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Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

post #1 of 50
9/1/08 at 9:55pm
Thread Starter 
Having jumped into the Blu this past Friday, I immediately sought out titles I knew I had to see in the format.

I had plenty of experience with both HD formats last year, thanks in part to a temporary position in a high-end electronics store. However, viewing something at home on your own system is an entirely different experience and is much more satisfying. It's on your terms, in the comfort of your own home, your own preferences.

So what was your first "Wow" moment like?

This isn't about the merits of the film you saw, but its presentation.

I picked up a handful of titles, and started with my most wanted.

For me, it was of course "Independence Day", a film long considered to be a must-have title for both DVD and BD. Reviews haven't been as strong regarding its video quality but I must say I was more than impressed.

For the first time I felt like I was watching actual film being projected, only on a Plasma in my living room rather than a giant theater.

Therefore, what I saw did not look "High Definition" at all, and that's the highest compliment I could give.
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post #2 of 50
9/1/08 at 11:59pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

For me it was not the visuals but the sound. I put on the BluRay of Underworld, and the rain falling on the gothic buildings and streets, and the thunder in the air, enveloped me in a way the DVD did not. Which I can't really explain since I don't think Underworld has a lossless soundtrack or anything. But it impressed nonetheless.

The visuals, not so impressed by. BluRay is what DVD should have looked like all along. BluRay lacks the defects present on DVDs, and as someone who notices defects I am personally pleased. But the added resolution for which BluRay is known, is for me only sometimes noticeable. But bear in mind my lcd tv is 720 not 1080.

For me, it is the sound that impresses.
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post #3 of 50
9/2/08 at 2:37am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Blade Runner Hades shot.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Will_B
For me it was not the visuals but the sound.

For me, it is the sound that impresses.

Oddly enough, whilst I do see the eye-candy aspect of it, with images being that much sharper (and this on a mere 43" HD-ready only plasma), I'd agree that I have been pleasantly surprised that I perceive a big qualitative improvement in sound, everything is just that crisper and clearer. Admittedly this might also be linked to the fact that I had to get a new receiver as well (Marantz 8200 v. 8002).
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post #4 of 50
9/2/08 at 2:45am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Hard to say what my first WOW! moment was with BD.

I had a HD-DVD player before a BD player and the first
WOW! moment I had with HD was while watching the
Masquerade number from Phantom of the Opera

I just bought my second BD player this week, the Panasonic
BD50, and I had another satisfying moment with Nightmare
Before Christmas, particularly the scene where Jack first
visits Christmas.
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post #5 of 50
9/2/08 at 3:17am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

My first "wow" moment was with the Blu-ray demo-disc, via first (European) Panasonic model (that I tested back then). The teaser was for "Ice Age: The Meltdown". It was my first, proper "1080p moment" and I just had bought my 1080p LCD. My first "proper" film in Blu-ray was "Ultraviolet", which sucked major as*..

Now I´m kinda used to 1080p and lossless-audio. Business as usual.
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post #6 of 50
9/2/08 at 3:36am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yee-Ming
Blade Runner Hades shot.
Same here. In fact, my jaw was hanging open during the whole opening sequence, including the reveal of the Tyrell building. So much detail, it's mind-boggling.
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post #7 of 50
9/2/08 at 5:58am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

This may sound strange, but my first wow moment was the credits sequence of THE SEARCHERS. The titles seemed to jump off the screen. They featured razor sharp edges, and I just couldn't get over how dimensional they looked. Had never seen anything that sharp ever before on my TV, not even in HD broadcasting which I had been enjoying for years.

The first shot of people was equally astounding in its depth of field and utter sharpness, but those credits still amaze me.
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post #8 of 50
9/2/08 at 6:37am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

My first "WOW!" moment with high-def also had to do with sound. "Live Free or Die Hard" was one of the first movies I saw after jumping into Blu-ray. The DTS-HD MA soundtrack was about as subtle as a sledgehammer (), and heightened my enjoyment of the film considerably. I never did an A-B test with the DVD, but I swear I'd never heard my system come alive like that before.
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post #9 of 50
9/2/08 at 7:06am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

My first "Wow" moment was with the first disc I purchased...Casino Royale. I've been finding it harder and harder to watch SD DVD ever since.
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post #10 of 50
9/2/08 at 7:27am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

My first great moment was disturbia. The opening scene where the father and son are fishing and you seen the mountains and the high weeds or the fields there in are just jaw dropping. I only wish this movie had a lossless track. It just has a DTS core track , which is good. Maybe they will revisit this title and give it a lossless track. I am legend is also another jaw dropping video as well as great audio to.I am totaly impressed with both video and audio on blu ray equally.
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post #11 of 50
9/2/08 at 7:45am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

First "wow" moment was my first HD-DVD viewing shortly after the launch in the summer of 06. Watching The Last Samurai on an HD-A1.

The scene that stands out in my memory involves Cruise in the rain at the village. The color saturation and subtlety of the blues in that scene, including the variety of color graduations was simply incredible.

First 'wow' with Bd was probably Casino Royale - the film release that nudged me into purchasing my first Bd player.

- Walter.
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post #12 of 50
9/2/08 at 8:02am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

I haven't made the jump to BD yet, but my first WOW! moment would have to be The Bourne Identity on HD DVD. When the medic first starts cutting into the scuba suit and you can see the texture of that suit and the wrinkles on the medic's hands.

Next WOW! moment was Beowulf. The movie almost jumps off the screen.
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post #13 of 50
9/2/08 at 8:16am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

When I puchased my Blu-ray player about 4 months ago, I also rented Kingdom of Heaven. As soon as the movie started, the picture and sound blew me away.
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post #14 of 50
9/2/08 at 8:38am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Like Ron, I had HD-DVD first. The first disc I bought when I got the player was Batman Begins. As soon as I started watching it I couldn't get my jaw off the floor. There have been several Blu-Ray discs since then that have that same effect on me, including Casino Royale as referenced above.
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post #15 of 50
9/2/08 at 8:49am
Thread Starter 

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

I apologize, I should have said HD media.

I'm hoping that because of the examples mentioned we'll check out those titles and be just as impressed.

Like some of you here, I'm not 1080p capable either, instead 1080i.
No lossless audio for me, but the higher bitrate 'core' audio tracks are still a wonder!

I sampled the Tumbler chase from Batman Begins and was blown away by the sound.

If The Dark Knight prologue is representative of what the film will look like on BD, then that will be THE reference disc for quite some time.

December can't come fast enough!

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post #16 of 50
9/2/08 at 10:21am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

The first disc that I watched was Halloween. It's my favorite movie and I've seen more times than I can remember but seeing it in HD was amazing. It's not a demo disc by any means and I've seen much nicer discs since then but it was the first "Wow!" moment for me.
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post #17 of 50
9/2/08 at 1:35pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

I got my player and some titles yesterday.

And for me it was the Dark Knight preview on Batman Begins. It looked sharper than it did in the theater and made me realize it was the right time to upgrade.
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post #18 of 50
9/2/08 at 2:10pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

My first "Wow" moment came back in the day, when HD DVD was new and BD was barely a glimmer.

I had rented 'Serenity', one of the handful of HD discs available from Netflix, holding onto it for a couple of days until the player arrived. I'm not crazy about the movie, but the first few scenes blew me out of my chair. The detail seemed so amazing.

The "Wow" moments continue, on occasion, less frequently with the passing of time. It's kind of sad to say, but high-def is becoming the expected norm. I'll miss the rush when it's gone altogether.
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post #19 of 50
9/2/08 at 2:15pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

My first WOW moment came when I popped in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. I was just scanning the movie and watched the opening chase scene. The sound was so much thicker I couldn't believe my ears! I was just hearing standard DD5.1 and it sounds incredible on BD. Then the scene that caused me to freak out was the scene where Roy is climbing up the side of the hill and the reveal on Devil's Tower happens. I watched it over and over again thinking that it could have been filmed this year!

Reverse WOW moment: I watched The Dark Knight prologue over and over again on BD before seeing the movie in IMAX. The three times I watched the movie there at the theater, I couldn't help but think it looks better at home!
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post #20 of 50
9/2/08 at 4:20pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

First disc I ever played: Serenity on HD-DVD. Like others have said, the audio (even though it was just DD+) blew me away.
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post #21 of 50
9/2/08 at 5:13pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

When Warner went Blu!
(JJ)

The 1st time I saw BD w/a 3D like PQ was off the 1st demo disc w/"HotR" & "KFH".
I always knew 3D CGI would be GREAT in HD (still looking forward too titles like "Bug's Life", just 'Hustle' was the 1st live action BD that looked good too "me").
So, the answer is: when the 1st demo disc came out.
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post #22 of 50
9/2/08 at 11:32pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Count me in the Blade Runner group. I had to resist the urge to try and reach out and touch the pyramid building in that first scene. It was eyeball melting.
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post #23 of 50
9/3/08 at 8:39am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Good choices all, but mine would have to be 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. This is the first time I have seen the movie looking anything close to spectacular since I saw it in a Broadway Cinerama theater in 1968. Unlike the standard def DVD editions, this one (using a Sony Blu-ray player with 24 fps "True Cinema" setting) had not one trickle of aliasing, no distortion of any kind. Sharp as a tack. The airbourne trip across the moonscape was simply stunning. Warner Bros simply outdid themselves on this one!

Blade Runner and Close Encounters are also awesome, but just not quite the revelation that 2001 was to my eyes.
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post #24 of 50
9/3/08 at 1:10pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Hooking up my Onkyo SR604 receiver and listening to the lossless track of Hellboy. Heh. That bass must have blew my neighbors away.
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post #25 of 50
9/3/08 at 2:01pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkBirds
Count me in the Blade Runner group. I had to resist the urge to try and reach out and touch the pyramid building in that first scene. It was eyeball melting.

Blade Runner was the first time I bought a dvd and went "I should've held out for the Blu-Ray." Sounds like I was right.
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post #26 of 50
9/3/08 at 2:40pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Cars. Like others have said, it "jumps" off the screen.

Still working on upgrading to HDMI for audio. This thread has me thinking about budget bustin' Damn, should have never started.
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post #27 of 50
9/3/08 at 5:35pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by wally
This thread has me thinking about budget bustin' Damn, should have never started.
Then your 1st "WoW" moment for Blu should be:
"When I opened my wallet & it was empty... WoW!"
(JJ)
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post #28 of 50
9/3/08 at 5:51pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

^^ too true!

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post #29 of 50
9/3/08 at 6:14pm

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicholas Martin
^^ too true!
Glad you got a laugh off that! :-)
It's a hobby, it should be fun.
Welcome too HiDef & enjoy Blu.
See that you can't wait for The Joker...
he is sure too empty your wallet!!! ;-)
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post #30 of 50
9/4/08 at 3:33am

Re: Your first real "Wow" moment with BD

No first real WOW moments with BD since I was familiar with HD long before that. My first HD moment was a WOW moment because it was the first time and it was a good source. A 1080i DVHS recording of a Bruce Springsteen concert on a CRT projector back in 2000 or so. That blew everything else before that (which was SD) away. A new era had started.
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