Transformers ('07) to be HD-DVD / Bay may not work on sequel

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:45 pm

Paramount and Dreamworks have today announced that they've taken a side in the Hi Def format war. All their stuff will be released through HD-DVD as opposed to Blu Ray.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=20996

Which of course means that our shiny disc version of the new Movie will be on HD-DVD.

It also means that, as things stand, Michael Bay won't be helming any sequel, as he has decided this means he won't work with Paramount.

In his own words:
http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forums/v ... php?t=2299

Which I can't read because I can't be arsed to register, but that's what I'm told it says.

Cue people jumping about going "yayz0r5" rather than discussing the ramifications this has now that studios picking sides is going to effect directors choosing projects. I hate you all.

Any other directors spring to mind who can handle great big sprawling death robot action scenes featuring characters who aren't actually there? Other than James Cameron?

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:49 pm

Shrewd move by Paramount. HDDVD wins, they have a one-up on all the studios backing Bluray. Bluray wins, they get to re-sell all of their previous HDDVD titles in Bluray to the same peeps who bought the HDDVD versions. Very shrewd. Also a great way to prolong a format contest which is already of virtually no interest to the many who've invested £££s in their current DVD collections.

Far as the TF sequel goes, I'm not bothered TBH. I expect it'll be the same as the last one (hardly a difficult formula to reproduce?) whoever takes it on. Bay hardly has the monopoly on being able to direct things which are very loud and very explosiony. Assuming he isn't talked back into it of course, as I suspect he will be anyway, after making sure it looks like he's standing up for the common man...

Boy I'm cynical

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 12:36 am

I gathered there'd already been artistic differences between director and producers during the making of the first film, suggesting he may not return.

I suspect the next director won't be a big name one.

Hot Shot · Post by **Hot Shot** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:56 am

He updated and changed his mind. He may do the sequel.

...************.

Post by **Kaylee** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 8:00 am

Surprise surprise...

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 10:53 am

Sony is having a bitch fest over this BR and HD-DVD format thing, no surprise considering thier PS3 houses the BR player, its another kick in the teeth for thier already flagging console.

I dont mind Bay not being involved, who knows, we might get a decent director.

Post by **Best First** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:00 pm

or not:

http://www.seibertron.com/news/view.php?id=11454

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:06 pm

Awesome. Michael Bay made a druink post!

Ah... why couldn't he have made the drunk post here tho.. ?

We're experts on it!

Post by **Kaylee** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:17 pm

My god he comes off like a nark.

"I was chatting to some bluray people and had a bit too much to drink but the HDDVD folks explained it to me and now it's cool".

Drove a dump-truck full of money up to his house more like. ****.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 4:51 pm

I want to be a Blur-Ray person, they are so cool, they get to hang out with Bay!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 8:56 pm

Predabot wrote:Awesome. Michael Bay made a druink post!

Ah... why couldn't he have made the drunk post here tho.. ?

We're experts on it!

Who's this "we"?

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:23 am

Blu Ray is Sony's Quixotic attempt to create, impose, and monopolize a medium. It didn't work with Mini Discs, Sony, and it's not going to work now.

Betamax : VHS :: Blu Ray : HD DVD

Post by **Kaylee** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 9:25 am

Shanti418 wrote:Blu Ray is Sony's Quixotic attempt to create, impose, and monopolize a medium. It didn't work with Mini Discs, Sony, and it's not going to work now.

Betamax : VHS :: Blu Ray : HD DVD

I swear to God if I read that comparison between HiD-DVD and the VHS wars again I'm going to go on an extermination spree

Sorry, I just read that line absolutely everywhere in every HiD-BR discussion. imo it's not even that accurate- Sony developed half the technology of VHS but abandoned it to an open-licence before concentrating on Beta in 1975, which was better quality and went on to become the dominant format through 1983 before finally losing ground in 1985. Sony gambled that quality was more important than cost however, and the consumer (including the $ conscious porn industry) gave VHS a sizeable enough advantage for Sony to cancel Beta and produce VHS itself.

This time round the studios are split down the middle, the consumer can see negligible difference in the formats, neither format fills a meaningful hole in use or experience for most consumers, both formats are still too expensive for the casual movie lover and there is the huge complicating factor of $$$s spent on existing DVD collections which consumers are reluctant to replace for the minor upgrade in quality.

imho nobody is going to win this one for a while, and it's likely to cost a fortune to settle. I suspect in the end it will be decided simply by who can make the cheapest player and movie format when DVD is eventually cancelled/sidelined and people are forced to migrate to the nextgen formats.

It would be nice if Sony learnt about their formats however. I can understand why they're doing it- **** the Wii and 360, if they can use PS3 to make Bluray dominant then the rewards will be astronomical. However far as the consumer goes Sony love making things expensive and restricted- the UMD format in the PSP is a case in point:

I don't want to spend money replacing my DVD collection, but I would be interested in buying blank UMDs and a burner and putting movies I already own onto the format to watch. That would have made a huge success imo.

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 1:12 pm

Rebis wrote:
Predabot wrote:Awesome. Michael Bay made a druink post!

Ah... why couldn't he have made the drunk post here tho.. ?

We're experts on it!
Who's this "we"?

Everyone here but little ol' me?

Do the rime or give the dime!

Post by **Kaylee** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 7:54 pm

Urge to exterminate... rising...

rusty_herring · Post by **rusty_herring** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 7:59 pm

Bring back Beta and the cassette player!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 9:04 pm

rusty_herring wrote:Bring back Beta and the cassette player!

I still use mine!

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:51 am

On the PS3 BR front, I can see why nintendo and MS didnt included a high-end HD/BR player in thier machines (MS offers a HD-DVD players as a 360 ad-on) because neither format is going to be the dominant format for at least the next 5 few years.

The addec ost and time delay to the PS3 (due to the BR, blue diaode laser costs) has clearly cost Sony dearly in this next-gen battle, to the point where its almost laughable. developers have shunned Sony in favour of the 360, and by the time Sony gathers pace, the next MS box will be shown to the public.

Next year will be Sonys strongest year, it will also be the 360's 4th year of release, and thus, MS will show the next xbox at some show, erroding Sonys stance even further.

Sony fecked up.

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:09 am

If i had to guess, I'd say HD-DVD will eventually make the cheapest player and disks (their equipment is certainly cheaper atm), and since the consumer doesn't really care that much for upgrading their collections anyway (let alone the ins and outs of which is slightly better, which has uncompressed sound etc.) I suspect that price will be the crucial element.

In short "Oh I don't want to but if I have to spend money on this gubbins it might as well be whichever one is cheaper".

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:40 am

the problem with BR is that in short, it holds more information, and what that means to the consumer is that a BR movie might have some added features on the disc, extended trailers or somthing.
quality wise, HD-DVD and BR are both the same, they both output 1080p, the max HD format, and both output through HDMI, so, If I show u both formats next to each other on a screen, u will not be able to tell the difference, the only difference will be that the BR movie has more extras on a disc and costs more.

Also, for a manufacturer to make BR movies it needs a whole new production plan,t built from scratch, for a company to produce HD-DVD, it need only modify part of thier original DVD production plant. so it costs the developer less.