A Lighter Side...

Last week, I briefly mentioned some of the items on my Transformers HD DVD wishlist, and had asked for reader's input with regards to what you think will make the Transformers HD DVD much more than meets the eye.

In this blogpost, I will be talking about my Transformers HD DVD wishlist with greater elaboration...

First, I would expect that Transformers (2007) be released on a 2-disc HD DVD set.

On Disc One:

The main feature has to be presented in 1080p High-Definition 2.35:1 video with Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 EX and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (lossless) audio tracks.

I would prefer the instant access menus to fade in/out to the familiar animation of transformers transforming. Of course, the menu clicking sound also has to be customisable to feature the sound of Autobots or Decepticons transforming...

A Picture-in-Picture video commentary which contains a variety of scene-specific material not found in the production featurettes and/or making of documentaries. The material can consists of interesting production tidbits, from the cast and crew to the visual FX team, to the CGI team. Enough of the usual introduction to the filmmaking process, over-emphasizing all that pre-viz/storyboards stuff. The emphasis is interesting here not all the 'textbook' stuff that we see on most DVDs.

Scene-specific audio commentaries are also welcomed but they should be considered in addition to the video commentary.

On Disc Two:

All the video material on Disc Two should be presented in high-definition.

I don't mind all the usual filmmaking 'textbook' stuff found in the production featurettes and making of documentaries on disc two.

But preferably, I would like to see more than just how the film is translated and produced for the big screen. I want to see the examination of the phenomena... featurettes related to the Transformers phenomena like transformers toys, cartoons, animated features, avid collectors with Transformers toy/memorabilia collection and how has Transformers changed throughout the years.

In addition to the specific points above, I would also like to see

• Bloopers
• Deleted Scenes (if any)
• Music videos
• Theatrical teasers and trailers and TV spots
• Web-enabled features - Allowing us to access various bonus materials such as a sneak peek of the next Transformers film or downloadable production diaries detailing the sequel's filming progress.

Lastly, the packaging. I do understand the need for the use of red HD DVD cases, but I'm hoping for a more exciting design for this HD DVD release. That's pretty much all for me...

Before I forget, this column 'A Lighter Side' will be back the weekend after July 22. Taking a break from blogging next weekend to finish reading the last Harry Potter book.