# Best movies to test picture quality



## wowmyers

I'm going to purchase my first HDTV very soon and would lIke some recommendations on which movies I should bring in to test the PQ out? 

BTW I'm leaning heavy to the Panasonic 42" plasma ST30 3D...I've heard a ton of good about it!!! Oh, and thanks for having me!
-WM


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## tonyvdb

Transformers DOTM is a good one, the Planet Earth or Life series are also very good ones.

By the way Welcome to the Shack!


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## typ44q

I would add to that list "The Dark Knight" especially the IMAX scenes, Toy Story 3, Ratatouille or just about any Pixar movie, Avatar, Sin City (has lots of very dark scenes)

and welcome to the forum!


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## DJG

Sweeny Todd & Green Lantern are also excellent dark-scene exercisers. Avatar mentioned above, in 2D looks almost 3D.


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## bambino

All the above recomendations are what i was going to say.:T


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## Dale Rasco

How to Train Your Dragon
Kung Fu Panda 1&2
Avatar
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
X-Men First Class


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## WooferHound

It's hard to test a TV in the store. They usually have them set to special settings that make them look good on the store shelf but reduces their life a bit.

I would not use an animated movie to check picture quality.


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## DJG

Actually some animated films can bring out certain shortcomings, such as uniformity, better than the usual movies, but I wouldn't use it as the only one for sure. All in all it's best to try a few different ones.


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## MitchPope

Some of the top rated movies for Blu-ray picture quality are:

The Tree of Life
The Thin Red Line
The Pirates of the Caribbean series
Live Free or Die Hard
Hot Fuzz
Crank 2
and pretty much any recent animated movie as mentioned above.


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## mozilla314

Tron: Legacy
Baraka


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## KalaniP

mozilla314 said:


> Tron: Legacy
> Baraka


Plus Transformers Dark Side of the Moon, and the Planet Earth series.

All you need.


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## donnymac

I always use TDK for the dark scenes and The Fifth Element for skin tones and color.


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## DJG

Mila does have great skin tones! :whistling: :heehee:

I'm glad they re-released Fifth Element.


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## Pannus

Black Knight gets my vote.


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## mozilla314

Do you mean Dark Knight? Black
Knight is with Martin Lawrence.


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## janos666

I like to check the sanity of TV calibration settings and test displays with Resident Evil 4 BD. It has a very clean picture (virtually zero sensor noise) and it was truly shot in 3D (so it's good for both 2D and 3D modes). I avoid Inception (there are some strangely re-colored or weirdly shot [?] scenes) and Transformers (T movies before DotM had awful dithering and color banding from the post-production, so I still don't trust in them, even though DotM look OK).
If you want saturated skin tones then Tourist and such. But don't check the skin tones with the BD releases of pre-2000 movies.


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## KalaniP

janos666 said:


> I like to check the sanity of TV calibration settings and test displays with Resident Evil 4 BD. It has a very clean picture (virtually zero sensor noise) and it was truly shot in 3D (so it's good for both 2D and 3D modes). I avoid Inception (there are some strangely re-colored or weirdly shot [?] scenes) and Transformers (T movies before DotM had awful dithering and color banding from the post-production, so I still don't trust in them, even though DotM look OK).
> If you want saturated skin tones then Tourist and such. But don't check the skin tones with the BD releases of pre-2000 movies.


RE4, huh? I'll have to check that out again, with skin tone checks in mind.

Such a hardship to have to stare at Milla's skin for 2 hours... :devil:


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## Dale Rasco

Megamind, Toy Story 3, Kung Fu Panda 2


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## mozilla314

Sin City and Tron: Legacy are excellent for seeing how your TV handles black level and shadow detail.


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## janos666

mozilla314 said:


> Sin City and Tron: Legacy are excellent for seeing how your TV handles black level and shadow detail.


Sin City is also very good to check if you are sensitive to phosphor lag or flickering with a given plasma TV (which happens more often with Pana NeoPDPs these days but you can also be disturbed by a Samsung PDP if you are very sensitive to this).


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## redsandvb

Along with the Blu-rays already mentioned I think I, Robot is supposed to have really good pic quality.


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## buzzard767

Casino Royale

Here is what to look for: http://homecinemaguru.com/?p=1120


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## DJG

Well, my new black & dark reference with many other challenges for a TV is Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows 2, also has a great skin tone range.


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## mozilla314

Wow! Buzzard thanx for the link. I tried calibrating using the Casino Royale stills
and I realized that I did have too much blue in my whites for the black and white to sepia flashbacks in the first scenes of the film.
I've used multiple calibration discs but I would much rather calibrate using scenes from reference quality movies. The calibration discs can get you in the ballpark, but I find they don't help you get the perfect skin tones.
Any more reference quality scenes for calibrating?


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## Rukk

Hi all!

This is a list of blu-rays I own that are of reference quality. They're broken up into sections. 1st is what would be considered "top tier". Then 2nd tier. Afterwards are movies that have demo quality PQ and finally discs with reference level audio. This list is based on Blu-Ray.com's reviews. Their rating system is a "5tar" method. So the top tiers are all 5/5's (PQ/AQ). The 2nd tiers are no lower than 4.5 on either end and the video/audio lists are also no lower than 4.5. This is my current list and I update it whenever I acquire a reference quality movie. Keep in mind these are based on an "expert's" opinion and you may have a differing opinion. Remember you may be looking for something different than the reviewer and that since we're talking about preference both of you are RIGHT! This is a guide and my contribution to the community. I hope it helps!


Blu-Ray Demo Discs

REFERENCE DISCS

007: QUANTUM of SOLACE DTS HD MA
AVATAR DTS HD MA
AVATAR COLLECTOR’S DTS HD MA 
BEOWULF TRUEHD 
BUG’S LIFE, A DTS HD MA
CARS PCM 5.1
CHRONICLES of NARNIA: LWW PCM 5.1
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PC DTS HD MA 7.1
CONAN THE BARBARIAN ‘11 DTS HD MA
DAY THE EARTH STOOD... DTS HD MA
DESPICABLE ME DTS HD MA
DRAG ME TO HELL DTS HD MA
FASTER DTS HD MA	
FAST FIVE DTS HD MA 
I, ROBOT DTS HD MA
IRON MAN 2 DTS HD MA
KING KONG DTS HD MA
KUNG FU PANDA TRUEHD
KUNG FU PANDA 2 TRUEHD 7.1
MINORITY REPORT DTS HD MA
MUMMY, THE: TOTDE DTS HD MA 
PIRATES of THE ...: AWE PCM 5.1
PIRATES of THE ...: CBP PCM 5.1
RANGO DTS HD MA
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN DTS HD MA
SERENITY DTS HD MA 
SIN CITY DTS HD MA
SORCERER’S APPRENTICE DTS HD MA
SPIDER-MAN: THDT TRUEHD/PCM 5.1
SUPER 8 TRUEHD 7.1
TRANSFORMERS: DSOTM TRUEHD 7.1
TRANSFORMERS: ROTF DTS HD MA 
TRUE GRIT (2010) DTS HD MA
TRON LEGACY DTS HD MA 7.1 
ULTIMATE MATRIX TRUEHD
UP DTS HD MA
WALL-E DTS HD MA 6.1



REFERENCE DISCS ( 2nd Tier)



2012 DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
30 DAYS OF NIGHT TRUEHD 4.5/5.0
6TH DAY, THE TRUEHD 4.5/4.5 9 DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
ALICE IN WONDERLAND DTS HD MA 5.0/4.5
ANGEL HEART DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5 
APOCALYPSE NOW DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
ASSASSINS DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
A-TEAM,THE DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
BOURNE SUPREMACY, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
BOURNE ULTIMATUM, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
CAPTAIN AMERICA THE FIR.. DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5/4.5
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE... DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0 
COLOMBIANA DTS HD MA 5.0/4.5
COWBOYS & ALIENS DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
DARK KNIGHT TRUEHD 5.0/4.5
DINOSAURS: G.o.P. DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
DISTRICT 9 DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
DRIVE ANGRY DTS HD MA 5.0/4.5
EXPENDABLES, THE DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5/5.0
FACE/OFF AUS IMPORT PCM 5.1 4.5/4.5
GLADIATOR DTS HD MA 5.0/4.5
GREEN HORNET, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
HANNA DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
HARRY POTTER and TDH P1 DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
HARRY POTTER and TDH P2 DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
HARRY POTTER and HBP TRUEHD 4.5/5.0
HARRY POTTER and OTP PCM 5.1 4.5/4.5
HARRY POTTER and POA PCM 5.1 4.5/4.5
HOSTAGE DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
ICE AGE DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN DTS HD MA 5.0/4.5
INCEPTION DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0 
INCREDIBLE HULK DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
INCREDIBLES, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
IRON MAN TRUEHD 5.0/4.5 KINGDOM of HEAVEN DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
KNIGHT AND DAY DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
LAST AIRBENDER, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
LEGEND of ZORRO TRUEHD 4.5/4.5 
LIMITLESS DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
LINCOLN LAWYER, THE DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5/4.5
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD DTS HD MA  4.5/5.0
LOTR TRILOGY EXTENDED DTS HD MA 6.1 4.5/5.0
MASK of ZORRO DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
MECHANIC, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
MONSTERS’ INC. DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
MONSTERS VS ALIENS TRUEHD 4.5/5.0
MUMMY RETURNS, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
MUMMY, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
PAN’S LABYRINTH DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5/5.0
PIRATES of THE ...: DMC PCM 5.1 5.0/4.5
PIRATES of THE ....OST DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5/5.0
PREDATORS DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
PUBLIC ENEMIES DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
PULP FICTION DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5/5.0
RAMBO PCM 7.1 4.5/5.0
RED DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
RED DRAGON DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
RISE of the PLANET OF THE APES DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
ROAD TO PERDITION DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
SALT DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
SE7EN DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5/4.5
SHUTTER DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
SHUTTER ISLAND DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
SMOKIN’ ACES DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND TRUEHD 4.5/4.5
STAR TREK TRUEHD 4.5/4.5
SUCKER PUNCH DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
TAKERS DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
TAKING of PELHAM 123, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
TEN COMMANDMENTS, THE DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
TERMINATOR SALVATION DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
THOR  DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5/4.5
TRANSFORMERS TRUEHD 4.5/5.0
TROY PCM 5.1 4.5/4.5
UNKNOWN DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
UNSTOPPABLE DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
WANTED DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
WATCHMEN DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
X-MEN: UNITED DTS HD MA 4.5/5.0
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS DTS HD MA 4.5/4.5
xXx: STATE OF THE UNION TRUEHD 4.5/4.5 





VIDEO

10,000 BC 4.5
ANGELS & DEMONS 4.5
BOOGIE NIGHTS 4.5
CASINO 4.5
CHRONICLES of RIDDICK 4.5
CONAN THE DESTROYER 4.5
DEMOLITION MAN 4.5
FEW GOOD MEN, A 4.5
EXORCIST, THE 4.5
GRAN TORINO 4.5
HULK 5.0
ICE AGE III: DTD 5.0
INVASION 4.5
LAW ABIDING CITIZEN 4.5
LIFE 4.5
MACHETE 4.5
MAN ON FIRE 4.5
MEMENTO  4.5
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 4.5
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE of THE SMITHSONIAN 4.5
OTHER GUYS, THE 4.5
SOURCE CODE 4.5
STATE of PLAY 4.5
SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES 4.5
WANTED 4.5
X-MEN UNITED 4.5




AUDIO

30 DAYS of NIGHT TRUEHD 5.0
300 TRUEHD/PCM 5.1 5.0
3:10 to YUMA PCM 7.1 4.5
AIR FORCE ONE TRUEHD 5.0
ALIEN ANTHOLOGY DTS HD MA 4.5
ARMAGEDDON DTS HD MA 4.5
APOCALYPTO PCM 5.1 4.5
AVATAR DTS HD MA 5.0
BANK JOB, THE DTS HD MA 5.0
BATMAN: YEAR ONE DTS HD MA 4.5
BEHIND ENEMY LINES DTS HD MA 4.5
BLACK HAWK DOWN PCM 5.1 5.0
BLOOD DIAMOND PCM 5.1 5.0
BOURNE IDENTITY, THE DTS HD MA 4.5
BROKEN ARROW DTS HD MA 4.5
CASINO ROYALE PCM 5.1 4.5
CLASH OF THE TITANS: 2010 DTS HD MA 4.5
CLIFFHANGER DTS HD MA 4.5
CLOVERFIELD TRUEHD 5.0
COLLATERAL DTS HD MA 4.5
CRANK PCM 6.1 5.0
CRCHNG TIGER, HDN DRAGON TRUEHD  5.0
DAY AFTER TOMORROW DTS HD MA 5.0 DC SHOWCASE PRESENTS.. DTS HD MA 4.5 
DOOM DTS HD MA 5.0
ELEKTRA DTS HD MA 4.5
FAST & FURIOUS DTS HD MA 5.0
F & F: TOKYO DRIFT DTS HD MA 5.0
FINAL DESTINATION 3 TRUEHD 4.5
FINAL DESTINATION, THE DTS HD MA 4.5
FINAL DESTINATION 5 DTS HD MA 4.5
FROM PARIS WITH LOVE DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5
GAMER DTS HD MA 7.1 5.0
GHOST RIDER TRUEHD/PCM 5.1 5.0
GREEN LANTERN DTS HD MA 4.5
GREEN ZONE DTS HD MA 5.0
HIGHLANDER 2 DTS HD MA 4.5
HARRY POTTER and COS PCM 5.1 4.5
HARRY POTTER and HBP TRUEHD 4.5
HULK VS DTS HD MA 4.5
I AM NUMBER FOUR DTS HD MA 4.5
INDIANA JONES and TKCS TRUEHD 5.0
ISLAND, THE DTS HD MA 4.5
JACKIE BROWN DTS HD MA 4.5
JURASSIC PARK ULT TRILOGY DTS HD MA 7.1 5.0
KILL BILL vol 1 PCM 5.1 5.0
KILL BILL vol 2 PCM 5.1 5.0
LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER DTS HD MA 4.5
LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL DTS HD MA 4.5
LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY DTS HD MA 5.0
MEGAMIND TRUEHD 7.1 5.0
MR & MRS SMITH DTS HD MA 5.0
NEXT THREE DAYS, THE DTS HD MA 7.1 5.0
NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET DTS HD MA  4.5
NINJA ASSASSIN DTS HD MA 4.5
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO DTS HD MA 4.5
PERCY JACKSON DTS HD MA 5.0
PRINCE OF PERSIA DTS HD MA 4.5
PSYCHO DTS HD MA 4.5
REPO MEN DTS HD MA 4.5 
ROBIN HOOD DTS HD MA 5.0
SAW: THE FINAL CHAPTER DTS HD MA 7.1 4.5
SERENITY DTS HD MA 4.5
SHERLOCK HOLMES DTS HD MA 4.5
SHOWGIRLS DTS HD MA 4.5
STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA DTS HD MA 6.1 5.0
TAKEN DTS HD MA 4.5
T-3 AUSTRALIAN IMPORT TRUEHD 4.5
TOMBSTONE DTS HD MA 4.5
TOURNAMENT, THE DTS HD MA 4.5
TOWN, THE DTS HD MA 5.0
TRANSFORMERS: RTF DTS HD MA 4.5
ULTRAVIOLET PCM 5.1 4.5
UNDERWORLD PCM 5.1 5.0
UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION PCM 5.1 4.5
UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REG... DTS HD MA 4.5
WAR OF THE WORLDS DTS HD MA 5.0
WOLFMAN, THE DTS HD MA 4.5
WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN DTS HD MA 4.5
X-MEN DTS HD MA 5.0
X-MEN: THE LAST STAND DTS HD MA 6.1 4.5
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE DTS HD MA 5.0
xXx PCM 5.1 4.5 





For those still rockin' HD DVD, below is a list of reference level movies from that format. These are based on High Def Digest.com's reviews.


HD DVD DEMO DISCS

 REFERENCE DISCS

BLADE RUNNER DOLBY TRUEHD 5.1
I AM LEGEND DOLBY TRUEHD 5.1 


REFERENCE DISCS (2ND TIER)

BLACK SNAKE MOAN DOLBY DIGITAL PLUS 5.1 5.0/4.5
FACE/OFF DTS ES 6.1 5.0/4.5
INSIDE MAN DOLBY TRUEHD 5.1 4.5/4.5
LAST SAMURAI DOLBY DIGITAL PLUS 5.1 4.5/4.5
POSEIDON DOLBY TRUEHD 5.1 4.5/5.0
SUPERMAN RETURNS DOLBY TRUEHD 5.1 4.5/5.0


VIDEO

AEON FLUX 4.5
ALEXANDER 5.0
BLACK RAIN 4.5
BRAVE ONE, THE 4.5
EASTERN PROMISES 5.0
PLANET EARTH 5.0
SMOKIN’ ACES 4.5



AUDIO

CHILDREN OF MEN DOLBY DIGITAL PLUS 5.1 4.5
CONSTANTINE DOLBY TRUEHD 5.1 4.5
SKY CAPTAIN... DTS HD HIGH RESOLUTION 4.5
TRAINING DAY DOLBY TRUEHD 5.1 4.5 

Any movies here that have a blu-ray equivalent can be appropriately placed in the blu-ray lists.


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## DJG

mozilla314 said:


> Wow! Buzzard thanx for the link. I tried calibrating using the Casino Royale stills
> and I realized that I did have too much blue in my whites for the black and white to sepia flashbacks in the first scenes of the film.
> I've used multiple calibration discs but I would much rather calibrate using scenes from reference quality movies. The calibration discs can get you in the ballpark, but I find they don't help you get the perfect skin tones.
> Any more reference quality scenes for calibrating?


Be careful when using any one movie as a reference for skin tones to calibrate by. Pallettes vary from one movie to another, and one never knows what the directors & producers have in mind. And there are often several variations that look great but may not match what the data wants to show, which means other movies will be off.

Having said that, one needs to do what makes one happy .


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## KalaniP

Rukk said:


> Hi all!
> 
> This is a list of blu-rays I own that are of reference quality. They're broken up into sections. 1st is what would be considered "top tier". Then 2nd tier. Afterwards are movies that have demo quality PQ and finally discs with reference level audio. This list is based on Blu-Ray.com's reviews. Their rating system is a "5tar" method. So the top tiers are all 5/5's (PQ/AQ). The 2nd tiers are no lower than 4.5 on either end and the video/audio lists are also no lower than 4.5. This is my current list and I update it whenever I acquire a reference quality movie. Keep in mind these are based on an "expert's" opinion and you may have a differing opinion. Remember you may be looking for something different than the reviewer and that since we're talking about preference both of you are RIGHT! This is a guide and my contribution to the community. I hope it helps!


You should really consider adding Baraka to your video reference collection. Best PQ of any BR made to date, IMO. Stunning imagery.

From the Wiki:



> "Following previous DVD releases, in 2007 the original 65 mm negative was re-scanned at 8K (a horizontal resolution of 8192 pixels) with equipment designed specifically for Baraka at FotoKem Laboratories. The automated 8K film scanner, operating continuously, took more than three weeks to finish scanning more than 150,000 frames (taking approximately 12–13 seconds to scan each frame), producing over 30 terabytes of image data in total. After a 16-month digital intermediate process, including a 96 kHz/24 bit audio remaster by Stearns for the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack of the film, the result was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in October, 2008. Project supervisor Andrew Oran says this remastered Baraka is "arguably the highest quality DVD that's ever been made".[1] Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert describes the Blu-ray release as "the finest video disc I have ever viewed or ever imagined."


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## Rukk

KalaniP said:


> You should really consider adding Baraka to your video reference collection. Best PQ of any BR made to date, IMO. Stunning imagery.]
> 
> 
> I don't own Baraka. This is a list of Movies in my possession.


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## KalaniP

Rukk said:


> KalaniP said:
> 
> 
> 
> You should really *consider adding* Baraka to your video reference collection. Best PQ of any BR made to date, IMO. Stunning imagery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't own Baraka. This is a list of Movies in my possession.
Click to expand...

... which is why I suggested *adding* it to your otherwise-excellent collection.


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## Rukk

I just read the review on Blu-Ray.com. Seems the reviewer agrees with your assessment. I'll have to give this a rent to see if I like the movie. Everything starts with that!


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## DJG

OK, I pulled out two IMAX movies from my BD queue and they are now at the top of my general PQ reference list:

Super Speedway
Hubble 3D

But that shouldn't surprise - who knows more than IMAX about making huge images look awesome! For blacks / dark scenes HP & the Deathly Hollows 2 is still my pick.

While I agree the images in Baraka are stunning and organic, I feel the PQ varies from extremely good to reference depending on the scenes. I've been to many of those locations here & abroad as a landscape photographer and at times it's like watching an animated version of my website!

The IMAX system on the hard and shiny more mechanical contents of the above BDs make sharpness and gloss a bit more obvious as a demo, I thought. In Super Speedway, at times you're not just in the car, you ARE the car - the audio can be totally immersive all-around (if you're into cars, at least!). OTOH, the cosmic Hubble images are not mechanical at all, but other-wordly and stunning in a different manner. The contents of the three are very complementary.

Pick your poison!


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