I've gone Blu-ray. Now....

[Der Alta]

Yep, I've finally jumped aboard the Blu-ray wagon.

Now, I have a question. What would be your recommendation for a Blur-ray movie, that really shows off what the TV can do? I sit in front of a Sony 60" Bravia, and am surround by Infinity & Velodyne Speakers. Which means the "Theater" experience is there.

My DVD collection is well over 400 movies, and we tend to sell off a few a month.

I'd like an action movie, that doesn't suck. A RomCom wouldn't be bad either. Something that others would watch and simply state "I want that".

Recommendations?

 

[Duke]

I sit in front of a Sony 60" Bravia, and am surround by Infinity & Velodyne Speakers.

Holy sheep dip. I surrender.

 

[Der Alta]

Holy sheep dip. I surrender.

Yep. And the neighbors can feel the Imperial Walkers movement.

 

[Scaff]

Shoot 'em up.

Not only is it very funny (in my opinion anyway), full of action (well make that non-stop - just don't take it to seriously) but its a stunning transfer in both picture and audio quality.

Failing that I would also strongly recommend the following...

Spiderman 3
300 (audio only - the picture is deliberately grainy)
30 days of night
Ratatouille (simply stunning in all regards)
Blade Runner - The Final Cut
Apocalypto
Black Hawk Down


That little lot should get you started, all are recommendation's from my own BR collection as some of the best in terms or picture and/or audio quality.

For my own demo purposes I tend to use Ratatouille and Spiderman 3 the most, but with the right audience (as in adults) I go with Shoot em up.

I also find the following site a good place for Blu-ray reviews, not so much of the film itself, but of the picture and audio quality (these guys know what they are looking/listening for and use good kit to do so), as well as the quality fo any extras.

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/reviews.html


Regards

Scaff

 

[Sprite]

Congrats on going BD, For your best pictures they go in some sort of order with regards to type of film.

Animation's like Pixar and so on.
New Movie's.
Library Releases.

Animations are simply the best you will get (with the exception of TNMT which had some issues with quality) But I've got both Pixar's Cars and Ratatouille and they are both stunning I've not seen a picture that can beat them, and thats because they are rendered so no film grain or sharpening needed. Also for animation I've got Paprika Anime, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within another Reference quality disk, Open Season and The Simpsons movie. All those films are just great and will show you what BD is all about.

Open Season BD 1080p (Native)




Shrek 3 1080p (Native converted from a QT Movie trailer)




New Movies tend to have great pictures too, but its always best to read a few reviews of the disk before purchase unless its a must have film for you. I've just got Sweeny Todd on BD and I can tell you the picture is awesome, It's a very Dark picture but I spotted no hint of obtrusive grain or any kind of black crush and the shadow detail is awesome, every type of black is still visible and you can make out objects that are still cast in the darkest of shadows without sacrificing the contrast of the picture. Also the second and third Pirate's films are great too along with the last three Harry Potter films and again as Scaff pointed out Spiderman 3 is a fantastic picture.

Library movies tend to get lackluster transfers but their are gems been released and this is where reading reviews comes in, unlike new movies or Animations they are both a sure bet the picture is gong to be good, but older movies that have had a release on most of the formats prior to BD, but again as Scaff has pointed out Blade Runner - The Final Cut is truly awe-inspiring, they scanned this move at either 4 or 5 times the resolution of 1080p for this disk to make sure the source was as sharp as possible, yes you get soft shots and some grain but the film is aging but the BD version is so good all the problems that show on the film are forgotten because of its shear beauty. Other films that have knocked my socks off were Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and 2001: A Space Odyssey both films are truly wonders and shows what can be done when a little effort is applied when dealing with older movies.

All in all it looks like a win win situation with BD but always be sure you read a review, not for the movie but for Picture and Audio of the disk, because Im sure you know what you like and will have read copious amounts of film reviews before seeing it on BD if you haven't already seen it either at the Cinema or on DVD. As you have probably noticed the links I've used for the movies here are going to the same place as the link Scaff has put in his post, and I have to thank Anderton here at GTP for posting the link some time ago, it really does serve as a cushion for knowing what to expect from the disks.

 

[a6m5]

I've watched a few on my PS3, but since I have an older non-HDMI, 480p/1080i TV, I haven't been able to get the most out of them yet.

From my collection though(just nine sets), i think the season 3 of "Lost" has been the best one.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I have not officially switched to Blue Ray yet but from viewing BR movies at the electronic stores I would say Cars is probably one of the best I have seen. That link at the top is very helpful. Thanks for posting that Scaff. 👍

 

[Scaff]

I have not officially switched to Blue Ray yet but from viewing BR movies at the electronic stores I would say Cars is probably one of the best I have seen. That link at the top is very helpful. Thanks for posting that Scaff. 👍

No problem at all, it is a very handy site and I'm happy its proving handy.

Regards

Scaff

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I was surprised King Kong is not on the Blue Ray list because its one of the best HD movies I have seen. I thought for sure it would be in BR.

 

[Der Alta]

Thanks guys, I welcome other suggestions as well.

Most of the quoted movies I have on DVD already, and the Missus feels they are good enough to not replace. I will be replacing "Ratatouille" and "Master and Commander" as those are two of her favorites.

I'll pick up "Black Hawk Down" and "Blade Runner - Final Cut" because I don't own either one yet.

Keep the suggestions coming, as I'm absolutely fascinated with the set-up.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I will be keeping an eye on this thread for ideas too because I dont think its going to be much longer before we get a PS3 for the blue ray player. It will be by the end of 2008 or early 2009. It might actually happen when Iron man comes to blue ray.

 

[Scaff]

I was surprised King Kong is not on the Blue Ray list because its one of the best HD movies I have seen. I thought for sure it would be in BR.

It's a film from Universal Pictures, who were HD-DVD exclusive during the entire format war, while they are now going to be producing BR releases they are a long way behind other studios.

It will get a BR release, but I wouldn't hold my breath for it being any time soon (which is a shame).

Regards

Scaff

 

[Sprite]

Well here is my collection of BD movies and the ratings (of course my opinion) for sound & picture.

Set up is a:

TV: Sony KDL46X2000 (Calibrated) - Full HD via HDMI.
Surround: None - but I can still tell a good audio mix from a bad one.
BD Player: PS3 With latest firmware.

We will start with the Animated movies:

Beowulf: Single Disk set - 2.4:1 - Dolby True HD.

Sound is clear and precise, some voices can be lost within the mix. 8/10
Picture is spot on, 100% crystal clear. 10/10

Disney . Pixar Cars: Single Disk Set - 2.39:1 - Dolby True HD.

Sound is truly fantastic, and really well balanced mix, I bet this film sounds truly awesome on a surround set up. 10/10
Picture is again 100% stunning, and the part where radiator springs get its neon back on, and were McQueen gets his new paint job, really show what HD was made for. 10/10

Disney . Pixar Ratatouille: Single Disk Set - 2.39:1 - PCM 5.1.

Sound steps up a gear when in PCM, I have watched this film twice through running through my pops Lentek speakers and Arcam Amp and I can say the difference between the two Audio types DD 5.1 EX and PCM 5.1, is a big difference, PCM has so many little nuances that just don't shine in the DD audio track. 10/10+

Picture again takes quality another step further from Cars, really showing off the colour palette off and wow's everyone I show it to. 10/10+

This BD is the first out when showcasing BD to people

TMNT: Single Disk set - 2.4:1 - Dolby True HD.

Sound was lackluster, and was as good as could be expected, also the voices have placement problems within the mix. 5/10

The Picture was the first animation to really disappoint, has some problems with black crush and isn't and sharp as could be. 5/10

Paprika: Single Disk Set - 1.85:1 - PCM 5.1

sound was good and did the job, to say it was PCM it didn't blow me away with the details of other films. 7/10

Picture was again a bit of a disappointment as with it been a Sony Pictures film I was expecting a great transfer, but some scenes look out of kilter with the rest, but other than that it was a nice picture but no refrence material. 7/10

Final Fantasy The Spirits Within: Single Disk Set - 1.85:1 - PCM 5.1

Sound is top, and been PCM provides a bit more edge over the DVD audio, but still wasn't as good as the Ratatouille disk. 8/10

Picture of this film is reference quality and wont disappoint. 10/10+

Open Season: Single Disk Set - 1.85:1 - PCM 5.1

Not quite as good as Disney . Pixar's efforts but a damn fine try, audio is good and clear but still lacks that special something that PCM should bring. 8/10

Picture is close on reference but lacks pop and the colour palette isn't vibrant enough. 9/10

The Simpsons Movie: Single Disk Set - 2.40:1 - DTS HD Master Audio

The sound from this DTS HD MO track is fantastic, its a well balances track and really brings the BD to life. 9/10

Picture is good, some people complained over too much edge enhancement creating slight halos around the edges of the characters and objects in the film, but I spotted none of this, colours are wondrous and really give it pop. 9/10

Pixar Short Films Collection Vol. 1: Single Disk Set - DTS HD Master Audio / PCM

Now its a mixed bag with this one, as its a collection of shorts and each one varies, so without doing a review of each, I will just sum it all up.

Sound is just like the picture, the first six shorts have poor Audio, as these are the first set of shorts going back to the first Pixar ever did. But the second half make up for it. 8/10

Picture again suffers in the first lot of shorts but they get to reference quality at the end especially from Boundin' to the last Lifted (best short ever IMO) 9/10

Now on to other movies, that include catalogue and new titles.

The Golden Compass: Double Disk Set - 2.35:1 - DTS HD 7.1

Audio is pretty shocking here, some how voices are overwhelmed by everything in the track so you have to strain all the time just to here conversations, and if you whack up the volume to hear them the music and effects are just way too loud. 4/10

Picture is also a worry for a new film as skin and other fine details can get lost in the processing work that has gone on, it is still a visually stunning movie but fine detail gone dosnt make for reference material. 6/10

Independence Day: Single Disk - 2.35:1 - DTS HD Master Audio

Audio does the job and the mix was well balanced, but nothing special. 5/10

Picture Sucks for BD the image is soft and full of grain, its only just better than the DVD version. A really poor effort from FOX. 3/10

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Double Disk Set - 2.40:1 - PCM 5.1

Sound is good but again didn't wow me with depth of some others. 6/10

Picture is good and I will have to have a re-watch in a dimmed room but I think we may have a good one for certain scenes to get out when showing off BD. 8/10 (Well lit room)

Blood Diamond: Single Disk Set - 2.40:1 - PCM 5.1

Sound is good in this film and well balanced. 6/10

Picture sucks, full of grain and soft patches. 4/10

Shooter: Single Disk

No sound details on the box apart from Dolby Digital, so without looking on the PS3 I don't know exactly what encoding they have used, but I can say the sound is very good. 7/10

Picture is fantastic, if sometimes looking a little over-saturated. All detail is held nice with the occasional grain. 8/10

The Orphanage: Single Disk - 2.35:1 - DTS-HD

Sound is fantastic, with great and easy pick out voices unlike allot of DTS-HD audio disks I've got. All the creepy sounds are clear and even the smallest sound is easy to hear, the bass is deep and very balanced. Great Sound in all aspects of the recording. 9/10

The picture is just like the sound, its top quality and very nice, blacks are subtle in their variations and detail is very nice, colours shoot about but this is deliberate and the stark contrasty image helps with image pop rarther than hinder it. 9/10

The Transporter: Single Disk - 2.35:1 - DTS-HD

Sound is good but again nothing special but does what it set out to pretty well. 5/10

The image presented to us with this disk is good, nothing as incredible as newer disks, but its defiantly not the worst out. 7/10

Bridge To Terabithia: Single Disk - DTS

sound is a mixed bag, its not bad, but its defiantly not HD in anyway, its more like a really good DVD, it just lacks the sparkle of most BD's 4/10

Picture is good and pretty, the colours are nice too, the animated bits blend well with the live action but still look too animated. This disk is a 25GB single layer so this could account for the low sound quality and the ok picture. 5/10

Underdog: Single Disk - PCM - 2.35:1

The soundtrack for the film is good and involving (as far as I can go in Stereo) lots of nice bits and good sound-staging. 6/10

The visual quality on offere is top as I would expect from a Disney Disk and Disney are without a doubt the studio who seemed to have grasped the meaning of HD and all the releases I've seen by them are stunning and they have a fair few in the top list of great disks. 10/10

Coming soon, I will post the rest of the disks reviews soon as I need to re-watch some to get a more rounded view of some as I watched them over a year ago and the bar of quality has shifted so much since then. stay tuned.