[Ronald Epstein]

The folks putting together the upcoming Blu-ray issue for CES
are looking for some input from our forum members.

They would like to know your favorite Blu-ray titles to date, and
a summary of why you think the title most demonstrates the BD
format -- could be video/audio quality, bonus features, or both.
Have fun with your comments.

We need your input by the end of Friday November 30th. At
that point we will close this thread.

Thank You in advance!

[Raul Marquez,MD]

Hiya Ron:

Best titles out there in Blu-ray so far IMHO are CARS and RATATOUILLE in terms of image, sound and extras. Also, SPIDERMAN 3 and MEET THE ROBINSONS qualify as great looking titles.

In terms of classic films, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY looks fantastic as well.

Raul

BTW, My Blu-ray collection has grown from 0 at the time I met you at EMA to 34 titles so far. My HD-DVD collection has 31 titles so far....(still waiting for the TRANSFORMERS title.... hope we get it before Xmas ).

[Shawn.F]

These are my top five favorite Blu-ray titles, not only because of the excellent picture and audio quality, but also because they are great movies as well:

1) Ratatouille
2) 2001: A Space Odyssey
3) Close Encounters of the Third Kind
4) The Queen
5) Letters From Iwo Jima

[TheBat]

I would like to add 5th element remastered to the list. the PQ and sound is amazing for it.. I would also add the remake of the fly, which includes all of the extras from the 2 disc set, and also a few new items for bluray. die hard 3 has a better picture then the standard dvd. I also support ratatouille, spidey trilogy to the list.

Jacob

[Paul Arnette]

Boy that's a toughie, however at this point I would have to go with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Not only is the PQ and AQ fantastic, all three cuts are included, the supplemental material is worthwhile, and the packaging is elegant, yet utilitarian. I especially like the 'roadmap' that shows all how the three cuts differ. Sony's treatment of this title should be the template for all A-list BD releases in the future.

[ErichH]

Cars - Almost feel like this title cheats cause it's animated, but it's certainly a way to show off a system with big color.

Underworld 1 & 2 - a real test for calibrated video black level. PCM audio is high quality

5th Element - A fine bit of work holds well with it's age.

We're too early to include Blade Runner Final - I expect nothing less than showers of praise when the release hits. Half the reason I set up a new BD player and 1080p display was for this title alone.

[Aaron Silverman]

Add my votes for Cars and Ratatouille. The A/V quality is mind-blowing, and the feature (I forget the name) where you get audio commentary, PIP images, and cutaways to relevant featurettes is just about the coolest extra ever. I can't wait to get more Pixar titles in BD!

2001 is also awesome all-around, with spectacular A/V quality and a fantastic selection of extras.

[Shane Martin]

My Favorites:
Apocalypto: The best Video Quality on BR yet.
Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind - 3 lossless tracks, lots of extras, 3 seemlessly branched versions of the film all in a top shelf package including a nice book. To me this is the pinnacle of what the format can do.
Cars - Top shelf A/V and extras
Ratatouille - Top Shelf A/V and extras
Pirates 2 - Top Shelf A/V and extras
Crank - Gorgeous Video

Also remember that Some PiP titles will be debuting at the end of Dec such as War and 3:10 to Yuma. Those may be great examples as well of what kind of extras BR can do. These are the first BR profile 1.1 titles.

[Seppo]

• Cars (2006): Overall, a fantastic release. Very nice BD exclusive extras, while both picture and audio quality are reference level.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2007): Top notch picture, audio and extras.
• Apocalypto (2006): Stunning picture and audio quality that really does justice to a fine film.
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977): One of my favourite Spielberg films, this release is one of the years best and probably the best catalogue release of a slightly older film. I'm very glad we DO see all the natural film grain, and that no DNR was applied.
• Live Free or Die Hard (2007): Excellent picture, a really impressive audio track and some very nice extras too.
• Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995): One of my favourite action films ever, I'm really happy the film looks excellent and so, so much better compared to the EE-heavy SD DVD release. This provides the strongest upgrade in picture quality to the first two "Die Hard" films. Thank you, Fox!
• Spider-Man: The High-Definition Trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007): "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3" look and sound great. Only the picture quality in the first "Spider-Man" is slightly disappointing and the fact that the first two films contain hardly any extras. Overall, this is a very good release and one of my favourites.
• Speed (1995): Picture and audio is fabulous - it really felt like I was watching film. Only disappointment is that all the extras weren't ported over from the SD DVD release.
• Die Hard (1988): Looks and sounds great, and fortunately most of the extras were ported over from the SD DVD release. Overall, a great catalogue release.
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975): Not quite reference material in terms of picture and audio quality, but both are more than adequate. Big thanks to Warner for releasing this wonderful film in HD.

[WillG]

Out of ones I have seen and own, I would also have to go with CE3K. Looked and sounded great. Handled complicated brancing between all versions of the film flawlessly, included all the great extras from the previous release and added new ones. Nice packaging and booklet. The theatrical poster replica on the other side of the "View from Above" sheet was a nice touch as was the actual view from above feature on the DVD. Some other nice touches were the ability on the menu to mute the navigational "clicks" if so desired and the first use I've seen of the "color" buttons to bookmark the film as desired. It offers pretty much all that could be reasonably asked of a release.

[Sam Posten]

Mine might not be a popular choice, but XMen:The Last Stand always struck me as having a REALLY neat menu system as well as having an audio track that just completely blew me away. When the house implodes in on itself I literally felt like my listening room was about to collapse in with it!