Charanjit Chana

Transformers was one film I thought was would be absolutely stunning in HD. I was wrong and dissapointed that it wasn't. In fact, it's one of the worst examples. Played on a Blu-ray device, I felt the DVD copy offered similar quality. The biggest noticeable difference is the grain in dark scenes, something friends have said was inevitable, but watch the Dark Knight and you will see how wrong they are. In fact, my MacBook had better output quality than the Transformers Blu-ray disc!

Anyway, this post is about good examples. I have a limited selection of Blu-rays right now, but I'm thinking of signing up for LoveFilm and renting more. Here are my top 3 best examples:

Dark Knight

Excellent film and the detail is just amazing. Batman Begins also looks great, but Dark Knight has a few IMAX scenes that just blow you away when they go full screen.

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Christmas 2008 was a good one. Not many presents changed hands but it was nice to enjoy a lazy day with my family. I received a couple of Blu-ray films, Wall-E and I Am Legend and caught up with a few Sky+'d programs as well as enjoying the various Christmas offerings on the BBC, Dave and Sky Sports!

Come Boxing Day and I was out and about trying to grab a bargain but because of the media's constant bleak outlook on the near future there isn't much to be had.

The only plus point from a pretty drab Boxing Day was Liverpool's victory over Bolton. Another two goals from Robbie Keane at the Anfield Road End and Albert Riera's inventive finish to get things gowing was a great, late, Christmas present for all the Reds around the world. Being top at Christmas was a wonderful feeling and one I haven't enjoyed for 12 years, but I hope it lasts until May because a 19th title would just be something special and would be yet another item that really marks 2009 as a stand out year in my life.

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One thing I've spoken to friends about most when discussing HD is grain. Transformers is an awful example of HD in my opinion. With large portions of the film filmed in low light, grain is evident throughout. I have been assured by both friends and in forums that this is normal. Batman Begins proves otherwise.

The film was glorious. Colours looked amazing and the level of detail was superb. I know that my TV still needs to be fine tuned, so I can only imagine how good things will look once this is done.

I actually purchased the limited edition Batman Begins and Dark Knight combo box and will be watching part the second one later this week. I really can't wait!

I hope so. I recently borrowed a PS3 with the intention of buying it if I was happy with it. I will be paying for it today, so I now officially own a PS3 but I will be using it primarily for Blu-ray playback and upscalling my old DVDs. My multi-region player will be relegated to another room, but that's no bad thing.

I am waiting for 3 Blu-ray discs films to arrive so that I can make full use of it, but from what I've seen the jump from VHS to DVD was far bigger.

I almost gave the PS3 back, but at the price I'm getting it for I wouldn't be able to find a comparable deal in the next 6 months, maybe not even in the next year!

I'll write more about my experiences when I've had more time with it, calibrated my TV and watched more than 3 movies on it!

Why is no one (to my knowledge) developing software that makes HD-DVD or Blu-Ray discs Mac compatible? I've tried the Windows alternatives via boot camp on my MacBook but the amount of time it takes, the lack of support and the general feeling of shame from booting a Mac into Windows is just not enough to make me fork out for the full version of HD playback software that I can't get to work during it's trial period.

I think I'm going to weigh up the practicalities and cost of building a media centre for myself. Oh, and get rid of XP on my MacBook. The 10Gb I'll get back will be much appreciated.

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A lot of friends had already been to seen Iron Man and everyone had only positive things to say. With the trailers, hype and recommendations I couldn't help but get my hopes up! Only Transformers had got me this excited in recent times and I was really looking forward to it.

Iron Man is most certainly a film I would recommend to any comic book fan. I don't remember much about the character from my youth, but on the evidence of this film, it was most certainly a film that deserved to be made.



Rover Downey Jr is an excellent choice for Tony Stark as was the choice for every role, except maybe Pepper Pots, but that's a minor detail and she got better as the film progressed.

The CGI, acting, story and action are all very very good.

There were some wonderful touches, including finger print smudges on the helmet when he wears the completed costume for the first time. It was something that really made it all feel just that much better.

I can't wait for this to come out on DVD, but I'm hoping Blue Ray players will have come down in price by the time it's out.