Tried Blood Diamond, Children of Men, The Matrix (I) to various degrees of "looks pretty," but it wasn't until I popped in Planet Earth (viewing From Pole To Pole now) that I went... Wow. All I wanted to do was gaze at the pretty screen without caring for the narrative. You can FEEL textures in HD. It's amazing. And this is not even with a stand-alone (which I guess would be better quality) but with the XBOX 360 HD-DVD add-on (and Sony Bravia 40" LCD 1080p with HDMI cable).

Oh and honestly there's like 200 caribou to 1 wolf and they all run away from the wolf. HELLO?! TRAMPLE IT!!! There's ONE of him and TWO HUNDRED of you!

King Kong. The very opening of 1930s New York City just looks amazing.

Nine Inch Nails: Beside You In Time

I had pre-ordered the HD-DVD version in anticipation of a future HD player purchase. That never happened so I picked up my HD-DVD preorder as well as a regular DVD version.

After watching the DVD multiple times, I eventually saved up enough to buy the HD-DVD player for my 360. I popped in my first HD-DVD title and was blown away. The difference was immediate and stunning. Crystal clear, absolutely jaw-dropping.

Next stop: Getting a receiver to hook up to my Polk Audio speakers.

Football

King Kong - Brontosaurus stampede for HD audio.

The first 'wow' moment for me was 'The Thing' after watching a film that on home video back in the late 80's and later on DVD looked cryptic and aged.

Now looks alive and vibrant (for a isolation film).

I sat down with my mother to watch The Searchers. It's still one of the most stunning discs.

Planet Earth for me too, probably just about when it started. Every time I pop that disc in for someone, we all shut up like cavemen who just discovered fire.

For me, and a number of other early adopters who posted about it at the time, it was seeing/hearing that HD Universal logo. I knew at that time that this was something different from SD DVDs. It still gives me a thrill when I see it.

Anyone else remember that experience?


The most recent "wow" experience was Top Gun. Yes, I know it is barebones (I've already seen the extras on SD DVD and don't care to watch them again). And the DVD Talk reviewer correctly pointed out that the film master wasn't cleaned up (but the opening carrier deck sequence is supposed to look grainy; it was shot in low light at dawn or sunset I think). So, it isn't even remotely "reference quality" and it screams "double-dip".

What made me sit up and take notice was the intense colors: the blue of the sky, the red on the helmets, and the like (the infamous volleyball sequence, for example). I was so surprised that I put in the SD DVD just to see if it was my imagination; it was not, big difference. That's the first time I really noticed much "pop" in colors over SD DVD, despite having watched dozens and dozens of discs.

It's funny you bring that up, because it was my father's first "wow" HD experience. I was demoing Serenity for him, and he flipped out at the Uni logo. Good times.

Planet Earth
The Thing (I see True_Story1011 agrees )



Thank God I got in on the $19.99 Matrix HD DVD collection a while back because there is no way in hell I'd buy the HD DVD trilogy for more than $30. The later two movies are "ok". The first one, predictably, is not as good and probably looks the same upsampled.

For me, it was when Discovery HD started broadcasting, I think back in 1999 or so. The first show I watched was Alien Insect (the one about the Praying Mantis). The video was so crystal clear, and the content itself was horrifying.

If we're not counting HD broadcasts, I'd say my first WOW moment was when I hooked up my HD-A1 player in July '06 and popped in Serenity. I've been sold on HD-DVD/Blu-ray ever since.

I'd say King Kong because it was the first HD I tried on the add on player. Now, I'd say Transformers is pretty impressive. Blows SD-DVD out of the water and because you can appreciate the effects more since it's clearer, makes for a better experience.

I tried Planet Earth, King Kong and Happy Feet and wasn't blown away until I watched the Matrix. That was gorgeous.

The intro sequence on "The Corpse Bride"

My jaw was on the floor.

Comparing Superman The Movie, new 'remastered' SD DVD and HD-DVD, by playing both at the same time, and flipping signals. Thats also how I sold some friends on it.

Whatever movie I put in first. I guess it was Jarhead or Serenity.

I'd love to have King Kong, but I wish it was the extended cut.

My first HD-DVD was Seabiscuit so +1 for the Universal HD logo. My actual "WOW" film moment was when I fast forwarded to the scene where Tobey Maguire rides Seabiscuit in the countryside for the first time. Just amazing colours -- the green of the grass and the autumn leaves were so darn LUSH!

Batman Begins

It was the first movie I watched with my X360 add-on. The outdoor scenes were gorgeous.

Well besides sports in broadcast HD, I would say watching The Last Samurai (my first disk I bought) and the rolling landscapes. I knew it was only a matter of time before I got a BD player afterwards.

First was OTA - 2005 World Series

Films - Searchers and Planet Earth

Probably watching "Finding Nemo" OTA.

I've had a few notable "wow" moments with HD. The first was seeing Discovery HD. I remember thinking to myself, "This is the future." Then, when I got my A1, the first disc I put in was Serenity. I knew I had made a great choice. The video was so brilliant, it was like I had walked right into the film. A lot of movies impressed me then, including Batman Begins, Chronicles of Riddick, and Constantine.

Then, when I got Blu-ray, I distinctly remember my first "WOW" moment was popping in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and seeing all the fine china being rained upon in the opening sequence. To this day I still use that as demo material. Since then, I've seen several great titles on both formats, including Hot Fuzz and Transformers on HD DVD, and Underwold and Spider-Man 3 on Blu-ray.

And then there are the transfers that made me re-evaluate the way I look at older films. In particular, The Adventures of Robin Hood is one that I go back to time and time again, but other titles like The Thing, The Searchers, and now 2001: A Space Odyssey make me appreciate the wide range that both formats have to offer.

It's these moments that drew us to these formats in the first place, and I'm glad that even as I review and watch dozens of titles every month, I can still find discs that just impress themselves upon me in a way that I'll never forget.