Tideland HD-DVD

Well, something in favour of HD-DVD and not Blu-Ray is that the first next-gen disc of Tideland to be released will be the German disc pictured below. Oh the torment! All down to there being a format war, which is all down to the HD-DVD camp so... yeah, back to my typical pro-Blu-Ray ways.

Michael Bay

Please add your comments about Michael Bay on the Fightback. If you don't have an account to post there, let me know and I'll get you one.

I don't think I like Bay at all. For one, his filmmaking is, at best, deeply flawed but, beyond that, he's always issuing frustrating statements, retracting them, revising them, showing all the signs of somebody who doesn't know what he's talking about or, possibly, changes his opinion for money or to curry favour.

Having yesterday whipped up a small publicty storm with his comments about Blu-ray, HD-DVD and Transformers 2, he's now retracted the comments completely. Nikki Finke reported the story but added nothing we couldn't tell from Bay's original statement. Hopefully she'll now get her investigative journalism groove on and find out just what really changed Bay's mind.

Or, to put it another way, did somebody write a cheque, and if so, how big was it?

To somebody with Finke's rolodex it shouldn't take too much digging to find out if Bay was already contracted to Transformer sequels, and what it would have meant for him to pull out, and therefore very possibly reveal his initial threat to be a paper tiger anyway.

Here's Bay's latests statement:

Last night at dinner I was having dinner with three Blu-Ray owners, they were pissed about no Transformers Blu-Ray and I drank the kool aid hook line and sinker. So at 1:30 in the morning I posted - nothing good ever comes out of early am posts mind you - I over reacted. I heard where Paramount is coming from and the future of HD and players that will be close to the $200 mark which is the magic number. I like what I heard.

As a director, I'm all about people seeing films in the best quality possible, and I saw and heard firsthand people upset about a corporate decision.

So today I saw 300 on HD-DVD, it rocks!

So I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!

So, basically, he made an uninformed decision in the first place. No surprises there. Then he posted rashly - "possibly" under some kind of chemical influence. Again, no surprises. Then the world jumped up and down for a bit and HD-DVD got some negative press and, before you know it, Bay's eating his hat and turning 180 degrees. Once more - not really any surprises there either.

I feel quite daft for not predicting all of this yesterday.

Every single statement out of Bay's official site has been an incredible frustration to me. Why is this man one of the most sought after and highly paid film directors in the world? What people think when they hear his name has nothing to do with his individual, specific capabilities or techniques as a filmmaker anyway. What they picture is a big budget action film that emphasises spectacle and excess over anything else. We'd get the same rubbish if somebody decided to bankroll Albert Pyun and surround him with slick technicians too. Bay brings nothing to his films that countless direct-to-DVD hacks wouldn't bring too if they were given the resources and collaborators that Bay has.

But his name means something to people, so he's going to keep getting gigs and big ones too. Adding that brand value is so much more of a concern to studios than getting the best filmmaker for the job. This isn't news, I know, but it is the heart of the Michael Bay problem and after another twelve hours or so of Bay showing his behind, I just had to get it off my chest.

Michael Bay Joins Spielberg In Undermining The Paramount HD-DVD Decision

Something tells me that Transformers is to get a Blu-ray release despite Paramount's recent shirking of the format.

Michael Bay has issued a statement on his forums that he's not going to direct a second Transformers film because "I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!"

Either he's saying that Blu-ray is the best format possible, which I'd go with, or he's pegging both HD-DVD and Blu-ray as equally reasonable options, which I'm cool with too, I suppose.

I don't know how much enthusiasm a non-Bay Transformers 2 would garner in the net fanboy community, but on the other hand, I don't know how much of a draw Bay's name is to the man in the street. Besides, with the same superb support from ILM there's countless directors who could turn in a film of similar quality to the first and even a good handful who could do better.

Surely you have some ideas of who would be a better choice. Suggestions please.

[EDIT: Nikki Finke has written a piece on this too, but has sad no more than this post did in the first place. She doesn't even offer a link to the original Bay comment. But hopefully she'll make it something of a talking point? Can this end up working in Blu-ray's favour?]

I'm Calling For A Grass Roots Effort To Support Blu-Ray

HD-DVD is lingering like a bad smell and it's hurting the next generation of home video. Blu-Ray's dominance is not only inevitable, it's preferable, but the struggle is being dragged out longer and longer and more and more people are investing in HD-DVD technology that is not only currently inferior, it's (relatively) shortly going to be obsolete.

I think we need to engineer a grass roots effort to spread the word about Blu-Ray and drive a nail or two into HD-DVD's coffin. Admittedly, it's going to take a lot more nails than we could provide, but I'm sure every little bit will help.

And please, think twice before investing in any HD-DVD discs. You will regret it.

I wish I could guarantee you that you won't regret shelling out for Blu-Ray, but I can't. The whole generation might be skipped over if this stupid 'war' can't be wrapped up soon.

I've posted an article below that lays the blame for this meaningless war at Microsoft's feet - click upon it to expand it.

For the record, I've got no time for either Microsoft or Sony and their willingness to sell consumers down the river for a quick buck, but it doesn't take too much research to see which of the disc formats trumps the other.

Direct Download Links For Return To The House On Haunted Hill Trailer And Featurette

IGN have the trailer for Return to the House on Haunted Hill. It explains the special treat for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD owners: the film has multiple branching points allowing viewers to change the plot, select who lives and who dies - and even how.

Apparently, there's 96 different combination outcomes.

300palooza

Have you entered the Join the 300 contest yet? Perhaps you'll rush off and do it as soon as you know what you stand to win - a trip to Comic-Con and a Watchmen set visit. Some sites have reported you'll get a part in Watchmen - well, maybe, if being a background artiste counts as having a part. That's irrelevant though: you'll get on the set of Watchmen, the most anticipated genre film of next year. You might even see a naked man covered in blue body paint.

The contest works as a points game, with points earned by taking on a number of challenges. Two finalists will be chosen from those who score 300 points (exactly how isn't clear - names in a Spartan helmet, maybe?) and those will be given a special task to complete during Comic-Con. Winning that will send you to the Watchmen set.

I'm guessing there'll be plenty of extra prizes for the runners-up too.

All of these jolly japes are in aid of promoting 300 on DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. Looking at the various disc specs, it's looking like 300 is going to be one of the first titles to really put a gulf between standard def DVD releases and those for the next-gen formats.

Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will feature all of the standard def set's features but in high def plus Who Were the Spartans, about the cast, and the production podcasts. HD-DVD comes with some exclusives, however: a picture-in-picture comparison between the raw greenscreen footage and final film; the Vengeance and Valor game; the Pick Your Favourite Scenes montage maker.

The sooner Blu-Ray just wins the format war and puts HD-DVD to bed, the better for all of us. That will stop the division of quality and content between releases in the only definite way - by making sure there's only one version in the first place.

Score one for HD-DVD in the meantime, I suppose.

Stand Digg Up At The Gates Of Hell

All current HD-DVDs are encrypted using the same 32 digit code. This code was, until very recently, top secret. And then, it wasn't. It was leaked. It was everywhere... but only for a second. Many pages and sites it appeared on went down rapidly.

Digg was inundated with people spreading this code - though hardly anyone would have the first idea how to go on and implement it. This must have been one of the busiest days in Digg history. So, of course, they came under fire. And here's their statement, making their official stance on the matter clear.

Today was an insane day. And as the founder of Digg, I just wanted to post my thoughts…

In building and shaping the site I’ve always tried to stay as hands on as possible. We’ve always given site moderation (digging/burying) power to the community. Occasionally we step in to remove stories that violate our terms of use (eg. linking to pornography, illegal downloads, racial hate sites, etc.). So today was a difficult day for us. We had to decide whether to remove stories containing a single code based on a cease and desist declaration. We had to make a call, and in our desire to avoid a scenario where Digg would be interrupted or shut down, we decided to comply and remove the stories with the code.

But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.

If we lose, then what the hell, at least we died trying.

Digg on,

Kevin

Now, using this code in anyway to pirate HD-DVDs - that would be wrong. That's my stance. But I can think of plenty of legitimate uses, if pushed. Back up copies would be the most obvious. Being able to rip short sections that then can be used fairly would be another.

I don't have the code, myself. Nor do I have the know-how to use it, anyway.

Are Wal-Mart About To Spoil The Future Of DVD For Everyone?

Blu-Ray is stomping on HD-DVD and, despite my numerous misgivings about Sony, that's the way I wanted it to go. As far as I can determine, Blu-Ray is the better format.

But now, it looks like the fate of our future movie collections rest entirely in the hands of Wal-Mart.

Rumours have spread over the weekend that Wal-Mart have engaged a technology manufacturer to make a next-gen disc player at a cost of only $50 per unit. That gives the thing a very low selling price - maybe even as low as $50, so attractive a loss-leader it would be. I'll stick my neck out and predict a $200 tag.

The question is, however - is this a HD-DVD player or a Blu-Ray player? Hi Def Digest have had a look at the evidence... and come up with nothing truly conclusive. The consensus across the web, however, is that HD is more likely than Blu.

And that should turn the tables on Blu-Ray quite conclusively.

And The Winner Is...

The New York Post agrees with me: it's no longer a case of 'if Blu-Ray wins the format wars' more a case of 'when'.

Here's a mini-case study on how the format war is effecting me. Casino Royale was released on DVD here today. There were two main reasons I didn't buy it - a) I'm going to pick it up on Blu-Ray instead and b) Martin Campbell has confirmed that a second release, with a commentary track, is coming in the future.

Not to mention the fact that it would drop in price by at least 60% in the next four to six months.

Trading Places And Coming To America: DVD Special Editions In June

Two of John Landis' Eddie Murphy comedies are getting special edition DVDs as of June 5. Don't expect director's commentaries, but there will be new interviews and other - as yet undisclosed [EDIT: Disclosed by me below... keep reading] - special features on both Trading Places (hurrah!) and Coming to America (hmmmm).

All three formats will be served up on the same day, which only reminds me how frustrating the ongoing 'Format War' is. Without being tough enough to fork out for a player (yet), I'm pitching my flag in Blu-Ray soil - how about you?

[EDIT: Here are the Coming to America special features:

24:36 PRINCE-IPAL PHOTOGRAPHY - THE COMING TOGETHER OF AMERICA
18:02 FIT FOR AKEEM - THE COSTUMES OF COMING TO AMERICA
12:52 CHARACTER BUILDING - THE MANY FACES OF RICK BAKER
05:35 (A VINTAGE SIT-DOWN WITH EDDIE AND ARSENIO)

And here are the Trading Places ones:

18:01 (INSIDER TRADING - THE MAKING OF TRADING PLACES)
07:56 (TRADING STORIES)
06:29 (DRESSING THE PART)
01:44 (THE DELETED SCENE)
00:05:22:16 (THE TRADE IN TRADING PLACES)]

Universal Are The Ironic Block To A Universal Next-Gen DVD Format

The Digital Bits have printed an impassioned plee to their readers, requesting that they lobby Universal Home Entertainment. The big issue? Universal are now the only major distributor to be releasing titles on HD-DVD titles but not Blu-Ray. The second that Universal support the format, the war is over. Everything will have come up Blu-Ray, and we can all get on with upgrading with impunity.

Don't forget: in Japan and Australia, the market share held by Blu-Ray dwarfs that of HD-DVD. Just another pointer that the end result is inevitable. Why don't we all speed it up?

The Digital Bits even provided a direct link to a form on Universal's website where you can mail the company. Please do so - but do so politely. Maybe copy your comment here so the rest of us can salvage it for inspiration. And if you fancy snail mail action or a wee chat instead, the address and telephone number are below.

Universal Studios Home Video
70 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608
(818) 777-4400

Come on Universal. Don't drag this out unnecessarily.

Children Of Men Double Dip Already Lined Up

The 2-Disc special edition of Children of Men, as discussed here just a few days ago, is due to hit UK shelves on March 19th. That's not even three weeks away.

Is this the quickest double dip ever?

There's almost a half hour of exclusive features on the HD-DVD release, but the hi-def war is far from over, says I, so buy at your peril.

Porn Producer About Face Strikes Blu-Ray Hard

Last year, various adult DVD publishers pledged their support of the Blu-Ray format over HD-DVD. I said, at the time, that this would be enough to win the war for Blu-Ray, to kill their rival dead.

Now, of course, a surprising twist has come along and the porn industry could be just about to deal a death blow to Blu-Ray instead.

Digital Playground, I am told, produce and release a very, very large proportion of America's pornography. They had announced that their titles would be available exclusively on Blu-Ray, but today, they've pulled a u-turn and declared that their titles will be released exclusively on HD-DVD. Apparently, they haven't been able to get any Blu-Ray pressing plants to accept their material, these plants citing Sony licensing policy as their reason for refusal.

If this is true, and Sony is cesnoring the content of Blu-Ray disc, it's a very bad thing indeed - and not necessarily regarding adult titles only, of course.

Sony appear to have made a grave error as porn wins tech wars. While people are still buying the stuff on disc (despite the abundance of porn on the web) then any home entertainment format or disc producer needs to embrace this not-so-niche market or handicap themselves severely.

Forget LG's Dual Format Player - Warners Have Dual Format Discs

The Associated press have the skinny on Warners' potentially peacemaking new invention - video discs that will play on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray players. Apparently, they could also put a standard DVD version of the film on there too, if they wanted to.

Too good to be true? Well, let's see how the discs shape up before final judgment - but this does sound quite incredible. And if it does work, here's hoping that Warners license the format to other studios too.

[EDIT: I very accomplished storyboard artist (who I believe wishes to be anonymous...?) wanted to let me know that, in fact, the standard-def DVD format could not be included on the discs. Well, I understand that he probably has a good source for this info, but Warners themselves tell a different story, as does the spec on their patent application. Maybe it's simply a question of the discs that will actually see the light of day not including the tri-formatting, and simply being HD-DVD and Blu-ray compatible]

Dual Format Hd-DVD/Blu-Ray Player From LG

A press release from LG, quoted at Dark Horizons, may well signal the end of act two, beginning of act three in the grand war of the next-gen video disc formats.

Next week, they'll be demonstrating a dual format HD-DVD/Blu-ray disc player, and within months it will be on the shelves. Does this mean the two formats will come to co-exist on shelves? Or will one now slip discretely away, not with a bang but a whimper?

Things might be about to get nasty for the final battle.