Today's Show:
We had to do it. When we reviewed the HD-DVD version of Transformers back in October of 2007 (Episode #216)
it was, at the time, one of the best, if not the best, home movie
experiences we had ever had. The video was flawless and the audio was
amazing - straight 10's across the board. So now that the Blu-ray
version is out, is it even better? Is there anything it could do to
improve the experience? But first, are we ready for the digital cut-over? They ran a test in Wilmington NC and the results may surprise you.
Are we ready for the Analog Cutoff?
At
noon on September 9th the City of Wilmington NC stop broadcasting
analog TV signals as a test to check the state of US readiness for the
digital shut off. Prior to the test, residents were bombarded with
information warning of the impending loss of over the air analog TV
reception. Prior to this test residents were
contacted at local festivals, Fourth of July Celebrations, Rotary Club
meetings, and anywhere else people would gather warning them about the
early shut down of analog signals. According to Mayor Bill
Saffo, "You'd have to be living under a rock, or not watching TV, to
not know about it.''
So
how did they fare? According to one article we read, not very well.
Within a minute of the cutoff phone lines lit up at local television
stations. Between 3% and 5% of the population did not get the message
or were not able to setup their converters. In Wilmington, that's
anywhere between 3000 to 5000 people. Scale that to the entire US and
you could have up to a million people swamping television stations
across the country.
The
current PSAs are good but they are not enough. I asked my daughter if
she knew about the analog cutoff and she said "Jeez Daddy, how can you
not know about that". Then I asked her if she knew the date and she
couldn't answer me. Try it out with your friends and let us know how
many actually know the date.
We need to do more to educate the public. I came up with a few ideas.
Countdown
timer - Put it in the black space between the commercials and
programs? It would be pretty dramatic to see this thing move to zero.
People may not be able to tell you the date but they would know that it
is 50 days, 12 hours and 10 minutes and 15 seconds away.
Alpha blended bug - At T-30 days we could put the bug in the lower corner of analog signals that counts down the days.
Annoy
everyone - Perhaps every newscast in February could start out with Its
February 1st, 2nd, 3rd... there are only 17 days until your analog
picture goes away.
Tell us what your ideas are to make sure everyone knows the days of analog TV are numbered!
Transformers on Blu-ray (buy now)
Braden has no problem admitting that
he's a complete Transformers fan; unashamed and possibly even a little
over the top. He has a work security badge with a picture of him in an
Optimus Prime helmet. So from his perspective, no matter what they did
with the Blu-ray disc, as long as they didn't screw up what HD-DVD
provided, it would be a home run. Ara is a bit more objective since he
doesn't share the same emotional attachment to the Autobots.
Video
The
video on the Blu-ray disc was supposed to blow the HD-DVD away. The
HD-DVD is MPEG4 encoded at roughly 20 Mbps while the Blu-ray is MPEG4
encoded at about 30 Mbps. The difference should be staggering, but in
all honesty there really isn't a difference at all. For the casual
observer, and even for someone looking as hard as they possibly can to
find differences, the two look nearly identical. Since the HD-DVD
already looked amazing, there's nothing negative to say about the
Blu-ray. We could revive the war and talk about the over-hype of extra
storage space...
Audio
While the video looks
indistinguishable, the audio on the other hand, is not. The HD-DVD
offered an incredible Dolby Digital Plus track that blew us away. We
scored it a perfect 10. The Blu-ray offers a Dolby TrueHD track that
absolutely crushed the original DD+ version. We wouldn't have been
able to tell you how to make the audio any better, but they've done
it. The surround effect are perfectly placed, the subwoofer drives you
back into your seat with a vengeance and the dialog is amazingly
clear. It scores off the charts. If you need a reference disc to show
off a great receiver and set of speakers, you've found it.
Special Features
One
of the big deals with the HD-DVD version of Transformers was how much
it took advantage of the Internet connectivity built into every
player. With the availability of BD-Live, you'd expect the Blu-ray
version to do the same, and it does. It is the best example of BD-Live
we've played with yet. They didn't choose to use the same standard
BD-Live interface we've seen on way too many discs. The BD-Live
interface actually feels like it's a part of the package. And man is
it fast. The interface loads in a couple seconds and it only takes a
couple seconds to download each of the special features or add-ons.
The three available are:
Custom in-movie menu bar. You can skin your menu bar to have a Bumble bee theme, an Optimus Prime theme or a Megatron theme
In-movie
action tracker. They had this one on the HD-DVD, but it turns the
movie into a video game type interface with status displays (life
meters, etc.) for each of the Transformers. A neat way to watch the
movie after you've seen it a couple dozen times or so.
Cast and
crew bios. A list of the major cast and crew members that shows over
the top of the screen while the movie is playing. You can pull it up
or hide it at any time and select which bio you want to read. Once
you've read them all, it's of little to no value.
Bottom Line
So if you own the HD-DVD is it worth investing in the Blu-ray version?
Braden: Heck yeah, who would even ask such a question?
Ara:It really depends. If you're a big audio nut, or you plan to replace
your HD-DVD collection, it probably makes sense. If you use the TV
speakers or an HTiB for audio, you may not get that much bang for your
buck. You'd be better off buying a new movie you don't own yet. MaybeIron Man?
The HT Guys love their Starbucks. If you want to say thanks, a cup of joe will do just fine!
Or if you prefer, you can signup for a recurring subscription of $3 a month. Your recurring donation helps us with the costs of producing the show twice a week. Thanks in advance!
Blu Ray