We're used to
Michael Bay voicing his strong Blu-ray preference, but what is new is that this post wasn't written during the wee hours of the morning. The possibility of posting under the influence aside, Bay -- like many Blu-ray supporters -- is gloating after the
latest dramatic announcement from Warner. Not only does he think that HD DVD will die a slow death, but also states "Blu ray is just better." He then urges his fans to "Have faith people Transformers will come out in Blu-ray one day!" Yeah ok, Michael we get it, but we wonder how you could've left out "You're my boy blue!"
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JustMe @ Jan 5th 2008 8:07PM
It's like pouring salt on wounds.
zargon @ Jan 5th 2008 8:35PM
Bay isn't really a person worth listening too though...
locke6854 @ Jan 6th 2008 11:13AM
well zargon, you're marked down but i agree with ya...
I read his post, and he sounds just like any other fan kid, using blu-ray cliches i've seen even on the engadget forums many times
I hope people can learn to make a good argument for or against something without resorting to hyperbole or cynical laughter.
Kaiser @ Jan 5th 2008 8:07PM
Universal could and might switch but aren't Paramount and Dreamworks contractually obligated to stay HD DVD exclusive for another year and a half? Their library is not insignificant. So could this be something that could prevent Blu from being a complete movie solution for some time?
MI @ Jan 5th 2008 8:23PM
My theory and expectation is that since Paramount received 'promotional considerations' or however they and the HDVD folks worded it, I woudl expect their out is going to be that there isn't anything left to promote, so 'bye'. The decision to accept the payment was certainly short sited, but their lawyers must have a way out of being the last man holding the HDVD bag.
Arapheon @ Jan 9th 2008 5:44AM
It's more than just promotion. Their contract actually states that Paramount can leave HD DVD if Warner goes blu. I don't care what their "official position" is now, Paramount is going blu, and very soon. Remember that just a month ago, Warner "officially" planned on supporting both formats.
SAMe @ Jan 5th 2008 8:08PM
Bring on LOTR already!!
Spiza @ Jan 5th 2008 11:50PM
With extended cut versions finally on one disc!
DeadPlasmaCell @ Jan 5th 2008 8:11PM
Ugh.. is it wrong to feel disgusted to be part of the Blu-ray camp? The Blu-ray fanboys are some of the worst around.. Apple fanboys aren't even this bad..
SimbaDogg @ Jan 5th 2008 9:09PM
xbox fan boys are....
DeadPlasmaCell @ Jan 5th 2008 9:18PM
Eh, I'm going to have to say Nintendo fanboys are.. though Xbox fanboys can be annoying.
ceilingfanboy @ Jan 6th 2008 1:11AM
I don't know that Michael Bay counts as the usual Blu-Ray fan considering he is only so vocal because the movie that HE created and HE wants on Blu-Ray won't be on Blu-Ray until Paramount/Dreamworks starts putting movies out on Blu-Ray again. It almost seems though, that it would be better for Par/Dream to work out a deal with Michael Bay sort of how there is a deal for Steven Spieldberg's movies that would allow Transformers to come out on Blu-Ray just to get him to stop badmouthing the company.
kcmurphy88 @ Jan 5th 2008 8:17PM
I'm sure that this kind of jingoism will help get those HD DVD buyers back into the stores and buying blu-ray.
After all, everyone likes to hear "I told you so, moron" by a pimply-faced 13-year-old who will never get a date.
Jon @ Jan 5th 2008 8:22PM
Since the Transformers was a two-hour-long commercial for GM, will Sony be the official tie-in in his next film? Hey Toshiba, this guy can obviously be bought so send him some fuck-off money.
ceilingfanboy @ Jan 6th 2008 1:12AM
What movie nowadays isn't a commercial for something? Besides, have you watched Heroes? At least the first season was a big commercial for Sony, yet it's only out on HD-DVD.
Arapheon @ Jan 9th 2008 5:48AM
Barricade was a new Mustang, was he not? Snazzy one too as I remember.
netgem21 @ Jan 5th 2008 8:24PM
Blu-ray has already lost the format war. HD DVD had already lost the format war. There is only one winner - downloads. Why would anyone want to get in the car, drive to a store and all the way back to buy some plastic circles? Why do that when you can download them! Not only is downloading cheaper, but due to global warming and all that, Greenpeace and environmentalists are sure to support downloads over physical items.
omoks @ Jan 5th 2008 8:32PM
The future is downloads. No one is doubting that. But the bandwidth to allow speedy downloads of HD content on a mass scale will not be available even in the next 5 years. So there is a lot of money to be made between now and then.
Mike @ Jan 5th 2008 8:58PM
The future of rentals is downloads...some movies I will have to be able to hold.
HP @ Jan 5th 2008 9:23PM
I disagree that bandwidth to allow speedy downloads of HD content on a mass scale will not be available in the next 5 years.
We can already download and stream HD content today. Most people don't realize it's possible or they may not have the equipment that currently offers this functionality. And I agree, not everyone has broadband. Broadband is key, although there has been work done with slow speed connections, involving streaming.
Netflix has already mentioned earlier this week (to the New York Times) they want to offer digital distribution to every internet capable device. This would eventually get rid of those red envelopes.
There are others which are going to offer similiar technologies. Expect Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Universal/NBC, Disney/ABC to be among the players.
ceilingfanboy @ Jan 6th 2008 1:13AM
I still want physical copies of my movies, especially the movies that are a big deal to me. You can't really get collector's items out of a digital download.
Leroy Vargas @ Jan 7th 2008 3:29PM
"We can already download and stream HD content today. Most people don't realize it's possible or they may not have the equipment that currently offers this functionality. [...]"
We might be able to download HD content today, but stream it??? At the currently-mainstream internet speed rates? Certainly for 480p, unlikely for 720p, impossible for 1080p. 1080p content coupled with 5.1 channels of over-sampled HD audio (which is what the HD people are looking for) requires at least 30 Mbps (25 Mbps with MPEG-4/VC1 compression), and only governments (especially the US Defense Dept), big-daddy companies (like Microsoft itself), and big-pork-barrel universities like MIT can afford such outrageous internet speeds. Not even half of the American households can even afford 1 Mbps internet connections, and even those households who own HDTV/BD/HDVD can only afford at most 10 Mbps connections.
Arapheon @ Jan 9th 2008 5:52AM
No, aside from our current bandwidth not being able to hand streaming 1080p content, the larger problem is that the overwhelming majority of consumers want to sit down, pop in a movie and enjoy it. They don't want to worry about internet connectivity, media players, software, and their collective interface with his/her living room.
Just look at how confused average consumers are over this HD DVD/Blu-ray fiasco. And you think they are ready to start streaming HD into their living rooms? HA!!
Us tech geeks will be all over it, but we are the minority.
MI @ Jan 5th 2008 8:26PM
I'm glad I'm not the only person who thought Bay sounded toasted when he posted his original 'no Transformers 2 for me' message.
netgem21 @ Jan 5th 2008 8:43PM
Omoks: I agree, buy surely between now and then, and let's be honest, downloadable/streamable HD is certainly not a Far Cry. This time 3 years ago, even downloading SD was challenging, let alone streaming it. The current format war, in my opinion, is going to last until this 'download' moment, possibly even surpass it. Blu-ray has 3 major studios: Sony, Warner and Fox. HD DVD has 2 major studios: Paramount and Universal. Remember that Paramount and Universal are the biggest of all the studios. They are the top 2 grossing movie studios, infact. That's why the format war is far from over, and with HD DVD's low cost, great quality and brilliant films.
Shawn @ Jan 5th 2008 8:53PM
its definately far off
music is way easier and takes up less bandwith than movies but people still buy cds, hell i've bought cds of bands even after i've downloaded the whole album. physical cds are here to stay. im sure one day digital downloads are gonna be more current eventually but its long ways off.
1. im sure once those high ass internet speeds (if anytime soon) are set up they're gonna cost a shitload of money
2. if you're using dsl/cable it's going to take at least a day to download a high def movie
3. if you dont have unlimited bandwith you're probably gonna be paying out the ass on the internet bill anyway
4. people like physical objects they can say they own, and its much easier to lend a friend your dvd instead of passing a (possibly DRM'd?) file that will probably be like 15-25 gigs at least.
5. plus you'll have to make sure you have a decent computer capableof running it and/or whatever you're going to use to stream/play it on your HDTV
6. not everyone is familiar enough with computers to start downloading their movies like that, or want to use their credit cardonline
James @ Jan 5th 2008 8:56PM
Bay is an uninformed idiot.
DustoMan @ Jan 5th 2008 9:12PM
Exactly, he just following his uninformed elitist friends who brainwashed him at dinner one night.
Erig @ Jan 5th 2008 8:58PM
Why is anyone taking him seriously? Transformers was absolute garbage.
Spiza @ Jan 5th 2008 11:54PM
It was some nice eye candy imo.
Leroy Vargas @ Jan 7th 2008 3:54PM
The Transformers movie is absolute garbage because it was filmed by an American company to the taste of Americans. Flash back 20 years ago: Transformers was originally created as an American attempt on non-Japanese anime; sure I remember watching both 1st and 2nd-generation Transformers animated TV series as a kid and I always believed they were Japanese productions because of their animation style (especially those bug-eyes on human beings, a trademark of both manga and anime), their old-school sound effects, and their huge list of Japanese names on their credits. Even several of the latest iterations of Transformers on Cartoon Network (Armada and Energon most notably) were 100%-Japanese (except for the music and the titles). So why did an American want to make a film based on a product that's almost certainly Japanese today? I bet if a Japanese made the Transformers film, it would've been a different story.
As I write this, I just saw a commercial for a new [American] film based on the 1960's Speed Racer [which everybody knows is Japanese from the very beginning], and it surely sucks. One word of advice to future film producers: LEAVE JAPANESE ICONS TO THE JAPANESE, AND NEVER BOTHER TO BASTARDIZE THEM IN AN ATTEMPT TO PLEASE DOMESTIC CUSTOMERS!
The Tetsujin 28 [Gigantor] film released here in USA by Geneon on DVD was great (and there was no American to bastardize it!) and I can even say that the Initial D film released here one-and-a-half years ago (filmed by an Asian director, not a Japanese but still an Asian) was properly executed even though it slightly deviated from the original manga (imagine how bastardized it would've looked and sounded if it were filmed by an American instead, especially after the shit done by Tokyopop when it replaced the Avex-sourced J-pop music we all love with stupid, not-available-on-CD-nor-download American hip-hop on its US release of the anime. Thank God at least a Taiwanese filmed the movie and not an American!)
Gus @ Jan 5th 2008 9:02PM
Bay has just proved what an ignorant arrogant ass he really is.
rxse7en @ Jan 5th 2008 9:10PM
Erge? This a new word in the Bay-ctionary?
DarkRogue @ Jan 5th 2008 9:11PM
How many times has Bay now changed sides?
SAMe I agree I want LOTR in HD that was a great special effects film and storyline but in HD is icing on the cake. Lots of nature and chivalry and we all know showing off technology or nature are the most gorgeous ways to show off an HD display with those bright and plentiful colors to attract.
omoks you are right I get about 2/3 of my HD content that way. I've never been one for optical storage and prefer my 2.5 TB of storage instead.
ceilingfanboy @ Jan 6th 2008 1:15AM
Not as many as you would think. He only retracted his Blu-Ray ranting once, and only after Dreamworks had a nice chat with him. It didn't take him long, though, to start hooting for Blu-Ray again.
Andy Sullivan @ Jan 5th 2008 9:11PM
Other than more space, seldom used from what I can see, why is blu-ray better?
DustoMan @ Jan 5th 2008 9:17PM
In my opinion it isn't. Blu-Ray was rushed to market and didn't have half the features HD-DVD did until last month. There are three different hardware standards which I'm positive will lead to confused and pissed off customers. Everyone focuses on the size difference and it's a shame.
Spiza @ Jan 5th 2008 11:55PM
Well, space is pretty important to me. You see a few LOTR posts in this thread. The extended cut would not have fit on a 30GB HD DVD disc without sacrifices. It should barely fit on a 50GB BD.
ceilingfanboy @ Jan 6th 2008 1:19AM
I know we all want something to be finalized when it comes out rather than having to worry about upgrading in the future, but a product not being entirely finalized when it comes out can have advantages, too. If the product isn't finalized when it comes out, there is a chance that things that weren't even thought of when the format first came out would be included that would have never been included otherwise. For example, if the lack of PiP had not affected Blu-Ray (no Matrix until they work out Java), it may have never been added to Blu-Ray. Hell, there might even be other features that no one is talking about now that in the end become a part of Blu-Ray.
genaldar @ Jan 6th 2008 6:24PM
Spiza maybe you didn't hear but there are now triple layer hd dvd spec that supports 51gb and should work with all existing players (thanks to mandatory ethernet ports and player updates). Space isn't a factor any more (not that it ever really was, none of my hd dvds are close to 30gbs).
michael @ Jan 5th 2008 9:16PM
i think i speak for all hd dvd owners when i say: fuck michael bay. he wouldn't know a good movie if it bit him on the ass. it's unfortunate that hd dvd lost to a bunch of soul-less pricks with more money than brains but at least hd dvd got some great exclusive titles like children of men and the bourne series. well, let's just hope sony doesn't screw up with blu-ray like all of their other formats. i wonder, what would happen if the $500 million check sony gave warner bounced?
ShadowGod @ Jan 5th 2008 11:06PM
Blu-ray is the inferior format. Michael Bay is an idiot, he knows nothing and his movies suck.
Glenshadow @ Jan 5th 2008 11:25PM
A couple of weeks ago I decided that I am SICK of seeing ANY movie worth watching in standard def. I already own a HD-20A and picked up a Samsung BR player.
Without getting into firmwares, this or that excuse... it is pretty simple for me.
I really can't see how studio's can support a technology such as Blu Ray that has NO SET (read manditory before release or otherwise) standards.
The Blu camp has to worry about the possible (and most likely definite) alienation of their early adopters because of 1.x, 2.x. x.x profiles that may not work with their current equipment.
My experiance with (2) different Blu Ray players that I purchased, along with a handful of others I have laid hands on.. WOW... BUGGY JUNK !!!!!!
No, not a fanboy like Michael Bay or any others.. (based mostly on studio backing for fan-izim)
Spoiled... yes I am. I purchased a brand new Toshiba set 8 months ago and had ZERO PROBLEMS with ANY TITLES until Shrek 3. At that point, I downloaded the current firmware at that time (2.7) and well.. back to the SAME FLAWLESS EXPERIANCE.
All I expect is what my customers expect... it should JUST WORK... especially for the amount of money that the Blu camp is asking for.
Yeah... I realize this post can fuel a ton of Blu vs. Red debates.. however I think I avoid that by asking for a product that simply works and works well. Hell they all output the same HD signal for the most part... why can't we have one that couples the BEST of both ?
Till then... I love the Red camp, however I am going to purchase a Dual Format player here in the next 2 months because I JUST CAN'T TOLERATE STANDARD DEF !
Thanks.. I am off my soap box now.
Peter Jickals @ Jan 5th 2008 11:30PM
Man, I was just thinking when are these studios going to get off the HD DVD bandwagon and switch to Blu-Ray. I got my Blu-Ray player from Sony during the summer just after the price drop to $399. After I bought it, I said time to buy some movies.
Look at the movies I was going to buy on my list and guess which format they're only available in?:
-Clear and Present Danger
-The Kingdom
-Transformers
-Mission Impossible I through III
-Gladiator
-American Beauty
-Braveheart
-Forrest Gump
-The Godfather I and II
-Bourne Identity
-Bourne Supremacy
-Bourne Ultimatum
-Casino
-The Departed
-The Kingdom
-Inside Man
I could go on and on but you get the point...suffice it to say, there aren't many movies in my HD collection and I've stopped buying regular DVDs altogether. (sigh)
MI @ Jan 7th 2008 5:00PM
Patience... My prediction; By the time IRONMAN is released, it will be on Blu-Ray...
stephenbratz2 @ Jan 6th 2008 1:15AM
Where are his rants about how Warner and Fox were bought off?
If they ever make a Barney And Friends movie, Bay should direct it - he has the same childish schoolyard mentality as a 5 year old.
ceilingfanboy @ Jan 6th 2008 1:22AM
Not that the word of companies can always be taken seriously, but Warner has already stated that they did not receive a payoff, which is going to calm all of those uproars a lot better than the "no comment" that you get from Dreamworks/Paramount.
madpear @ Jan 6th 2008 1:57AM
http://digg.com/hardware/HD_DVD_vs_Blu_Ray_Why_nobody_will_win
Mico Solar @ Jan 6th 2008 2:57AM
I don't understand why the studios can't just release their titles on all three formats (DVD, HD DVD, Blue Ray) and let us consumers decide which format prevail. Instead, the way I see it it's being bought out by Blue Ray for exclusive titles.
If both Blue Ray and HD DVD had the same love from all the studios, I bet HD DVD would be outselling Blue Ray by a clear margin due to price and quality.
Now that Big Blue bought off Warner/New Line and probably persuading the rest of the studios for exclusivity and owns MGM, Columbia and Tri-Star pictures themselves; that leaves very little for HD DVD.
Truth Teller @ Jan 6th 2008 10:17AM
*quote* Mico Solar
@ Jan 6th 2008 2:57AM
I don't understand why the studios can't just release their titles on all three formats (DVD, HD DVD, Blue Ray) and let us consumers decide which format prevail.
=========================================================================
Ha! You must be joking.
One of the big points about Blu-ray is to try and return the industry to the large margins they had when DVD began.
The last thing the CE corps wanted was the public having a fair and straight choice because HD DVD offers everything Blu-ray does but at a far lower price.
I'm all for a genuinely free market and ALL the studios going format neutral.
But, if the Blu-ray supporters won't go neutral, then f*ck 'em, keep the situation deeply divided (which it still is even after Warners move) and let the anti-consumer grasping greedy b@stards choke themselves sick on the huge lost opportunities their sheer greed has robbed them of.