Transformers HD-DVD Master Review Thread [Text View] - Page 5

edcokpareke

10-20-07, 11:12 AM

So, I finally saw Transformers on HDDVD last night. I had seen it in the theatre when it first came out, so I knew what to expect.

PQ: Pretty darn good. I'd rate it high up there with the best, but I won't say it's the best looking HDDVD I've seen. I think Hot Fuzz, World's Fastest Indian, and even 300 looked better IMO. Transformers looked good in the daytime shots, but I didn't like the blueish hue in the dark scenes. I'm not complaining about grain. Infact, I like grain. I'm talking about the bluish look. I know it was "intended". I just didn't care for it too much. In general, the movie looked great.

AQ: Excellent. I couldn't have expected more from the sound. I watched it with a few friends, and they jumped everytime there was breaking glass or gunfire. I think the Audio mix was excellent. My surround channels were active throughout, and thats what I like. I have many movies with TruHD, and I can't point to any deficiencies of Transformer's DD+ sound.

Extras: Absolutely brilliant. If you're considering HDDVD based on web features and connectivity, THIS MOVIE demonstrates HDDVD's superiority over Bluray. Period.

The movie itself: Unfortunately, the excellent audio, video & web-enabled quality of this movie couldnt mask the fact that the movie was (in many parts) very poorly written and executed. I would divide the movie into 3 sections.

Section 1: From the beginning till the Autobots arrived on earth as meteors. The movie had a serious feel in this section, and I was really enjoying it's intensity.

Section 2: The autobots fumbling around Sam's yard up till the Hoover Dam scenes. What was up with all the unnecessary humor in the yard scene where the robots couldnt just wait outside for a minute. What was up with the "my bad" comments, the "masturbation" reference, etc etc. It was all just out of place IMO. Then the Sector 7 people came in and completely took the movie into a cartoony "Power Rangers" realm. "Take your clothes off....for threatening my Dad". Why did Megatron declare "I am Megatron" when he awoke? We knew that! Can anyone in their right mind tell me WHY they chose to take the allspark to the middle of freakin' Los Angeles? Oh great...giant robots bent on destroying humanity are looking for this thing. I know...LET'S TAKE IT TO THE MIDDLE OF L.A.!!!!. IMO, many scenes (sector 7, the backyard tomfoolery, etc) could have been cut out of the movie entirely.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g38/edcokpareke/waste.jpg

Section 3: The final fight scene. The movie returned to the serious feel that I liked in the beginning. It still had many corny lines scattered about though. "At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall", and "I'll drive, you shoot!!" :eek:. Even though the intensity level at the end matched the beginning, it was too little and too late to remove the sour taste in my mouth from all the garbage in the middle of the movie.

All in all, Transformers on HDDVD is worth owning. I would recommend it to anyone on the fence.

Dave Vaughn

10-20-07, 11:34 AM

Ed,

Your sections are the three "acts" of the movie and I completely agree with you. The first act was great, the second act fell flat with the silly jokes and was too long, and the conclusion was pretty good, but the final battle should have been trimmed by about 15 minutes or so IMO and the movie would have been a better for it. In fact, the second act could stand to lose 15 minutes as well. That would put the runtime at 1:45 minutes, which would have been perfect.

As to the people who shouldn't be in the movie...I agree as well, but I did like the blonde (for her looks) and I LOVED her accent!

edcokpareke

10-20-07, 11:48 AM

Ed,

...I agree as well, but I did like the blonde (for her looks) and I LOVED her accent!

Lol!, Dave. If I wanna see blondes with good looks and exotic accents, I'll buy porn :p

JeffY

10-20-07, 11:51 AM

I liked the fun bits in the middle, the movie needed them IMO, you can't make a Transformers movie too serious.

Urza

10-20-07, 11:58 AM

As for the HD DVD, how can highdefdigest give it 5 stars for Audio when it only has DD+? If it had TrueHD or PCM, then it would've been an impossible 6 stars? AND the Movie Itself Rating was 3.0???

This makes ZERO sense.

So DD+ cannot have 5 stars? So when a review of DD+ is being done, one can only use up to four stars? Might want to do a REVIEW of your logic.

HPforMe

10-20-07, 12:20 PM

This has to be the worst big-budget movie I've seen in my life. Storyline is quite comical and the action sequences are just a big blur. Then you have Bay's ubiquitous use of what he believes to be attractive women in the most innapropriate scenes (e.g., (1) where the Transformers are destroying everything in the streets and there's a slo-mo shot of a woman in a short dress crouching down and stuff flying around her; (2) that fake blonde supposedly smart scientist w/ the annoying accent :rolleyes:). Michael Bay is an obnoxious idiot. With the money he has to spend, he still hasn't made a decent one. Can't believe Speilberg hired this dimwit for this movie. Total failure.

The original movie was far more entertaining and intelligent.

As for the HD DVD, how can highdefdigest give it 5 stars for Audio when it only has DD+? If it had TrueHD or PCM, then it would've been an impossible 6 stars? AND the Movie Itself Rating was 3.0???

Take your trolling somewhere else. Better yet you can enjoy Spidey3 on your PS3 - one of the worst 'block busters' in history complete with its PCM track of racket and noise.

brian32672

10-20-07, 01:02 PM

This makes ZERO sense.

So DD+ cannot have 5 stars? So when a review of DD+ is being done, one can only use up to four stars? Might want to do a REVIEW of your logic.

100% agree, that person sure has flawed logic

what group is that? the 13-18 year old group? or the more intelligent and mature group?
Clearly not the more intelligent group.

And sabt, yes it seems you fit in the 13-18 genre, quite well. (grow up, troll somewhere else)
I've seen 60 year old women that enjoyed it more than you (so you claim), as well 40 year old men, and 10 year old kids. (and that was just a viewing at my house).

c-not-k

10-20-07, 01:11 PM

Well, I printed out this thread and read it offline. Pretty interesting.
Unfortunately, I do not have an HD DVD player. By all accounts, this movie should be my motivation. (If I didn't have a balance on my CC....)

I did get the SD DVD of it for family movie night tonight; my 9-year old son has been playing with his transformers all week! At least the SE SD DVD came with two transformer figures, so my son and daughter can each have one.

I do have a Blu-ray player, so it pains me to buy a new release in SD. I plan on getting an XA2 for upstairs (LCD, no ext. scaler) and maybe an A2 for downstairs (DLP projector, 92" screen, Crystalio II). I won't mind double-dipping because of the reviews of the HD transfer (and I have plenty of people I could sell the SD DVD to.)

I wish we could "all get along" format-wise; there seem to be a few too many derisive comments about the "other" media.

You can put me in the camp of those who wish Paramount had included a lossless audio track, only because of marketing reasons. This movie is clearly a flagship release and will be my choice for demoing what HD DVD is capable of. The DD+ will in no way detract from that experience, I think. I just think lossless would help sway anybody sitting on the fence, as well as quell any complaints about the formats' capabilities, even if the user experience is the same.

I don't suspect the DD+ audio will matter much in the overall scheme of things, as has been stated already, most of us on this board are enthusiasts who want that extra percent of performance. I have a constant-height setup and I'm still bummed that neither HD DVD or Blu-ray encode 2.35 anamorphically on disk. But then again, of the total disk-buying public, how many have HD displays? Of those, how many have front projectors? Of those, how many have CIH setups? The numbers dicate the policies.

Oh well, I'll just sit back and enjoy the movie.

Don't be surprised if I say "Interest rates be dammed" and pick up an HD DVD player an this movie on my way home from work tonight!

sabt

10-20-07, 01:13 PM

Take your trolling somewhere else. Better yet you can enjoy Spidey3 on your PS3 - one of the worst 'block busters' in history complete with its PCM track of racket and noise.
Yes, Spidey3 was horrible as well. Same for transfudders

sabt

10-20-07, 01:18 PM

This makes ZERO sense.

So DD+ cannot have 5 stars? So when a review of DD+ is being done, one can only use up to four stars? Might want to do a REVIEW of your logic.
Yes. If a re-released-director's-cut-extended-version-give-me-more-of-your hard-earned-money release comes out with TrueHD or PCM, you're telling me that it would be the same as DD+??? I guess it would since DD+ already got the highest score.

sabt

10-20-07, 01:37 PM

100% agree, that person sure has flawed logic

Clearly not the more intelligent group.

And sabt, yes it seems you fit in the 13-18 genre, quite well. (grow up, troll somewhere else)
I've seen 60 year old women that enjoyed it more than you (so you claim), as well 40 year old men, and 10 year old kids. (and that was just a viewing at my house).
I didn't realize that to be mature and intelligent, you'd have to be 60. Where did I write that? I can't find it.

Troll somewhere else? :rolleyes:

Yes, Transfudders was a great movie, as I enjoyed the very blurry action sequences and the great performances by the preposterous supposedly attractive blonde scientist and the raving lunatic Black computer geek (both trademarks of all Bay's films).

Boogie7910

10-20-07, 01:46 PM

Just watched the movie an hour ago.

I've honestly have never heard a movie sound so good in my life. No TrueHD track I have can compare to this DD+ 24bit 1.5mbs track of Transformers. It gave new meaning to a "crystal clear" sound and it really sounded like I was there with all this happening around me. The bass was thunderous with explosions and bots smashing things putting a smile on my face.

It was a blast all the way through with nonstop action. The bots all looked lifelike and real; I never felt they were out of place with the picture.

My system breathed a sigh of relief when it was over and my ears left ringing. Hopefully I don't get an eviction notice on my door. :D

Best movie of the year.

MatthewB.

10-20-07, 02:15 PM

Guys sorry about my long post about two pages back, i should have been more clear.

When i first tried this movie on my A2 via HDMI, the sound was excellant no bass problems at all. Also I watched this on my bedroom system with a 42" Samsung plasma, so the PQ was oustanding.

Now when I tried this on my main (all analog system) I had it hooked up to My Pioneer Elite 58" RPTV which gave it a much softer PQ and not as sharp as the plasma. This could be a problem with why people are saying it's not as good as it should be (display is the main culprit). Now granted my bedroom system has the Denon 3808 which has the scaler built in to help, while my Denon 4802 in the main system has no scaler, and an older HDTV.

Now I still can't figure out why my XA-1 won't output bitstream on just this one movie, but will on others. So i had to use PCM, the player itself does the converting before transferring it via optical cable, so yes you can get PCM via optical although I believe it downconverts the sound to 48Hz before transmision. After I picked "Widescreen" mode on the Denon 4802 it helped with the sound, but I still had to put the volume to +7 to get a decent level.

But when switched to A2 (moved from my bedroom) Bitstream worked just fine, my older 4802 showed me DTS-ES and the sound and bass (via one SVS NSD/2 and two Supercube I's) in my main system more than rocked the house, it shook the whole foundation (much to the chagrin of my GF) :D

I decided to move the older XA-1 to the bedroom and hook it up via HDMI, now something strange there. I get Bitstream and PCM via HDMI on the 3808 but now when I select Lossless on certain movies , the sound is very low and the mains and surround drown out the center channel. I an only assume at this point that maybe the latest firmware screwed up my XA-1 somehow, oh well I'll live with great DD+ on both systems, till I get the next firmware upgrade.

Sorry for any confusion on my part, it could just be my system.

Aaron S

10-20-07, 02:30 PM

I also have an A2 running 2.5 and have the same problem with disc 2.

Myself as well. Anyone work through the problem yet ?

Dave Vaughn

10-20-07, 05:42 PM

MatthewB.

10-20-07, 06:11 PM

Dave that's strange then, because when I first noticed I wasnt getting Bitstream via optical on my older system, switched to PCM and I was getting 5.1 sound. I mean the bass wasnt overwhelming like on Bitstream on my A2, but I was still getting 5.1 sound. Unless my Denon is doing one heck of a job of splitting the channels.

Trust me I understand the physics involved with PCM, but I thought that with one of the firmware updates that the player decoded the 2.0 signal and made it 5.1 before sending it along the optical. Because I tried this with my multichannel analogs then disconnected those to test the optical, again no sound via bitsream but 5.1 via PCM (but with weak bass) even tried "widescreen" mode which helped a tad, but not more with the audio problems.

I get glorious PCM via HDMI (but that's what it was designed for) but the A2 does a great job with the bitstream so I can't really complain. I listened to the wntire movie last night and the sound was just jaw dropping (except the lack of bass during the shockwave scene when the helicopter blew out the windows, besides that the pulse gun scene was so good, I couldnt hear my GF yelling at me to turn it down. :D

Dave Vaughn

10-20-07, 06:53 PM

PCM can't go over toslink in 5.1 form, only 2.0. Your Denon is processing the 2.0 signal with Pro Logic to all of the other channels.

sunstar

10-20-07, 07:42 PM

Myself as well. Anyone work through the problem yet ?

I made an exchange and the new disc 2 works perfectly; therefore I am assuming there was a problem with the disc itself. No other adjustments were made.

efjay

10-20-07, 09:23 PM

Just finished watching this about 35 minutes ago and this was my best home cinema experience in years. Fantastic popcorn action movie, really good picture and great sound, and not just bass, the score matched the tone of the movie well. A typical Michael Bay movie and thoroughly enjoyable. The wife joined me 1/4 way through and enjoyed it as well. Great all round.

jsimmons3

10-21-07, 06:58 AM

blipszyc

10-21-07, 09:29 AM

Got my disc on Thurs. from FYE and popped it in last night. Was kind of surprised to see the Web Update as the first thing and not even sure if it does that every time as I've only popped it in once. (Plus, my IR extender is on the fritz 'till Mon.)

My quick thoughts -
PQ was just OK. There was no noise, lots of clear scenes, the grain didn't bother me, but something was missing. The crispness I see on broadcast HDTV and other movies like 300, Bourne, even the Matrix was not there. It was a nice disc, but if I didn't know better, I would say it was an upconverted DVD. (My A1 makes SD look amazing)

AQ, on the other hand, was Awesome. I have the 5.1 analog outs on the A1 feeding a Denon 5700 and the soundfield was very enveloping. LFE was well used and all the sound effects were crisp and clear in all channels. Center Channel dialog was well balanced with the rest of the soundtrack and I didn't have to boost it like I've had to with some Warner titles (Batman, V).

On monday I get a new IR extender so I'll watch it again a little louder to get more LFE feel and play around with the web features. My buddy is bringing his SD copy over too, so I'll do an A,B comparison as well. Until then, I think its a good HD showing, but could be better in the picture department. (and the story dept. too, but I won't get into that :) )

Electone

10-21-07, 09:32 AM

c-not-k

10-21-07, 09:58 AM

We watched it Friday night. Neither me nor my wife grew up with transformer toys, so we have no emotional attachment (either way) for the concept of robots that can "transform" into cars or other machinery. The special effects were good, but the plot, acting, and general concept were pretty bad. My wife and I were both of the same opinion - there was too much going on on the screen to be able to track it all, especially during the fight sequences.

I'm glad we just rented it.

Yeah, at 45 I missed all the original Transformers action. We watched it last night (SD version, unfortunately. No HD player yet.) FYI the SD transfer is the best I've seen in that format, and will be my reference for this format. I can't wait to get the HD version.

Anyway, my family watched it and my wife thought it was "cute". It was much better than I expected. Hey, it's based off a 25 year old cartoon, and stays somewhat faithful. I really liked it. My daughter (8) got bored and left. My 9 year old son was over the moon, and had 11 transformers in his bed with him when I woke him up this morning.

metalsaber

10-21-07, 10:33 AM

Watched it last night and it looked pretty amazing. Some grain was present in the darker scenes, but wasn't terribly bad. There were some pretty amazing shots and some that looked rather soft or oof.

Solid 4 (maybe 4.5) for PQ
Defitely a 4.5 on SQ.

Rutgar

10-21-07, 10:58 AM

Just watched the movie an hour ago.

I've honestly have never heard a movie sound so good in my life. No TrueHD track I have can compare to this DD+ 24bit 1.5mbs track of Transformers. It gave new meaning to a "crystal clear" sound and it really sounded like I was there with all this happening around me. The bass was thunderous with explosions and bots smashing things putting a smile on my face.

I completely agree about the sound. This movie is a prime example that it's the 'mastering', and not the 'audio format' that makes for great sound!

Schils

10-21-07, 11:05 AM

^ Eaxactly ^

I had some friends over last night to watch Transformers and we had a blast, literally! Everyone loved it, this is the best audio mix I've heard to date, simply amazing...the rockets zipping around the room added tons of depth, in particular, the scorpion\desert battle, holy s#!t, the panning\surround effects had some people ducking for cover, especially towards the end of that battle where one rockets sound starts in the right rear surround channel, zips overhead and finishes on the left front (and sub of course :D) as it explodes on target - corresponding with the visual on the tv, it was just awesome stuff!

Franin

10-21-07, 11:05 AM

I completely agree about the sound. This movie is a prime example that it's the 'mastering', and not the 'audio format' that makes for great sound!

yes 100% agree! Will watch again

RobZ

10-21-07, 11:14 AM

We had some friends and kids over (around 10 of us). Finally got to push the Klipsch THX UII's and Hsu subs. What a great action packed HD flick. Everyone had a blast. My wife's a girlie film person but she wants to watch this again tonight.

Slim GoodBooty

10-21-07, 11:37 AM

Iggster

10-21-07, 11:38 AM

I liked the movie so much I got two copys :) dam dvd pacific I paid for the faster shipping and it didn't get here till friday so I just picked up a copy at target so now I have two copies lol

JeffY

10-21-07, 11:55 AM

rezzy

10-21-07, 12:41 PM

PQ was just OK. There was no noise, lots of clear scenes, the grain didn't bother me, but something was missing. The crispness I see on broadcast HDTV and other movies like 300, Bourne, even the Matrix was not there. It was a nice disc, but if I didn't know better, I would say it was an upconverted DVD.Transformers is one of the best popcorn movies ever, but like I said earlier, their decision on its visual design was a poor one (IMO).

Goatse

10-21-07, 12:51 PM

only thing that bothered me was that the robots were all scratched up and filthy but when they transformed the cars looked perfect. At times I thought the cars looked more CG then the robots.

AV Doogie

10-21-07, 01:37 PM

Slim GoodBooty

10-21-07, 01:38 PM

One of the better transfers out there now.

How would you know? The movie you watched was never on a medium to be transferred from.

yellowcanary73

10-21-07, 01:47 PM

I thought the HD presentation was very good to excellent. One of the better transfers out there now.

I was pleasantly surprised by the entertainment value of this movie (did not see this when in theaters)....I did not expect it to hold my attention for the duration of the movie!

I agree did not see in the theaters was a blind buy but was very pleased with PQ 4/5 SQ 4/5 the movie did keep my attention all the way thru which is hard for me to do.:)

AV Doogie

10-21-07, 01:50 PM

How would you know? The movie you watched was never on a medium to be transferred from.

Excellent video quality, clean with no noticeable edge enhancement....so does that mean the video quality of the consumer HD material is worse than the film version?

SOLDIER

10-21-07, 02:12 PM

wormraper

10-21-07, 02:13 PM

I own both a PS3 and Xbox 360, but I have no intentions of shelling out an extra $200 for an HD-DVD player. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there's a noticeable visual difference with watching Transformers on HD-DVD on a 1080p set versus watching it on DVD on the PS3, with 1080p settings set to full?

I'm really upset this movie isn't available on Blu Ray (any word if that could change in the future?), so I want to be absolutely sure if the difference from DVD and HD-DVD is really major for this movie.

HUUUUUGE diff in my opinion. an upscaled version of Transformers doesn't even compare to the HD DVD version in both PQ and AQ You can't change the output of 720x480 and expect to see the level of detail of a native 1920x1080 source. And I should know, I have both DVD and HD DVD.

well, the only way it would change in the future is if Paramount decided to support Blu Ray again someday.

obie_fl

10-21-07, 02:14 PM

Soldier - Take a nice Blu-ray movie and compare it to the standard DVD version on your PS3 and you will have your answer.

Franin

10-21-07, 02:17 PM

I own both a PS3 and Xbox 360, but I have no intentions of shelling out an extra $200 for an HD-DVD player. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there's a noticeable visual difference with watching Transformers on HD-DVD on a 1080p set versus watching it on DVD on the PS3, with 1080p settings set to full?

I'm really upset this movie isn't available on Blu Ray (any word if that could change in the future?), so I want to be absolutely sure if the difference from DVD and HD-DVD is really major for this movie.

big difference! You can't beat raw 1080p.Mind you some upscalers are good, but there is no way you can beat native 1080p.why not buy a player and enjoy hd at it's best!

metalsaber

10-21-07, 07:52 PM

Where is there is grain it was delibarate , done digitally.

So they digitally added grain into some dark scenes but not others? Seems like bad editing to me. If you are going to add grain to dark scenes, do it for all not just some.

RocShemp

10-21-07, 08:23 PM

Rutgar

10-21-07, 10:41 PM

It was deliberate in the sense that the f-Stops chosen for particular scene were so chosen because they would make grain more visible when the film was exposed. As far as I know, no grain was added digitally in post.

Aperture (f-stop) size doesn't add grain. Film speed does. Aperture size controls 'depth of field'.

RocShemp

10-22-07, 12:20 AM

Sorry, Rutgar. I'd been ages since I took photography. :o

TomsHT

10-22-07, 09:59 AM

I took the opportunity this weekend to invite some neighbors over the house to watch the movie. Everyone was extremley impressed with the movie and HD DVD. This is definitely a great movie to demo your HT room and equipment.

Linux23

10-22-07, 10:30 AM

LOL. I watched the movie twice since it came out. Showed it Saturday night with my dad and brother and this movie rocked. My sub had a nice workout I must say. :)

delrmx01

10-22-07, 12:01 PM

Yes. If a re-released-director's-cut-extended-version-give-me-more-of-your hard-earned-money release comes out with TrueHD or PCM, you're telling me that it would be the same as DD+??? I guess it would since DD+ already got the highest score.

No, it wouldn't be the same. However, the review was based on DD+ and not having the notion of a re-release--- and I don't get what's wrong with DD+ getting great remarks?

Head Shot

10-22-07, 03:16 PM

In any case, not buying Transformers on HD DVD merely because it doesn't have Lossless is like kicking Jessica Alba out of bed because she farted.

"ladies don't fart":D

eapleitez

10-22-07, 03:42 PM

roma_victor

10-22-07, 05:22 PM

We saw this over the weekend; IMO the PQ is reference quality.
Hard for me to judge the AQ as we had to turn the volume down (sleeping toddler in next room)

I have mixed feelings w/r to the movie itself.
The fx and the action sequences were fantastic, but I felt the set-up (after the initial action scene in the desert) was overlong and could have been trimmed.

Spoiler alert: skip the rest of this post if you don't want to know a plot point

One thing that really bothered me as a long time Transformers fan - Optimus has always been protrayed as the baddest/most powerful Transformer of them all, but in this movie he seems to get thrown around by Megatron like a ragdoll.

In the climatic scene, he tells Shia's character that if he can't stop Megatron that Shia will have to merge the all-spark with his own spark, and then proceeds to just get pummeled by Megatron; he then begs Shia to shove the all-spark in him, basically conceding that he can't beat Megatron.

And how does a TEENAGER and not Optimus defeat Megatron in the finale?

Where's the kick-ass/take name Optimus that, in the anime movie, took out the entire Decepticon invasion force AND defeat Megatron single handedly (before getting killed)?

Am I the only one bothered by this 'neutering' of Optimus?

5thDanMaster

10-22-07, 05:41 PM

I said it. :D

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=NEWS_VIEW_POPUP_TYPE&newsId=20071022006461&ndmHsc=v2*A1190458800000*B1193110060000*DgroupByDate*J2*L1*N 1000837*Zhd%20dvd&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view_popup

DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures’ Megahit TRANSFORMERS Invades Stores to Become This Year’s Top-Selling DVD and the Best-Selling High Definition Title Day One and Week One for Either Format
From Director Michael Bay and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, In Association With Hasbro, Record-Setting DVD and HD DVD Sales Underscore TRANSFORMERS’ Status As Franchise Of Inter-Galactic Proportions

Transformers Invades Stores to Become the Year's Top-Selling DVD and Best Selling High Definition Title Day One and Week One for Either Format (Photo: Business Wire) HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The blockbuster hit from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, TRANSFORMERS, is the year’s top-selling week one DVD with North American sales reaching 8.3 million units since the title’s debut on October 16, it was announced today by Paramount Home Entertainment. The biggest original film of the year from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is also the best-selling DVD day one for the year with over 4.5 million units sold on Tuesday. Additionally, the smash hit has exploded into the high definition market, selling over 100,000 HD DVDs its first day of release, rocketing past previous releases to become the best-selling day one high definition title on either format since their inceptions. TRANSFORMERS has sold over 190,000 HD DVDs in its first week making it the fastest and best-selling week one release on either high definition format as well as the best selling HD DVD ever. The TRANSFORMERS DVD is also the top-selling October DVD release in the history of the home entertainment industry.

“The performance of the TRANSFORMERS DVD and HD DVD has demonstrated the phenomenal success of this global franchise,” said Kelley Avery, president, Worldwide Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures. “We’re happy to be kicking off the fourth quarter with a title that clearly shows home entertainment releases are still an event that drives consumers into stores—which is a win for both content providers and retailers.” Earning over $700 million at the global box office, the live-action feature film TRANSFORMERS is the latest success in a worldwide franchise that has emerged as one of the most successful properties in action figure history, spawning numerous television series and comic books and a wealth of toys, games and other licensed merchandise. In 2007, TRANSFORMERS has become one of the hottest properties for boys in a variety of categories, including toys, publishing, video games, apparel and back-to-school. Hasbro’s licensing arm, HPG, has signed more than 250 licensees in 70 countries around the world.

The first live-action film based on the enduringly popular “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE”, TRANSFORMERS features the ultimate battle between good and evil, as the peace-loving AUTOBOTS seek to protect humanity from the evil forces of the DECEPTICONS. The TRANSFORMERS Special Edition two-disc DVD and HD DVD sets provide an incredible experience with an arsenal of bonus material that delivers excitement and fun for long-time fans, as well as for viewers who are new to the TRANSFORMERS universe. Further, the HD DVD includes a host of highly advanced web-enabled features that will continue to roll-out through the rest of the year :D

I guess all of those BD buy days, and the "It will not do well because it is HD DVD exclusive" talk didn't damper the movie's prowess.;)

iceperson

10-22-07, 05:44 PM

shadowrage

10-22-07, 05:53 PM

One thing that really bothered me as a long time Transformers fan - Optimus has always been protrayed as the baddest/most powerful Transformer of them all, but in this movie he seems to get thrown around by Megatron like a ragdoll.

And how does a TEENAGER and not Optimus defeat Megatron in the finale?

Megatron has always beat down Optimus. Until optimus get some sort of upgrade.

The tennager doesn't defeat Megatron. The allspark is pure power so all it will do is make Megatron bigger and badder.

roma_victor

10-22-07, 05:58 PM

I suggest you never watch the cartoon movie.

Spoiler: Prime dies in the first 10 minutes.

I actually have seen the cartoon movie (it's the anime movie I referred to in my post)

Spoiler alert: In the cartoon/anime movie, Prime single handedly takes out the entire Decepticon invasion force AND defeats Megatron before dying; in this movie, however, he's thrown around like a ragdoll by Megatron and begs Shia to destroy the all-spark because he can't stop Megatron...WTF?

HDTVFAN0001

10-22-07, 06:48 PM

All I know is this is the most kick-butt movie I've seen in a long time, and on HD DVD, it's picture quality and sound are reference. Even the wifey loved it and said it was incredible.

I'm also happy to see 190,000 copies sold in just the 1st week so far, as this will clearly blow out any of the Blu Ray boys showing them that HD DVD is not only doing very well - but it will become bigger than any Blu Ray title in history. Take that Sony!

JonProphet

10-22-07, 06:57 PM

Ok, lets face it for us semi-fan boys to the total geeked out fanboys the movie was a disapointment. I was telling people this was great sci-fi robot movie, but it sure as sh*t was not Transformers. Sure they used the same names and after the 4th time through I did finally notice that Prime did have his shield over his mouth when he ripped the head off the one Decepticon.

As far as Prime being pussed out, yeah he was a little bit. I mean he did pretty much destroy the one Decepticon I previously mentioned. He and Megatron are supposed to be equals and Megatron was a bad @ss. What's a battle when the good guys are all powerfull and do still win in the end?

Micheal Bay has no style. Someone already made an excellent point in the fact they were shocked that Spielberg hired Bay to do this movie. Of course it was going to be a hit. That's like saying Spiderman and Superman movies are going to flop. Hand someone a sure thing win and expect them not to is foolish.

As far as the HD movie. I found what setting I was missing. I had the dialog enhancement turned on. Turned it off and presto, full fledge MPCM in full glory. But once again, Michael Bay can't mix sound for sh*t and when it comes time for rumbling bass, its disapointingly absent. He saves the bass for scenes that don't need it. Tank falling hitting the ground, a small rumble..... slow-mo pan on Shia's face BOOM BOOM RUMBLE RUMBLE!!!!!!!!

Audio and Video are definately reference material, but, like I previously stated, I'll wait for Hollywood to come out with a movie that is properly mixed. I'm getting tired of Hollywood blockbusters being all about fluff. If this movie would have been a little truer to the canon, I would have seen it more times in the Theatre, in fact I wasted my money at the theatre the one time I saw it. I should have just purchased the HD and been done with it.

-JD-

tkbryant

10-22-07, 07:03 PM

HDTVFAN0001

10-22-07, 07:07 PM

Ok, lets face it for us semi-fan boys to the total geeked out fanboys the movie was a disapointment. Micheal Bay has no style.

-JD-
You're certainly entitled to your opinion - it just happens to differ from the other millions of people who saw the movie. :cool::eek::D

Let's see....8 Million regular DVD's sold in a week, and 200,000 DVD's (both records) in the same first week - yeah...I guess no one else liked it allright.... :rolleyes::rolleyes:

This almost sounds like the post of a disgruntled Blu Ray fanboy who is trying to discredit an obvious huge winner (and not doing a good job of it).

Steeb

10-22-07, 07:28 PM

For those trying (and failing) to hide their spoilers, I'd suggest using the forum's spoiler tags. It works the same way as quotes, but you use the word "spoiler" instead. Simply changing the color of the text doesn't work because the forum has more than one color scheme.

[.spoiler]Stuff you're trying to hide.[/.spoiler]

Remove the "dots" from the above example and you're set. Here endeth the lesson.

JonProphet

10-22-07, 07:30 PM

You're certainly entitled to your opinion - it just happens to differ from the other millions of people who saw the movie. :cool::eek::D

First, where do I say I didn't like the movie. I was disapointed with a lot of the story. You'll have to go back to read what I started out my opinion with. I said semi-fan boys and fanboys were disapointed. I'll have to point you to the bonus disc where Mr. Bay even said that the true fanboys were ready to lynch him for what he was doing to "their" movie. Second, where do I question the format? I'm an HD fanboy big time. No BR here. I demo my stuff as often as I can. I talk people into HD as much as I can as well.

Yeah, my $10 for a one time showing is important to me (my theatre $10 is worth more to me than the $30 I spend at the B&M). My $30 however, can be seen as many times as I like, paused so i can take a piss, rewound so I can go back and find something I missed. I get more enjoyment from my $30 as opposed to my $10 for an at home copy. I go to the theater to get the experience in the truest sense. Most of the time I may miss things in the theatre. If the movie is worth it, I'll go back to catch things I missed. Transformers definately was not worth it. 300 on the other hand was. The experience I got from 300 in the theatre will be one that I will remember for a long time. It was well worth spending $20 or $30 to see it multiple times, but I'll admit i didn't because of newborns. I was lucky to see it one time.

For Transformers I spent most of my time grumbling about how bad they were hacking up the Transformer Universe. If a movie is worth watching, I'll spend $20-$30 for seeing a movie 2 or 3 times. Lets face it, our home theatres pale in comparison to what a GOOD movie theatre can do. These movies are made to be presented in the theater not our homes. Our HT's are just an after thought.

If you guys get a chance and find a Rave Theater in your neighborhood or in a place your visiting, find a good movie to watch in one. The "Rave" almost single handedly ended other theatre fanchises in my town. They brought 18 screens in one place, with multiple showings of all blockbusters and you quickly found the only place you could watch a movie was at the "Rave".

If you must ask, DLP projectors (and a few 35mm) DTS sound and stadium seating with VERY comfortable seats. I take pride in "my" hometown theater.

For now, 300 and Tranformers (I don't have Kong) are 2 discs that I'll show to visitors for reference material.

-JD-

iceperson

10-22-07, 07:35 PM

HDTVFAN0001

10-22-07, 09:47 PM

First, where do I say I didn't like the movie. I was disapointed with a lot of the story. You'll have to go back to read what I started out my opinion with. I said semi-fan boys and fanboys were disapointed.

If you must ask, DLP projectors (and a few 35mm) DTS sound and stadium seating with VERY comfortable seats. I take pride in "my" hometown theater.

For now, 300 and Tranformers (I don't have Kong) are 2 discs that I'll show to visitors for reference material.

-JD-
I stand corrected - your first post appeared to be chastising the movie and its fans. I re-read your post and still got a bit of that impression, but your further clarification helped straighten out what you were saying.

By the way, Transformers looked and sounded incredible at home in the dedicated HT with my high-end DLP projector, 106" screen, along with 7.1 surround speaker setup and the magic reclining chairs with cupholders.

Between Transformers, Kong, and the Matrix Lobby scene, I can blow away any visitor in 10 minutes with demos. With potential of 500,000 in HD DVD sales by XMAS, plus another 10 million or so in SD DVD, I suspect Michael Bay is laughing all the way to the bank about his original comments about Blu Ray. I'm sure he doesn't even care about BD anymore. :D

TomsHT

10-23-07, 09:34 AM

One of the articles I read this morning stated 20% (40k) of the people that purchased the Transformers HD DVD have used it to connect online. I think that a fantastic start considering its the first week and a new technology.

To those that havent, I would suggest it, there some great features, extras and interactivity that me and the kids are having a ball with and we still havent seen everything.

RocShemp

10-23-07, 10:16 AM

I finally got my set yesterday and just finished watching disc two (love the easteregg relating to the X-Bot). Both discs played flawlessly and the feature is definitely demo worthy.

The only bad thing I noticed about the transfer was some minute ringing that showed up in parts (most obvious when the Ospreys are landing in Qatar and just before Scorponok knocks down the antenna array).

Bud-man

10-23-07, 10:32 AM

I saw this movie 1 week before the release as screener showing, it was in the IMAX theater room, the sound totally blew me away as they must have some serious sub's to make your seat's shake that hard...my 10" yamaha sub surely doesn't! :)

One thing i noticed was during the panning of the park scene when he drives the camaro with his buddy there is considerable motin blur, is it due to not having 1080p 24fps or is it just how the film was shot?

Another question about subwoofers, why is the otherside of my house shake more than in front of the sub?

Instead of the sub being next to screen in front where is is good placement?

RocShemp

10-23-07, 08:14 PM

One thing i noticed was during the panning of the park scene when he drives the camaro with his buddy there is considerable motin blur, is it due to not having 1080p 24fps or is it just how the film was shot?

As far as I know, when 1080p24 is converted to 1080p60 you get judder rather than motion blur. So I'm inclined to assume it's how the film was shot rather than any artefact caused by watching the movie in 1080p60.

Here's an interesting article on the subject by Joshua Zyber:

High-Def FAQ: What's the Big Deal About 1080p24?

Commentary by Joshua Zyber

Along with all the advancements that the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats have brought to the area of home theater has also come a lot of confusing new terminology. Back before we could get High Definition content on disc, HD programming came in two different formats via television broadcast, 720p or 1080i, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. 1080i is higher resolution but interlaced, while the lower-resolution 720p offers the benefit of progressive scan. Nowadays, new TVs go all the way up to 1080p, combining the strengths of both prior formats, the highest resolution plus progressive scan. Catering directly to the latest technology are both HD DVD and Blu-ray, each predominantly offering content encoded in 1080p resolution.

But it doesn't end there. 1080p itself can be broken into two distinct formats. What we normally refer to as "1080p" could also be called 1080p60, and now there is also a variation called 1080p24. The final digits refer to the frame rate at which each runs. Several Blu-ray players offer 1080p24 video output over HDMI in addition to the usual 1080p60, and just recently Toshiba added 1080p24 output to their HD-XA2 and HD-A20 HD DVD player models as well. So what's the big deal? How does each work and is there really a visible difference between them? To explain, we must first understand the way that movies are adapted to video.

Theatrical motion pictures are usually shot on 35mm film, running at a speed of 24 frames per second (even those movies shot on other media use the 24 fps speed for theatrical compatibility). When projected back at the same rate, the image maintains a natural-looking representation of motion. People on screen walk and talk normally, without any 'Keystone Cops'-style sped up movement, unless done intentionally for effect. In contrast to this, NTSC video runs at a rate of 60 interlaced fields per second ( 59.94 to be more precise). For the sake of consistency, North American HDTVs continue to use a 60 Hz rate, though models with progressive scan will display 60 whole frames each second rather than interlaced fields. Television broadcasts are still transmitted at 60 Hz, and High Definition disc players of both formats also primarily output their video at that rate, either in fields or frames depending on which resolution output you choose.

Similar to what happens with film projection, video material specifically shot at 60 Hz (the evening news, for example) and then played back on TV at that same rate will look perfectly natural. The key to fluid motion is that the original capture speed must match the display playback speed. Unfortunately, we run into an obvious conflict when transferring 24 fps movies to 60 Hz video. If you were to simply speed up the picture to match the faster frame rate, you'd wind up with very distracting visual and audible changes to the movie, everything moving too fast and the soundtrack raised in pitch as it is also sped up to match. Clearly, that's not an acceptable solution.

To get around this, a process called "3:2 pulldown" was developed, in which the original 24 fps film frames are multiplied into an alternating pattern of 3s and 2s. The first frame is displayed 3 times, the second frame twice, the third frame 3 times, and so forth in series. This repetitive sequence effectively stretches 4 film frames into 10 video frames, allowing the original 24 fps content to play at the faster 60 Hz rate without appearing sped up. For a more detailed technical explanation of the process with visual illustrations, I recommend reading through articles at Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity and Wikipedia.

The downside to 3:2 pulldown is that it can leave the picture with an artifact called judder, where the repeated frames cause what should be smooth fluid motion to look slightly jerky. The problem is usually extremely subtle, and most viewers raised watching 60 Hz television have probably never noticed it. In fact, even when deliberately looking for it, judder can be difficult to see except during slow, steady camera movements. The opening credits sequence to the movie ' Sahara' provides a good example as the camera slowly tracks from object to object in the room. Nonetheless, for the most part it hasn't been an issue of much concern to most viewers.

We home theater fans can be nit-picky perfectionists, though. For those who demand nothing short of flawless video performance, what's to be done? The solution is to restore the movie to its original 24 Hz playback speed. In the Standard-Def DVD world, this normally requires an expensive external video processor to employ a function called "reverse telecine" that removes the extraneous frames from the video. Things are a little bit easier on Blu-ray and HD DVD, fortunately. The majority of movies on both High Definition disc formats are natively encoded as 1080p24 video frames. For their standard 60 Hz video output, the disc players themselves employ 3:2 pulldown by multiplying some frames 3 times and others twice. However, certain players also offer a raw 1080p24 output setting that bypasses the 3:2 pulldown step and transmits the video over HDMI at its 24 Hz encoding rate (technically 23.97, but the difference is indistinguishable from the original 24 fps film speed).

In order to get this to work, the signal must be transmitted to a compatible television that can properly sync with the 24 Hz frame rate, or convert it to an even multiple such as 48 Hz, 72 Hz, 96 Hz, or 120 Hz. Most HDTVs will not accept a 1080p24 input signal at all, and even among those that will, some simply convert the signal back to 60 Hz by applying their own 3:2 pulldown and re-introducing the judder. In other words, even if you can get the 1080p24 output of the disc player to work, your TV may still not be able to benefit from any improvement it promises.

In a best case scenario, when a player that offers 1080p24 output transmits the signal over HDMI to an HDTV that can accept and sync with the signal, the improvement over standard 1080p60 will still be very subtle. You may have to strain to find it, or do comparison tests of certain movie scenes at both frame rates. If you don't have equipment that will support 1080p24 video and you've gone this far in your life without ever noticing 3:2 pulldown judder, this may one of those things better not to worry too much about.

1080p24 output is only beneficial to content originally photographed at 24 frames per second. Any material shot at a different frame rate, such as most video bonus features found on HD DVDs and Blu-rays, will look very poor if converted to 24 Hz, so be prepared to change the player back to one of the standard 60 Hz resolutions if the player doesn't offer a "Native" mode that will do that for you automatically.

It should also be noted that the 24 fps photographic speed is a fairly slow capture rate that has its own inherent jerkiness in many situations that will not go away with 1080p24 output. The best you can do is eliminate the specific 3:2 pulldown judder, restoring the picture back to whatever level of jerkiness is present in the source. That said, 1080p24 should provide generally smoother motion that sensitive viewers will find a welcome benefit, and it brings a video image one step closer to recreating the original photography.

I'm going to check the scene now as I don't remember the motion blur and I'm curious to see it.

btstarke

10-24-07, 12:20 AM

Just got done watching the film. Had no playback problems what so ever just got a message at the begining saying I couldn't access the extras since I haven't updated my ad on drive. I must say the PQ was great but the audio was very weak for such a big release very dissapointed there.

Nics1246

10-27-07, 09:03 PM

I'm just wondering, is it a proven fact that Paramount lied about the amount of copies sold? Or is it just Blu fanboys that are putting a spin on things as usual? And if it is true, then how many actually sold the first week?

hAPPY1977

10-28-07, 10:56 PM

I saw this movie twice in the theaters and every single scene that had grain in the theaters has grain in the HD DVD just the way it is. Especially lots of the night scenes.

We're talking 2 different things. You went to a regular theater, I went to an IMAX theater. And what I said is not based on which format I liked better. I would have complained how grainy those night scenes were considering IMAX is way many times bigger compared to regular theaters for it would have made those grains blown up in proportions. If ever there were grains, which should be normal, they weren't noticeable, the grains on the disc were just different, they were too obvious.

Nics1246

10-29-07, 08:14 PM

Can anyone answer my question in my last post?

dbacksfan51

10-29-07, 10:09 PM

Finally got to watch this on HDDVD, and boy was the LFE sad. Even my wife was asking where the bass was. It almost felt like it was muted. I'm running a SVS PB13 Ultra, so it should have been better. I threw in the Matrix, and the bass came back. Hopefully they will fix this with a future release. At least the picture quality was very good

sigmaace01

11-10-07, 12:10 PM

I read a lot of this thread, thanks for the posts. I hope you guys may help. I'm rewatching the movie on my new A2...I love the PQ & movie, overall. I have a question about "grainy" looking scenes. Some specific occurrences are right before Air Force 1 is shown, there are military logistics men in a dark & blueish room. Well lit scenes and even many dark scenes look great, except a few. Is this a PQ issue with my TV or is it the film, or what? I'm viewing on a Samsung 32" LCD LN-S3241D.

Is it safe to say, some scenes in some movies are just going to be grainy?

bangbang

11-10-07, 12:41 PM

I watched transformers last night on my new A2. This was my 3rd hd-dvd to watch behind The Shining and V. I thought the picture was outstanding and the sound was great. I noticed film grain in once scene which seemed intentional similar to movies like Minority Report. No problems with LFE. Watching on ole Pioneer SD533 with dd+ downmixed to dts on a Denon 3802, hsu vtf-2, and paradigm studio speakers.

brian32672

11-10-07, 12:47 PM

Is it safe to say, some scenes in some movies are just going to be grainy?
Yes, it very safe to say that.
I do recall 1 scene in Transformers that had a tad of grain.

On the whole, there should be minimal grain (unless like 300, very intentional).
It is the nature of the beast (film)

So no worries, the tad bit of grain here and there (in most movies) is normal.

For a poor transfer, soft, grain/noise, poor color, etc..
Look at the movies (albeit in Blu-Ray) Dirty Dancing & Robocop.
For HD DVD, look at Cinderella Man & The Perfect Storm (lots of grain in perfect storm)

ncinsguy

11-11-07, 11:06 PM

was it me or did Sam really get on your nerves for the 1st half of the movie? great movie otherwise pq and aq fine with me through my 360 add-on

tpham

11-12-07, 03:14 AM

Got my copy yesterday from Amazon and it sounded pretty good. There're plenty of bass during all action scenes. Transformers foot steps thumbs and choppers flying can be heard with floor-shaken authority bass.

My set up:
A1; Denon AVR-4802; Energy Audissey APS 5+2 & C4.

Cheers,
TP.

Stiletto

11-12-07, 10:30 AM

I have had the fortune of being able to run it on 2 setups so far. The first watch was on my father in laws setup with an A2 and an Onkyo 605. For the first part of the movie, I was wondering if his subwoofer was not turning on! But later in the movie there were parts where the bass was full and sounded good. I went home and read through the threads, so I played it on my system which is an A2 and a Yamaha RXV1000, but I made sure the Dynamic Range Compression garbage was turned off (it was) and it sounded great.

The Blackout scene in the beginning with the explosive waves he fires was slightly disappointing, but I think it was an effect they were going after. They made the LFE very directional in that scene and only impacted when you were *hit* by the wave which only happens once.

Gruson

11-12-07, 10:50 AM

I just watched this last night with my brother. The opening scene is ok but not the best in LFE.

However, the final 30 minute fight in the city has INSANE amounts of bass!

(PW2200 sub and Buttkicker)

It's awesome.

SpecialBlend

11-12-07, 01:29 PM

Amazing PQ. Definately among the top 10 Ive seen. Cant comment on Audio, because the wife was home so I couldnt really test it. Playback was perfect for me on my A1. The movie itself utter crap. This might be my last blind buy purchase. Its sad that the Transforms cartoon movie from so long ago blows it away in every way....well except for the hot chick factor!

umenon

11-14-07, 10:32 PM

I rented this after reading and hearing about it almost daily for the past few weeks. Hey, just noticed this thread alone has over 1000 posts !

I am absolutely stunned at the dismal quality of this film. All the fascinating special effects is wasted on a story line and script that is plainly aimed at adolescent high-school jocks. This is American Pie with robots.

I tried to enjoy the audio-visual effects but it was hard to ignore the lack of substance in the movie.

If the current generation finds the plot intriguing ... its nothing but a sad reflection of the pitiful educational system in our country that inhibits creative thinking.

Folks, forget about the trade deficit, we have an intellectual deficit in our country !

A line from the opening sequence jumps to mind - "already too late" ! It something you might mutter when you crack open the seal of this HD-DVD ! Fortunately, I rented !

donricouga

11-14-07, 10:43 PM

Buttabean

11-14-07, 11:28 PM

I just wanted to add my comments. I watched the whole thing tonight. The PQ was very mixed in my opinion. The day scenes were ultra sharp and look amongst the best I've seen. The night scenes were simply horrible for the most part. Way too much grain. A bit of motion blur in the scene where bumblebee fights that decepticon mustang near the beginning.
The sound was well done. Very clear and dynamic. The bass was lacking a bit. Where is the lossless ??????

I had the same exact problem with noise in dark scenes and lack of bass on my A2. I didn't get a chance to turn off dynamic sound which was on when I tried it. I recently bought a A35 and was totally surprised to see a totally different picture and the bass was unbelievable! Now I know what everyone was raving about. With my two Definitive technology 7000sc (14" powered 1800watt super cubes built in) it was the lowest crisp bass ive ever heard out of a movie! The part when the transformer shoots the ground and jumps over the screaming girl Around 1h56minutes. Seriously was night and day difference between picture and audio, I can't emphasize it enough how much it changed.
I gave the A2 to my dad, i'll see if I can borrow it to test some settings with it.

lotc

11-15-07, 02:19 AM

I enjoyed the movie, although a bit different than original cartoon it was still in enjoyable in terms of PQ and Audio for me. I had watched the movie quite a few times before I even notice that scorpinock came from the back of Blackout...lol

brian32672

11-15-07, 02:46 PM

kyo

11-15-07, 04:44 PM

so when is paramount going to release the rest of the web enabled features?

Franin

11-16-07, 05:34 AM

Xylon

11-17-07, 01:03 AM

I watched this again. This time LOUDER.

Ahhh A/V bliss. This is whats its all bout folks :)

DavidHir

11-17-07, 11:50 AM

I watched this for the first time the other night on my XA2 at 1080/24p on my ISF'd 60" SXRD A3000. Absolutely amazing picture quality; razor sharpness and extreme detail maintaining a very filmlike image. I did notice what appeared to be some hints of edge enhancement in a few scenes, but not distracting really given how slight. This is definitely one of the best HD DVDs/Blu-rays I have ever viewed.

I found the audio level to be quite low via PCM. It sounded "okay" turning up the volume, but something seemed to be missing. I just got my XA2 and need to verify its audio settings as I was getting audio dropout issues with my Pioneer Elite 91 when bitstreaming DD+. My speakers are Infinity Beta and SVS PC+ 20-39 sub.

tbird8450

11-23-07, 12:01 PM

Is anyone else plagued by black crush and ultra-orange skin tones while watching this?

Shadow detail in dark scenes is almost non-existent, and most everyone looks like they bathed in a tub of fake-tan.

I can adjust my settings to improve these issue somewhat, but then everything else I watch is out of calibration.

I'm guessing that the answer is "this is just how the movie is", but if that were the case, why haven't I seen more complaints?

oleus

11-23-07, 12:54 PM

Toe

11-23-07, 01:00 PM

I watched this again. This time LOUDER.

Ahhh A/V bliss. This is whats its all bout folks :)

I watched this on the A35 bitstreamed the DD+ to my Onkyo 885 and it was one of the best audio and video experiences I have had with HD media!:) Watched at -1 from ref and it was insane! Thought the house was going to come down on top of me at points:eek: I was worried to reading all the low bass posts, but those worries went away within the first 10 minutes of the movie;)

cnickersonjr

11-23-07, 04:56 PM

so when is paramount going to release the rest of the web enabled features?

I was about to ask the exact same question!

Also why can't I just log onto my user name I created when I first got the disc?

It only gives me the option to create a new account, and when I do I get an error. Then it takes me back to the main menu.

RocShemp

12-05-07, 02:47 PM

I just saw this posted over at DVDtalk:

From http://www.homemediamagazine.com/index.cfm?sec_id=2&newsid=11663

The winner for Best Audio Quality should surprise some people around these parts (you know who you are).

High-Def Award Winners:

High Def Title of the Year: 300 (Blu-ray), Warner Home Video

Best Live-Action Blu-ray: Casino Royale, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Best Live-Action HD DVD: Hot Fuzz, Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Best Animated: Ratatouille (Blu-ray), Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Best Picture Quality: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Blu-ray), Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Best Audio Quality: Transformers (HD DVD), Paramount Home Entertainment

Best Bonus Feature: 300 (HD DVD), Bluescreen Picture-in-Picture, Warner Home Video

Most Innovative Use of New Technology: HD DVD U-Shop feature (Internet purchase ability), Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Best Long-Form Music Video: Dave Mathews & Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City Music Hall (Blu-ray), Sony BMG

Best Catalog: Kingdom of Heaven: Director’s Cut, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Best Collection/Multidisc Set: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

I felt Transformers was my favorite audio experience in theatres and it is my favorite audio experience on home video (somewhat low gunfire notwithstanding) so it's nice to see it get its due. :)

bosng

01-03-08, 03:06 AM

just watched it and enjoyed it very much. the pq is very high contrast and i remember it being like that in the theater.

bass!!!! i don't know what anyone is complaining about. the sound is tops.

G-star

01-03-08, 09:45 AM

I am absolutely stunned at the dismal quality of this film. All the fascinating special effects is wasted on a story line and script that is plainly aimed at adolescent high-school jocks. This is American Pie with robots.
two words: Michael Bay

great PQ, though.

travis bickle

01-03-08, 10:08 AM

my thoughts exactly. horrible movie, phenominal picture and audio quality. arguably the best looking hd-dvd yet. once the price goes down, i would buy it.

hd#1

01-03-08, 02:08 PM

The movie is awsome everything about the disc is top notch the only down side is the grain and noise in the dark scenes but I guess that is how the film was shot. Cant wait for Transformers 2 to come out

wvasko

01-03-08, 05:29 PM

I purchased Transformers immediately when SD version came out, I viewed it with a 32 inch Sanyo CRT-TV and a Panny DMR-ES25S DVD player/Recorder which has upscaling program. I liked it. Then I upgraded to a Toshiba 42HL167 TV and a Tosh A-35 player, I liked it more. I ordered the HD version this morning even though the SD upscaling with A-35 is fantastic. I want to add HD version to my small but growing HDs (18). Now I know all forums etc are like this, I'm not complaining at all and not knocking anybody. It's just kinda weird. 1 post says no Bass next post says wow all kinds of Bass, 1 post says grainy very grainy, next post says just right amount and on and on and on. If I did not have the SD version I probably would not have ordered the HD version after reading this last page of posts. It's like posts are coming from different dimensions. When I purchased 1st version I knew movie was not going to be a dramatic Oscar winning movie. I was hoping it was going to be a fun type movie to watch and it was. Just my view, I would highly recommend the movie.

khanmotorsport

01-03-08, 08:34 PM

two words: Michael Bay

great PQ, though.

guys i'm gonna have to disagree with you there..its transformers....it HAS to be cheesy and somewhat campy just like the 80's cartoon..otherwise the rest of us diehard fans (who arguably the movie was really aimed at, by Bay's own words), would be dissapointed. I think the movie was a resounding success because i have never grinned for an entire movie nore have I ever had a movie make me feel like a 10 year old kid again (ok fine..a 12 year old with warm fuzzy feelings in my pants for megan fox)

Transformers never has taken itself too seriously and to make it anything else would kinda ruin it. My 2 cents.

And that scene with Scorpinok and the A-10 strike was one of the best action scenes of all time.

Doom4420

01-04-08, 09:45 AM

khanmotorsport

01-04-08, 10:16 AM

I’m 38 and a pretty responsible person for my family and work, but I still know what it is like to be a kid and haven’t forgotten how to be one. Many just can’t do it anymore…

excellent points. i think those who like the movie and those who don't can agree to disagree, but what we can all agree on (unless you're TV's are miscalibrated :D ) is the visually and even audiowise, it's fantastic.

almostgoth

01-04-08, 01:06 PM

I’ve read through this post and listened to some of my friends, and here’s my take. First of all, I loved the movie. That being said, I am a kid at heart. I have an appreciation for all types of music (read: wide variety from pop to hardcore metal) and movies.

There are all kinds of people, and I know plenty, that only like ONE kind of movie, or one type of rock music. I feel sad for them, not being able to appreciate all kinds of variety. I like the deep, more meaningful movies also, but Transformers is not one of those types of movies. And I say who cares? Transformers is a pure popcorn / leave your brain behind thrill ride.

That being said, I though it was great for what they INTENDED it to be. It isn’t out to win Oscars. I feel sad for those that can’t remember what it was like to be a kid and see Transformers cartoons and then today, be amazed by what done with computer animation in this movie. I also thought it was pretty humorous in plenty of places.

I’m 38 and a pretty responsible person for my family and work, but I still know what it is like to be a kid and haven’t forgotten how to be one. Many just can’t do it anymore…

A good movie aimed at kids is one that not only entertains, but doesn't treat you like you're mentally challenged. The transformers is feces between two slices of fine french bread-a sh*t sandwich.

I hate to draw this analogy, but it's like comparing the Original Star wars trilogy with it's newr prequels. Both were argueably aimed at kids, but the originals far outweigh the prequels in terms of well almost everything.

And as for being able to remember what it was like to be a kid-I love watching the Wiggles with my 2 year old, and I still hate Barney.

nakedeye

01-04-08, 01:15 PM

I know I'm not the only one out there that thinks the film is too soft. Best example is right in the begining inside the heilcopter. Look at thier faces. I'ts just soft.

Doom4420

01-04-08, 01:26 PM

It's a hologram...

Digital2004

01-09-08, 03:59 PM

has anyone compared the two ?
i did. verdict: DVD wins !!!!
reminds me much better the PCM 6.1 track from a digital presentation in June 07

has anyone compared the US dvd ?

efjay

01-09-08, 04:06 PM

Louder does not necessarily mean better, volume match the two and then compare.

Blacklac

01-09-08, 04:08 PM

how many threads have I seen now that just because its louder they think its better....

binici

01-09-08, 04:09 PM

how many threads have I seen now that just because its louder they think its better....

Amen.

Digital2004

01-09-08, 04:32 PM

well having heard the digital pcm master which blew off everybody at CINEMAEXPO I can tell the hd dvd is NOT using the same master and encoding level.
the dvd region 3 seems much closer to the original sce. and it has been proven that just raising general volume does not compensate for a lower encoded track. (www.sdinfo.com did a paper on that). besides the more you push an amp the more you reach it's capacity limitation and you raise distorsion and background noise.

Toe

01-09-08, 08:32 PM

I would put this soundtrack in the top 3 on either format that I have heard.

sdurani

01-09-08, 08:39 PM

well having heard the digital pcm master which blew off everybody at CINEMAEXPO I can tell the hd dvd is NOT using the same master and encoding levelYou could tell that even though you were relying on auditory memory for a comparison that was done using two different systems in two different rooms?

Sanjay

Xylon

01-09-08, 08:43 PM

trailergod

01-10-08, 05:35 AM

has anyone compared the two ?
i did. verdict: DVD wins !!!!
reminds me much better the PCM 6.1 track from a digital presentation in June 07

has anyone compared the US dvd ?

:eek:

i find is hard to believe that the audio track on the Transformers DVD is better than the DD plus track @ 1.5mbps...

the DD track on the R3 is at 384kbps... and DD at that bitrate tends to be very BASSY ... this is done to compensate the high and mid frequencies that are removed in order to have a good 5.1 encoding with 384kbps...

Sean_O

01-10-08, 06:57 AM

and it has been proven that just raising general volume does not compensate for a lower encoded track. (www.sdinfo.com did a paper on that).

I have not read the paper you linked, but it would depend entirely on weather the master output at mixdown was simply set to a lower level, or if it were a compressor/limiter responsible for the extra volume.

If the master was put on disc at -6db peak (example) then raising the volume on you pre/pro to compensate +6db should not sound any different than if the master was put to disc at -0.1db.

The only thing that might sound different is if one mix was -6db peak and another was -0.1db peak, but the louder mix did not arrive at a higher peak level by simply raising the master volume at the mixing output stage.. in other words, if a maximizer/peak limiter was used to obtain the extra volume it will introduce all sorts of random changes in volume across various frequencies.

Even if two mixes are -0.1db peak at output, if one is run through a maximizer/limiter you will again get all sorts of louder frequencies at varying times depending on the sonic content of the mix.

I suppose that could be one reason some mixes sound more punchy than others. Simple changes in master volume level (without limiting or compressing) don't really produce audible differences that can't be compensated for by turning the volume back up.

Of course, everyone's different equipment/room,etc. comes into play... OK, this is going nowhere :) Hopefully my point has been made.

Digital2004

01-11-08, 03:34 AM

You could tell that even though you were relying on auditory memory for a comparison that was done using two different systems in two different rooms?

Sanjay

yes and but do be fair in tests, i also have of course the hd dvd.
this not a format critic but just witnessing. same with last samurai hd dvd remember. : the dvd DD 5.1 sounds louder at same receiver volume level.

Digital2004

01-11-08, 03:38 AM

It could be linked also to DD/DTS via optical connections vs HD sound via HDMI.
i often find the simple DD/DTS via optical punchier than via hdmi
an issue of output input voltage perhaps.

a new technology can't be forbidden to be criticized just because it's new or for what other reasons....

maverick0716

01-11-08, 04:02 AM

yes and but do be fair in tests, i also have of course the hd dvd.
this not a format critic but just witnessing. same with last samurai hd dvd remember. : the dvd DD 5.1 sounds louder at same receiver volume level.

Like the other guys said........just because the DVD is louder at the same receiver volume doesn't make it a better audio track. If the HD DVD is quieter.....turn the damn thing up!

Digital2004

01-11-08, 09:05 AM

it's the bass encoded on that dvd.
we'll see when it's released on blu ray now that HDdvd days are counted
if they use the digital theater master (PCM) that is.
i'm in the HT business and we have opportunities to listen to the real diigtal cinema masters.

bgizzle

01-11-08, 01:10 PM

Got it today. Watched it earlier. Thought it was amazing overall, but the dark scenes (especially the ones based in Sams house) were really bad for the most part.

AndreHD

02-01-08, 02:28 AM

lgans316

02-01-08, 02:31 AM

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000881/bio

http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/23/65/12m.jpg

Trade Mark

Intense slow motion shots of characters

Films often feature a US President giving a major speech before a major action is to be committed.

Has the camera moving during most scenes. Very rarely uses static shots.

(2001) His last 3 films all share: a) two male leads at odds with another; b) a cataclysmic event as the narrative's fulcrumic point; c) the film's lead female character has i) been a long-haired brunette, and ii) watched the film's climax from a control room

Actors/characters in his films are almost uniformly shot in tight, emphatic close ups, framed under the hairline and above the chin.

Often uses lightflashes (i.e. lightbulbs and cameraflashes) to enhance scenes.

Often has over-the-top visuals (i.e. key events taking place at sunset or dramatic events taking place behind actors doing routine activities).

Utilizes monotonic but intense musical cues during action-filled car chase scenes. Bad Boys II (2003), The Island (2005)

Movies tend to be divided in two acts. The first one establishes the narrative and introduces the characters, allowing them to bond, usually in humorous and/or romantic ways. The second act is a non-stop action sequence.

Uses shots of aircraft against a setting sun, especially helicopters (Armageddon (1998/I), Pearl Harbor (2001), Transformers (2007)).

Often features a slow-motion shot of an object crashing into, or tumbling towards the camera.

Uses a shot where the camera spins in a circle around characters. (Bad Boys II, Transformers)

AndreHD

02-01-08, 03:37 AM

This movie reminded me of another "big robot" movie that still remains my favorite, Robot Jox! I still like that better than Transformers! I loved that movie so much I got the DVD the first day they released it a couple years ago! But anyway, Bay needed to watch that movie to see how to stage a big climactic battle! The battle between the russian Mech and the U.S. machine was paced just right so your mind had time to process what was going on :)! It had it explosions, missiles, lasers, and spaceships too, but it was paced just right! The battle started in the arena, then outter space, then back down to land, and then the two pilots are slugging it out on foot after both mechs are destroyed :)!

If Bay would have done that battle, there would have been 9000 explosions, the camera would be all over the place, and there would also be 500 other mini-battles going on! The fight would be over in 3 minutes, and it would have felt like a UFC fight! You know that what you saw was brutal, but that was it?! That was quick :)!

There's some other things about Robot Jox that make it better, like the "legendary" Tex Conway, who turns out to be a spy for the Russians! The top US engineer figures it out! Conway is like, hey...how come you wont let me in on that weapons briefing? The engineer pulls a gun on Conway, but Conway hits him upside the head and takes it! He goes, "you know the truth...and the truth is gonna set you free" :D! The engineer is like, how could you do this! You were a loyal confederation soldier! Conway goes, "you're right", and then puts the gun to his own head! Then as you think he's committing suicide...he points the gun back at the engineer and pow! He covers up to make it look like the engineer shot himself because HE was the spy! But the engineer secretly pushed a button so a security camera recorded them :)! So later on the confederation sees the tape by accident and go to arrest Conway and goes "uh, uh...I'll see you HELL..."! Then he...Well, lets just say Tex Conway will have you in stitches!

It just goes to show that you dont need to cram 9000 explosions and fast vehicle shots into a movie to make it great! Get some story in there!

Josh Z

02-01-08, 12:36 PM

AndreHD

02-01-08, 05:17 PM

You've just perfectly encapsulated Michael Bay's cinematic style. If a shot lasts longer than 1 second, he gets fidgety and tells the editor:

"Why is this going so slow can't you make it faster it needs to be faster for f**k's sake I'm falling asleep here it's so damn slow get some movement in there can we put another explosion in there why isn't anything happening make something happen and it needs to be louder too make it louder goddamn this is moving too slow cut if faster cut it faster cut it faster already faster faster faster faster!!!"

LMAO, looking at Transformers, I could see him saying that! There was so much going on all at once in this movie that my head almost exploded from sensory overload :D!

webdev511

02-03-08, 02:33 PM

The wife and I watched through the special features this week. The attention to detail in the transforming & the lighting on the robots that ILM did was OUTSTANDING. Some of the things they pointed out were just so far down in the details I couldn't fathom how much work it took to implement. On the other hand, I can see how if those details weren't included you would have heard a LOT of people commenting on how much more CG the robots looked.

After watching the features, now I really want to watch it all the way through again....and LOUDER. :)

BlueRSX

02-03-08, 02:52 PM

TurboShane

02-03-08, 05:02 PM

Man some of the dark scences looked like SD. The daytime shots where awesome thou.

maingon

02-03-08, 06:01 PM

Man some of the dark scences looked like SD. The daytime shots where awesome thou.

I thought the dark scenes while looked excellent on my 92" screen. Transformers is probably one of the best transfers I have seen.

Herve

02-03-08, 07:22 PM

I think the highlight of the movie is when Dad takes Sam through the Porsche dealer parking lot and bursts his rapidly expanding bubble.:D

Bduffy10

02-03-08, 07:49 PM

Man some of the dark scences looked like SD. The daytime shots where awesome thou.

Can't agree with this...I use this movie to help calibrate my TV on dark scenes...one of the best I've ever seen....all around!

Bduffy10

02-03-08, 07:51 PM

I think the highlight of the movie is when Dad takes Sam through the Porsche dealer parking lot and bursts his rapidly expanding bubble.:D

no doubt...funniest part of the movie (and there are a number of well done humorous scenes)...also the look on Bernie Mac after the cars explode on his lot and he yells out "$4000!!!!"

Milt99

02-09-08, 04:54 PM

The HD DVD looks great...but is it just me, or does it seem like everything is going on at 300 MPH in this movie :)?! The director, Michael Bay? I think I've only seen one of his movies, Armageddon, but I've read that another one he did, Bad Boys II, was similar to this in that there was a million things going on all at once, and at 500 mph :)! Sometimes you need to SLOW THINGS DOWN a bit! He prefers these wild action segments where there's mass explosions, collisions, bullets and missiles flying, and the camera moving all over the place! Wow! Looking at the extras on the DVD, it seems like this is his personality in real life! Lay off the caffeine dude :)!

Optimus Prime vs. Megatron was supposed to be this EPIC battle at the end! With Bay it was like BOOM, BANG, WHAM, BLAM, BLAM!!!! Fights over, seya :)! He needed to SLOW DOWN, and build things up a bit! You know, Megatron and Optimus have to get some conversion in there! Then the fight is supposed to be like up and down, Optimus gets his in, the Megatron, and then the big climactic finish! There was like 30 million explosions per action scene, and I dont think there was fixed camera shot in the entire movie :)! BOOM, BANG, RAT-A-TAT, POW, WHAM!!!!Roll the credits :D!

You've just perfectly encapsulated Michael Bay's cinematic style. If a shot lasts longer than 1 second, he gets fidgety and tells the editor:

"Why is this going so slow can't you make it faster it needs to be faster for f**k's sake I'm falling asleep here it's so damn slow get some movement in there can we put another explosion in there why isn't anything happening make something happen and it needs to be louder too make it louder goddamn this is moving too slow cut if faster cut it faster cut it faster already faster faster faster faster!!!"
BINGO!
The first time through, I knew I was missing a bunch of stuff as the action is so frenetic that it's impossible to keep up with.
The second time through was much better but I need to watch it again.
The problem is like other Bay movies, there's a sufficient number of scenes that are so bad that it makes me hestitant to re-watch and I really don't like to FF through a film.
I think maybe Bay could take a page out of the NFL and have action and non-action directors, like offensive and defensive coordinators.
He could do the action stuff and whenever "real" acting and dialog are required to inject character development someone else, like Ridley Scott, could write and direct those parts.
In every one of his movies I've watched, I find the non-action scenes to be corny, immature, trite and tedious in the extreme.
In Transformers, the scenes where he's trying to hide the girl from his parents, etc. and some of the lines Turturro is forced to utter are just unbelieveable crap.
Other than that, they're great!