Transformers for Blu-ray.

[griffin]

I've been watching this develop over the last couple of weeks, and finally it is official - HD DVD is gone.

The battle for market share between Sony's Blu-Ray and Toshiba's HD DVD versions of next-gen DVDs, has resulted in Blu-Ray being victorious, thanks to their players being more easily available through the PS3 games console. It was essentially an added feature to the games console, but the result was that thousands of people were already geared to use next-gen (Blu-Ray) DVDs without having the added expense of buying a next-gen DVD player. The competition on the other hand (HD DVD) required a new (expensive) player. Paramount tried to throw their weight behind HD DVD with exclusive releases through it, but without enough people buying HD DVD players, the demand just wasn't there for HD DVDs. It was more economical having a 2 in 1 games console and next-gen player (PS3) than just buying a next-gen player (HD DVD).
The nail in the coffin was apparently Wal-Mart (America's largest retailer) deciding yesterday to only stock Blu-Ray now, which forced Toshiba to announce today that they would stop producing HD DVD players and technology.

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9873848-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35643

So Sony lost the Beta-VHS battle, but won the Blu-Ray/HD DVD battle.

And what does this have to do with the Transformers Movie, since it was only released in HD DVD? It is already being expected to have a Blu-Ray release in America, and probably here as well.
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-9/transformers-movie-blu-ray-listing-from-circuit-city-164267/

I feel bad for those who already bought an expensive HD DVD player and DVDs, but for the rest of us, there is no need to worry about which camp to invest into, or worry about which movies we wouldn't be able to buy because of exclusive releases (until a player was released to play both that is - which no longer matters).

I was actually planning to buy a HD DVD version of Transformers, to have ready for the eventual purchase of a next-gen player and hi-def TV, but now I'll wait until a Blu-Ray version comes out, and a cheaper player than the PS3 is available.

[Saintly]

It was announce a couple of days ago...

I hate to say it but the PS3 blu-ray is probably the most econmical option in terms of value compared to any other blu-ray player since it can play games, blu-ray discs, store movies, music, photos and use the internet.

I'm sure there's a few PS3 owners here that can vouch for its success and value.

[Gutsman Heavy]

I have both formats, HD DVD was the better but Blu-ray was marketed a shit load better.

anyways, RE: Transformers BD.
Its inevitable, but paramount haven't committed back to Blu-ray yet so a Transformers BD is just speculation so far. It will happen (IMO) but nothings official yet, I'll keep my TF HD DVD anyways :)

[GoktimusPrime]

I have both formats, HD DVD was the better but Blu-ray was marketed a shit load better.
It's like VHS's victory over Betamax all over again. I really should get my laser disc player fixed some day. :p

[Adzma]

It's a sad day indeed. :(

[dirge]

I don't see any reason why I'm want to upgrade from DVD anyway. At least not for the moment. I watch more video on my laptop that anywhere else, and DVD is fine for a screen of that size.

Gramophones forever! d:

[Soundwarp]

Yay for Blu ray.

[roller]

lucky me

i got a pirate copy and my friend bought the transforming case for me for Christmas

[gamblor916]

Yeah I don't have a big TV and don't plan on upgrading anytime soon. DVD is fine with me. The whole format war was pointless in my opinion.

[STL]

DVD is fine with me. The whole format war was pointless in my opinion.

QFT!

[GoktimusPrime]

Want a massive screen? Sit closer. :D

[Kyle]

I have both a PS3 and a HD-DVD add-on for the 360. Already bought the HD-DVD version of Transformers, the only other HD-DVD I have after King Kong which came free with the 360 add-on. Will keep my HD-DVD but will also buy the Blu-ray version of Transformers if it gets released.

The 360 add-on wasn't actually bad, with the right software downloaded you can actually use it on any PC via USB. It is cheap now at $130. Too bad it's now a dead format.

[MV75]

It's like VHS's victory over Betamax all over again. I really should get my laser disc player fixed some day. :p

Not really. VHS won because it was cheaper to produce, had longer running times, compatibility, etc.

Bluray is actually the worse one with horrible slowness in loading and unnecessary use of java, (it's got advantages, but it's one major advantage is platform independance, yet bluray is hardly a cross multiple platform for movie playback, so a faster language should be used), expensive players (ps3 is practically required if you don't want the next beta release of the bluray spec to turn your player into a brick, and just to plow through the processing required to just play a movie), and has more drm layered on it with region locks.

Bluray won because of ps3 sales being counted as players and people just thinking sony are good.

And it's also ironic that people think that sony owns bluray, they don't. There's a long list of other companies that are on equal footing with them and above them. So just don't purchase sony branded hardware. :)

And the second ironic is that toshiba worked with ibm and sony to make the cell processor.
________
Yamaha Maxim Xj750 (http://www.yamaha-tech.com/wiki/Yamaha_maxim_XJ750)

[darockk]

I have both formats, HD DVD was the better but Blu-ray was marketed a shit load better.




how can HD-DVD be 'better' when it holds only half the capacity that blu ray does. More data, better quality. The only thing that bugs me with blu ray is the region coding, but hopefully someone will crack that soon like they did with DVD.

I know you said you have both formats so can you elaborate as to why HD-DVD was better in your opinion (besides the fact you can watch transformers in HD) :)

[G1Optimal]

I hope it dose come out on BR.....;)

As it makes my recent PS3 purchase more justifiable, even though i preferred the PS3 more than the others this generation. :D

[GoktimusPrime]

Does Sony have exclusive rights to make Blu Ray or will other companies also be manufacturing them? Because I despise Sony DVD players due to the near-impossibility to play other-region discs on them... if their BR Players are going to be as anal with region coding then I'm going to be quite reluctant in getting a BR player... might just go get my LD player fixed instead.

[i_amtrunks]

I thought Sony was only one of many companies that made Blu-Ray players? I thought that Toshiba were the only company making HD players, while LG and co were all lining up behind Blu-Ray?

I haven't cared much for this format war so I haven't been paying enough attention.

[Saintly]

blu-ray (& hd-dvd) discs are now rarely region-coded, unlike DVDs

[springah]

blu-ray (& hd-dvd) discs are now rarely region-coded, unlike DVDs

Blue Rays my friend has are all region locked?

HD DVD was the complete format without region coding...

[springah]

how can HD-DVD be 'better' when it holds only half the capacity that blu ray does. More data, better quality. The only thing that bugs me with blu ray is the region coding, but hopefully someone will crack that soon like they did with DVD.

I know you said you have both formats so can you elaborate as to why HD-DVD was better in your opinion (besides the fact you can watch transformers in HD) :)

FUD, read up on HD DVD. Also read up on first released HD DVDs vs Blue Ray.

Was aaaaall about the money, imo. MV75 knows the deal.

[Gutsman Heavy]

how can HD-DVD be 'better' when it holds only half the capacity that blu ray does. More data, better quality. The only thing that bugs me with blu ray is the region coding, but hopefully someone will crack that soon like they did with DVD.

I know you said you have both formats so can you elaborate as to why HD-DVD was better in your opinion (besides the fact you can watch transformers in HD) :)

space is irrelevant since a lot of BD come in two disk (pirates...) varieties when the need is not there, just to appear as better value.

two words: finalized specifications

every HD DVD is region free (a huge plus; cheaper and more releases overseas)

every HD DVD will work 100% in every HD DVD player (not the case with blu-ray, thank you profiles...)

every HD DVD has the in film pop-up menu as standard, on BD this is optional

every HD DVD goes straight to the menu or film with out trailers and crap,
not the case with BD. 3:10 to Yuma which has 14 minutes of trailers which must be fast forwarded to get to the damn movie.

Transformers in HD :P

[Saintly]

Blue Rays my friend has are all region locked?


Hard to tell if you're telling me that your friend's blu ray is locked or if you're telling me "blu ray my friend, has are all locked"?

either way, these days the blu-ray DISCs (not player) are rarely region-locked :P

Sony was probably taking revenge for betamax lost and had to make sure blu-ray win

[GoktimusPrime]

springah just had a Syntax Error bb2142. Ggrrrr!

[MV75]

how can HD-DVD be 'better' when it holds only half the capacity that blu ray does. More data, better quality. The only thing that bugs me with blu ray is the region coding, but hopefully someone will crack that soon like they did with DVD.

I know you said you have both formats so can you elaborate as to why HD-DVD was better in your opinion (besides the fact you can watch transformers in HD) :)

As springah said, it's FUD. If you were to watch them side to side, you would not tell the difference as they are exactly the same.

Sure there's extra space, but mastering to a given bitrate that is, (what I still think is too low), "hi-def" resolutions are at just doesn't use the space.

The only advantage they could make is with the audio being mixed at a higher bit rate, but just like the great CD rip-off on mastering, they master for volume, not quality, because apparently louder is better or some other garbage.

As for being "better", I've already said it above in the other post.


Does Sony have exclusive rights to make Blu Ray or will other companies also be manufacturing them? Because I despise Sony DVD players due to the near-impossibility to play other-region discs on them... if their BR Players are going to be as anal with region coding then I'm going to be quite reluctant in getting a BR player... might just go get my LD player fixed instead.

I already told you. I'll be your mentor in the field of research for a fee and constant praise. Oh yea, and a nice leather jacket with tweed elbow patches....... :p


Bluray may have "won the war", but their fight is only beginning, to convince people to buy it.

Anyway, my view is still that of that DVD is still fine for me, I won't be joining the ongoing blu-ray consumer beta project. The only thing I'm interested in is burners so that I can consolidate my DVD archives to even fewer discs. But $80 burners and $40 50 disc spindles are a long ways off still.
________
Mazda M5 Transmission Picture (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Mazda_M5_transmission)

[hoardz01]

my ps3 just became the only next-gen player i will have to buy.......excellent. Many people told me that HD-DVD would win because microsoft supported it.hahahahahahahahhahahahaha

[Gutsman Heavy]

Paramount have finally gone back to blu, no title annoucements yet, but a blockbuster like Transformers means it should be pretty soon

[bassbot]

hddvd always seemed better, and imo I go with the reasons stated above and before.
but bluray always seemed to have the edge, and i think the ps3 was it.

xbox360 all the way however, prefer it to ps3 bigtime. xboxlive is awesome. so are the games.

anyhow... i'm not gonna upgrade for a while. probably til we start ONLY getting blurays..., but maybe by then we'll all be downloading them...

[Bartrim]

springah just had a Syntax Error bb2142. Ggrrrr!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Classic

[G1Optimal]

Just read something interesting on TFW2005, Apparently the Bluray version of Transformers 2007 is coming out on September 2nd in the US.

Link (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-9/transformers-the-movie-blu-ray-coming-on-september-2nd-in-the-us-164969/?)
Source:TFW2005 (http://www.tfw2005.com)

and something about easter eggs going though the British Board of Film Classification.
Link (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-9/transformers-the-movie-2007-coming-to-blu-ray-in-the-uk-164963/)
Source: (same source as above)

[darockk]

ive just bought the Blu ray version of Transformers the movie 1986, should arrive next week.

now i'll get to see the dodgy animations in beyond high definition

[MV75]

Just read something interesting on TFW2005, Apparently the Bluray version of Transformers 2007 is coming out on September 2nd in the US.

Link (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-9/transformers-the-movie-blu-ray-coming-on-september-2nd-in-the-us-164969/?)
Source:TFW2005 (http://www.tfw2005.com)

and something about easter eggs going though the British Board of Film Classification.
Link (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-9/transformers-the-movie-2007-coming-to-blu-ray-in-the-uk-164963/)
Source: (same source as above)


Bluray may have "won the war", but their fight is only beginning, to convince people to buy it.

Heh, You'll probably find many people are now saying "bluray? who cares?" :D

Yes, I was right back then, they still havn't convinced anyone it's better than dvd. :D
________
CHEVROLET MATIZ SPECIFICATIONS (http://www.chevy-wiki.com/wiki/Chevrolet_Matiz)

[G1Optimal]

Heh, You'll probably find many people are now saying "bluray? who cares?" :D

Yes, I was right back then, they still havn't convinced anyone it's better than dvd. :D

Maybe It due to the Pricing of the anything to do with Blu-ray .....? ( " By this i don't just mean the blu-ray player" )

And because of this, everyone is probably thinking why bother spending so much for it, if they are using SD Tv's. Especially the way everything is going up and trying to find ways of saving money than spending it.

"In my Personal Opinion , i think it has something to do with Pricing of the HD Tv's as well, if not more!"

[MV75]

Pricing, and the fact there just is no added value, especially when faced with replacing your vast DVD collection. Who would want to do that?

DVD brought A LOT to the table over VHS. Bluray just brings its fat friends along with it for dinner.
________
DC MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES (http://dc.dispensaries.org/)

[G1Optimal]

Pricing, and the fact there just is no added value, especially when faced with replacing your vast DVD collection. Who would want to do that?

DVD brought A LOT to the table over VHS. Bluray just brings its fat friends along with it for dinner.

I agree for me Price, Longevity and Features are major the Factors.
The ways i interpret it is....

*Why would they/i want to buy a Blu-Ray player if they/i can't afford a HD TV.

* Why would i/they buy it now when i/they can wait for the price to come down and by then newer technology could be out for the same price.

etc.....

"I Always thought it was mostly because you can't put a VHS video cassette tape into a dedicated DVD player, unless it was those combo units?.... if so, i think we didn't have a choice when DVD became the standard over VHS, Where as Blu-Ray compatible payers can play DVD's "which" also could be the problem." :confused:

[kurdt_the_goat]

When you consider the absolute coverage of the market DVD has, and just how much stuff is available, particularly TV series, it's no wonder people are sticking with it.

I find it amusing at my local video store, all the Blu Rays are labelled 'will not play in a DVD player'. You just know it's cause people actually tried it and complained - probably on an SD television too!

Even advancements like HDMI, which consolidates all the cables, just confuse people. My boss, a techy, spent 100+ on an HDMI cable on advice from Harvey Norman). And in the end, since TV's still have to be backwards compatible with older connections, 95% of end users just end up getting confused by yet another plug on the back of their telly.

[Gutsman Heavy]

My boss, a techy, spent 100+ on an HDMI cable on advice from Harvey Norman)

your boss is an idiot, HDMI is a digital signal, it either works or it doesn't. A $100+ cable is not clearer than a cheapy $20+

on-topic, Blu-ray is a niche product, it wont take over DVD. I can co-exist however, pandering to the tech heads. I love the quality, but still wont turn down a $10 DVD :)

[kurdt_the_goat]

When he told me, i didn't even have the heart to tell him, he was that convinced - "well, that's just how much they must cost so.. OK!" I don't think a cheaper option was ever presented - but he's still an idiot for not bothering to look for a cheaper option or researching beforehand. Or shopping at Harvey Norman period :D

[Gutsman Heavy]

Or shopping at Harvey Norman period :D

lol bingo

[MV75]

Sounds like the boss was suckered into a 1.3 version hdmi cable. It has a higher through put, but is only useful for above 1080p viewing, so yea, he doesn't need it yet. Also supports additional sound features, but probably arn't required.
________
LIFE SABER VAPORIZER (http://vaporizer.org/)

[G1Optimal]

Looks like the (US) Blu-ray release date is confirmed by Paramount Home Entertainment.

also seems that there are 2 new DVD versions to.....
"1-Disc with Optimus Prime Mask"
"2-Disc Deluxe Transforming Megatron Package"

Link (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-9/movie-in-blu-ray-and-new-dvd-releases-confirmed-for-september-2-2008-164987/?)
Source TFW2005 (http://www.tfw2005.com)

[Saintly]

I saw that Amazon will be releasing the blu-ray version on 2nd Sept -> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000NTPDT6/ref=nosim/paramountcom-20

EzyDVD has it on pre-order and to be released 9th Oct -> http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/801428

[G1Optimal]

.........
EzyDVD has it on pre-order and to be released 9th Oct -> http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/801428

I had a feeling that this could of been the expected release date...
As they had the pre-orders up for the single dvds w/masks up before the Blu-ray realease for that expect date as well.

Anyway when i saw it up at Ezydvd's website a month ago i pre-ordered it. :D
"now, i am hoping there isn't any unexpected delays/problems "which" i feel is extremely possible"