The Unofficial High-Def Movie Thread

[GIK]

Yup, I caught that, Steel. Now, I'm not the biggest Michael Bay movie fan, but at least he's putting his view out there.

Another snippet from Mr. Bay:

I know the look, color, and sounds on my own movies better they anyone in the world. I color-time every single image, and am there for every single audio tweak. I see my films in the editing and final process no less then a 100 times. I know ever single nuance. For some idiots [sic] on these posts who think I can't make an informed choice on what format in the end, has the truer results for my own films. Well you where to shove.... My films finished in Blu-Ray are better - more true. Hd is better than DVD, but just not as good as Blu-Ray. So buying a Transformers Hd is still the best you will see this movie as of today. But when Paramount caves for Blu-Ray in the future - This will happen, then you will see Transformers one day finished in Blu-Ray and I will sure be able to tell the difference.

Bay

http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum...5&postcount=80

[WMR]

Damn, that's interesting, GIK.

[SteelSD]

Originally Posted by GIK

Well, I stand corrected. Thanks, WMR/Steel.

Well, if you didn't realize that the trilogy was out in the US, it's likely because stores probably didn't order either of the trilogy offerings in any kind of volume and then, since it likely took weeks to sell a copy or two of the overpriced catalogue trilogy, just didn't re-stock.

The biggest mistake(s) with releasing those films in an HD format was that consumers lacked the ability to purchase any of the films as single copies and then they compounded it by not really including any neat collectibles in the box at a price point that really isn't realistic for three "catalogue" films. The irony is that Warner may have used the sales figures from these collections as a reason to chuck HD DVD, but unless contractual stipulations prevented Warner from releasing the films separately, they skewed their own numbers.

All I can say is that I hope Warner will do a better job of giving consumers either choice (separate Matrix films) or value (more extras) when they release the movies on Blu-Ray. Otherwise, I still won't buy.

[WMR]

When I bought it at Best Buy, Steel, it was marked down 10 bucks from the previous list.

I think I paid seventy dollars for the Ultimate Matrix which, for 4 movies, was quite reasonable considering the general price for HD-DVDs.

The lower-tiered Matrix Trilogy was selling for ten dollars BELOW that.

[WMR]

The extras on the Ultimate Matrix package are wonderful, Steel.

[SteelSD]

Originally Posted by GIK

Yup, I caught that, Steel. Now, I'm not the biggest Michael Bay movie fan, but at least he's putting his view out there.

Another snippet from Mr. Bay:

http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum...5&postcount=80

Seems like you and I are on the same wavelength, GIK, as we've been reading the same stuff.

Bay is bold and he's brash but he's also a perfectionist who wants his work to be displayed the way he prefers. From both a PQ and and audio perspective, I agree with Bay. I feel that "Transformers" would have been better as a Blu-Ray release.

And I'm a guy who's watched that film no less than five times on HD DVD. I had to do a whole lot of tweaking to my settings just to get Transformers to get close to the best Blu-Ray films I own. The audio, while decent, is a bit low on bass. The HD DVD offers no lossless audio. Disc storage space limitations were cited as the cause. Imagine that. My audio receiver won't process TrueHD, but it'll take on uncompressed PCM like a champ. Yet Transformers only gives me Dolby Digital-Plus. And at weak bass levels. Sigh.

[SteelSD]

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

When I bought it at Best Buy, Steel, it was marked down 10 bucks from the previous list.

I think I paid seventy dollars for the Ultimate Matrix which, for 4 movies, was quite reasonable considering the general price for HD-DVDs.

The lower-tiered Matrix Trilogy was selling for ten dollars BELOW that.

I'm happy that you're happy with your purchase. Really. It's just that I wouldn't pay any more than fifty bucks for that collection, especially after finding out that none of those films actually maximized their potential picture quality. While I'm a big fan of those movies, you need to understand that I didn't own an HD DVD player when those collections were released. If I had owned a player, I'd have probably purchased those nearly upon release. But I expected those films to be "reference-quality" and from the reviews I've seen, they're not. If the encodes for Blu-Ray raise the bar, then I might be interested.

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

The extras on the Ultimate Matrix package are wonderful, Steel.

I don't doubt that and certainly wouldn't want to take away from that which you've enjoyed. And even though I really liked the Matrix trilogy, I've seen a majority (if not all) of the extras. What I was hoping for was some additional value as was offered with the Harry Potter or Blade Runner HD/BR collection sets. Give me some film cells or a cool case. Give me a sweet resin bust and cool packaging like the regular SD DVD "Ultimate" set. Something I can display And give it to me for a price that makes sense for a "catalogue" release.

Not trying to say that you didn't make the right choice in purchasing, WM. Just noting that I'm a bit of a different animal.

BTW, if you want to see one of the best FULL-HD "making of" extras, get "Shoot 'Em Up" on Blu Ray. Simply fantastic PQ and AQ. At times, you feel that you're actually on the set.

[SteelSD]

With all the Blu-Ray talk after the Warner move, I wanted to mention what I consider to be an underappreciated HD DVD gem- "Stardust" (Paramount). I gave it a shout-out in my 1/06/08 post, but after watching it again, I enjoyed it even more.

The film hypes Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Robert De Niro as the draws, and each give excellent performances. But it's little-known Englishman Charlie Cox who really seals the deal in this flick as a truly good hero who plays a character that actually grows during the film. "The Office" and "Extras" writer/producer Ricky Gervais also gives a cameo that's a great inside joke to "Extras" viewers.

"Stardust" isn't an epic, but it's in the same vein as "The Princess Bride", which was a similarly underappreciated diamond-in-the-rough theatrical release. And it's just as good. The PQ leaves a little to be desired due to softness in some scenes (I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5), but the plot and execution are excellent, as is the audio. The film's pace is great throughout the 127 minutes and never leaves you wanting (a rarity).

Even if you have doubts about the format, I'd suggest a purchase of this film on HD DVD (heck, even on SD DVD it's a good buy). It's got a ton of value as a family film (PG-13) and it's worth repeated viewings. Just good and feel-good. That's a pretty good match for a fantasy title.

[SteelSD]

The pendulum has swung toward Blu-Ray in the HD "war" after Warner's announcement. Because of that, and because of Toshiba's push prior to that, a good number of HD DVD offerings have great price points right now.

So let's talk about "Heroes: Season 1". Originally priced at $99.99 at Best Buy, the HD DVD contingent started offering this set for free with the purchase of the X-Box 360 add-on player. The resulting market flood, when combined with low consumer confidence, has created an environment where I was able to sell my used SD DVD set for $30.00 and then purchase a brand new HD DVD set for exactly that price. Score.

While I don't consider the HD DVD "Heroes" box set to be a 5 of 5 in picture quality (it's 4/5 most of the time and has a lot of scenes that are soft), it's much MUCH better than the SD DVD set and quite a few scenes are reference-level to near reference-level. It's cerainly better PQ than "Smallville: Season 6" on Blu Ray (and it's not even close). In short, it's the best Heroes has ever looked and if any local HD DVD owners can find the boxed set for under $35.00, I'd suggest that it's a must-buy.

[RFS62]

Steel, do you think HD DVD will survive, now given the Warner move?

[SteelSD]

Originally Posted by RFS62

Steel, do you think HD DVD will survive, now given the Warner move?

I think the writing is pretty much on the wall and if Paramount goes neutral, as some are speculating they will, it'll be completely over. And the Warner move was huge.

From avs.com forums (source: NPD group)- January 1st half standalone player sales:

Week 1 (ending 1/5/08):

Blu-Ray: 15,257 units
HD DVD: 14,558 units

Week 2 (ending 1/12/08):

Blu-Ray: 21,770 units
HD DVD: 1,758 units

Those numbers don't include the PS3 or 360 add-on players, but week 2 coincides with the Warner announcement. And the whole time, Toshiba has had the price advantage for standalone players. Toshiba is reportedly going to be trying out a new "aggressive" marketing strategy but it'll likely be too little, too late.

[RFS62]

Just got this email from Netflix yesterday...

You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.

While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.

Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.

[GIK]

Best Buy to Recommend Blu-ray as the Customer’s Digital Format Choice

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is taking a step forward in addressing consumer confusion about high-definition formats. Beginning in early March, the leading consumer electronics retailer will prominently showcase Blu-ray hardware and software products in its Best Buy retail and online channels in the United States.

“Consumers have told us that they want us to help lead the way. We’ve listened to our customers, and we are responding. Best Buy will recommend Blu-ray as the preferred format,” said Brian Dunn, Best Buy’s president and chief operating officer. “Our decision to shine a spotlight on Blu-ray Disc players and other Blu-ray products is a strong signal to our customers that we believe Blu-ray is the right format choice for them.”

Dunn continued, “Best Buy has always believed that the customer will benefit from a widely-accepted single format that would offer advantages such as product compatibility and expanded content choices. Because we believe that Blu-ray is fast emerging as that single format, we have decided to focus on Blu-ray products.”

“With the explosion of HDTVs, customers are hungry for quality, high definition content. We believe our move to feature Blu-ray should help consumers feel confident in their hi-def content choices,” said Mike Vitelli, Best Buy’s senior vice president, Home Solutions. “Best Buy is excited by the next generation of digital products and we know our customers are too. We are excited about helping customers find the right mix of products and services to make the next generation of high definition entertainment technology come alive for them. We believe that Blu-ray is the right solution for consumers.”

Best Buy currently carries a wide array of Blu-ray hardware and software products. The company noted that it will continue to carry an assortment of HD-DVD products for customers who desire to purchase these products.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/s...ewID=news_view

[SteelSD]

Originally Posted by RFS62

Just got this email from Netflix yesterday...

You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.

While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.

Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.

I read about that at avsforum.com. It could be anything from a reactionary response to Warner's move, a calculated move due to a Sony enticement, or a business decision based on the percentage of damaged discs returned. From what I've read, HD-DVD's are more prone to scratching than are Blu Ray discs, especially combo discs.

Funny thing is that I actually like the combo discs and have never had a single issue with any that I own. But I've also seen a good number of HD-DVD enthusiasts swear off combo discs entirely- and with a passion.

In any case, this isn't good for HD-DVD or the high-def consumer. I've seen pretty much nothing resembling decent brick-and-mortar store deals for Blu Ray since Warner's announcement and the HD-DVD deals I've seen have been extremely limited.

I want the war.

Originally Posted by GIK

Best Buy to Recommend Blu-ray as the Customer’s Digital Format Choice

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/s...ewID=news_view

Good find, GIK. That's another major injury to HD-DVD, even if your average Best Buy employee can't figure out the difference between the formats. And it's not a surprise that Best Buy is making such a move considering that the margains on Blu Ray standalone players are much larger than the HD-DVD players they've almost had to give away.

The HD-DVD camp has made a minor push with recent BOGO offers at Best Buy, but at this point only massive HD-DVD software discounts over the past month or two would have been able to get customers to care. Frankly, even if the HD-DVD camp would be able to offer films at half price (and they can't) versus their Blu Ray competition, I don't see them pulling out of this death spiral. The PS3 "Trojan Horse" effect always projected to be too large to overcome.

Basically, I think a lot of folks who purchased bargain-basement priced HD-DVD players over the past few months did so in the anticipation that HD-DVD movies would end up in the realm of regular DVD pricing eventually due to either HD price wars or the possible resolution of the "format war". Heck, even as an early adopter of Blu Ray via the PS3, I resemble that customer. I waited until the HD-A2 hit a $98.00 price point and currently have 13 HD-DVD flicks; paying retail for only four of those.

Toshiba has a huge mess on their hands right now and I don't see any way out- especially after Warner leaves for good. Best Buy has been pushing hard into high def for quite a while and considering the number of under-educated consumers who are likely to purchase an HD TV over the next couple of years, an additional push into recommending Blu Ray as the HD format of choice portends a death knell for the HD-DVD format.

[WMR]

Bought: Sunshine, the Planet Earth Series, TMNT, Blade Runner 5-Disc Complete Collectors Edition, No Country for Old Men, Terminator 1 & 2, I am Legend, Total Recall, and RoboCop for BluRay.