DEMO DVD's

[juneaudrey]

Hello All,

What DVD's do you use to WOW your family & friends? Here are few of my favorites:

1. DARKNESS FALLS (horror)
2. FINDING NEMO (family)
3. BAD BOYS 2 (action)
4. EAGLES / CASINO NIGHTS (music)

[Worf101]

1. "Standing in the Shadow's of Motown" DTS - "Gladiator" used to be my numero Uno but the DTS soundtrack on this is amazing. People are stunned, particularly when they hear Chaka Khan's version of "What's Goin On?" Amazing.

2. "Gladiator" DTS - The opening sequence is still a jaw dropper for a lot of people.

3. "Rules of Engagement" DD - Same reason as above.

4. "Sade - Peace, Power, Love, Devotion" DD - A new addition to my short list. The digital separation on her music videos is fantastic. A must for any music lover.

5. "The Ring" DD - When you want to scare the one's you love.

Well, that's my story and I'm stickin to it.

Da Worfster

[eisforelectronic]

I used to use the Star Wars Original trilogy Special Edition Laserdiscs. The Speeder bike chase amd Death Star trench scenes are wonderful. I can't wait to hear the DD mixes on the new dvd releases.

The Roy Orbison "Black and White" DVD has some impressive sound. Yamaha was using it at CES a couple years back. Great impact.

The Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" and Gladiator are good standbys.

Heat, gunshots that echo are cool, even if they all sound like they came from the same Lexicon processor. Listen for the ambulance in the distance towards the end of the shootout from the the left rear.

Black Hawk Down, Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Honestly, these days, instead of pulling a bunch of movies off the shelf to show someone my system, I would just use one of my DTS demo discs or maybe the "THX ultimate demo disc". Saves time.

[Woochifer]

Lately, my favorite demo disc has been "Master and Commander". The bass extension in the DTS track reaches very low during the cannon shots, which is always good for the wow factor. But, to me the greatest strength of that DVD is in how incredibly well conveyed the directional effects are done in that soundtrack. It not only has a convincing encirclement effect, but it also conveys a sense of space, which I do not get from a lot of soundtracks. When the scenes are on the high seas, the sound is very open, and when the action is below deck, then the illusion of being cooped up and confined is also very convincing.

That DVD is also the one that you should break out if you want to convince anybody of the importance of timbre matched surround speakers and proper 5.1 speaker placement. It can still sound very good on a less than optimally setup system, but if you pay attention to the details on the setup, the this disc steps up into the jawdroppingly excellent plateau.

U571 is another very well done soundtrack that totally pulls you into the action. If deep pounding bass is all you're looking for, then The Haunting DTS version has gobs of extremely deep bass.

As far as music goes, Steely Dan's "Everything Must Go" is about as well done a 5.1 music soundtrack as I've heard; and Pat Metheny Group's "Speaking of Now" concert DVD has some of the better done concert footage that I've heard with excellent sound quality especially on the DTS track (it is also recorded in 4.1, which is how some engineers argue that multichannel music should be mixed to impart more spatiality).

[Lexmark3200]

My Favorites Are:

-U571 (DTS); awesome depth charge sequences, and overall atmosphere of being in a submarine....the separation and sense of space is jaw dropping

-GLADIATOR (DTS); sequence with the tigers is simply stunning; the crowd roars all around you and you are really there in ancient Rome!

-TERMINATOR 3 (Dolby Digital); from the moment the first missile flies over your right shoulder you'll be surrounded in a soundscape of crashes, explosions, bullets and unbelievable effects

-TWISTER (DTS); on this rare DTS disc from Warner, you are caught in the middle of awesome tornado sequences with wind whipping through the rear channels

-THE HAUNTING (DTS); NOWHERE in the home theater world is there more low bass than on this track; be sure your sub isnt up too high when Hugh Crane's house begins slamming its doors closed

-JURASSIC PARK (DTS); once this film was re-released by Universal and the bass problems were corrected, the soundstage is suddenly filled with rain, forrest noises, and pounding, screaming audio from the T Rex attack sequences

-FAST AND THE FURIOUS (DTS); aggressively tuned, every channel comes alive with the sound of engines and fast cars and the soundtrack

-DAREDEVIL (DTS); another aggressive surround track; you can hear every detail Matt Murdock is sensing in the surround channels....plus, listen for serious bass when the IV bag drips when young Matt is in the hospital...

-STAR WARS EPISODE II (Dolby Digital EX); man, if ever there was a subtle BUT immersive soundtrack this is it....spaceships fly past, ships explode with MONSTER bass and through it all is THE BEST looking digital transfer yet put to DVD

-BLACK HAWK DOWN SUPERBIT (DTS); you are in the MIDDLE of the war in Somalia on this track, which is a definite improvement from the standard edition.....gunfire is everywhere, and the track is aggressively mixed

Other considerations are:

Independence Day (Dolby Digital)
Armageddon (Dolby Digital)
Die Hard Trilogy (DTS)
Bad Boys I & II (Dolby Digital)
The Patriot (Dolby Digital)
The Perfect Storm (Dolby Digital)
Stigmata (Dolby Digital)

[kpzbee]

My favs to show off are;
TII - Extreme DVD
TIII - Limited edition
U571 - AWESOME movie. I love the depth charges at high volume! It shakes the whole house.
Shrek - for the family.
Pirates of the Carribean.

[Lexmark3200]

My favs to show off are;
TII - Extreme DVD
TIII - Limited edition
U571 - AWESOME movie. I love the depth charges at high volume! It shakes the whole house.
Shrek - for the family.
Pirates of the Carribean.

Be careful with those depth charge sequences at high volumes; they threatened to blow my sub and some of my speakers off their casings at one point during U571!

Also, with regard to "Pirates of the Caribbean"....I have had this two disc set since the day it came out and have analyzed the DTS track to death; while appropriately fun and lively for the kind of film it is, the DTS track is a little lean in the surround usage.