BBC Alien Empire 1of6 Hardware XviD AC3

Alien Empire (BBC)

Nature Documentary hosted by John Shrapnel, published by BBC in 1995 - English narration





Information
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Alien Empire puts you into the bizarre world of insects for an unforgetable encounter with the alien life that surrounds you. Where science fiction meets science fact. This is a radical adventure that will turn your world inside out. Stunning macrophotography and stateoftheart, multisensory digital effects propel you into a world of unimaginable power, intelligence, beauty and horror.

Insects are everywhere and in vast numbers too. There are at least a million species, ranging from microscopic beetles and wasps to beetles which are larger and heavier than the smaller mammals. They inhabit desert and arctic tundra, land and sea; they are even in our homes and on our bodies. Unsung toilers on our behalf, they perform most of the major ecological tasks upon which we and all other species depend. Many animals, birds and people rely on them for food, while all of our fruits and many of our vegetables are entirely dependent on them for pollination. We need to know more about these extraordinarily beautiful and complex creatures to understand their vital role in maintaining our planet's life support systems so that we are better placed to conserve them and, ultimately, our own living space.

Incredible photography, graphics and time-lapse techniques investigate how these agile creatures become airborne, seemingly defying the conventional laws of flight. From the beautiful blues, greens and reds of jewel beetles to close-up footage of a moon moth emerging from its cocoon, this WNET/BBC co-production provides a fascinating insight into the sophisticated miniature world of insects and takes the viewer on a spellbinding journey into another world.

Producer : Steve Nicholls
Script : David Helton
Narrator : John Shrapnel
A BBC Production in association with Thirteen/WNET
BBC Bristol 1995


1) Hardware
"Hardware" looks at the diversity in insects' design by examining their exoskeletons, senses and sensory processing systems. It also examines the evolution of insect flight and warm-blooded insects. The first of six episodes in the Alien Empire series, Hardware explores the intricate micro-architecture of insects. Examining the 'design' of some of the billions of bugs that share our planet, this half hour programme allows a unique glimpse into insect engineering, looking at their external skeleton, wings, sensors and learning capabilities.



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Technical Specs
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Video Codec: XviD ISO MPEG-4
Video Bitrate: 2468 kbps
Video Resolution: 720x552
Video Aspect Ratio: 1.304:1
Frames Per Second: 25.000
Audio Codec: 0x2000 (Dolby AC3) AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 28:48.760
Number Of Parts: 6
Part Size: 550 MB
Ripped by: DocFreak08