DVD Etc Poll: List Your Favorite Demo Selection (1 Viewer)

[SteveHarvey]

I have to go with Chapter 2 of Dinosaur, that is one of my standard demo discs. There is a 2, 2:30 selection that has some tight bass, good surrounds, amazing video, etc. . . everyone can appreciate it.

 

[Bob_Chase]

Audio:
Fight Club from Fox, chapter 9, 12 seconds of pure, sonic bliss. The blast of the plane disintegrating in my living room takes my breath away each and every time.

Video:
Toy Story 2/Monsters Inc. from Pixar. It's all good!

 

[Alex Spindler]

My favorites:
Heat - some may call me a heretic calling this a demo disc, but there isn't anything like the Bank Shoot Out in terms of echoes. When he lets loose with the M4 inside the car you would swear he was sitting next to you.
Blade - as mentioned earlier, you can't beat the Club opening in terms of bass and hot/cold sounds. Plus, I'm pretty sure there isn't any other scene in history with such a vibrant RED!
Pitch Black - I love it all the way through for the alien speech in the night, but the crash landing is a visual and aural treat.

 

[Declan]

XXX

Dont like the movie............. but the first half hour anit too bad. So i got a loan off this for the weekend.

The bit where Vin Desiel jumps over the drug lab as it is exploding. As Rob Cohen says in his commentry..."I hope you have AC3"

The avalance bit is'nt too shabby either.

 

[Gruson]

#1 Jurrasic Park DTS
T-rex first attack (his yell just rocks)
#2 Ep. 1 Duel of the Fates battle
#3 Toy Story 2 intro

 

[Jeff Savage]

Ok here are the DVD's that always find their way into my player for demos:

For overall system goodness and showing off the "club" nature of my setup I put in Moby Play - The DVD and flick on the DJ lights. This DVD rocks with the 5.1 mix putting out more bass than almost any movie (certainly more sustained bass). If you like Techno and have good woofage this a great workout for any system. I think the best cut is from the Moby's Megamix section, Chapter 4, 4.44 min - "Bodyrock" (Olav Basoski's da hot funk da freak funk remix). The bass is non stop with good use of the surrounds. The visuals are like tripping without the drugs.

For movies my new demo is Star Wars Attack of the Clones, Chapter 28, 4.54 min, "The Asteroid Chase" (Lucas et al.). The visuals and sound are simply stunning. All the asteroids and chase action against the red planet are simply awesome. Add the sounds of the seismic charges, the ships flying, laser blasts, and exploding rock and you have some of the best 4 minutes of home theater greatness.

For pure music and showing people the advantages of DVD-A high resolution audio I use Nitty Gritty Surround, AIX Records, Chapter 7, 3.19 min, "Shady Grove" from the high resolution 96/24/5.1 mix. This is a stage mix and you are right there and I mean right THERE. This disc makes my Klipsch sing and, in my opinion, is equal to the best vinyl recordings out there. The other AIX offerings are just as good.

If you have not heard of any of this demo material I hope you get a chance to. My system can be seen by visiting my web page.

Laters,
Jeff Savage

 

[BradVan]

Another one I like is Spirit. The opening of the movie when M.Damon is talking, then all of a sudden the horses come romping over the hill. I like to crank the sub on this one!

 

[Jonny P]

I know that many of you on here have systems that are incredibly impressive, with high-def tvs and phenomenal sound systems. Many of your systems would be impressive even if you were showing a Kentucky Fried Chicken Commercial.

When I am demonstrating the coolness of this format to people, I am trying to portray how cool it would be for them to own a DVD player for their home.

For more strictly budgeted stiffs like myself, who have 30 inch TVs and merely two-speaker stereo sound pumping from my JVC receiver, here are my recommendations:

Movies:
Episode II: Attack of the Clones -- Beautiful picture, neat menus, and plenty of substantive Extras

Lord of the Rings FOTR boxed set -- It looks and sounds good, is a movie people love, and is loaded with extras

Monsters Inc. -- Picture, sound, and extras are impressive..computer animated movies just look cool on DVD.

Legally Blonde -- Laugh if you want, but this is a great looking disc with a great looking Reese Witherspoon.

Undercover Brother -- I just got this disc, and for a movie that did so-so at the box office, the disc looks great and has great features. The color and detail in the transfer is excellent. Comedies are underrated when it comes to showing off DVD format -- just because they aren't CGI'd to death doesn't mean that they are inadequate -- they often are some of the best looking discs.

T2 -- The liquid-metal terminator effects are still impressive after 12 years.

TV:
The Shield -- For the price, the 13 episode set is impressive..commentaries on every episode. This set shows the right way to do a TV series on DVD. It isn't in letterbox, which is disappointing, but there is a very theatrical look to the show.

The Simpsons Season 2 -- the animation was "rougher" at that point, but this set (also from fox) is a treat to have in a collection and fun to show off.

24 Season 1 - lack of chapter stops is bad, but since this show may never be seen in syndication, it is a real service that there is a format that can preserve a show of this quality.

 

[Jesse Power]

Hello everyone.
My pics for demo material
Picture top 5
1.Star Wars ATOTC.
2.Monsters INC.
3.Toy story 2.
4.Titan AE.
5.The Fifth Element Super Bit.

My pics for for sound Top 5 .
1. The Haunting DTS ES.
2. The Lord of the rings Extended DTS ES.
3. The Patriot superbit DTS.
4. U571 DTS .
5. Blade 2 DTS ES.
6. Saving private ryan. DTS
7. Toy Story 2 DD EX ( Super speedway Is also wonderful,even though it's 3-4 years old it still holds up as great demo material.
My Gear- Linn Ninka speakers for the fronts,Linn Avr 5120 center Channel,Revel B-15 Subwoofer. Marantz Sr8200 Receiver
Boston sr8's for the two rears, & Boston sr7's for the back surrounds. & a really old mitsubishi 27 in monitor. Going to purchase a real HD 40 in monitor in a couple of months.

 

[Gary Thomas]

Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody DVD-Audio blows people away on my system.

 

[Len Cheong]

For Video

1. Shakespeare In Love
2. Vatel
You can really see how good your dvd player/display is when you see the colours and detail of the images on these discs.
3. xXx - Chapter 5, the coffee shop, check out how many pores you can see on Vin Diesel's neck and forearm. Unbelievably hi-def like.

Audio and Video
1. Andrea Bocelli Sacred Arias

 

[Paul_Stachniak]

For video:

Either Shrek or Toy Story 2. That's as good as it gets in my opinion. However, Training Day is an excellent example of how sharp and clear a film transfer can be. This film looks absolutely gorgeous on a 16x9 HighDef TV.

For sound:

The opening to Toy Story 2 is amazing. The Fifth Element always wows, and I'm surprised nobody mentioned this, (perhaps I'm the only person who enjoyed this movie) but the final Shelby chase sequence from Gone in 60 Seconds (2000).

 

[Declan]

Think i said at one point (might have said though, not sure) that the bit when Cage starts up Elinor was amazing. Gone In 6o Seconds was one pf the first DVD's that I spun when I got my 5.1 system. Other movies do sound better but the final chase in GI60S sounds great alright.

 

[BrettisMckinney]

After i got my new WS set I checked Monsters inc and Toy story 2 and damn are they the best looking visuals i've ever seen!

 

[Ryan_TD]

there should be a disclaimer in this thread saying you are not allowed to choose the obvious dvd's that 98.9% of you are all posting.
Everyone knows about star wars, toy story, lord of the rings, saving private ryan, etc......

how about for audio - x-files(the movie) in dts
for picture - sleepy hollow

 

[Matt D K]

How about favorite Music or Concert DVD's? This is what of my favorite new things to do with my new home theater.

 

[Dennis Heller]

The two scenes in Hart's War when the airplanes attack (sorry, no chapter #s) sound really great, lots of panning and good, deep bass. For a concert DVD, I've only watched part, but Iron Maiden Rock in Rio (great video, and dts) is pretty good so far. Not everyone's cup of tea, though.

 

[Reginald Trent]

Quote:

there should be a disclaimer in this thread saying you are not allowed to choose the obvious dvd's that 98.9% of you are all posting.
Everyone knows about star wars, toy story, lord of the rings, saving private ryan, etc......
---------------------

I disagree, keep in mind people are getting into HT, joining and discovering this site everyday. Therefore, repetition has its place.

 

[Joshua_Y]

X-Men 1.5 DTS is astounding!

 

[Andy Polo]

I'm a big music guy... I loved Jurassic Park, when the group first sees the dinos. Also this is a great scene to show because of the great colors and lack of violence, for the time being. I absolutely love SPR, but it's graphic to show for a demo. Also, musically speaking, The Truman Show has some nifty tunes. Especially when Truman steps in front of the bus and begins to realize.....
Great sound:
Mission Impossible 2
Black Hawk Down
Air Force One (great, great flick, never mind its cheesiness)
Enemy at the Gates
Behind Enemy Lines (incredible sound during the jet scene)
and Monster's Inc. (the sudden bass when the sock was destroyed was great, not to mention the insanly crisp picture)