Good BR movie to test system?

[The Dali]

Hi everyone.... finally got my bedroom system set up and I want to really test out the system with Blu-ray movie. I tested it last night with SD versions of Gladiator and Lord of the Rings.

Any suggestions of a good BD movie to test out the system? Thanks!

 

[GlocksRock]

There are plenty of them out there, they Toy Story movies are good, as well as The Dark Knight, Avatar, Iron Man 1&2, both Transformers... are you looking more for video or audio demo material?

 

[j_garcia]

War of the worlds is an old stand by. There's an old thread in this forum about best sounding blu-rays, anything in there would work.

 

[The Dali]

Thanks - I'm looking more for audio demo. I heard Master and Commander is a good one?


I'll check the thread as you've mentioned.

 

[markw]

I just got BR myself and have been playing around. This is what I'm finding.

Anything by Pixar for amazing visuals and good audio. Not showy, but nice.

Kick-*** has pretty much everything you asked for.

Phantom of the Opera for great visuals and a showcase of how well your stuff does music.

I'm still experimenting. We have a Blockbuster within a 10 minute walk and they rent for $2.99 for three days.

 

[just-some-guy]

i thought WAR OF THE WORLDS too be great. and that was just SD. i now have the BD and will test it out soon. DTS MASTER AUDIO

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Imo one of the best movie to proper test new HT system would be U-571 (BR) or even the DVD with DTS soundtrack.

 

[Nemo128]

I second Dark Knight and Kick-@$$. U-571 has some serious sound and will certainly put your subs to the test at the very least.

Avatar is a great color test and good audio test. Pixar, period. Saving Private Ryan is great for audio. Black Hawk Down as well.

Most importantly, use stuff you like.

 

[jostenmeat]

Hi everyone.... finally got my bedroom system set up and I want to really test out the system with Blu-ray movie. I tested it last night with SD versions of Gladiator and Lord of the Rings.

Any suggestions of a good BD movie to test out the system? Thanks!

Those are good on DVD, but don't use the BD versions! The original release of Gladiator and LOTR are riddled with DNR. There is now a Gladiator rerelease that is supposedly improved. It blows my mind how many rereleases there are on BD due to pizz poor transfers, I think maybe it was Gangs of New York, The Fifth Element, etc, some talk about another for House of Flying Daggers but I don't think they went through with that one.

If using Iron Man, MAKE SURE TO DEFEAT THE AUTOFLAGGED DRC FROM THE TRUEHD BITSTREAM!

The Dark Knight, well the IMAX sequences are out of this world, but everything else is average to below average with video.

For audio, think about it, CONCERTS! I like my recommendation here, or for more mainstream pop stuff the Dave Matthews concert looks and sounds top notch, even if it's not my favorite music in the world.

 

[just-some-guy]

It blows my mind how many rereleases there are on BD due to pizz poor transfers

is there a place to find out what is what ? i would HATE to open my WotW BD and find out it is a crappy transfer.

 

[jostenmeat]

is there a place to find out what is what ? i would HATE to open my WotW BD and find out it is a crappy transfer.

I run searches at software forums, and look for enthusiast reviews. The best would be controlled comparative screen shots.

OTOH, it's hard to trust online reviews though. I mean I'll get a bit of an idea there, but sometimes they are a bit too forgiving, IMO, I think of The Edge that I rented not so long ago. In fact the bluray.com review was rather praising of the video, but it seemed pretty loaded with DNR when I watched it. I thought it too bad that they would do this to a Mamet film.

 

[j_garcia]

Blu-ray.com , higdefdigest.com are where I generally read reviews. Cross referencing the two will usually give me a good idea of the quality or lack thereof.

All of the Pixar movies are EXCELLENT choices. Ratatouille ,Up and Toy Story 3 all have really impressive audio and are great movies to boot. Kung Fu Panda isn't Pixar but it is great too.

u571 wasn't that impressive on BD. Master & Commander is very good. War of the Worlds wasn't a great movie, but it has some of the most amazing bass I've heard on ANY blu-ray. Dark Knight is great and so is Batman Begins. Surprisingly, Blade Runner's remastered audio is quite excellent as well. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is also one of the best sounding discs I've heard recently. Inception, Iron Man 2, Avatar, Terminator Salvation, Cloverfield, Star Trek

 

[jostenmeat]

You know, The Sound of Music has some of the best video I have ever seen. Maybe even the best, but I've only seen it once. OTOH, I really did expect more with the audio. I am guessing then that we have made more advances with audio than with video, over the decades.

 

[Nestor]

I like to use LOTR Return of the King. Search for Chapter 11.

A good selection of dialogue, dynamics, low-end, and screeching highs.

"The pillar of fire" scene is a good test for holes in a surround set-up. It should make you feel like you are in middle of it.

 

[just-some-guy]

i just watched DEAD MAN RUNNING. had a lot of lfe in it.

 

[skizzerflake]

Kingdom of Heaven is a great demo. The epic battle scenes had immense amounts of detail that are rendered realistically on Blue Ray disk. Some of the interior scenes are also excellent because the Orientalist detail of the interiors. Sounds are rendered really well and, if you're centered in the sound system, they seem to really immerse you in the 12th century. Production values are extremely high. Even the digital snow in a couple scenes is quite good.

 

[Vracer111]

Kung Fu Panda BD anyone? Stellar video with stellar Dolby Digital True HD track... (full range of frequencies, incredibly detailed at all frequencies, and has a nice surround stage)

 

[just-some-guy]

just an FYI

i put my WotW BD in for a little look/listen. the audio is fine. but the PQ is not good, very grainy. had i know this, i would have looked elsewhere for a demo disc.

 

[DTS]

Inception has a lot of good qualities.

 

[ChunkyDark]

Just watched Iron Man 2 and it really rocked! Felt it as much as I heard it.
That new emo sub is just flat out awesome