin57]

16. Loved the first installment.

All ready to head out West (when I get the money) to see Yosemite and Yellowstone.

[Touchdown]

19. Book your room early.

You DO want to stay in the park. It's too far to drive into them if you don't. They're not cheap, but they're not unreasonable either, and you get treated like royalty. They'll also pack you a lunch at the Hotel for when you are out.

Book Yellowstone 7 months ahead of time, at least. I stayed at the Lake Hotel. Very nice.

It'll take at least a year to get a room at Yosemite. That's a popular place! Grand Canyon isn't as long a wait.

If you want to take a dog, those fill up a bit faster.:hi:

[gauguin57]

24. I went to the Grand Canyon two years ago, and had my mind completely blown.

Between the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Jerome and the Sinagua Indian sites of Tuzigoot and Montezuma's Castle ... well, I just had a blast. The scenery is so amazing there that sometimes I have a hard time convincing myself I actually saw it. It was like being in a dream world.

[XOKCowboy]

25. We stayed in the rustic cabins by the Lake Lodge. The full moon coming up over Yellowstone Lake was

something I'll never forget. We'd ridden all day long to get there, had a gourmet meal in the Lake Lodge and were walking along the lake when the moon came up. Spectacular! Next morning we woke up to frost on the bikes (it was mid September) and bison walking through the parking lot.

We also rode up to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon once. Spectacular scenery from there. Like you said though we were staying in Flagstaff and after a day of spectacular beauty we had a long, wet ride to the hotel that night. It would have been great to spend the night up there.

Everybody should go see Yosemite and Yellowstone at least once in their lives. Most of my best memories come from our National Parks.

[we can do it]

23. GO! We Just Got Back From Yellowstone-

pictures do it no justice- utterly fantastic!

[slay]

17. If you did miss it - check for reruns on your local PBS station

I DVR'd it - but saw that it was being re-run at least twice this week. Others eps follow all week I think - not sure about that - but check it out people - you won't be sorry. His documentary on the history of Jazz was amazing.

[Touchdown]

20. According to some reviews, the first 4 hours is excellent, then it dies on the vine.

Apparently there's just more political wrangling with the subsequent park inclusions, and no iconic figure like the early days to tell the story. Just more pictures that zoom in and out (Ken Burns Effect).