When I have friend come over and they want to see and hear my HT system "in action", I often have a hard time selecting a DVD to properly demonstrate it's capabilities. The pre-race scenes in Days Of Thunder, the opening 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, and the pod race scene from Star Wars Episode I are all good for audio. Battle and scenery scenes from Braveheart or the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan are good for video (if the viewer can handle the violence). Various parts of Lord Of The Ring: FotR are good for both as well (Lothlorien is particularly good for video).

I'm curious as to what other people use to "show off" their systems to inquiring firiends?

I usually don't keep friends I have to impress.

Thanks, Jack . . . that's just what I was looking for.  

All my collection are good for audio and video, or else I would just rent them.No need to impress them, I am sure there a better home theater systems in Japan than mine.

though I usually would like to blast my neighbors ear drums with Black Hawk down and my Underworld dvd.

Saving Private Ryan DTS, or LOTR: FOTR EE.

The start of Toy Story 2 is great.

Other than a pretty nice 30" or so Wega tv, I don't have much to show off in the HT department. However, I have showed off the video quality that DVD's are capable of, and in my experience Star Wars Ep. II and Starship Troopers work very nicely.

I take off my pants.

Fifth Element for video, FotR EE for audio.

Beastie Boys Video Anthology

Forget about impressing them, if I want to give them tinnitus (so they can be like me), I put on the Harrier scene from TRUE LIES and turn the sound way up.

I can juggle.

I say 'Hey I've got 40 Criterions' and then they say 'What's that?' I'm done trying to impress.

Now if you could just get the two of you together, you might have something . . . I don't know about the audio, but I bet you could find some people who would be impressed by the visuals.

I don't show them my evergrowing dvd collection or speak of what i "have on dvd"...my friends already think im lame enough for blowing so much money on them

I impress them by not letting them touch my library. they respect my hardcore attitude. either that or they think I'm a jerk. I'm good either way.

....and they can watch their own poratable picnic players and setups. what am I....an usher?

When friends are over and want to see the Home Theater, I usually use one or more of these:

* FOTR:EE - Start when Gandalf is reading the book in Balin's tomb until the end of the battle. There is some great surround sound when the skeleton falls into the well, and the drums will really highlight what a quality subwoofer can do.

* Toy Story 2 - The opening chapter, great for showing color vibrance and image clarity, has some decent surround action and LFE.

* Moulin Rouge - Just about anywhere, but the beginning through Satine's entrance offers a good mix of surround, LFE, image clarity/vibrance/etc.

* SW:AOTC - Opening chapters, great LFE as Amidala's ship descends and lands as well as the explosion, great visual detail and surround mix while on Coruscant... Obi Wan/Fett chase through the Asteroid field is also good...

* Forrest Gump - The scene where they are walking through the jungle and a firefight erupts makes GREAT use of the surrounds.

* Saving Private Ryan - Opening battle, great use of 5.1 sound.

* Monsters, Inc. - Anywhere you'll get great video demo material, any scene with Boo laughing has great LFE, some good surround use in a variety of scenes... (The detailed work on Sully's fur almost make this an exception to my rule that showing animation to demo video quality is "cheating")

* Shakespeare in Love - the scene at the Queen's party with fireworks (around chapter 16) has some very colorful, detailed imagery.

* The Fifth Element (SuperBit) - Probably the best in terms of video clarity, vibrance and detail... Pick a scene...

You stole my post. I sue!

The Star Wars: Episode I during the Pod race... Perfect with THX...

I juggle my friends' pants.

you want to show off the bass, how bout "the battle of helms deep" (the 2 hour point, forgot the chapter) of the two towers.

My friends don't ever say anything if they think I'm an ass for buying so many dvd's. My collection is 300+ and they just want to borrow DVD's they haven't seen yet. Only person I actually let borrow, is my trustworthy friend who lives around the corner from me. Responsible guy he is. As far as impressing them with my setup, pssh. I don't cater to them My collection is enough to put them in awe. But they all know I've always been big on movies. I love movies. So much. Nothing better than knowing that no matter what you're in the mood for, you can watch it! And having the 32" flatscreen in my bedroom is always a crowd pleaser. As its the biggest 'fun' thing in the room (obviously excluding my recliner and my bed and such).

By sleeping on a pile of money surrounded by beautiful women.