New to Blu: November 17-23 (TV)

Science-fiction and fact abound on Blu-ray this week, with season one of V launching into shops the same day as Into the Universe With Stephen Hawking and season two of The Universe.

TV2 aired V in HD but both documentary series have had only SD exposure on Sky, along with two more of Wednesday’s TV-on-Blu-ray releases, Patton 360: The Complete Season One and Nostradamus 2012.

The re-make of the ’80s hit about an alien invasion earned mixed reviews for its HD qualities.

Blu-rayDefinition.com and Blu-ray.com rated the video 4/5 but Hi-Def Digest thought it worthy of only 3/5 — and all agreed “Warner’s 1080p/VC-1 encode doesn’t make V’s unsightly fx seams or glaring green-screen gimmickry any easier to stomach”.

Critics largely agreed the HD quality of The Universe: S2 was soft, too, although DVD Verdict thought the transfer “terrific … The older stock footage does suffer, but overall, the special effects, CGI, and interview material look amazing.”

In any event, it will look far sharper than it did on The History Channel, as will Patton 360: S1.

“If you only know Patton via George C. Scott, you’re in for a surprise with this extremely entertaining and informative new History [Channel] Blu-ray,” Blu-ray.com predicted, rating the HD video 4/5 and audio, 4.5/5.

Also new this week are two HD ‘toons with a sci-fi/fantasy flavour: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Season 2.