What are you watching tonight?

A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
The Living Daylights (1987) DVD R2
Dolby Stereo digital 5.1 - overhead/below surrounds / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL professional x73 speakers



0:06:46 Bond lands on boat canopy on the overhead surrounds, makes me look upwards.

Chapter 6, the phones ringing around the LCR sounds like a real phone ringing. The "Ghetto-blaster" scene :lol: that makes me laugh.

The recorded ambient outdoor scenes at the safe-house sounds like a traditional British, atmosphere of the countryside.

Its been a few years since I last played The Living Daylights, since I installed THX a few years ago. It had nice sonic clear sharpness with sound effects such as weapons machine-guns, during the desert battle and the end sequence shootout at Brad Whitaker, home, some levels was peaking a shy over 85dbA that allowed for as it wasn't bending my ears.

The depth of tank cannon fire and other explosions of desert battle, I could feel the impact occasional in my chest.

End credits plays off on LR front channels only. In Dolby matrix they'll play on all channels. If I wanted all channels playing its not hard for me to set-up and take the difference form LR though an additional Dolby matrix decoder to take the phantom such as the vocals and put them though centre and blend a matrix ambiance into the surrounds with a mixer and set the pan-pots so that Ls-Rs each gets an equal level.

Additionally I can switch to from digital on the SDDS processor to the Dolby CP500 with smooth untouchable change.

Played the end credits at least over 10 times as it sounds too good.











 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
Spiderman 3 (2007)

Dolby Stereo digital TrueHD 5.1 - PLIIx / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL x73 speakers



Picked this up really ultra cheap at the Sunday market last weekend.



Some of the action scenes was sound intense with PLIIx switched on for stereo surrounds to expand phantom at the back of the room with things like spider web sounds spinning out from the front to sidewall to rear back.

The crane rumbled the room but why? Seeing where it is and if I was suspended in free space there is no possible way I'd feel it from the outside scenes its impossible! The inside scenes where it impacts with the building yes of course I'd feel it!













Stan Lee, creator of the super action hero comics always makes a cameo appearance.



The dong like sound had vibrating feel to it that wasn't painfully loud just loud enjoyable easy listening.

 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
The X-Flies: Fight The Future (1998) Laserdisc
dts 5.1 / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL professional x73 speakers



Checking timber matching with the coolness of the helicopter panning around the surrounds and across the LCR.









Nokia mobile phone sounds lively realistic 24min 4sec on centre channel HF horn.

Disc 2 Side 3 CAV chapter 22, A good musical panning of "shh, shh" like sound starting around frame 31819 that starts on mid-HF tweeter left surround then a second later pans over to right surround then pans over front right then centre then left along the HF horns.
 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
Dante's Peak (1997) THX Laserdisc
Dolby Stereo Digital AC-3 5.1 / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL



Explosive and lots of vibrating bass.

The rot issue is still about the same when last played 2 years ago. Minor intermittent flickers, kinder like a watching a scratched 35mm print.










That is one large scale model with elements of GCI.





Cinefex number # 69 is a good read behind the visual effects trade.

 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
Arrived this morning in the post.

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Warner Bros laserdisc
Dolby Stereo / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL professional x73 speakers



Artwork is nice.



Framing of the scope 2.35:1, looks nice for Warner bros, pressing. Colours look about the same to the bluray that I watched yesterday.



Original Warner bros, opening logo.



Still frame of the CLV and I like the little blemishes appearing on the face check, a little circle I like it.











I like the slight odd echo on Tina Turner, voice "well ain't we a pair raggedy man"

"We don't need another hero" still sounds and surrounds with an immersive sense in Dolby Stereo (THX).

 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
STAR TREK III THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984) Paramount laserdisc
Dolby Stereo / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL professional

Using the Zoom 2 mode, but Just Scan shows a portion % of the width. 1080p upscale via the AVR.









Nice, James Horner, slam of bass that hit me in the chest with more than thundering satisfaction, when Enterprise backs out from the space station.



Nice score, James Horner, on the bass its pumping thumping me in the chest, just like at Empire 1, 26 years ago.



Camera motion blur as I'm using manual ISO 400



Just when the Enterprise warp drive is engaged on the bridge there is nice thump of low that kicked followed buy a nice whoosh of bass mid and top end as it pans off the LCR to the matrix mono surrounds.



I can feel the communicator when Kirk, flips it open.

The impact of the bass and sub bass extension felt like the floor lifted up when the saucer section blew up.






^ Analog Dolby Stereo waterfall of the destruction Enterprise


^ Digital PCM Dolby Stereo waterfall of the destruction Enterprise
 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
Arrived in the mail this morning with double Laserdisc package.

ALIVE (1993)
Dolby Stereo AC-3 / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL professional x73 speakers





Now playing.

Spiritually moving story of miracle of the Andes out of 45 and flight crew that crashed and no food the survives were forced to do the unthinkable of eating their family/friends if they were to make it out of this bad situation, Alive.

Only a few braved the perilous trek though the mountains to seek help. 16 only made it of the mountains after 72 days.



Disc 1 side 1 starts off in CAV nice.



Opening prologue to the story tells it nicely with clear warm dialogue centre stage.



The sound of the tail of the plane roars along the right surround arrays to the front LCR stage channels, just like at Empire Leicester Square, Empire 1, 5th May 1993.







Pilots throttle up the planes engines to clear the jagged mountain tops.





Aft end of the tail smashes against the top of the mountains in one of cinemas most horrendous miracle plane crashes its amazing so many where alive after a crash like that. Bass slams over LCR accompanied with LFE.1 for rocker seat jolt!

At around frame 12913 the top part fuselage rips apart on the surrounds that make me look upwards alarmingly!

With PLIIx switched ON I hear it ripping apart behind me, looking over my shoulder as I would if at a cinema.



If that wasn't enough the plane glides though the air powerless where starboard wing clips the top of mountain, too much.

The plane comes to puffy muffled, full abrupt STOP! As the plane hits a large pile of snow The jolt throws the passengers over the tops of seats and seats being buckled at same time, it makes my skin crawl.

The picture is better quality over the PAL pressing that I have, were the whites appear slightly pink-ish. The whites on the NTSC pressing have a bit of white to the snow.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
Going through the Terminator series again just completing Terminator Extreme DVD Edition . The soundtrack of this DVD is of very high quality with lots of low bass.


 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
Into The Blue (2005)
PCM 5.1 uncompressed with PLIIx switched in / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL professional x73

Got around to watch for second time since last week on netflixHD that only supports Dolby Stereo matrix not discrete. The discrete Dolby 5.1 and PCM uncompressed 5.1 are equally as good, better in discrete.

Opening is cool with the gentle windy blowing that brews up to be a tropical-storm and the airplane panning along the right surround arrays to the LCR stage channels.

The HD 1080p still looks good with the underwater photography with fish and those sharks where cool. Not a bad action film from John Stockwell, "Cougar" of Top Gun.













Sadly Todd-AO Soundelux went into liquidation a few years ago and procured some fine sounding films over the years.

 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
Laserdisc early morning arrival

Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Dolby Stereo AC-3 -PLIIx / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL professional x73





The opening staring off with Dolby train (short 2.35:1).

The opening titles sounds cool with lots of low end whoosh from the surrounds with PLIIx to extend the split like rippling effect of the surrounds smooth timber balance towards the LCR.

The picture quality colour is warm natural looking with skin tones, contrast for whites looks okay brightness for blacks looks okay not over dark with dark/shadowy scenes. framing is nicely framed 2.35:1.

Lows was so low when an explosion starts off the show that the panels at the front of the room came crash down at perfect timing. :D bass sub bass no problem.















 
A

andyblackcat

Audioholic General
Blimey another early morning Laserdisc arrival I have Laserdiscs beaming in and out here today.

STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE (1979-1981) SLV panned and scanned / extra of 12 minutes.
Dolby Stereo / Lucasfilm Ltd THX Sound System / JBL professional x73 speakers.

Two discs CLV side 1, 2 and 3.
Analog no PCM on the early pressing, later letterbox theatrical contained analog and PCM digital.

Worth buying as this version isn't on DVD or bluray.



































Contrast levels was holding out very well for this old pressing.



Same wide shot when viewed in 2.35:1 only the scene is panned over the P/S image when McCoy says his line.













 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I saw "The Man in the High Castle" season 1 episode 1 Pilot from Amazon Prime last night. Will definitely be watching the entire season (e02-10) when it comes out Nov 20.

I finally watched the entire season 1 of "Marvel's Daredevil" from Netflix Original. Man it is the best comic book series I've ever seen. It makes all other comic book TV series like "Arrow", "The Flash", "Smallville", and most comic book movies (except Dark Knight Trilogy) look like they were written by 10 yr old boys.

Definitely look forward to Daredevil season 2.
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
Camp X-Ray B+ Kirsten Stewart did a good job in this one and most of the independent stuff she does.
 
jliedeka

jliedeka

Audioholic General
I just finished binging Agents of Shield season 2. That was a wild ride.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
Anyone seeing the new "The Bastard Executioner" (TBE) series? It's from the same writer as Sons of Anarchy, which I really liked.

I was highly anticipating TBE. But all the user reviews on this show is SO BAD that I'm afraid to even watch it (in denial). :D
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
I watched Terminator 3 last night on DVD. I hadn't played it since I got the Rythmik sub and found myself having to turn the bass down while watching it becuase it was late at night and I didn't want to wake anyone up.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I watched Terminator 3 last night on DVD. I hadn't played it since I got the Rythmik sub and found myself having to turn the bass down while watching it becuase it was late at night and I didn't want to wake anyone up.
Did you see Terminator 5 (Genisys) yet? I thought it was great.

I think this is one of the few franchises that keeps on getting better and better (to me). :D
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
I was going to watch national lampoons christmas tonight in observance of cousing Eddy being in the news, lol, but I just watched Fargo season 2 ep 1 on DVR from last night, I like these shows, I was entertained by last season and the cohen movie is one of my all time favorites, and one of the movies I can almost talk along with word for word. I don't watch much TV maybe 7 hours a week, so I pick and choose the material and often I will start watching something and walk away after 5 minutes. Just a music guy, not super into movies or TV in general...

BUT, this fargo stuff interests me, if you can give it a watch, I will say the surround sound use was pretty good for TV, they record these shows like movies now, its great.. But I give the first ep of this season 5 stars, it dragged me in, I am definitely waiting for next episode enough to probably watch it while its on and not the day later...
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
So far I'm not liking Arrow season 4 very much. I guess Netflix's Daredevil spoiled me.
 
Last edited:
newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top