A long time has passed since those days, when an HD color tube cost as much as a plasma does now, and a plasma cost far more than most people could afford. HD technology has received a far-reaching acceptance, with cable companies and satellite providers vying to one-up each other in HD content, and two competing HD disc formats. But one place where HD has received a very warm welcome is in the world of filmmaking. Granted, many filmmakers, some as popular as Steven Spielberg, contend that HD is not as good as film. And it's true that film can still provide a better image than HD, but not everyone has the resources of Steven Spielberg. For many filmmakers, HD is the perfect mix of economy and image quality. Simply put, it's the best picture for the buck. The price of shooting on film is far costlier than HD, and the image quality of HD is good enough to be projected in theaters.

Discovery Channel saw the inherent benefits of HD when they commissioned a series of documentaries about various countries of the world. Dubbed "Discovery Atlas," each entry would explore the culture, history, and geography of its chosen country. This particular episode focuses on Italy, birthplace of the Roman Empire, Christianity, and high fashion. The documentary is narrated by Isabella Rossellini, star of my second favorite film, Blue Velvet.

Like the other entries in the series, Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed focuses on a few different specific people throughout the country, and uses their stories to propel the film forward. This one follows a competitive horse rider, a female Formula 1 racer, a deep-sea diver, a clothing designer, a mountain climber, and a potential gondolier. To be fully honest, though, these stories didn't feel too involving to me. I was too busy staring at the gorgeous scenery. Of the various people, only the gondolier's story held my interest. Perhaps it was that the locales overshadowed the human aspect, or maybe that the narration as written simply isn't very engaging (no offense intended to the wonderful Ms. Rossellini).

But don't let that stop you from checking this disc out. From the point of view of an HD enthusiast (which I undoubtedly am), this documentary is an absolute godsend. The ability to see the canals of Venice or the Vatican in pristine HD is truly fabulous. Quite frankly, you could put the documentary on mute and still have an immensely rewarding experience. I can't put into words how satisfying it is to see the Alps in full glory in high definition.

The HD DVD:

The Image:
Image Entertainment presents Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed in a MPEG-4 1080i transfer, in its original aspect ratio of 1.77:1. As mentioned above, these documentaries were shot in high definition, and this is their natural habitat, so to speak. On cable, these documentaries look good. On HD DVD, they look revelatory. From rocky landscapes to deep ocean to the newest fashionable clothing, they are all here in the best HD quality possible. The imagery alone makes this a perfect demo disc.

The Audio:
Contrary to the amazing visual feast, the audio is just standard. Yes, it is in Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, but the majority of the audio is Isabella Rossellini's narration. And while she sounds great, there's not much going on in the mix. The most we hear is during the horse races, and even then, it's not the most dynamic use of 5.1.

The Supplements:
The disc only has a few insubstantial extras, but they are all in HD.

Behind The Scenes: A short look at the filming of the documentary, mostly an interview with director Michael Lynch inter cut with scenes from the documentary.

Character Vignettes: A quick montage of scenes from the documentary, highlighting each person featured. Essentially a three-minute summary of the show we just watched.

HD Technology: A promotional video Discovery made to highlight the use of HD in their Atlas series. This featurette contains interviews with all of the series' directors, and has the most information. It appears on all of the Atlas HD DVDs.

Slideshow: A collection of stills.

The Conclusion:
I've seen far better documentaries than Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed, but I've never seen a better looking documentary anywhere. The image quality on this disc is so high, that anyone with an HD DVD player should strongly consider this for use as a demo disc. Recommended.

Daniel Hirshleifer is the High Definition Editor for DVD Talk.