High Definition/Blu-Ray Recommendations
 

It is the era of Blu-Ray and gorgeous 1080/720 dp resolutions. And it will be the future of home-viewing too. If you have a home theatre with a full HD TV or plasma screen with a HD/BD player, this thread will come in handy.


Just be sure to get at least a 25-inch TV, if not more. The bigger the screen, the better visual experience.



Wall-E - Quite possibly one of THE best Blu-Ray/HD experiences one will ever get to see. The post-apocalyptic environments, the gorgeous long sweeping shots, the huge spaceship, coupled with a rollicking soundtrack (which sounds sweet on a 7.1 sound system), makes Wall-E an experience to behold.

Star Trek - This film is meant to be seen in a widescreen theatre, or on BD. Trust me. The superb stunning landscape and space sequences and the awesome sound effects will take your breath away.

2001: A Space Odyssey - See above.

Avatar - See above.

The Dark Knight - See above.

Sin City - See above.

Casino Royale - It looks very crisp. Specially the title sequence alone will make you gape.

Quantum of Solace - See above.

Corpse Bride - Yet another exhilarating HD experience, much like Wall-E. These latest animated films are the best to have hit BD yet.

Alice in Wonderland - See above.

Coraline - See above.

9 - See above.

Speed Racer - The film might have tanked and got panned by the critics, but there's no denying the fact that Speed Racer is one of the most visually stunning films ever made. The Wachowskis made some really fantastic use of color throughout the movie and it shows! You will never forget this BD once you have finished watching it. As far as the film goes, the races are the high points. There is a short sequence of flying through the city which looks great as well.

The Cell - Tarsem Singh's visual journey of brilliance is a MUST to be seen on BD. Jaw-dropping visuals, and what use of colors!

The Fall - See above.


and now for some horror...


Survival of the Dead - Romero's latest offering is a visual treat on BD. Remember to watch it in full 1080.

The Burrowers - Quite literally will sweep you off your feet with its fantastic western landscape shots and night photography.

The Crazies - As realistic as can be. Visuals are crisp and the sound is out of the world. If ever there was another reason to watch this remake, this is it. On BD.

Zombieland - See above.

Rec & Rec 2 - The whole experience of both movies gets very atmospheric and scary once it kicks in on BD. The sound and visual effects will make you bite your nails as hard as you would in an IMAX theater.


Other recs -

300
Spider - Man 2
The Lord of the Rings trio
The Matrix trio
The Fifth Element
District 9
Iron Man


More to come later. Feel free to add some of yours.

rocking an hd projector over here, just got black-out curtains last week. :)

I don't understand how people can love watching movies and not have bluray/surround sound etc.

the cell looks phenomenal

Not everyone has the cash.

Planning on getting a player and upgrading in the next year or so when I'm hopefully making more cash.

Picking up a few discs here and there so I've got some to watch when I upgrade everything.

I wont bother with HD until regular DVDs start getting obsolete.

Nothing against it, but HD emphasizes all the things about movies that I care least about. I mean, of course I love nice clear, crisp picture and sound...but 1080p doesn't improve the script, or make for better performances.

Only movie I've seen on BluRay so far is Top Gun. Looked amazing for sure, but it's still a shit movie.

32" lcd tvs are like 300$

No kidding. Canadian elitist. :p

yeah why not just have the actors run dialogue in front of a big black screen for 90 minutes.

top gun is not a shit movie :mad:

we'd give you some money, but you'd just buy more guns with it. ;)

And Big Macs. Please don't forget the Big Macs.

A basic blu ray player is around a 100 bucks au. Which is probably about a $2,000 nz....Nah just kidding aye bro. But seriously. If it isn't a movie like star trek, or some other big budget movie with a lot of special effects. You're not missing much. If you haven't got a full hd. All you're missing out on is the full picture. You know? No bits cut out off the edges. You're lucky in a way. If you waiting a while, the prices come down. My brother brought one a few years back, It cost about 2 1/2 to 3 grand. I brought mine last year for 15 hundred. My sister just got a better brand and slightly bigger one the other day for $900. Which is the price i think they will level out in Aus.

A full 1080p setup is kinda like a second monitor for your computer. Before you have it you really wonder if it's all that necessary since what you have works fine, but then when you get it you wonder how you ever possibly coped before.

For a good portion of movies, is it worth the cost? Not particularly. But for the movies that take full advantage of HD, oh hell yes it's worth it. Once you go HD it's hard to go back even if you're just watching a silly comedy. I grit my teeth and bear it through watching upscaled dvds, but given the chance I will always watch a movie in HD no matter what it is. It's even to the point where unless it's something so visually stunning like Avatar, I'd rather watch a movie at home instead of the theater.

For the recommendations, I would also add:

Monsters Inc.
Cargo
Sunshine
Ratatouille

I have a PS3. Any need to get a HDTV and surround sound to go with it. I have a small living room about 9'x13'. Need help finding the right set up. Would like a 46" TV and maybe the small pedestal speakers to fit behind couch or small enough to hang on the wall.

A 5.1 surround system should do fine for a 9 x 13 room.

Remember to get a Dolby or THX certified system, as they produce much better sound than other speaker systems.

Ideal placement - the front right/left speakers on either side of the TV at a 30-degree angle towards you, the sub-woofer on the left side of the TV on the floor (with it's air firing bass-gun towards you), and the rear right/left speakers on the wall/stands right behind your seating arrangement (the sofa/couch), at about 35-40 degrees towards you.