iNetVideo is selling Tranformers on high-def disc for $1. There’s only one catch: It’s on HD-DVD, not Blu-ray. A few years ago, Transformers was the top-selling movie on HD-DVD. Now the format is obsolete, and you can get a fantastic presentation of the blockbuster in a two-disc set for a buck — 97 percent off (plus $2.95 shipping). How quickly things change.

By the way, iNetVideo is selling more than 140 new HD DVDs, many of them for less than $5 (plus the aforementioned shipping). If you’re one of the 17 people who still have and use an HD DVD player (I still have but don’t use mine, which I bought for $29), that’s quite a deal. And don’t stop browsing once you go past $5 on the list. There are deals to be had among multidisc  sets, such as the five-disc The Ultimate Matrix Collection for $29.99 and the three-disc musical documentary That’s Entertainment for $9.99.

Drum Corps International’s foray into electronics is mostly not a disaster, based on the incredible performances by five World Class corps Saturday night at Drum Beauty in Stillwater.

Four of the elite drum and bugle corps — Phantom Regiment of Rockford, Ill., the Cavaliers (pictured) of Rosemont, Ill., the Madison Scouts of Madison, Wis., and the Blue Stars of LaCrosse, Wis. — just used an amplified front-sideline percussion ensemble (xylophones, marimbas, timpani, etc.), with some adding tastefully played electronic keyboards and sound effects. Only one corps, Spirit of Jacksonville, Ala., went all-out techno, with a loud bass guitar, keyboards, vocals and everything overmiked. Spirit’s show was meant to mimic a rock concert, using the music of Kansas, but it sounded like a front ensemble with drum corps accompaniment. Interestingly, the corps that did the least with electronics and amplification, Phantom and the Cavaliers, also did best in the competition, with the Cavies coming in first and Phantom second. Spirit finished last, tied with the Scouts. Based on Saturday’s results, it’s only drum corps’ restraint that is keeping electronics in check. The more the technology is used, the better the chances that it won’t be successful — until a champion-caliber corps puts on the equivalent of a modern, high-quality Broadway show on the field using electronics. (That’s when DCI changes the rules to allow corps to use spotlights and a chorus line.)

DCI’s electronics experiment continues tonight in Mankato at the Thunder of Drums. Unfortunately, two of the World Class corps from Stillwater, Phantom and Spirit, will not be there. The rest of the lineup will be the same as Stillwater, plus Pioneer of Milwaukee. Show starts at 7 p.m.

Attention classical music fans: There’s quite a deal going on CDs for $2.99 each — up to 85 percent off. They’re being sold directly by distributor Naxos Direct on its budget-priced Naxos and Marco Polo labels. Better yet, if you buy five or more, shipping is free. More than 400 titles are available, so that shouldn’t be hard to do. These prices are even better than what’s typically available from liquidator Berkshire Record Outlet (which I adore). Naxos and Marco Polo have winners and clunkers, just like any other music labels, but if you’re worried about the quality of the performances on an interesting-looking title, just check the reviews at Classics Today. Even if you don’t buy CDs anymore, it’s worth getting these and ripping them yourself, because they’re much cheaper than even MP3 downloads. For example, one highly recommended title is Havergal Brian’s Symphony No. 1 (Gothic), which is $2.99 through the sale but almost $18 as a download or as a CD from Amazon. What a deal!

Besides today’s news of the iPhone 3G S’ debut, don’t forget that Apple also has released its 3.0 software update for iPhone and iPod Touch. The update was originally scheduled for today but was actually released Wednesday instead. The update adds features such as a landscape keyboard and the ability to quickly cut, copy and paste. Apple has a rundown of what’s been added. PC World has gone even further with a write-up of 10 hidden features of the 3.0 update, including the abilities to force-quit unresponsive apps and to install an unlimited number of apps.

One thing that hasn’t been widely publicized is that the update is free for the iPhone but costs $9.95 on the iPod Touch. You’ll also need to connect your iPhone or iPod Touch to the computer you use to sync the device.

When some of the world’s top drum and bugle corps roll into Stillwater on Saturday, things will be a little different at the city’s annual Drum Beauty competition. Actually, they’ll sound different. As I wrote last summer, the elite marching-and-music units that make up Drum Corps International are being allowed to use electronics in an expanded role for the first time this year. So besides the amplification that has been allowed for several years, corps can now play electronic instruments live and use prerecorded sound effects and human voice to augment the music-making of their brass and percussion players. It’s a techno-trend that fans of the traditional marching activity jeer and advocates of change applaud.  

It’s not clear yet what we’ll actually hear this weekend, because the show in Stillwater is part of the national kick-off of DCI’s summer music season, which ends with the world championships in Indianapolis in early August. Drum Beauty will be one of the first opportunities that fans have to see and hear the elite world-class corps in a competitive setting. In fact, there was enough confusion during the off-season over how exactly corps could use electronics that a DCI rules committee had to clarify matters.   

We do know that the closest DCI corps to the Twin Cities, the Blue Stars of LaCrosse, Wis., are planning to use electronically reproduced sound effects to complement their show about a World War II-era factory. “Among the sound effects, audience members will hear steam, an air raid siren and the actual radio announcement that played when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941,” according to a DCI preview of their show. Blue Stars alumni who saw the preview told DCI “that they thought the electronic sounds enhanced the show.”

I haven’t heard what, if anything, is in store from the world champion Phantom Regiment (pictured) of Rockford, Ill.; the Cavaliers of Rosemont, Ill.; or Spirit of Jacksonville, Ala. I do know that when the Madison Scouts of Madison, Wis., hired a new caption head for their front-ensemble percussion, an understanding of electronics was specifically cited among his qualifications.

I have to admit that even though I’m a techno-geek, I prefer drum and bugle corps in their traditional, in-your-face, LOUD brass-and-percussion configuration — no electronics. But whatever the results of adding electronic instruments, it will be nearly impossible to keep me from being mesmerized by this amazing display of music and motion.

Besides the DCI world-class corps mentioned above, Drum Beauty will also feature Minnesota Brass Inc. of St. Paul, the Govenaires of St. Peter, the Colt Cadets of Dubuque, Iowa, and the Racine Scouts of Racine, Wis. You can buy tickets for Saturday’s show, which starts at 6 p.m. at Stillwater High School stadium, through the Drum Beauty website. Not only will you see some great shows — electronics or not — but you’ll also be supporting an important nonprofit activity. See you there.

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The Salas clan will be heading to Walt Disney World this summer, as will many Minnesota families, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that there are several worthwhile iPhone/iPod Touch apps for the top Florida attraction. The essential website MouseSavers has put together a list of the best apps for WDW (where I briefly worked while growing up in Orlando). They offer updates on ride waiting times, park hours, restaurant menus and tour guides of the Magic Kingdom — all but one for 99 cents.

Also, be sure to check out my mega-posting from last week that lists readers’ favorite apps for 99 cents or free. I’ll keep updating it as more picks come in — I’ve already added a few — so feel free to bookmark it.

TAKE  THE  TECHNOBABBLE  MP3  CHALLENGE!
Can you tell the difference between MP3s and the original CD?