Disney's WOW: World of Wonder (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

93

Film Synopsis:

Through Home Entertainment, The Walt Disney Studios has introduced the Disney WOW World of Wonder Disc, its first-ever easy to follow guide to optimally setting up High Definition (HD) home entertainment systems. Available on Blu-ray and DVD, the Disney WOW disc is designed to help consumers get the best quality experience from their home theater systems providing everyone from beginners and enthusiasts to experts and custom installers alike with valuable high quality calibration tools.

My Take:

The Disney WOW disc has been engineered to meet or exceed the Digital Reference Standard for ultra high fidelity picture and sound delivering the best home theater presentation possible. It will be offered along with exclusive content on a bonus disc, an added Disney film and a high performance HDMI cable.
Viewers learn the basics of HD and home theater alongside Disney’s classic character GOOFY, then follow basic instructions to maximize home theater performance through an easy to follow on-screen menu. The disc packaging also includes an in-depth illustrated handbook. The Disney WOW disc is comprehensive and applicable to everything from flat panel displays and OLED screens to projection equipment and CRT based TV sets, as well as multiple sound formats ranging from Stereo to 7.1 Channel Surround. There are 35 easy-to-use A/V Calibration and Evaluation Tools for Beginners, Advanced and Expert Home Theater Enthusiasts. A/V Tools in the Beginner section are designed for ease of use in the proper alignment of home theater equipment.
The Advanced section contains A/V Tools that address professional evaluation and calibration tasks for specific monitors, displays, and projectors. Illustrations in the included 56 page booklet and the on-screen guide provide clear examples of properly and improperly calibrated A/V test patterns.

The Disney WOW World of Wonder disc is presented in several packaged configurations with either a single disc version or a two (2) disc version available. The two disc packaging features two discs: the WOW instructional A/V calibration and demonstration disc, which includes clips from popular Disney titles including Toy Story, UP, Bolt and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and, as special added content, an exclusive disc called VISIONS: Inspired by Nature, featuring breathtaking natural and digitally created landscapes with original music scores and ambient sounds.

As audio/video enthusiasts we are accustomed to (or should be at least) looking at accurate video displays and hearing properly reproduced sound from our home theater setups. Over the years I have used various setup/calibration discs to assist with getting the most from the systems I have owned or adjusted for others. As the demand for home theater entertainment has increased so has the accuracy and complexity of the setup/calibration tools offered on the software becoming available to the consumer. I have heard very positive things about Disney’s World of wonder and jumped at the chance to try it out when they offered it for review. Having the opportunity to work with them on Blu-ray Disc reviews I am aware of just how seriously they take their commitment to the medium as well as the professional manner with which they handle every aspect of their operation. This Home Theater calibration software is just such an example which is evidenced by the thorough and thoughtful approach they have undertaken to ensure the comprehensive and user friendly nature of its components. I recently upgraded to a 3D ready JVC 1080p front projector and used it to put World of wonder’s video calibration/adjustment/test suite to good use. Using the Advanced level material I was able to dial in the projector’s contrast, brightness, gamma, and color/hue. Additionally I was able to run tests for resolution, grayscale, overscan, sharpness/focus and white/black clipping.

I appreciated the tutorial/description that accompanied each item which aided in faster analysis. The various levels of the calibration/adjustment/test tools are well defined and explained. This assists both novices and advanced users in understanding how best to implement them. Of all the calibration discs I have used the menu system here is the simplest to navigate. There are categories contained therein that will allow adjustment of the most basic A/V setups all the way up to sophisticated systems that incorporate high end sound/display systems. Users have the option to tweak as simply as they would like or if they have the proper test equipment as in-depth as their level of expertise will allow. Disney has gone to extra mile and incorporated a multitude of reference/demo material which can be utilized to gauge the results post calibration.

For those who wish to take it a step further the Visions bonus disc contains beautifully captured high definition video and audio clips that can be used to show off your newly adjusted system. If you’re new to all of this and are unsure of where to begin I recommend you start with the “Discover” menu and let Goofy take you through the beginner’s basics. This is a great introduction that outlines many of the basic components needed to obtain a general understanding of some of the key elements that will help with the optimization process. Kudos to Disney and R&B Films on a wonderful product that can be employed by anyone wishing to get the most out of the investment they have made in their home audio/video system.

Audio: 86

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• Dynamics:
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• Surround Sound presentation:
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• Dialogue Reproduction:
  

Video: 100

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• Resolution/Clarity:
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• Compression:

Disney’s World of wonder comes to Blu-ray Disc featuring AVC encoded video and lossless DTS-HD Master Audio sound.

The test and reference/demonstration material as well as the incorporated menu systems on both the WOW and Visions: inspired by nature makes for flawless high definition imagery that results in a superlative overall video presentation that looks amazing regardless of the size of your display. The audio setup/calibration is designed so that it can be used for optimization with or without a sound pressure level meter. The adjustment options range from stereo to 7.1 channel systems and allow users to dial in speaker/subwoofer levels (meter required), individual channel identification, polarity tests, noise floor, buzz/rattle test and A/V synchronization. The sound quality for the variety of test signals is what you might expect and is fine. The DTS-HD Master Audio sound on the various clips from the Disney titles found under the “Experience” menu is consistent with the quality found on their full HD releases and is of course excellent (see my reviews for full descriptions). Visions: Inspired by nature contains a nice blend of environmental sounds and music that comes in both 5.1 and 7.1 (depending) channel mixes. The quality of the recordings is high and the surround mix makes effective and well integrated use of the platform to create an aurally stimulating and pleasing experience.

Overview of diagnostic and calibrations tools:

Discover

• For the Beginner:

1. 
   
2. Home Theater Basics With Goofy
   
3. Easy As 1-2-3
   
4. Lost University
   
5. Split Screen Showdown

• For Advanced users:

1. 
   
2. What Makes up A Picture?
   
3. What Is Sound?
   
4. What Is Compression?
   
5. What are interlaced/progressive
   
6. What is 24 frame playback?

Optimize

• Beginner – Video Tools:

1. 
   
2. Brightness
   
3. Aspect Ratio
   
4. Contrast
   
5. Color
   
6. Sharpness

• Viewing angle - Find the best seat in the house
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• Beginner audio Tools:

1. 
   
2. Speaker ID
   
3. Polarity Test
   
4. Noise Floor
   
5. Buzz & Rattle Test

Advanced video tools - For optization of LCD, Plasma, DLP, Front projectors, OLED and CRT Displays:

• Video Calbration Tools for adjusting -

1. 
   
2. Advanced Brightness & Contrast
   
3. Aspect Ratio
   
4. Convergence
   
5. Chroma & Hue
   
6. Sharpness/Focus
   
7. Overscan Test
   
8. A/V Sync

Display evaluation tools:

1. 
   
2. Purity
   
3. Scaling Test
   
4. Advanced Scaling 1 & 2
   
5. Sharpness/Focus
   
6. Hyperbolic Zone Plate
   
7. White-Black Clipping
   
8. Viewing Angle Test
   
9. Gamma Response
   
10. Grayscale
    
11. Scaling Test
    
12. Advanced Scaling 1 & 2
    
13. Sharpness/Focus
    
14. Hyperbolic Zone Plate
    
15. White-Black Clipping
    
16. Viewing Angle Test
    
17. Gamma Response
    
18. Grayscale
    
19. Compound Test Chart

Advanced audio Tools – Includes the beginner tests above and adds A/V synch, speaker level and subwoofer level adjustments

Expert - Professional evaluation Tools

• High Definition Shootout – Standard Definition DVD vs. High Definition Blu-ray
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• High Definition Demonstration Video Clips from popular Disney Blu-ray titles.

Bonus Features:

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• BD-Live Access
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• "Visions: Inspired by nature" Bonus Disc

Accessories :

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• 52 page instruction booklet
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• Blue filter (for use with portions of the video calibration)

Final Thoughts:

Disney’s World of Wonder is an outstanding addition to the current crop of audio/video calibration discs available for consumers. Its intuitive design, comprehensive A/V calibration suite and user friendly approach make it an effective and powerful tool for beginners, advanced do it yourselfers, or calibration professionals. Kudos to Disney and executive producer/director Richard J. Casey of R&B Films on a wonderful product that makes for a terrific resource for those looking to get the most out of the investment they have made in their home audio/video system.