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15 Demo Worthy Blu-ray Scenes to show off your Surround Sound System

92K views 180 replies 135 participants last post by  Cashuout 
#1 ·
As home theater enthusiasts we love to show off our home entertainment systems. Let’s face it we have put lots of blood, sweat, tears and money into our labor of love so why shouldn’t we sit our friends, neighbors, relatives and anyone else that happens by down for a demonstration? Like many of you reading this I still get a kick out of watching people react to a great demo scene played back in my 7.2 channel theater. Of course this type of setup isn’t required to derive the awe factor as each room, system and enthusiast is different.


The advent of surround sound gave us a whole new way to thrill ourselves at home. DVD and its 5.1 digital sound and crisp video put smiles on more faces than I can count. The arrival of high definition Blu-ray and lossless audio took it to a new level entirely. I have a variety of Blu-ray Discs that I like to use for demonstration material. Some are for video quality, some are for audio quality and some qualify for both. This month I thought I would focus on audio quality and offer a few specific scenes from Blu-ray Discs that I use to demo my system. It should be noted that the order is random and this isn’t a comprehensive top fifteen list. I decided to focus on live action films and chose a few that some might not consider main stream but have something tangible to offer. I have included specific chapter and where applicable time stamp information along with the format used.



Fight Club


Chap 9. (opening): Short but incredibly dynamic and jarring - DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio


Mr. Brooks


Chap. 29 - 1:42:00 (Hallway shootout): Dynamically rich with a punchy low end – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio



U-571


Chap. 15 (“depth charged”): Needs little introduction and is simply terrific – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio



War of the worlds


Chap. 13 (The ferry crossing): Deceptively good with immersive sound and involving bass – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio



Flight of the Phoenix


Chap. 5 (The sandstorm): An oldie but goodie that makes for a great system torture test – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio



Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol


Chap. 5 - 00:31:00 (Kremlin explosion): Another brief but wonderfully jarring/immersive experience - Dolby TrueHD 7.1



Super 8


Chap. 14 - 01:20:00 (Bus attack): This is an involving sequence featuring dynamically rich sound, off camera cues and hearty bass – Dolby TrueHD 7.1



Thor


Chap. 3 (Battling the Frost Giants): From start to finish this one has it all – DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio



Terminator Salvation


Chap. 9/10 (The surprise attack at the gas station followed by the chase): Lots of great directional correlation and room filling bass – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio



The Hunger Games


Chap. 10 (At the edge): This is a great sequence that makes excellent use of the entire surround platform and features room traversing effects underscored by pulsating low frequency detail – DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio



Rambo


Chap. 14 (The battle at the river): Lots of flying bullets, big guns and room filling explosions – DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio



Hereafter


Chap. 1 - 00:03:15 – 00:08:00 (The tsunami): I like this one for its involving use of surround, robust dynamics and enriching detail – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio



Act of Valor


Chap. 9 thru 00:41:12 of chap. 10 (The rescue): Much like Hereafter I like this sequence for its visceral edge, involving quality and snappy dynamics – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio



The Grey


Chap. 3 - 00:12:50 – 00:14:30 (The crash) – This is a short sequence but it’s memorable – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio



Transformers Dark of the Moon


Chap. 15 - 01:38:40 – 01:39:36 (being greeted upon arrival in Chicago): This entire soundtrack would qualify as demo worthy. This is a brief sequence that I like to use because it’s well rounded, directly to the point and hits hard – Dolby TrueHD 7.1


I have reviewed nearly all of the Blu-ray listed above. They can be found in the AVS Forum Blu-ray Disc Review Database for those who want to check out the details.


There you have it – 15 demo worthy Blu-ray scenes that’ll sound great on your multi-channel home theater system. But this list is by no means supposed to be definitive. I'd love to hear which scenes you consider worthy of eliciting the awe factor when showing off your audio system. Please post some suggestions in the comments below, or feel free to create your own list on AVS!


Ralph Potts has been a member of AVS for ten years and has been reviewing audio/video hardware and digital home media for even longer. He has been AVS’ official Blu-ray reviewer for the last four years and has provided over nine hundred Blu-ray reviews for the AVS Community. You can follow Ralph along with AVS’ other official Blu-ray reviewer Lee Weber HERE
 
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#139 ·
House of Flying Daggers - The bean scene and the bamboo forest scene are awesome surround demos

Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen - When Sam gets captured by Megatron until the forest battle when Optimus gets taken out.
 
#143 ·
Star Trek Into Darkness in UHD with Dolby Atmos; the opening scene as Kirk and Bones are running away from the Nibiruans all the way until the movie title is displayed. The overhead channels explode with volcanic activity, spears whizzing, and an intense musical score that envelopes the viewer with deep bass as Spock drops into the live volcano to rescue the planet and "save the world". If you can run your system as near to reference level as possible, you'll be rewarded with home theater par excellence.

The PQ of this HDR presentation is fabulous with it's unique IMAX shifting aspect ratios prevalent throughout all of the exterior scenes.
 
#147 ·
I noticed some Star Wars movies were referenced earlier in the thread, didn't see the Pod Race in The Phantom Menace mentioned, it's always been demo worth material going back to the AC3 track on the Japanese Laserdisc.

Always liked the lightsaber showdown towards the end of the film too for sound.
 
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#151 ·
Here are some of my go-to demo scenes with Blu-ray timestamps if anyone's interested:

Star Wars: Episode I
00:58:25 - 01:10:00 -> Podrace (some good surround & you'll love it if you're a petrolhead for its roaring engines and their sounds)

Star Wars Episode II
01:06:20 - 01:09:53 -> Asteroid chase with Obi-wan & Jango Fett (incredible surround & powerful explosions) -> my favorite for surround demo

Star Wars Episode VII
00:16:45 - 00:18:05 -> Kylo Ren's Force interrogation (LFE)

Interstellar
00:41:40 - 00:44:05 -> Liftoff (LFE)
00:59:00 - 01:01:30 -> Through the Wormhole (LFE)
02:07:30 - 02:11:30 -> Docking (honorable mention for its pure 'epicness' because I think the previous two scenes are much more visceral in the LFE department)

War of the Worlds
00:13:17 - 00:17:00 -> Storm & The Lightning Strikes (intense surround with lightning strikes & powerful bass)
00:20:20 - 00:25:28 -> The Machine Emerges (LFE, loud)
00:30:37 - 00:31:55 -> Escape (good side surround when the car is escaping the carnage behind it)
00:39:00 - 00:40:50 -> In the Basement
01:07:00 - 01:09:00 -> Jet Flyover & The Battle Begins

The Social Network
01:20:25 - 01:24:22 -> Nightclub (just a great, realistic clubbing atmosphere)

Star Trek (2009)
00:40:00 - 00:41:35 -> Warp Drive (great power in the sound when the ships are entering warp drive)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (EE)
02:13:27 - 02:19:25 -> Troll Attack in Moria
02:21:15 - 02:28:50 -> The Staircase & Gandalf vs. Balrog

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (EE)
02:55:20 - 02:56:08 -> Helms Deep Battle (powerful explosion when the wall is breached)
03:13:33 - 03:17:34 -> Forth Eorlingas & Gandalf/Rohirrim Charge

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (EE)
00:55:30 - 00:59:37 -> Minas Morgul Awakening (loud & powerful)
02:31:25 - 02:36:46 -> Gandalf vs. The Witch King & Ride of the Rohirrim
02:39:10 - 02:51:18 -> Mumakil Charge & Dead Army Battle (pretty good surround and great LFE for Mumakil stomps)
03:34:45 - 03:37:10 -> The Ring Destroyed & Sauron Defeated (satisfying LFE when Barad-dûr is destroyed)
 
#154 ·
Hacksaw Ridge - The artillery strike right before they climb up the first time had my entire theater shaking. Awesomeness! :D
 
#157 ·
So newbie question here..hope it is ok to post in this section.

What audio formats must my equipment be capable of playing back in order to view all of the demo material listed in this thread? All of them? I am shopping and don't want to make a purchase mistake. For instance, one of the speaker systems I am looking at is the Samsung Hw-K 950 that only plays some of the DTS material in two channel stereo supposedly. Are most of these Blu Rays or dvds available in both Dolby and DTS or usually one or the other? Thanks in advance. Hopefully not too broad a question. I want to be able to watch all of them.
 
#158 ·
To get everything out of today's Blu Ray sound tracks you need a system capable of playing Atmos/DTSX. Ultimately you need 11 channels or whats called 7.1.4. Three front for left, center and right. Two side surrounds, two rear surrounds and 4 ceiling speakers. The .1 is for the LFE or base channel using a separate subwoofer. You need at least something that supports Dolby trueHD and DTS HD Master audio for a 5.1 system for true surround sound.
 
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#161 ·
For pure sound, Master and Commander is the best I've ever heard.


I long ago got over the big sounds of explosions and fight scenes (still love them, but the thrill is partly gone.)


I more prefer the subtle stuff. Good background music and proper punch to simple things like closing a door or a noise from a busy street. I really appreciate it when dialogue is localized properly and at good levels.


I also think it's imperative that you have two subwoofers. It takes the strain off of each and allows them to play a more accurate LFE channel.


I hope to be fully Atmos soon. I'm at 7.2, but look forward to 7.2.4.
 
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#169 ·
No votes for District 9? It was the most aurally visceral and violent movie I’ve experienced, which matched very well with the action on screen. Particularly the sound of that electric gun that blows things up.
 
#172 ·
Have to throw in my vote.

Star Wars Episode VII, The Force Awakens. About 30 minutes in, where Rey and Finn first meet. The chase scene that follows is what I use as a reference for everything I do with my home theater. Any changes I first test with that scene.

It has everything, dialogue, explosions, music, great surround effects. I've watched it hundreds of times and at reference volume it literally can bring a tear to my eye.
 
#173 · (Edited)
We mustn't forget the scene near the end of The Matrix where Neo comes back from the dead due to Trinity's "Get up, Bambi.You must get up!" He stands back up and flexes - and bends the world (including our listening rooms).

And in the first Men in Black when we walk, on our way to the elevator, through the upstairs lobby of HQ - disguised as a run-down ventilation room for the tunnel under the river (a la the dry cleaners in the opening of the TV version of Get Smart). Those huge ventilation fans make the room vibrate as well.

These may be subwoofer-fests, but they're great demos.

At the other end of the audio spectrum, many music Blu-rays show off the clarity of the audio. Listen to Diana Krall's Paris and Rio concert Blu-rays. Jazz concert halls tend to have clearer sound systems than rock concerts, which emphasize raw power.

But Steely Dan's surround mix of Gaucho (the first album they recorded digitally) is a masterpiece of the form, placing the listeners in among the instruments. (Released only on DVD-Audio disk and SACD - if they released it on Blu-ray it would be an immediate hit. Yes, our Oppos and some other Blu-ray players can play those formats - which battled to mutual assured destruction years before Blu-ray came out - but how many folks, particularly music retailers, know that?)
 
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#175 ·
But Steely Dan's surround mix of Gaucho (the first album they recorded digitally) is a masterpiece of the form, placing the listeners in among the instruments. (Released only on DVD-Audio disk and SACD - if they released it on Blu-ray it would be an immediate hit.

Elton John's 5.1 release of "madman across the water" is probably my favorite surround album... and I don't don't even love his music!
 
#176 ·
I go more subtle than most of y'all. Have long used the New York's Finest Taxi Service scene from The Usual Suspects. The 747 coming out of the fog is an excellent test for MPEG banding and blocking, contrast ratios, and so on, and the music cues are also subtly surround so if it doesn't fill the room, you fail.

It moves to decent action, and the street scene with the fire from above is very sharp, with smoke and the fire effects is good for checking the refresh speed, bass, etc.
 
#177 ·
For overhead effects, I really love the burial scene in Kill Bill Volume 2. It sounds like the roof is caving in!
 
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