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So, you just bought a DVD player (or a new TV) and want to show it off. The question in your mind is: What is a good DVD to show off my system?
There are really two sides to this question. The first being the picture quality and the second being the sound quality.
Picture Quality
Excellent picture quality is one of the selling points of DVD, but you must keep in mind that just because a movie is available on DVD does not mean that the picture is going to be excellent. There are many things that affect how good a DVD will look on your TV. Some movies/television shows are shot on very low budgets and use very low quality film. Sometimes the original negative for a movie has been damaged. Some DVD production facilities are better than others. Some DVD transfers are done poorly, at too low of a bit rate or not done anamorphically. You get the idea; there are many things that can go wrong during the creation process of a DVD.
Here are some titles that are generally acknowledged as being reference quality and are excellent discs to show off your display. There is something for everyone’s taste so chances are that you already own one of these.
A Bug’s Life
American Beauty
Any Given Sunday
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Citizen Kane
Fight Club
Gladiator
Independence Day
Lost in Space
Moulin Rouge
North by Northwest
Shrek
Starship Troopers
Swordfish
Titan A.E.
The Fast and the Furious
The Fifth Element - The SuperBit version (although the originally is very nice also)
The Pledge
The Rock – Criterion Collection
The Straight Story
Toy Story II
Vertical Limit
Sound Quality
Just like the picture quality, there are many things that affect how good a DVD will sound. Older movies were not recorded with surround sound in mind, so although they may sound good, they may not be the best DVD to show off your speakers with. Some movies have very subtle soundtracks that do not rely on loud sounds. Newer, action based movies are normally chosen because of their special effects and explosions. Some people also prefer a DTS soundtrack over a Dolby Digital soundtrack.
A Bug’s Life
Aliens
Apollo 13
Cast Away
Dances With Wolves – DTS
Eagles - Hell Freezes Over – DTS
Fight Club
Gladiator
Moulin Rouge
Requiem For a Dream
Saving Private Ryan – DTS
Shrek
Star Wars: Episode I
Starship Troopers
Terminator 2: Ultimate Edition
The Fast and the Furious
The Fifth Element - The SuperBit version
The Haunting
The Iron Giant
The Matrix
The Red Violin
Titan A.E.
Toy Story II
U-571
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