The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
High Definition:
For this release on Blu-ray Disc, Paramount has produced an entirely new 2.35:1 high bit rate AVC compression optimized for the higher bandwidth afforded by the Blu-ray Disc medium versus what has already been offered on the HD DVD. As I don’t have the original HD DVD or the ability to screen it in my own system, I can’t directly compare the resultant picture of the two versions. However, I can state absolutely that this Blu-ray Disc video encode is about the most transparent-to-the-source that I’ve seen from any 1080p medium, period. The level of fine detail is staggering; the image is completely unfiltered and produces an incredibly natural film-like character with its ultra-fine grain structure and complex textural detail. The action scenes are maze of intersecting details which are designed to overwhelm your visual sense via their intensity, and that effect is preserved perfectly on this Blu-ray Disc. The film image is purposefully manipulated to look hot most of the time with exaggerated white and black dynamic range, which adds a sense of three dimensionality and color saturation that heighten the visual impact beyond traditional linear-shot film techniques. The slightly stylized color palette and dynamic range help to accentuate the film’s high action and energy, and should not be viewed as flaws in this video presentation. There are no hints of compression artifacts or edge halos to be found anywhere, no matter how fast the action or how complex the scene. In this period where more and more 1080p pictures seem to be getting dumbed down to look grain-free and over-smoothed for consumers unfamiliar with the proper look of the film medium, it’s so refreshing to find Paramount embracing a hands-off approach to preserving such an incredible level of natural film detail. Perfection.
Dan writes regarding the image from the HD DVD: “The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in an excellent high definition transfer compressed with the AVC video CODEC. This is a great-looking disc. If all HD DVDs had this level of detail, this illusion of depth, this level of finely grained textures, and this terrific video dynamic range sans white or black crush, I’d be hard pressed to maintain my preference for Blu-ray Disc. My only objection is that the colorist made all the flesh tones entirely too yellow; everyone in almost every shot looks like they’re suffering from jaundice. Other than that, my impression is that this is one of the better transfers I’ve seen in the HD DVD format."
Standard Definition:
The week of September 21 I received a screener copy of the 2-disc DVD collector’s edition, which duplicates the two discs of the original DVD release bundled in transformer-constructed clamshell case. For those of you who already own or have seen the original DVD release and compared it to high definition HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc, you need not concentrate on this portion of the review. However, for those of you on the fence about whether or not the upgrade from the standard definition to high definition is really worth it, you should know that the improvement in quality with the high definition image over this standard definition DVD picture is one of the most dramatic examples of HD superiority that I’ve seen. This is not only due to the excellent encoding of the Blu-ray Disc picture, but sadly also to the almost shockingly sub-par quality of this standard definition DVD picture. And I don’t say that lightly.
I still watch a healthy amount of standard definition DVD content on my 1080p projector, so rest assured that my eyes are quite used to having to navigate the waters between Blu-ray and DVD source material. But the 2.35:1 anamorphic picture of this DVD is noticeably more of a “standard def let down” than other Blu-ray-DVD comparisons on my shelf. What’s wrong? The image is lacking a dramatic level of high frequency detail, has over-compressed backgrounds that crawl with compression artifacting during slow pans, and in addition to some egregious edge haloing, the ringing from over compression in the form of mosquito noise makes every stationary shot look like an over-compressed JPEG web photo.
I’m not sure what to make of the below-average standard definition experience offered up by this DVD; without the challenge of competing with bonus material (which is all moved onto the second disc), I’m not sure why the compression chore seemed so difficult to achieve. But regardless of the reason why, anyone serious about enjoying even a “good” picture quality experience on their large screen HD display should save their pennies and purchase the Blu-ray Disc set no questions asked. Don’t yet have a Blu-ray player? There are already profile 2.0 players available for $299; by this holiday season you’ll probably be able to snag a 2.0 BD-Live enabled player for $199. It’s time to make the move to high definition my friend. You love movies. It’s time you get to watch them the way that they are mean to be seen.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
High Definition Media:
When Paramount made the sudden decision last year to shift its dual-format support to an HD DVD only position, Transformers was the most notable title that got caught as the door slammed just prior to the original planned release on both formats. Given its more limited bandwidth and space, the HD DVD was pushed to its encoding limits yet still had to sacrifice lossless audio due to bandwidth restrictions according to Paramount representatives who were directly asked about the omission of lossless audio on the HD DVD. Thankfully, in addition to newly optimized high bit rate video encoding, Paramount has provided a 24-bit lossless audio track in the form of Dolby TrueHD on this Blu-ray Disc release. The previously reported problem with LFE balance by some listeners to the soundtrack on the HD DVD and DVD release has also been addressed and corrected. For these reasons alone, this Blu-ray Disc release may represent a reason to upgrade for some consumers already in possession of the HD DVD.
To my ears, the lossless Dolby TrueHD track is reference quality in every way but one: its only real flaw is that the robots' dialogue sounds detached from the action scenes and forced into the center channel as if it’s been dubbed in a close-mic recoding session in a foam-padded room and edited right into the mix without regard to the acoustic context of each scene’s environment. This sonic character doesn’t match the more integrated sound of the live actors’ ADR speech, which seems to suit the onscreen environments with appropriate decays and reflections to place them believable into the space envisioned on the screen.
But other than that, this is the demo mix of the decade. The lossless track is powerful, full-frequency, and soothingly natural on the top-end. The musical score is lush and dimensional, and the surround activity is jarringly (satisfyingly) aggressive when it needs to be and appropriately subtle when it needs to be. If you’re looking for a soundtrack that can push the limits of your amps, speakers, and sub, while at the same time maintaining all of the natural fidelity that can make the most of a high-end audio reproduction system, you’ve found your Blu-ray demo disc.
Dan writes regarding the (lossy only) audio of the HD DVD: “The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track is striking in its bombastic envelopment. The surrounds are extremely active with both discrete sounds and pans of jets, helicopters, and flying robots. Deep bass will pummel you during combat sequences and robotic battles; a very fine subwoofer is essential. The sound effects have an impressive dynamic range. The score by Steve Jablonsky is definitely in the Hans Zimmer school of composition; loud, energetic, exciting, it’s an appropriate compliment to the visuals. Despite the sonic fireworks, the dialog remains crystal clear throughout. Expect just a hint of unavoidable harshness that is a product of lossy compression."
DVD Edition:
The 5.1 Dolby Digital Mix is good. But having sampled the lossless Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, it’s not even close. There’s simply no comparison. The Dolby Digital mix has the basic character of the 5.1 TrueHD mix on the Blu-ray in terms of channel-for-channel content, and it’s definitely a good mix by DVD standards. But the lossless encoding on the Blu-ray opens up the soundstage, preserves a layer of low-level detail, resolution, and acoustic reflections that are absent in the lossy-compressed Dolby Digital track on the DVD.
