Created Cosmos Special Edition Blu-ray

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Answers in Genesis on December 12th 2011 will be releasing their very first Blu-ray title called Created Cosmos Special Edition. This science documentary is based on the popular planetarium program that is shown to those that visit the Creation Museum.

“The vastness of space boggles the mind, and the beauty and diversity we find there demands a Creator. Take an awe-inspiring tour through our own solar system plus nebulae, galaxies, and more with this just-released new version of Created Cosmos—the popular creation-based planetarium program from the Creation Museum. This special edition has brand new effects plus more vivid colors in striking high definition. The drastically improved graphics make the Created Cosmos Special Edition look like a completely new program. Bonus features include a new full-length commentary by Created Cosmos author Dr. Jason Lisle, and the Special Edition Featurette (also in HD) compares new graphics to those from the original release.”

The Created Cosmos Blu-ray is available for pre-order on the Answers in Genesis website and on Amazon’s website.

Sources
http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/product/Created-Cosmos-Special-Edition-Blu-ray,6972,440.aspx#availability


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063X9LNU

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UPDATE

Answers in Genesis is experiencing production delays on the Created Cosmos Blu-ray Edition. New release date is now December 19th 2011.
According to Answers in Genesis the ISBN for the Created Cosmos Blu-Ray is 881994005451.

[vinnie97]

Cool (except for the delay), I had no idea this was coming. I could see this thread getting real nasty with "enlightened" folk coming in to bash this oppositional perspective as to the origin of the universe. Many of the scientists behind this venture (AIG and those like it) have undergone the same rigorous coursework as those who subscribe to the evolutionary theory. The only difference is they have come to see the evidence in a different light.

Jason Lisle's credentials (so he won't be immediately dismissed as a backwater bible thumper):

Dr. Jason Lisle graduated summa cum laude from Ohio Wesleyan University where he double-majored in physics and astronomy, and minored in mathematics. He did graduate work at the University of Colorado where he earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in astrophysics. While there, Dr. Lisle used the SOHO spacecraft to investigate motions on the surface of the sun as well as solar magnetism and subsurface weather. His thesis was entitled Probing the Dynamics of Solar Supergranulation and its Interaction with Magnetism. He has also authored a number of papers in both secular and creation literature.

Just like in times past, not all scientists have rejected the idea of an intelligent super being.

*steps off soapbox*

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To my knowledge this Blu-ray title is the very first Blu-ray disc released by a non profit Christian ministry.

The Blu-ray is shipping now from the Answers in Genesis website and from Amazon's website.

The official release date for the Created Cosmos on Blu-ray was December 19th 2011, but people are now starting to receive the Blu-ray early from Answers in Genesis. I just received my Blu-ray today on Friday December 16th 2011 by Priority mail from Answers in Genesis directly. It no longer says the title is a pre-order on their website since they started shipping the title.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/product/Created-Cosmos-Special-Edition-Blu-ray,6972,440.aspx

Also Amazon is currently shipping the Created Cosmos on Blu-ray.


Comments about the Blu-ray
I have not had a chance to watch the Blu-ray yet but according to the jacket the title is really 23 minutes long plus bonus features instead of the advertised 22 minutes long. Historical and scientific documentaries most the time are only in stereo but this Blu-ray is in 5.1 Dolby Surround sound according to the jacket and 2.0 Dolby Stereo for the audio commentary. The ideal Blu-ray should have a lossless audio track like PCM, DTS-HD Master audio, or Dolby True HD. Since this Blu-ray disc is not a motion picture and a planetarium show documentary type disc, not having a lossless audio track is not that big of a deal. This is also the very first Blu-ray that Answers in Genesis released and Christian organizations normally have lower budgets compared to a secular science organization.

I have seen the Created Cosmos program twice at the Creation Museum Planetarium and it was very enjoyable. I pray and hope the Blu-ray version well also be an enjoyable experience. Now I need to make time to watch the Blu-ray with bonus features sometime in the future. My collection of Blu-ray disc titles are piling up since I don’t have time to watch them yet.

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Created Cosmos Special Edition Blu-ray (a brief review)

The Planetarium show comments

I will keep my comments brief so I do not spoil the Planetarium show for those individuals that have not seen it yet. The “Created Cosmos” Special Edition Blu-ray is a very unique planetarium show. This planetarium show is a fast paced tour around the known Universe. 90% of the program is based in observational science that 100% of all secular scientists will agree with. Around 10% of the Created Cosmos Planetarium show will be controversial to some secular scientist since it mentions a few scientific evidences in the Universe that supports a young Universe plus the Bible is used as a historical document. Scientific ways that allow light to travel much faster than normal is also mentioned in the program. In the very popular secular science fiction TV series Stargate there have been several episodes where space ships have been able to travel much faster than the speed of light to get around the Universe. It would make perfect logical sense that the Creator of the entire Universe would have away to allow light to travel much faster than normal (this Blu-ray briefly touches on the science for a young Universe with a reference section on the disc for detailed books on the subject). This Planetarium show also shows that there is so much diversity and order in the Universe with evidence that points to a Creator. This program covers much information in a 23 minute and 16 second time period. Some viewers may need to watch it more than once to comprehend all the information that is covered in a short period of time.

Source equipment used to review the video and audio for the Created Cosmos

1. My first viewing was on a 60 inch Pioneer PRO-141FD connected to a Pioneer SC-57 A/V receiver with a 9.1 surround sound speaker setup. Blu-ray player used was an OPPO BDP-93. The Pioneer PR0-141FD displayed the Created Cosmos 1080P 24Hz source material at 72Hz using a 3:3 pulldown method. The Pioneer was set for Dot by Dot.

2. My second and third viewing of the program was on a 50 inch Pioneer PRO-101FD connected to a Pioneer VSX-33 A/V receiver with a 7.1 surround sound speaker system setup. Blu-ray player used was an OPPO BDP-93. The Pioneer PR0-101FD displayed the Created Cosmos 1080P 24Hz source material at 72Hz using a 3:3 pulldown method. The Pioneer was set for Dot by Dot.

Video quality

Before watching the Created Cosmos on Blu-ray I placed the Blu-ray disc in my computer BD-ROM drive. The Created Cosmos Blu-ray disc is a single layer disc. Single layer Blu-ray discs can hold up to 25 GB but I was very surprised that this Blu-ray disc only takes up 8.07 GB of space. As a videophile I like to see super bit Blu-ray titles that offer a high bit rate that uses up all or most of the Blu-ray disc space in order to offer the best picture and sound quality. I have not seen a Blu-ray title with only 8.07 GB used before and I was worried that the video transfer could possibly be poor with a low bit rate HD transfer (The video quality ended up being excellent). Then I remembered that the Planetarium show is only 23 minutes and 16 seconds long plus bonus features which would explain some of the reasons why 8.07 GB’s was used instead of closer to 25 GB’s.

The Created Cosmos disc menus, main program, and bonus material is encoded with MPEG-2 at 1080P/24 with a 16:9 ratio. Literally 100% of the disc is 1080P at 24Hz with the MPEG-2 codec being used. Also the 24Hz being used is not 23.976 fps like many film based discs. This is a computer generated 1080P video based Planetarium program and the OPPO BDP-93 reported a frame rate of exactly 1080P at 24.000Hz for the entire disc and menus.

I was a little disappointed that MPEG-2 was used as the codec, many higher budget films today use a high bit rate MPEG-4/AVC or VC-1 with a combined video and audio bit rates peaking up to 48Mbits/s for some scenes. MPEG-2 can also look very good and for all I know perhaps this is an exact duplicate of the computer generated source material. The MPEG-2 bit rate for many parts of the main program averaged between 30Mbit/s to a little bit above 35Mbit/s for combined video and audio according to the OPPO BDP-93 bit rate meter. Most of that bit rate is video quality since the disc contains a lossy audio track instead of a lossless audio track.

When I first saw the Created Cosmos at the Creation Museum it was shown in standard definition. Then in 2010 I had the opportunity to see the Created Cosmos in HD quality at the Creation Museum. I can tell you that the Blu-ray edition is an entirely different version and improved version with updated star, planet, and Universe information. Dr. Jason Lisle who has a PHD in astrophysics has updated this Blu-ray version of the Created Cosmos with the most accurate scientific information about the known Universe.

When it came to HD video quality I was in for a big surprise. The star fields turned out to be reference material. For those that own a JVC Front Projector that is 80-100+ inches wide with deep black levels this would be an ideal program to watch. On a Pioneer PRO-141FD 60 inch display I could see an amazing amount of stars with different brightness levels. This disc HD quality is excellent reference material for the amount of detail in the star fields and those interested in astronomy and the Universe. To take full advantage of the star fields on this Blu-ray disc one should own a good quality display that can take advantage of deep blacks. A high end plasma display or high end LCD with LED backlighting will produce the deepest blacks with the most visible stars. The resolution detail with color depth of the planets, suns, and other objects in the Universe was amazing to watch. This Created Cosmos program was excellent in the video area especially for a non profit Christian ministry.

The main program also contains English subtitles for the hearing impaired. I briefly turned on the subtitles and they were very easy to read.

Audio quality

Some modern secular documentaries and Planetarium shows are only in 2.0 Dolby stereo. More and more Planetarium shows and documentaries are now being made in surround sound. The Created Cosmos main program is in 5.1 surround sound at 48k. All the bonus items that contain an audio track including the commentary track on this Blu-ray disc is in 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo at 48K. The Created Cosmos main program when played will default to 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo at 48K. To watch the Created Cosmos in 5.1 Dolby Digital at 48K one needs to select that option in the “Options” menu.

I verified that all 5.1 surround sound channels were in use during the program. Most of the time the audio was the loudest coming from the front speakers like it should be. Once and awhile on the space tour the subwoofer would kick in. Overall all the audio quality was good for a Planetarium show. I did notice a small audio quality glitch that lasts for a few seconds on the 5.1 Dolby surround track that is not present on the 2.0 Dolby stereo track. For some reason beginning at 21 minutes and 32 seconds into the program and ending at 21 minutes and 34 seconds into the program the audio level drops very low for exactly 2 seconds on the 5.1 Dolby Digital track. When the show says “Orion is visible on our left” one can hear that said in a very low volume level when listening to the program in 5.1 Dolby Digital. On the 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo track the “Orion is visible on our left” saying is a constant volume level with no detectable level drop. This is a minor issue with the 5.1 surround track since it only occurs for 2 seconds.

The main disappointment is that this Blu-ray disc does not contain a lossless audio track. Many science documentaries now on Blu-ray offer lossless audio tracks like PCM, DTS HD Master Audio, or Dolby True HD. A lossless audio track would be bit for bit the same as the studio master. Perhaps the studio master Answers in Genesis created was in a native 5.1 Dolby lossy format instead of PCM. If that is the case then we are hearing the studio master already. On a lower budget program the studio master is sometimes a 5.1 lossy audio track.

The Created Cosmos Blu-ray disc is really around 60 minutes in length if one watches everything on the disc

This Blu-ray disc is organized in 10 different chapters for the main program which can be accessed directly in the Scene Selection. All menus and everything on the disc is 1080P quality. The Blu-ray disc is 100% in English.

1. Created Cosmos program lasts 23 minutes and 16 seconds (Both a 5.1 Dolby surround and 2.0 Dolby stereo option).

2. Dr. Lisle Commentary lasts 23 minutes and 16 seconds (2.0 Dolby stereo).

3. The Special Edition Featurette lasts 10 minutes and 12 seconds (2.0 Dolby stereo).

4. Author Bio (1080P still photo about the author).

5. Resources (1080P still photo showing picture of other items offered by the author).

6. “Answers in Genesis” menu option takes one to a sub menu:

a. What is Salvation: Contains a 1 minute and 53 second 1080P video about salvation.

b. Mission Statement: Contains 2 1080P slides about Answers in Genesis.

c. Statement of Faith: Contains 13 1080P slides about Statement of Faith.

d. Contact information: Contains a 1080P slide with contact information.

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LoL at 8GB MPEG-2 being reference material

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LoL at 8GB MPEG-2 being reference material

The Star Fields are reference material. I have seen two hour Warner titles under 15GB sometimes. At 23 minutes and 16 seconds 8.07GB is not too bad. The video bit rate is a lot higher than ATSC MPEG-2 HD broadcast material.

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Is there going to be more Blu-ray titles released by Answers in Genesis?

Answers in Genesis is a non-profit young Universe Christian Creationist organization that is testing the demand for the Blu-ray format with the release of the Created Cosmos Special Edition Blu-ray. The Created Cosmos Special Edition planetarium show Blu-ray disc was professional stamped in an automated Sony Blu-ray factory.

If enough people purchase the Created Cosmos Special Edition Blu-ray then most likely Answers in Genesis will release some more young Universe Creationist Blu-ray science documentaries. If the demand for Creation Blu-ray’s turns out to be too small of a market then all future Creationist videos could end up being 100% DVD releases.

Consumers that are interested in young earth/young Universe Creationist Blu-rays can vote with their wallets by purchasing the Created Cosmos Special Edition Blu-ray at the following web links.

Answers in Genesis USA website

Answers in Genesis United Kingdom website

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False advertising by some Amazon dealers that claim to be selling the Blu-ray version

The Created Cosmos Special Edition Blu-ray makes a great gift for Christian families. I first purchased the Created Cosmos Special Edition Blu-ray from Answers in Genesis back in December of 2011. Just recently some Amazon dealers claimed to be selling the factory new Created Cosmos on Blu-ray at an excellent low price. When I purchased the Created Cosmos on Blu-ray from two different Amazon dealers both Amazon dealers sent me a 480i DVD version instead. To make matters worse I emailed a few other Amazon dealers and I discovered that so far almost all the Amazon dealers are advertising the Created Cosmos on 1080P Blu-ray but are shipping the standard 480i DVD version instead. Only one Amazon dealer is currently shipping the Blu-ray version of the Created Cosmos and that dealer clearly mention’s in their listing that the item being shipped is a Blu-ray disc. It is false advertising for the majority of the Amazon dealers to be shipping out a DVD version of Created Cosmos when the consumer orders the Blu-ray version.

I would recommend that consumers that want the Created Cosmos Special Edition Blu-ray purchase it directly from the source which is Answers in Genesis. There are too many Amazon dealers sending out 480i DVD’s instead.

Answers in Genesis USA website

Answers in Genesis United Kingdom website

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The Created Cosmos Blu-ray title might be the last and only Blu-ray title released by Answers in Genesis

On December 19th 2011 Answers in Genesis released their very first Blu-ray title which was professional stamped in an automated Sony Blu-ray factory. Just recently within the last month a Answers in Genesis customer service representative informed me that they have no new Blu-ray titles scheduled for the year 2012 or 2013.

So in 2012 and 2013 only new 480i DVD titles are scheduled to be released unless by some miracle a policy change is made. This means there is a real possibility that Answers in Genesis might never release a new Blu-ray title or might wait several more years when the Blu-ray format is stronger.

Each optical disc title released on Blu-ray and DVD has a total disc sells number that adds up to 100% between the two formats. While some popular secular Blu-ray titles make up around 57% of total disc sells, some family and Christian Blu-ray titles are only around 25% of total disc sells compared to around 75% for the standard 480i DVD format. Possible Creationist Blu-ray titles might be under 20% of total disc sells, however that is only a guess since the sells numbers have never been released from the two different Creationist ministries that produced a Blu-ray title.

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The Institute for Creation Research website has the Created Cosmos Blu-ray on sale

The Answers in Genesis website and Institute for Creation Research website normally sells the Created Cosmos Blu-ray title for $19.99. However now the Institute for Creation Research website now has the Created Cosmos Blu-ray title on sale for only $15.00.

I also noticed that some Amazon and EBAY dealers are also offering a Christmas sale on the Created Cosmos Blu-ray title.

Institute for Creation Research website