Favorite Surround movies for showing off system?

tommyboy

I just wanted to see when ever someone comes over to your house/apartment, what movies and scenes you play to show off your system(just to see if I'm missing any in my collection).

zombie boy 2000

i'm sure more than one person on this forum will list "storming the beach" in Saving Private Ryan in their top ten "showcase scenes"

mldennison

hmm, couple that come to mind are the liftoff scene in Apollo 13 and the lobby scene in the original Matrix. the Saving Private Ryan one is good too. dont really have a specific one that i try first though...

bobman1235

There have been many threads on this topic. This is one that came up in search, but I'm sure you could find more.

karpiel666

http://www.sr.se/multikanal/english/e_index.stm

burn them onto a regular cd for some nice dts stuff.

OnkyoFanatic

This is always a very popular topic...

Here are the discs you should have in your collection for demostrating the capabilities of a system...

-U571 (Universal, DTS)
-GLADIATOR (Universal/DreamWorks, DTS)
-SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (DreamWorks, DTS)
-WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005, DreamWorks, DTS)
-THE HAUNTING (remake) (DreamWorks, DTS -- watch your subwoofer levels on this)
-BLACK HAWK DOWN SUPERBIT (Columbia, DTS)

There are a ton more, but these come to mind first. Other great ones are:

-BAD BOYS II SUPERBIT and NON-SUPERBIT/SPECIAL EDITION (Columbia, DTS/Dolby Digital)
-TERMINATOR 3 (Warner Bros, Dolby Digital)

aaharvel

aside from the usuals...

Crimson Tide: The Akula/Torpedoes (Dolby 5.1)
Superman: Intergalactic Credits & Krypton (Dolby 5.1)
The Perfect Storm: (Dolby 5.1)
Bram Stokers Dracula: (Superbit/DTS)

wingnut4772

Master and Commander - 1st battle scene.

tommyboy

I checked quite a few places for gladiator, jurassic park, and saving private ryan dts versions but are nowhere to be found. I guess the Dolby digital versions are good enough.

StopherJJ1980

Ditto on the Saving Private Ryan storing the beach at Normandy in DTS.

OnkyoFanatic

"aside from the usuals...

Crimson Tide: The Akula/Torpedoes (Dolby 5.1)
Superman: Intergalactic Credits & Krypton (Dolby 5.1)
The Perfect Storm: (Dolby 5.1)
Bram Stokers Dracula: (Superbit/DTS)"

Andrew,

CRIMSON TIDE is one of my FAVORITE films, and one the most watched DVDs in my collection...however, I dont think Buena Vista/Disney did that good of a job on the audio on this disc at all -- forget the HORRENDOUS looking non-anamorphic video transfer which looks like **** with bleeding colors and terrible pixelation all over the place -- the disc's Dolby Digital 5.1 track is never one I would ever think of for a "demo" list at all; it sounds like most Buena Vista DVDs sound when encoded with Dolby Digital -- decent and a bit "compressed" at best, as if a blanket needs to be pulled off the audio...there's even an abnormaity on the track right after the first attack on the Alabama -- once the chaos slows down, you can hear a crackling sound in the left surround speaker that sounds like a speaker is blown -- but its just some junk in the mix, as this was confirmed for me by a bunch of other people on other sites who own the DVD...

I also own THE PERFECT STORM, and the soundtrack is actually in Dolby Digital 5.1 EX; again, I dont think the sound is demo-worthy compared to the other DTS tracks on these demo lists -- the mix doesnt heat up or even get ENGAGING until the end of the film when the final storm sequence is in place; before that, this seems to be a quiet, misleading audio mix (typical for Warner Brothers)...but, once those waves start crashing and the CGI-rendered rain and storm effects hit the Coast Guard ship and helicopters, the surround audio gets mighty aggressive...just doesnt reach "demo league" to my surround obsessed ears...

"Master and Commander - 1st battle scene."

Wingnut,

A HORRIBLE film, but a decent DTS track at best; this DVD consitently shows up on Home Theater Magazine's best sounding discs of all time lists, but I dont agree...yes, you get the creaking of the floorboards of the ship and the sounds of cannons blasting across the soundstage, but it didnt floor me like I read about going into watching it. The film really sucked though. Having trouble falling asleep? Pop in Master and Commander. And Im saying this as a Russell Crowe fan...

"I checked quite a few places for gladiator, jurassic park, and saving private ryan dts versions but are nowhere to be found. I guess the Dolby digital versions are good enough."

Tommy,

I forgot to put JURASSIC PARK on my original list -- the DTS version of that DVD as well as JURASSIC PARK III will SHAKE a home theater to its foundations if the LFE level is up too high...GREAT demo material, especially on JURASSIC PARK III....the dinos stomping around sound AWESOME. It seems some GREAT DVDs are indeed out of print now -- the DTS pressing of JURASSIC PARK and the DTS ES release of THE HAUNTING from DreamWorks are two examples....but DO NOT -- I REPEAT DO NOT -- settle for the Dolby variants of these two titles as they DO NOT sound like their DTS counterparts and they are NOT "good enough" as you put it -- trust me; experiencing these two films in anything outside of DTS is just not the same. Exact same situation with SAVING PRIVATE RYAN's DTS DVD, which I think is out of print too....the Dolby Digital track ruins the whole Omaha Beach experience as compared to when it's in DTS. On THE HAUNTING, the slamming of the Hill House doors SHAKE MY ENTIRE ROOM when the volume is up high enough and these dynamics are just not here on the Dolby track; same goes with the aforementioned Jurassic Park films.

I'm sure you can find the DTS versions of these DVDs online if you do a search (the out of print ones).

OnkyoFanatic

StopherJJ1980 wrote:

Ditto on the Saving Private Ryan storing the beach at Normandy in DTS.

Indeed Stopher....before WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) was released by DreamWorks, I always held that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN's DTS mix from the same studio was the best-sounding soundtrack in home video creation. War of the Worlds sounds AWESOME though.
:eek:

aaharvel

Onkyo, right on about the distortion noise in that Crimson Tide scene, I hear it too.
The great thing about the Crimson Tide sub scenes is the viseral impact from the bass, which, for an early Dolby track is very good.

As for the Perfect Storm, the last storm sequence was why I put it on the list, not for Wahlberg's monologues.

as for the other two, well they speak for themselves. Especially Dracula. It gives a fantastic surround speaker workout.

McLoki

What scene in War of the Worlds do you recommend for demo?

a few I would like to add are:

Toy Story 2 - the opening scene
House of Flying Daggers - Echo Dance and fight in the bamboo forest
Lord of the Rings:RotK - Oliphant charge

Michael

*Seby*-Polk-

Yeah !!!! Try with WAR OF THE WORLDS. It's fabulous for discover your system capabilities. Other great movie nobody mention is ...¡¡¡¡ T O P G U N !!!! in 5.1
Listen that's F-14 and Migs flyin....only in your dreams ??? NOOO !!! In your TV

Saving private Ryan it's great too....BYE !!!!!!!!

crazy

No one mentioned PIXAR .... The Incredibles should be #1 on this list

I love the starting scene where the super heroes are giving an interview and it has an old radio sort of an effect and then BANG ... it goes to the intro chase scene with it's 5.1 glory ... it's a great surround sound show-off DVD

bvette94

There is a awsome gun fight in the movie open range. It is a western. The best tracks for doing a demo begins at chapter 14. it starts about 40 seconds or so into the chapter. It is one of my personal favorites.

*Seby*-Polk-

STAR WARS III is great too...But i like TOP GUN more !!!! :P

+1 for PIXAR !!!!!

Ricardo

No one mentioned the Star Wars films....

The pod race is awesome for surround demo

Edit: there you go...Seby posted while I was reading

*Seby*-Polk-

HTrookie wrote:

No one mentioned the Star Wars films....

The pod race is awesome for surround demo

Edit: there you go...Seby posted while I was reading

UPSSS But the idea is the same !!!! Listen surround with STAR WARS Series.

crazy

What about music videos? I think both the Eagle's HFO and the Metallica - S & M with the San Francisco Symphony are amazing for showing off your surround system.

aaharvel

the new Eagles 2DVD set has the best surround i've ever heard. Piggyback DPLIIx on top of the DTS soundtrack and IMO (no flaming please) it sounds better than any SACD track i've ever heard- even DSOTM

aaharvel

nm..

crazy

aaharvel wrote:

the new Eagles 2DVD set has the best surround i've ever heard. Piggyback DPLIIx on top of the DTS soundtrack and IMO (no flaming please) it sounds better than any SACD track i've ever heard- even DSOTM

You mean this?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00092ZMDY/qid=1139499055/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-1165859-3563228?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=130

OnkyoFanatic

"Onkyo, right on about the distortion noise in that Crimson Tide scene, I hear it too."

Indeed it is there; its almost like a crackling/blown speaker noise for a couple of seconds....its an abnormaility in the mix which Disney never caught on quality control inspection.

"The great thing about the Crimson Tide sub scenes is the viseral impact from the bass, which, for an early Dolby track is very good."

True; there are good uses of LFE during the attack sequences; listen when the torpedoes from the Russian sub miss the Alabama and hit the underwater canyon while the sonar officer yells "They missed! They missed!" There is some good use of LFE here. But, still, yes this may have been an "early Dolby track" ported over from Laserdisc usage (some argue it is not but this sounds like the AC3 carryover track) yet I was not that impressed with the audio and never am every time I sit down to watch this GREAT submarine film. The video is complete crap -- the non anamorphic transfer looks like complete ****; just watch the scene with weapons officer Viggo Mortesen when he says "what are we waiting for?" just after the mutiny takes place -- the whole scene is LITTERED with digital noise and bleeding from the red lights of the sub. Horrible. But I just cant stop watching this film despite the negatives of the video (and in my opinion) audio. Buena Vista has promised some kind of Special Edition with an anamorphic remastering of this title but we have yet to see it, along with Enemy of the State. The studio blows chunks in regards to this; most of their catalog are great action films with non anamorphic video transfers (Armageddon, Con Air, etc.). I like the rather discrete surround effects when the torpedoes stream through the water and go into the left and right surround channels independently in Crimson Tide, but as a whole, the track doesnt floor me. And it surely doesnt belong on a "demo list;" it wouldnt be something I would whip out to show off my system to someone.

"As for the Perfect Storm, the last storm sequence was why I put it on the list, not for Wahlberg's monologues."

Hahahahaha --- indeed not for Wahlberg's monologues or dialogue; I wasnt even thinking of that assclown when I replied. LOL. The last sequence, again, is good for Dolby EX, but to me, it does not give me goose bumps like Saving Private Ryan or War of the Worlds does in DTS...

landry_p2000

HTrookie wrote:

No one mentioned the Star Wars films....

The pod race is awesome for surround demo

My first pick for demos. You get tons of bass, and excellent movement from speaker to speaker.

Oh, don't forget about Finding Nemo and Monster's Inc.

OnkyoFanatic

McLoki wrote:

What scene in War of the Worlds do you recommend for demo?

Michael,

In DTS mode, just about the ENTIRE War of the Worlds soundtrack kicks **** from beginning to end -- the only dissapointing parts of the mix seem to come when action slows down and the dialogue gets very, very quiet in the mix...a common abnormality with high octane thrillers with wild DTS tracks. But specifically, listen for when the lightning strikes begin to hit Cruise's town behind his house (the LFE levels here are amazing and overloaded by sub a couple of times)...the sounds of the alien lightning comes BLAZING out of the surrounds and can make you jump in your seat if you're not prepared for them; also, when the machines start climbing out of the ground...the wallops of bass will shake your room as the ground cracks open and the tripod legs begin stomping around. Wow. And, when the alien tripods begin firing their laser beams at people in the street -- this is accompanied by DEEP bass that you can feel, with cries and noise all around you. Great use of the DTS algorithm here.

Later in the film, listen for the military jet planes fly over and ROAR into the left surround channel when Cruise's son leaves him to see the fight...there are WALLOPS of bass here too as the military jeeps and helicopters fire their missiles at the alien ships with the shields...also, listen very closely as Tim Robbins takes Tom Cruise into that basement for shelter....you can clearly feel the THUDDING of bass from the battle going on outside the house....clearly, a lot of love was given to this DTS track. The final scene when the military bring the tripod down in Boston once the shields are dropped sounds AWESOME if your system is turned up -- wow....you will really think that thing is coming into your living room. Also, in the beginning when the ships are attacking Cruise's New Jersey town and he is escaping with the stolen minivan with his kids, listen as the tripod fires its beams and wipes out the bridge and the houses around the van....holy **** does that RIP and SHAKE the surround system.....really really great stuff. This is the best DVD (soundtrack) on the market right now in terms of sound quality.

OnkyoFanatic

*Seby*-Polk- wrote:

STAR WARS III is great too...But i like TOP GUN more !!!! :P

+1 for PIXAR !!!!!

Seby,

Episode III has a pretty dissapointing 5.1 EX audio track; I did a review of this DVD and a lot of people agreed with me that something was "off" in the mix -- it did not sound NEARLY as good or engaging as Episode II; there were like.....audio "holes" in the track that made for a rather anemic experience. I didnt like it.

OnkyoFanatic

crazy wrote:

What about music videos? I think both the Eagle's HFO and the Metallica - S & M with the San Francisco Symphony are amazing for showing off your surround system.

Crazy,

I own the Metallica S&M DVD too and have done reviews on it; it sure does sound good for a concert, but even in its "discrete" Dolby 5.1 mode on the disc(s) I still dont think it warrants "demo" material -- demo material should be REALLY REALLY special stuff that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up -- titles like U571, The Haunting, War of the Worlds, the Hatian crackhouse shootout in Bad Boys II....these are good examples of "wowing" effects for home theater.

tommyboy

I would have to agree with onkyo about star wars. the only part I like was in the very beginning right after the prologue when you hear the beating sound and the planes fly past. Even that whole beginning fighting sequence just didn't have a surround feel.

OnkyoFanatic

tommyboy wrote:

I would have to agree with onkyo about star wars. the only part I like was in the very beginning right after the prologue when you hear the beating sound and the planes fly past. Even that whole beginning fighting sequence just didn't have a surround feel.

Tommy.....yes, indeed something was "off" on the surround mix of Episode III....I'll try to get my review up as soon as I dig it back up....the Dolby EX track was not that great....