I had not payed much attention to this series, especially after hearing "narrated by Oprah Winfrey." Good to know there is a proper version out there... and it looks like I just happen to own one of those Pioneer BD players that will work with the 50hz discs... shame the PS3 doesn't do that though.
It's here, I saw both in the store the other day. I don't have any feelings towards Oprah but I'd get the Attenborough version anyway, I got him over Weaver and I love Weaver.
I can't even understand why Discovery felt the need to re-record the narration. It's not as though Attenborough's accent is indecipherable, and do people in the market for nature documentaries REALLY base their purchase on the star power of the narrator? Beyond that, Oprah can't have come cheap. Seems like a waste of money.
Discovery re-narrates a lot of their UK-sourced, high-profile programs if they don't have an American narrator. Occasionally they'll keep the original, but they're more likely to re-narrate. I don't know why. I guess they're worried that U.S. viewers won't like the accent or something? As for why they chose Oprah, it's a matter of business. Oprah loved "Planet Earth" and raved about it on her show. She really helped push the publicity of the series for Discovery. She also said she'd have liked to have narrated a series like that. Then, Discovery and Oprah announce that they are teaming up to launch OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network (which debuts Jan 1, 2011). So now Discovery and Oprah are business partners. Letting her narrate "Life" is corporate synergy at work, and they also probably just let her do it to make her happy.
^It works the other way around, Mythbusters has a different voiceover in the UK as well. Usually the wording is still pretty much the same but they do give weights and measures in both metric and Imperial.
Something odd I noticed the other day (in an American Best Buy): A boxed set of Planet Earth and Life - with Attenborough narrating PE, and Oprah's Life. Why would they do that? Either have all Attenborough narration or none, shouldn't it be?
"Adam will see if he can escape the boot of the vehicle using only a torch and his wits!" ^ I imagine possible stuff like that will confuse American audiences.
Will a PS3 be affected? I bought a PS3 specifically for the BluRay player capability, even have a Bluetooth remote which is cool as it works without pointing it at the PS3, LOL
It's only when you buy the version *imported from the UK* that there'll be a problem. The Attenborough version of Life is also available in the US, so you don't need to get it as an import. The US-available version will play in any Blu-Ray player, AFAIK; the 50hz problem doesn't apply.