Mr. Cinema

My brother just bought a 62" Toshiba Widescreen DLP from Best Buy. His birthday is coming up. I know there are plenty of members on here that own a big widescreen tv. I want to get him some dvds that will really take advantage of his tv. Do superbit titles really make a difference? I'm mostly looking for action movies. Something that will have a great picture but also a very active soundtrack. I know the obvious would be something like Saving Private Ryan or Master and Commander, but what are some others? Thanks.

buckee1

I have a 61" Samsung DLP and the discs that really "explode" on my screen are:

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Black Hawk Down(SB)
Air Force One (SB)
Blade/Blade II
Flight Of the Phoenix
Die Hard Trilogy
Chronicles of Riddick
Hellboy
The Core
The Day After Tmrw.
Van Helsing
I Robot
AVP
Star Trek: Nemesis
Hero (R2)
House of Flying Daggers

I have many of the SB titles and have only really seen a marked difference in two SB films (Air Force One & The Fifth Element) over its non-SB counterpart.

I do know though that my non-SB Crouching Tiger looks like shite on my set up so I'm hoping the SB will improve the visual presentation.

Some swear by Superbits and others like myself seem to find more hype than substance in the whole SB product line. I have Spiderman 2 on both SB and non SB discs and the picture looks exactly the same on each disc.

The perfection of SB titles or lack thereof is truly in the eye of the watcher. You may see a difference and then again...you may not.

matome

Don't laugh, but I always use Resident Evil as a demo, since the transfer is top notch and it's a rare action movie that's 1.85:1. The opening slow-zoom shot of the guy in the clean-room handling the T-Virus is great demo as it slowly fills the screen. Plus the soundtrack is ridiculously loud and immersive. I didn't even bother with the Superbit since the original is that good.

I have the 50" Sammy DLP and I am very jealous right now

Mike Lowrey

Question. You're a DVDTalk Special Edition member, and you're asking what movies would look good on a big screen???

Ask yourself this question. (First of all, what type of TV do you have?) If something better than a SD non-Flatscreen with at least anamorphic squeeze, then just think what discs look good on your TV.

That said, Dances With Wolves - SE looks pristine. Clear blue skies, not a spec of compression artifact.

Mr. Cinema

Thanks for all of the choices.

I'm sure some titles don't look as well, as one poster said about Crouching Tiger. Doesn't hurt to ask

RockStrongo

I also have a 61in Sammy DLP. Its ISF calibrated and my dvds are upconverted to 720p using a Momitsu DVD player connected with DVI.

I can tell a difference in most superbits versus their non-superbit version (at least the ones ive owned). Spider-man 2 was definately softer and less defined on the non-sb version.

But, there are many dvds that arent superbits that look as good or better. I,Robot from FOX looks better than any Superbit that I own. It looks almost like HD quality.

Deadpool

A few that haven't been mentioned:

Daredevil SE
Training Day

Mike Lowrey

Yeah, I, Robot looks awesome. Best transfer I've seen in quite some time. And with that movie, it helps to have a good transfer.

DodgingCars

What does # of posts have to do with knowledge of what dvds look best on a big screen tv?

I have a 27" regular old tv. I wouldn't know which DVDs would be best to showcase on a larger screen.

davidlynchfan

although the transfer is alright.THE NEST is the best action flick i've seen in years.

Drexl

I would think that TV is enough of a birthday present, but I guess the more, the merrier.

I would add to the suggestions anything Pixar has done, but especially the newer titles like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Also, any of the Star Wars discs would be good but not Episode I (it has too much edge enhancement and it would be very noticeable on that large screen).

Also, I recommend getting him a copy of Digital Video Essentials or Avia: Guide to Home Theater if he doesn't have one of those yet. If he really wants to get the most enjoyment out of that set he needs to properly calibrate it.

Mr. Cinema

I'm leaning towards the Star Wars Trilogy.

Can someone explain the dvd players that upconvert? And what does that actually mean? He has an HDMI connection. Do any players have that and how much of a difference is that compared to component cables?

RockStrongo

Yeah, I had never seen the movie....rented it from Netflix and bought it after seeing the it....the movie was decent, but stunning special effects.