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kal
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| Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:23 am Post subject: Transformers [Blu-ray] on September 2, 2008 |
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Less than a month to go! I already have this one on DVD but it's been sitting unwatched for over a year now ever since they announced a Blu-ray version... no idea why I got the DVD version...!
What's interesting is that the Blu-ray version gets a lossless audio track while the existing HD DVD only had lossy Dolby Digital 5.1.
Click here to preorder 'Transformers' on Blu-ray from Amazon for 38% off
Confirming the rumors, Paramount has set a September Blu-ray touchdown for 'Transformers,' which will hit the format with high-res audio and BD-Live-enabled content.
Following months of online speculation, Paramount has set a September 2 bow for the Michael Bay blockbuster, nearly a year after the HD DVD version became that format's top-seller with its home theater-ready video and audio and bevy of bonus content.
Looking to match the previous high-def release, the Blu-ray will include the same standard set of extras, among them an audio commentary with Bay, a pair of four-part documentaries ("Our World," "Their War"), the "From Script to Sand: The SKORPONOK Desert Attack" featurette, a "Concepts" still gallery, theatrical trailers, and multiple easter eggs.
Although Paramount has yet to detail whether all of the exclusive content found on the HD DVD (including PIP, a GPS tracking feature and more) will be included on the Blu-ray, the studio has confirmed the release will be BD-Live-enabled with exact details to be announced soon.
Tech specs include 1080p video and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround audio -- a bump up from the non-high-res audio Dolby Digital track found on the HD DVD.
Plot Synopsis:
From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg comes a thrilling battle between the AUTOBOTS and the DECEPTICONS. When their epic struggle comes to Earth, all that stands between the evil DECEPTICONS and ultimate power is a clue held by Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). Join the fight for mankind in the extraordinary adventure that “features some of the most spectacular action and effects sequences of any movie of its kind and will appeal to the kid in all of us” (Claudia Puig, USA Today).
Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary with director Michael Bay
• 2 Four-Part Documentaries: "Our World," "Their War"
• Featurette: "From Script to Sand: The SKORPONOK Desert Attack"
• Still Gallery: "Concepts"
• Theatrical Trailer
HD Exclusive Content:
• BD-Live content (TBA )
Click here to preorder 'Transformers' on Blu-ray from Amazon for 38% off
Kal
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Last edited by kal on Fri Aug 08, 2008 1:58 pm; edited 1 time in total
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WanMan
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10270
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| Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:24 am Post subject: |
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Hey, I will finally get to see this movie!
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kal
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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Save $10 if you already own the DVD version:
Paramount Offers $10 Rebate for DVD Owners; New Titles Revealed
August 14, 2008 03:44 PM
Paramount Home Entertainment will soon offer DVD owners $10 via mail-in-rebate when they purchase select Blu-ray titles. These titles include 'Transformers' (Sep 2), 'The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration' (Sep 23), and 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' (Oct 21). Additionally, the rebate applies to the currently unannounced titles 'Old School', 'Stardust', and 'Zodiac'.
Kal
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kal
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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The A/V quality of Transformers (2007) (Paramount) is excellent! Rating 4.5/5 for video and 5/5 for audio!
| Quote: | The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
'Transformers' is Paramount's top-selling next-gen title ever (on either format), and previously hit HD DVD back in 2007 with a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 (2.40:1) encode. The studio has not messed with their golden goose for Blu-ray, and again trot out the same specs for this go-round. But that ain't bad news, because you can just about pick any scene on this disc and you've got great demo material.
Michael Bay's visual style has always been one of overkill, and 'Transformers' is no exception. But this is arguably his most ambitious film stylistically, falling roughly into three distinct acts. The first third or so of the flick, with all the exposition leading up to the initial reveals of the main Transformers is quite "dirty," with heavy use of filters to dress down colors and add a more diffused look. Once the Autobots arrive on the scene, the second part of the film takes place almost entirely at night, with hotter contrast but brighter hues, and the image really pops here. Finally, the extended city battle with the Decepticons is again awash with harsh daylight, and so much CGI and fast-cutting that the last 30 minutes of the movie often looks like one big ball of motion blur.
Impressively, this transfer handles it all very, very well. Despite the edgy contrast which results in the usual hot whites, detail ranges from excellent to exceptional, with even the widest, most CGI-crammed vistas finely textured and rich. Colors, while again all over the map, are rendered accurately and without noise or loss of stability. Unfortunately, there is some over-saturation in spots, making the image blur out in areas of solid colors and/or giving fleshtones a bit more of an orange-y wash than actual human skin. The level of sharpness can also be a problem at times -- I was surprised to see noticeable jaggies on slow horizontal pans (such as tracking shots of cityscapes, or chrome on vehicles, etc.), giving the presentation an edgy, digital sheen. All other aspects of the transfer are perfect, though, with rock solid blacks, an absolutely pristine source and not a hint of compression artifacts -- remarkable considering the film's length and intensity of fast action.
Does 'Transformers' look absolutely "perfect?" No, but it is pretty damn close. And stylistically, this is somewhat of departure for Bay (at least compared to the perfume commercials passing for movies that have comprised most of his past work), so the nod to a newfound scumminess is appropriate. Make no mistake, you'll get a great show-off disc for your home theater here.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
Paramount's previous HD DVD release of 'Transformers,' contained a high-res Dolby Digital-Plus Surround option. With this Blu-ray they've provided a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround track (48kHz/24-bit). It's hard to imagine a home theater mix that could sound better.
To say 'Transformers' is incredibly aggressive is an understatement. Discrete effects are relentless, but it is precisely this lack of subtlety that any fan of the film would want. Directionality, imaging, accuracy of localized effects, and the sheer depth of the soundfield are superb -- the "wall of sound" illusion is utterly transparent. Even the front soundstage is a stunner -- stereo effects are quite pronounced, and the first time you get to hear a Transformer "transform," it's about as cool as the first time you heard a lightsaber unsheathe in 'Star Wars.'
As you would expect, this is also the kind of disc your subwoofer will devour. Even at moderate volume levels I was blown away by the sheer low frequencies that were drummed out. Whether you're talking about the opening attack, the sequence in the desert with that weird "sand Decepticon," or the film's entire last 30 minutes, there's such a sustained low bass presence that it's almost like it's another character in the movie. The realism and texture to every sound -- from the effects to the score to the dialogue -- is reference-quality. Volume issues are also, thankfully, not a problem -- I was truly shocked that I didn't have to reach for my remote once, as dialogue is leveled nicely throughout.
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Kal
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kal
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| Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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More info on the $10 rebate:
| Quote: | Paramount Offers $10 Discount for Blu-ray Upgrade
Paramount Home Entertainment is set to offer DVD collectors a $10 rebate when they upgrade select Paramount and DreamWorks titles to Blu-ray Disc.
Mail-in certificates will be available in the packages for Blu-ray copies of Transformers, The Godfather, Old School, Stardust, Sweeney Todd and Zodiac. To receive the $10 savings, consumers must fill out the certificate and include the proof-of-purchase tabs from both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the title, along with the receipt for the Blu-ray version. The purchase must be made by Dec. 31, 2009, and rebate requests must be postmarked by Jan. 31, 2010.
Transformers streets on Blu-ray Sept. 2, with The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration due Sept. 23 and Sweeney Todd Oct. 21.
Street dates for Blu-ray versions of Old School, Stardust and Zodiac have not yet been announced. |
Source: http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?sec_id=2&&article_ID=13338
Kal
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perisoft
Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 2920
Location: Ithaca, NY
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| WanMan wrote: | | Hey, I will finally get to see this movie! |
When you watch it, for god's sake TURN UP THE VOLUME. I mean, have that sh*t cranked so hard your ceiling falls in; so loud that the resale value of your house will drop. You know the scene in LOTR: The Two Towers - during the battle for Helms' Deep - where the Uruk Hai are marching in, and the woman and child are shivering with fear in the caves, as the stomp of thirty thousand monstrous feet pounds overhead? That's what your family should look like when Transformers is playing.
Forget your neighbors. If you think they'll come over to complain, you've got it too quiet. Turn it up until they run away instead.
Seriously. I don't care if you're watching on your 12" laptop. Plug that motherf*cker into five thousand watts of speakers and TURN IT THE f*ck UP.
That is all.
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Brian Hampton
Joined: 22 Apr 2006
Posts: 1173
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| Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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Got my copy today from Tower.
Fun movie.
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garyfritz
Joined: 08 Apr 2006
Posts: 12088
Location: Fort Collins, CO
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| Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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Is the BD copy as grainy as the HD-DVD was?
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kal
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| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:50 am Post subject: |
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| garyfritz wrote: | | Is the BD copy as grainy as the HD-DVD was? |
I certainly hope any grain that was in the original film is present in the Blu-ray disc. Please please, no DNR! Excessive use (or actually any use) of digital noise reduction on Blu-ray movies is something that videophiles everywhere are trying to get studios to stop using.
Grain isn't something they add to discs. If you see actual film grain, it's because it was there in the original film. Don't you want your HD DVD and Blu-ray discs to look as close to the original film as possible?
Kal
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garyfritz
Joined: 08 Apr 2006
Posts: 12088
Location: Fort Collins, CO
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| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 3:47 am Post subject: |
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I know. That's basically what I was wondering about -- if they used DNR to "clean it up." I personally didn't care for the grainy print, but apparently that was the way it was shot so that's the way it should be on the BD.
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Gino
Joined: 22 Apr 2006
Posts: 1363
Location: Trinity Beach, AUSTRALIA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 4:34 am Post subject: |
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Definitely keep things as close to the master copy as possible. Leave it up to the user to add their own DNR and EE etc.... if they want.
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Brian Hampton
Joined: 22 Apr 2006
Posts: 1173
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| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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I didn't notice excessive grain with the Transformers Blu Ray. It looked good but not over processed either. I was happy with it.
It took like 40 seconds to load in my PS3 which is unheard of. Usually the PS3 loads Blu Rays super fast.
The text is all on the slip cover which I threw in a box in the basement with my other slipcovers so the case looks funny.
I did watch a DVD of a though last night called "he loves me, he loves me not" and the grain was off the hook. I didn't think DVD could show grain so well. (But it's been a while since I watched a DVD.)
I did watch another DVD today though... It was my oldest daughter's 8th b-day and she's been waiting to turn 8 because we agreed that's the age she could watch Star Wars so we spun A New Hope this AM... pretty fun .... for a DVD that is. I think I'm looking forward to SW on Blu mostly for improvements to the audio which should be significant.
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