Customer Reviews

Living Landscapes: Earthscapes - Pacific Coast [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Those of us who enjoyed the 2 minute "snippets" of HD Environments should rejoice at this BD. Outstanding photography of various Pacific beaches from Big Sur going north to Washington. If your heart belongs to the Ocean, you will be perfectly happy to sit through the whole presentation more than once.

You have a choice whether to have music along with the nature sounds or just the nature sounds. Both were well done in my opinion.

As the DVD started, there was a pleasant, comforting sound of seagulls while ocean waves crashed onto the shore. The scene occasionally changed, naturally, fading in and out without distracting you from your thoughts. There's a soft ocean sound, but if you want something more intense, all you have to do is turn up the volume and you will be able to drown out all of the unwanted noises and create your own environment.

I'm using it for background while I read and it is very much like having a beach cottage where you just go out on the patio and read, study, or just relax. Instant vacation.

I love these coastlines, having surfed many of them with great joy a few decades back and toured them often since, both on foot and by car. Actually, I'd enjoy just a basic video of the entire Highway One drive, from Obispo all the way up. So I'm disposed to liking any and all depictions of the West Coast, and there are plenty of fine scenes on this one hour long blu-ray. I had quite a few blissful moments watching the waves curl and unload as the sun set, and it both reminded me how literally awesome the Pacific Coast is, and also how laughable it is to watch it on tv compared to actually being there. Not even 10% of the experience, truly. Even in hi-def.

Which, frankly, this really isn't. It's a waste of a blu-ray, in fact. The definition was often grainy and rarely near the crispness and depth one would expect from a nature BD. There are some very clean moments, but not once was it close to the intense reality blu-ray can achieve. It looks quite semi-professional and obviously is, especially the music, pure cheese at some points and barely tolerable at others. I dig good New Age chill out vibes, dude, but this ain't that. Sorry to harsh the mellow, just being honest. Turn off the tunes and stick to the live audio track---good thing that the option is there.

But sigh once again, as there's a little too much wind noise on the mics, and it's also not really super hi-def, as with the picture. Really? This is the best recording you could get? It's definitely possible to get much cleaner takes than this. So why do we get so much impurity? Maybe it's best to just add some fine classical music for yourself, perhaps Beethoven's Pastorale or Debussy's La Mer, on your sound system.

The scenes themselves vary from fine Big Sur shots (though they messed up by not getting an epic Sur sunset, among the best in the world), to strangely boring and pointless close-ups of gulls in the tide, with no wider background for minutes. That could be the puddle down my street; we want huge Pacific vistas, and nothing but! And when we get those, the pans are sometimes a little wobbly. Weak. The filmmakers could also have chosen much better light, sunrise or sunset especially, for many of these scenes. That stretch of coast rivals any for light effects, so we deserve more of them. Spend the time and get it right, like the true master of the Pacific Coast, Ansel Adams, who would sit for days in one spot with his camera to get a five second window of sublime light. If you're going to make a blu-ray of one of the world's sweetest places, at least have the artistic awareness to do likewise. O, how I wish Ansel could have made one of these videos! Now that would be truly glorious. Instead,we get this half-done, not-bad not-great melange.

Sorry to be a downer on this disc, because it does have a few fine moments, but that's mostly due to the place, not the makers of this blu-ray. It should be a dvd, as that's the extent of the quality, both visually and sonically, and it could be soooo much more. But, it is what it is, and I wouldn't turn down a free copy.

Yet I wouldn't buy it, either. Surely someone else has done this place and idea better.
Can anybody give us some recommendations on that?

It's hard to complain about this blu-ray, because it looks great.

Having said that, I must point out that it says right there on the box, "Full HD". Well if you consider 1080i to be "Full HD", then that statement is true, but personally I believe that any blu-ray claiming to be "Full HD" should be nothing less than 1080p.

I bought this for the purpose of getting the absolute maximum visual clarity out of my system, and so that I could demonstrate the advantage of high definition. But now, whenever I play this disc for someone I will have to add the caveat, "But remember, as good as this looks, it's only 1080i, not full 1080p."

I got these videos to help me relax as I had just got out of the hospital and was bed srticken. It helped me to relax and feel like I was in a faraway place. The greatest thing is that you can use music to it or just the natural sounds, NO TALKING, it really made me feel like I was experiencing nature. Great seller would buy from this seller any time, sent in timely manner and was exactly as described as what I got.

Incredible video of the Pacific coast that you can watch again and again. The ultimate virtual vacation of relaxing natural sounds and crashing ocean waves that provides a calming ambient background for almost any activity. The pacific coast is calming and inspirational at the same time. This video captures it completely.

Yesterday I received this blue ray along with the blue ray Hawaii Beaches Vol I. My wife and I watched this one last night. While the video is good the and the sound is OK I had another to compare it to. If I were reviewing this one without seeing Hawaii first I would give it 4 stars, but after watching Hawaii Beaches today which I gave a 5 star this had to be a 3 in comparison.

The Living Landscapes Blu Ray series is an interesting series of what could be considered "living wallpapers". They are definitely not documentaries or movies in the conventional sense. Anyone looking for a documentary should look elsewhere. Some of the other titles show scenes that are too static without movement, making them appear more like a series of screen shots. However, this title, "Pacific Coast", had a great deal of activity and looked great on screen. The title featured video scenes of the Pacific Coast with breathtaking shots. Throughout the video there was a classical piece played to provide an ambient atmosphere. Some might not like the added musical score but it does help for those seeking a relaxing scene. As a piece to just unwind to after a difficult day or as background scenery, this Blu Ray is great.

" Pacific Coast " is really special. I was sitting in a dentist's waiting room all anxious, then I saw the beautiful scenes on the plasma set. As I watched the slow, rythmic waves pulsing one after another onto the sparkling beach, I found myself entering a state of relaxed calm , almost transcendental realization. Frankly I was surprised how profoundly I was affected by simply watching those beautiful scenes of the vast pacific. The sequence of the waves one after another
made it easy to relax.
The artistic composition of each scene and the slow panning across allowed ample time to absorb the cosmic oneness of the great Pacific. Hope you enjoy it as mush as I did!

Hi Guys, I bought this series, 4 Blu rays, for one friend in Brazil. I opened one just to see if was good enough, also I bought more 20 Blu rays of others series, like Scenic series and OVER series.
To be honestly when I started wacthing the first one: Earthscapes Pacific Coast, I thought that my Blu Ray player was freeze or not running anymore. The images stayed still forever on the same place, there are no edition, the Camera Man, just set up the camera on a tripod and let it there, I wonder that maybe He went to restroom ! Lol... OMG.
I ended up return all the 4 blue rays, and had to pay shipment and other stuff.
Don't BUY !!!
now Senic Series and OVER series are PERFECT.

Whander - San Francisco Bay Area. CA.