Also, that's a GREAT idea about having the Mythbusters take on MacGyver's creations. I may go suggest it on the Mythbusters message boards...

Please.

Thanks.

"No, Not the bees! No! They're getting into my eyes!! NOOOOO!!!!!"

Mattman, I've done direct comparisons of both transfers of "Departed", "Blood Diamond", and "Superman Returns". Departed and Blood Diamond look better on HD-DVD with less grain, and Superman Returns looks better on BluRay. Also, CG Features look stunning on BluRay. Like I said, just my own observations.

I do find it strange, though, that both formats have not sent him free players. (I believe what Harry says, I actually do find it strange that these companies haven't sent him players.)

This column NEEDS an update. OK, it's sunday, but c'mon!^^

Just playin' with ya. Great breakdown above on HD vs BR, by the way. I love when people actually know the facts.

Jae??? Do you have any information to add? Anything to prove Mr. Lynx wrong? Jae?

Guess not.

Story-wise, yes.. the ongoing debate. I'm a Die Hard G1 fan that actually understood WHY design changes were made. So the movie itself, yes, has flaws. But no different than any other blockbuster that we've enjoyed throughout the years (ID4, Men in Black, Spider-Man, etc.). But the whole In Name Only crap is bullshit. We were given robots that Transform (a beautiful sight mind you). We were given Autobots and Decepticons. We were given Prime and Megatron, along with the others and a couple of new ones. So TINO is a load of crap.

Sorry, back to the DVD.

First off, when you watch the flick, scan through to the end of the credits, let it play out, and you'll get the trailers plus the IRON MAN trailer, which looks fantastic.

The extras are seperated between various headings (Our World, Their War, etc.). Each displaying their own take on the various aspects of the production.

Yes, Bay and Shia give a shout out to AICN and fanboys in general. And I've gotta tip my hat to them, they do it well and respectfully, while still sticking to their guns.

If anything, the DVD really showcases Bay and what he is truly capable of. He's no Kazan and he doesn't think he is. But this DVD truly showcases that yes, this man has talent and vision, and does shit that most other directors can't do. It sounds like I'm a Bay apologist. Hell no. I HATE what he did to Pearl Harbor. I liked the first half of Armeggedon... if that. Bad Boys 2 was kind of lame. The Island was underrated, BUT not nearly as bad as the aforementioned. But hey, Bay WAS the right guy for Transformers.

Steven Spielberg thankfully contributes to the DVD with some intros. He speaks of his love for Transformers because his kids grew up with them. He used to play with them because of that. Fun to see Spielberg talking about something that was clearly out of his generation.

This is probably the BEST DVD collection of extras that take you behind the scenes of how hardcore action is shot. Breathtaking to see these scenes mapped out and then executed. Would be a blast (pun intended) to be on a Bay set. And KUDOS to Bay for sticking to as much real action as he could. Fact is, if it's not a Transformer transforming, it's real. Vehicles flipping. Explosions. Buses being ripped in half. ALL REAL. You don't see too much of that today. But to see how these sequences are shot is truly amazing.

The DVD also showcases Shia throughout. It's clear that Shia is a take no shit kind of actor with charm and humor abound. He's not even afraid to call out Bay.

Also, you'll learn WHY they made those concept design changes. Even the Flames are explained, and I have to say, that decision makes sense. There is a perfectly logical explanation why those flames were needed. Also, the whole VW Bug Bumblebee, or lack there of, controversy. Explained. And I agree 100%. They basically said, yeah, Bumblebee is NOT going to be a VW Bug. It's too Hermie, as Bay said.

So yeah, this is a great DVD. Harry's right, watching this flick on DVD is so much better. I disagree that certain sequences were too busy... if anything, there's more to enjoy... more jaw dropping shit that happens and that's why DVD is the perfect venue for a flick like this.

I just wish the DVD had a fanboy editing tool that allowed us to watch the movie void of John Tuturro's awful performance, 99% of the Sector 7 storyline, 50% of the hacker storylines, and that few minute scene around Sam's house that basically put the Autobots into a sitcom-like atmosphere. Beyond those mishaps, the movie is a kickass ride and a great start to a fresh new franchise.

The PS3 just dropped by 350 bucks in Australia (the 40 gig version). So I guess the $399 version IS coming to the U.S. after all.

Wow, what a brave prediction! Going out on a limb with your hypothesis much, Harry?

One thing I want to make clear that I don't think I've ever pointed out in these forums, is that I do not prefer BluRay because I think HDDVD is the lesser format. The truth is, I don't imagine I'll ever say HD is technically bad in any way - I don't honestly know enough about codecs and HD compression and VC-1 or whatever to say that one sports a superior set of specs. So for me, the comparison between the two formats visually is a non-issue. I think they both **look** spectacular. My issue is the "political" situation between the two. I'm just like everyone else who says they're holding out until there's a clear winner in the war; I don't want to buy one just to see it phased out another year later. I have always intended to base my decision on which format stands the best chance at real longevity (or success.) And to that end, BluRay had it in the bag until HD (rather underhandedly, IMO, but hey, that's big business,) paid Paramount to ditch BD and threw the WHOLE situation into a big, ugly mess.

Quote specs to me all day long, but all I really cared about was this: "Fox, Sony, MGM, and Disney are all Blu-Ray Exclusive. Warners, New Line and Paramount will be issuing titles on both formats. Universal is the only studio not releasing on Blu-Ray at all." That was it. Decision made. With only one studio not onboard for one side, and all the others tipped to the other side, I knew which one I wanted, because it seemed obvious which format could weather the storm. And so I was all set for Blu-Ray. And then Toshiba and Microsoft did what I guess they had to do for HD to survive by sticking their flag in Paramount, but it does NOBODY in the consumer base any favors - HD people would have already seen those Paramount / Dreamworks titles released on their format, while BD people are now SOL.

Like I said, the format war was essentially over. I doubt HDDVD could have thrived much over the holiday season, had things played out the way they were, but Toshiba ensured they would get a second chance. And all that does for us is guarantee we'll be stuck in this stupid format debate for the forseeable future. And TONS of people who were waiting for all the smoke to clear so they could find the last man standing - well, all they got is a lot more smoke.

That's why I still favor Blu-Ray. But OTOH, if something crazy does happen, and all the studios decide to go format-nuetral (yeah, right,) I'll take another look at HD and see if maybe I've been wrong. Hard to imagine, though.

Over 3800 American troops have been killed in Iraq so far. The vast majority of Americans see no need for us to stay in Iraq, let alone continue to lose soldiers. And Congress can't even agree that the armed forces staying there and dying for no good reason needs to end.

Yeah, so... format war. Big deal.