What are your favorite Blu-rays for Picture Quality?

Lee

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Feb 3, 2011
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So I'm enjoying the new Sony player and would like know what discs you would recommend for reference picture quality.

Thanks.
 

RBFC

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Apr 20, 2010
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Any of the Pixar/Disney animation looks incredible. Avatar is very, very good. I, Robot is another good-looking live action film (with CGI robots...). Live Free or Die Hard and any of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy look amazing as well.

Lee
 

amirm

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Apr 2, 2010
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Avatar does look great however, it has a very squarish frame so for demos, I tend to not like to use it as the image is smaller than a typical 2.4:1.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
All of those are terrific indeed but for me an always go-to is one scene from one movie

Ratatouille..entire movie is incredible but one scene in particular called "found out" where the old lady fires her shotgun into her ceiling at the rats. If your house doesn't shake you need more subs
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Ratatouille..entire movie is incredible but one scene in particular called "found out" where the old lady fires her shotgun into her ceiling at the rats. If your house doesn't shake you need more subs

I have not seen/heard this one...but i just picked up the Expendables, the Sly Stallone movie. i actually laugh out loud when i am the only person in the room because the bass in the movie is ridiculous, and i enjoy having a system that can produce this kind of clean, tight and absurdly powerful bass. Even when a motorcyle just pulls up into the garage near the beginning of the film, the closeup shot of the motorcycle is great for bass...lots of fun. The shotgun shots in the beginning and towards the end of the movie...again, ridiculous. and probably a milllion shots, explosions, engine rumbles, in between.
 

Johnny Vinyl

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Baraka
Ratatouille
The Lives of Others
Band of Brothers
Ok, ok...Avatar as well
 

flez007

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Aug 31, 2010
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Avatar is great, but I also enjoy the BBC Earth documental s for demoing purposes besides their great content and picture quality.
 

Phelonious Ponk

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Avatar is great, but I also enjoy the BBC Earth documental s for demoing purposes besides their great content and picture quality.

Yep. For picture quality, I'll go for Planet Earth. Digital animation is too easy. Nature film that looks that amazing and takes full advantage of 1080p is a wonder to behold. And while we're on the subject, am I the only one who thinks full 1080p only matters on big screens? It seems to me that the difference between 1080 and 720 is lost of a 50" TV from more than 10 feet or so...

Tim
 

Johnny Vinyl

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Yep. For picture quality, I'll go for Planet Earth. Digital animation is too easy. Nature film that looks that amazing and takes full advantage of 1080p is a wonder to behold. And while we're on the subject, am I the only one who thinks full 1080p only matters on big screens? It seems to me that the difference between 1080 and 720 is lost of a 50" TV from more than 10 feet or so...

Tim

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RBFC

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Planet Earth has some great shots, but the quality varies somewhat due to source limitations. There were some places that the crew simply could not drag all their HD equipment. I agree totally that it is fascinating!

Lee
 

Lee

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Feb 3, 2011
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I have to pick up Avatar and Baraka.
 

rsbeck

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If you are on a buying spree, get Planet Earth and Baraka. If you're being selective, IMO, Baraka is significantly better than Planet Earth.

Baraka has amazing imagery in addition to its cinematography. In other words, what is shot is as fascinating as how it is shot.

The camera angles, the lighting, the choice of subjects, the themes that run through the imagery.

I agree with RFBC that Planet Earth is plagued with uneven quality. There are some stunning shots and imagery, but there is a lot of stuff in between that is only pretty good.

Baraka, IMO, is incredibly consistent with one jaw dropper after another.
 

rsbeck

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We have a 43" flat panel in our family room and from 10 feet away, I can tell the difference between standard and HD. It's way more obvious on a 9.5' projector screen, but to my eyes, it is still apparent on the smaller screen.
 

rsbeck

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Apr 20, 2010
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IMO, you have to decide what you want from your demo material.

Do you want blu-rays that show off high definition to its fullest even though the movie may not be that good?

In that category, there is a movie called Domino, which has incredible High Def imagery all the way through, but its not a great movie.

You could put Quantum Of Solace in that category, too. Stunning visuals, but not as good a movie as Casino Royale.

Or, there are blu-rays like Live Free or Die Hard, Avatar, or The Dark Knight, which will show off your system while also entertaining your guests all the way through.

I personally think Shoot 'Em Up with Clive Owen is a ton of fun and also offers consistent top notch High Def material.

How do you feel about Black and White? Sin City consistently offers incredible High Def detail and IMO, it is a lot of fun to watch movie-wise, too.

Sometimes, you have to sacrifice a little eye candy to get a good movie.

Casino Royale and Batman begins, for example, aren't the last word in High Def, but they are pretty damned good, will impress most of your guests, but more importantly, IMO, are also good movies.

I'd put In Bruges in that category, as well. Love the film and it looks damn good in High Def.

Pixar movies are excellent for showing off your High Def capabilities and most of them are also excellent moves.

Sometimes, its hard to get a guest to sit for two hours, but they still want a demo -- in that case, you need the Killer Sequence.

I use about a ten minute sequence from Live Free or Die Hard.

If you haven't seen it and you've avoided it because you figure the Die Hard thing is all played out, give it a spin, IMO, it is probably the best of the whole series and a lot of fun.
 

FrantzM

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Apr 20, 2010
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Baraka
Ratatouille
The Lives of Others
Band of Brothers
Ok, ok...Avatar as well

The Lives of others is one of the best movies I have ever seen (and I fancy myself as a cinemaphile) ... I am thinking of it as one of th best 5 movies I have seen ..ever ... And the Bluray is absolutely phenomenal ... Picture-wise ...
A must see movie.. A beautiful well-made movie with acting to a level that makes you forget about ..well ..about people acting on a screen, rather it is a storuy being told and one superb story at that ..Let me repeat it a great movie !!

Ratatouille is eye candy
Baraka , I must get ...
and yes Avatar a movie I like especially in 3-D (remain excellent without 3-D)
 

Johnny Vinyl

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The Lives of Others - $10.99...super, super price!
 

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