Blu-ray Players and Movies

Transcription

Visit www.soundadviceblog.com for more information
Don Lindich’s Sound Advice Blog
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Blu-ray Players and Movies
This e-magazine guide is available as a
free download from
www.soundadviceblog.com
Ver. 1.0 (C) Copyright 2008 Don Lindich. All rights reserved. Images used with permission.
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Introduction
Blu-ray players and Blu-ray movies are generating a lot
of excitement. Now that the “format war” is over with
Blu-ray crowned the victor, consumers are getting
ready to jump in and embrace high-definition on a disc.
I am a big movie and home theater fan and high definition video and sound adds dramatically to the experience- more than I can say, especially if you have a sound system
capable of making the most out of Blu-ray’s lossless audio formats. This guide will
make sure you understand Blu-ray and get the most out of your experience.
Pass the word around!
If this e-magazine guide has been helpful to you, please feel free to forward it to friends,
family members, and anyone else you think could benefit it. Please note my copyright,
and the copyright of the owners of the images is still in effect and this document may
not be altered in any way.
Visit www.soundadviceblog.com for info and updates
This guide will be continually updated, so stop by my website for updated versions. You
will also find additional guides and tutorials, product reviews, past newspaper columns,
and Don’s Dealfinder, a listing of exception deals on exceptional products.
Your online glossary: www.avglossary.com
I also maintain www.avglossary.com, the world’s largest glossary of audio, video, and
photography terms. If the term is not listed, send me an email and I’ll define it for you
and add it to the glossary.
About the author
Don Lindich’s Sound Advice newspaper column is distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services and appears in major newspapers coast to coast. Drawing on over
twenty years of audio, video and photography experience, Don takes a practical,
common-sense approach, recommending the best products and practices to help others
get great results no matter their budget or experience.
Contact Don at donlindich@gmail.com.
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Table of Contents
What do you get with Blu-ray? .................................................................4
What do I need to experience beautiful Blu-ray video?..........................5
What do I need to experience lossless sound?.......................................5
Blu-ray Profiles...........................................................................................8
Will I need both a Blu-ray player and a DVD player? .............................9
Firmware Updates......................................................................................9
Recommended Blu-ray Players...............................................................10
Setup Tips.................................................................................................14
Tune Your TV for the Best Possible Picture...........................................16
Recommended Blu-ray Movie Retailers.................................................18
Recommended Blu-ray Movies...............................................................18
Upgrading Your Sound System...............................................................20
Cover Image (c) Sharp U.K.
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What do you get with Blu-ray?
There are four primary advantages Blu-ray Disc movies have over their DVD equivalents:
• Improved capacity and durability: Blu-ray Discs have up to 50GB of disc capacity
for a dual-layer disc, which is over 5x more than a double-layer DVD. Blu-ray discs
carry the data close to the surface of the disc, so a hard coat is applied to protect the
fragile data. This hard coat is extremely durable and resists scratches and fingerprints.
• Improved video quality: Blu-ray Disc movies have up to 6x the picture detail of a
standard DVD. Numbers are not the way to describe the difference, though! Suffice it to
say the sharpness, depth, color and detail is far greater than anything you have ever
experienced before. No matter what they say about upconverting DVD players providing “near high-def quality,” after you experience Blu-ray it is more of a country mile than
“near.” The bigger the screen size, the bigger the noticeable difference. All Blu-ray Disc
players support 1080p output, the highest available HDTV resolution. If your TV is a
720p or 1080i model Blu-ray is still compatible and will look fantastic on your set- just
set your player for the proper resolution output.
• Improved audio quality: Most Blu-ray Discs have lossless audio, which means,
obviously, no loss of sound quality. In short, the sound quality from Blu-ray Discs is capable of matching the master tapes from the studio. If you have a sound system capable of using the lossless audio formats, the difference in sound quality is just as apparent as the difference in video quality. In fact, when doing demonstrations in my own
home theater before I even get to explain that the sound as well as the video is highdefinition the viewers make comments such as “Wow, the sound!” or “I’ve never heard
sound like that anywhere.” You need a relatively recent surround sound setup to experience the lossless sound; more on that later.
• Improved interactivity: Blu-ray Discs and players use BD-Java, a version of Sun
Microsystems’s Java programming that is ubiquitous on the Internet. Using Java allows
the studios to put games and other interactive features on the discs, as well as menus
that can be accessed while the movie is playing. (Once you have experienced the latter, it’s even harder to go back to DVD!) The downside to the BD-Java is that it requires
a lot of processing power and early Blu-ray players may take several minutes to load
the discs once they are placed in the player. Compatibility problems may exists as well
and the player may need a firmware update to function properly. Blu-ray will soon be
introducing Profile 2.0, or “BD-Live” which will bring Web interactivity to Blu-ray and allow you to download bonus materials, play games, and much more.
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What do I need to experience beautiful Blu-ray video?
This is an easy answer. You need:
•
•
•
•
A high-definition TV
A Blu-ray Disc player
Connection cable or cables
Blu-ray Disc Movies (Of course!)
If you have an HDMI input on your TV, you should use an HDMI cable from your
Blu-ray player to the TV. Do not overpay for your HDMI cable. Most big box stores
only sell overpriced brands such as Monster Cable and charge from $90 to $150 or
more for a single HDMI cable. You can get a perfectly good, well-made HDMI cable for
under $5.00 from www.monoprice.com.
If you have an older HDTV with component video connections, you need a set of component cables and a set of stereo audio RCA cables.
What do I need to experience lossless sound?
This is a lot trickier! First of all, if you are just running the sound through your TV
speakers there isn’t going to be much difference. You need a separate sound system to
really appreciate Blu-ray’s fine sound.
There are several lossless surround sound formats available and older receivers, and
even many current ones do not support these new sound formats. Not all of the players
support them, either. I’ll start with the different surround formats, and then explain what
equipment you need to experience them at home.
The lossless audio formats are:
•
•
•
PCM
Dolby TrueHD
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
If you don’t plan on upgrading your sound system to experience lossless audio, most
Blu-ray movies have a standard Dolby Digital track, just like DVDs.
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PCM, LPCM: PCM and LPCM are the same thing. Some studios call it PCM, for Pulse
Code Modulation, a lossless method of digital recording. LPCM stands for Linear PCM.
Sometimes you will see “20 bit LPCM” or “24-bit LPCM” or “24 bit uncompressed” on
the disc cases. The more bits, the higher the resolution and the better the sound.
Blu-ray Discs have specifications listed on the box. This disc has
an uncompressed PCM track with 5.1 channels of sound.
This disc also has PCM, but it is simply called
Uncompressed in this case. With 24-bit resolution,
this disc will have very high sound quality.
(Audio CDs are only 16-bit. This is much better!)
PCM Requires HDMI or Multichannel Analog Inputs
To experience lossless PCM sound you need a receiver with an HDMI input capable of
receiving multichannel PCM, or a Blu-ray player with multichannel analog outputs and a
receiver with multichannel inputs. If your receiver has an HDMI input the player will
send the audio over the HDMI cable and the receiver will amplify the sound and send it
to the speakers.
HDMI Inputs on an Audio/Video Receiver
Player HDMI Output
HDMI Cable
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Multichannel Analog Outputs
RCA Audio Cables (6 plugs)
Multichannel Analog Inputs
If you are using the analog outputs, the player will convert the PCM sound to analog
and send the high-resolution sound from its analog connections to the receiver’s analog
inputs. In this case the surround settings are set on the player and the receiver is just a
volume control and an amplifier.
Dolby TrueHD: This format uses lossless compression so the audio
information takes up less space on the disc than a PCM file, but no
sound quality is lost in the compression process. There are several
ways to experience lossless sound from Dolby TrueHD. The first is with
a receiver with an HDMI input capable of receiving multichannel PCM,
and a Blu-ray player that can decode Dolby TrueHD and convert it to PCM. The player
will decode the Dolby TrueHD, convert it to PCM and send it via HDMI to the receiver
for playback. The PlayStation 3 is an example of player that uses internal TrueHD decoding and an LPCM output via HDMI.
The second way is with Blu-ray player with TrueHD decoding through multichannel analog outputs and a receiver with multichannel inputs. If you are using the analog outputs,
the player will decode the TrueHD, convert it to analog, then send the high-resolution
sound from its analog connections to the receiver’s analog inputs. In this case the surround settings are set on the player and receiver is just a volume control and an amplifier.
The third way is via “bitstreaming.” Bitstreaming takes the digital data from the disc and
transfers it via HDMI to a receiver with a built-in Dolby TrueHD decoder. The receiver
decodes the TrueHD and powers the speakers. According to many who have tried all
three methods, bitstreaming is the best possible way to reproduce TrueHD.
DTS-HD: DTS-HD consists of two streams: a “core” with a highresolution (but lossy) DTS track and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
track. The MA track is a lossless track capable of duplicating the studio
master tape. At the time of publication no players with internal DTS-HD
decoding exist so the only way to reproduce the lossless DTS-HD MA track is with a
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player capable of bitstreaming the information and a receiver with DTS-HD decoding.
The major studios currently using DTS-HD are 20th Century Fox and New Line Cinema.
Dolby Digital Plus: Many Blu-ray Discs have Dolby Digital Plus, an improved version
of Dolby Digital. While it isn’t lossless, the sound quality is noticeably better than standard Dolby Digital soundtracks. Dolby Digital Plus is compatible with receivers supporting Dolby Digital.
No HDMI or Multichannel Analog Inputs?
You can still use your receiver’s coaxial and optical digital inputs with your Blu-ray
player’s corresponding digital outputs. It won’t sound as good as the lossless formats,
but the sound will at least equal (and usually exceed) the sound quality you are used to
with DVDs.
Digital Audio Outputs
Digital Audio Inputs
Blu-ray Profiles
Blu-ray players conform to one of three profiles, each having different capabilities.
Profile 1.0 players simply play the movie. This is called the “grace period profile.”
Profile 1.1 players play the movie and have picture-in-picture capabilities via secondary
picture and audio decoders and must have at least 256 MG of onboard storage. The
picture-in-picture feature is called “Bonus View” and the profile is called “Final Standard
Profile.” All Blu-ray players announced from the present onwards must conform to at
least profile 1.1.
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Profile 2.0 players play the movie, support Bonus View, have at least 1 GB of onboard
storage and provide an Internet connection for Web interactivity.
Profiles summarized
Profile 1.0: Watch the movie,
Profile 1.1: Watch the movie + picture-in-picture
Profile 2.0: Watch the movie + picture-in-picture+ internet connection for web features
Will I need both a Blu-ray player and a DVD player?
All Blu-ray players will play DVDs and upconvert them to high-definition resolutions, if
not high-definition quality. Upconverting quality varies widely by Blu-ray player so if you
have an upconverting DVD player, use the same DVD in both your Blu-ray player and
your DVD player and compare the picture quality. You may want to keep both hooked
up, or simply use the Blu-ray player for all your playback needs.
Firmware Updates
Firmware updates are software updates for your player’s operating system. Firmware is
updated either by web (Samsung BD-P1400 and Sony PlayStation 3) or via CD (all others.) The Sharp Blu-ray player allows you to update with a USB flash drive, which is
much more convenient than disc burning.
To update via CD you must visit the manufacturer’s website, download the firmware file
and burn it to a disc. Be sure to follow all instructions when burning firmware discs! As
Blu-ray is a new and evolving format, using the most recent firmware is critical for best
performance so be sure to register your purchase so you are notified when updates are
available and check the manufacturer’s website frequently for new releases.
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Recommended Blu-ray Players
There has been a lot of info provided thus far. Now it’s time to put it together, starting
with a player! This list will be edited and updated as new players are introduced and
tested.
Sony PlayStation 3
Image (c) 2006 Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.
Sony PlayStation 3 (40GB) $399: I am listing the Playstation 3 (PS3) separately because not only is it the best Blu-ray player currently available, it is truly a breed apart.
What makes the PS3 the best Blu-ray player? It has extremely powerful processors
that make loading times fast and BD-Java compatibility a breeze, it is extremely responsive, and firmware is easily updated automatically and wirelessly. It can also surf the
web with a built-in web browser and works as a multimedia center and can display digital pictures and play music from its internal hard drive. It supports profile 1.1 now and
will support profile 2.0 with an announced firmware update, so it is future-proof.
Oh, yeah, and the PS3 plays games, too! With all it’s capabilities, it is sometimes easy
to forget that.
Sony Blu-ray Disc Remote
Image (c) 2006 Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.
A Blu-ray Disc remote is available for $24.99, making a complete PS3 Blu-ray
outfit a mere $425… a bargain for a future-proof profile 2.0 player that is rocksolid reliable. If you don’t like the idea of using a “game machine” (which the
PS3 admittedly is) in your home theater, try to think of it as a multimedia entertainment system instead.
The big downside to the PS3 is it doesn’t support bitstreaming of Dolby TrueHD or DTSMA (and never will due to hardware limitations) so you can’t currently use it to experience all of the lossless sound formats. Because it will never bitstream in its current
form if you have a receiver that supports TrueHD or DTS-MA you can’t use it in the suVer. 1.0 (C) Copyright 2008 Don Lindich. All rights reserved. Images used with permission.
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perior bitstream mode- only PCM. A firmware update to allow the PS3 to decode DTSHD MA and output LPCM has been rumored, but not yet announced.
In short- at $399, the PS3 is not only the best Blu-ray player you can buy but one of the
least expensive, as well.
Profile 1.0
A profile 1.0 player may get the movie on your screen but if you can get a PS3 for only
$100 more, you are much better off getting a PS3. Unless it is being sold at a superbargain price (under $300) or included free with purchase of an HDTV, I recommend
you avoid profile 1.0 players and look to the PS3 or a profile 1.1 model. The following
players can be a good buy if the price is right, but otherwise you are really better off
looking elsewhere. Because of this I have not listed suggested retail prices for these
players- $300 or under should be your target price for a profile 1.0 player.
Samsung BD-P1400
Image (c) Samsung U.K.
Samsung BD-P1400: A word of warning: with this player you really need to watch the
firmware updates as there have been problems playing certain discs (mostly Disney and
Fox titles) on Samsung players. The BD-P1400 has an Ethernet port for firmware update via web, which makes it much easier to update than most others. Audio support is
excellent. The BD-P1400 can decode Dolby TrueHD to LPCM, bitstream Dolby TrueHD
and DTS-HD MA, and the analog outputs can provide lossless sound from PCM and
Dolby TrueHD. No DTS-HD MA from the analog outputs, though. This player has some
of the best DVD upscaling of any Blu-ray player, so your DVDs are likely to look the best
you have ever seen.
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Sony BDP-S300
Image (c) Sony Consumer Electronics Inc.
Sony BDP-S300: Load times are slow but playback is reliable. Lack of Dolby TrueHD
and DTS-HD support make this player best suited to setups without a sound system…
in other words, just a TV and the player.
Sharp AQUOS BD-HP20U
Image (c) Sharp U.K.
Sharp BD-HP20U: This player has great picture quality and reliable playback of Blu-ray
movies, but performance with DVD upconverting is not exceptional. Has multichannel
audio outputs for PCM and TrueHD, but no DTS-HD MA support or bitstreaming capability. Like the BDP-S300, this player is best used in systems comprised of a TV and a
player. If that’s all you need, this Sharp is a good choice if the price is right. The BDHP20U is being phased out in favor of a much improved Profile 1.1 model, the BDHP50U, which features Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD bitstream support. If you would
like a Sharp Blu-ray Player to go with your Sharp HDTV, you may want to wait until the
new model is available.
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Profile 1.1
Panasonic DMP-BD30U
Image (c) Panasonic
Panasonic DMP-BD30 ($499): Panasonic’s Blu-ray players have proven to be extremely reliable and the BD30 offers loading times second only to the PS3. The BD30
has multichannel audio outputs for lossless sound from Dolby TrueHD and PCM/LPCM.
If Web interactivity isn’t important to you but sound quality is, the bitstream-capable
BD30 and a receiver capable of decoding Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD is currently your
best option and one of the only ways to experience both TrueHD and DTS-HD MA.
Profile 2.0
These players are not yet available, but based on their specifications and the manufacturer’s reputations they should be the best players available when launched.
Panasonic DMP-BD50: Panasonic’s DMP-BD50 is essentially a BD30 with the addition of BD-Live capability. Though it has yet to be tested the fine performance of Panasonic’s BD30 makes it a safe recommendation. No retail price has been announced,
but expect it to be somewhat more than the DMP-BD30. It will be available in the second quarter of 2008.
Sony BDP-S350: Sony profile 2.0 player with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA bitstreaming capability and 5.1 channel analog audio outputs. Summer 2008, $400.
Sony BDP-S550: Sony profile 2.0 player with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA onboard
decoding as well as bitstreaming capability, and 7.1 channel analog audio outputs. This
looks to be the most capable Blu-ray player that has been announced to date. It will be
available fall 2008 for $550.
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Should I wait before I buy a player?
As you can see from the players and the various profiles, unless you buy a PS3 or a
profile 2.0 player you run the risk of obsolescence. For example, if you have a 1.0 or
1.1 player and buy a profile 2.0 disc that has some neat features you want to access,
you will be out of luck. (You can still watch the movie, but the web features will be unavailable to you.) If you do not want a PS3 or prefer a standalone player’s form factor
and ability to bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, you may in fact be best served
by waiting until the Profile 2.0 players mentioned above are available- it won’t be long.
If your interest is solely in watching the movie, a good profile 1.0 player should be fine.
Setup Tips
*Please note that not all audio receivers with HDMI connections are capable of receiving audio through the connection and simply act as source selectors. Check your
owner’s manual for details.
Using Blu-ray with an HDTV
If your HDTV has an HDMI input, connect the Blu-ray player to the HDTV using an
HDMI cable. Access the player’s setup menus and select the appropriate resolution for
your set (if it is 1080p, select 1080p. If you have a 720p TV, select 720p resolution,
etc.) The HDMI cable carries video and audio signals, so you are all set.
Setting video resolution- here it is set to 1080p/24
Using 1080p/24 Output
The term 1080p/24 refers to 1080 progressively-scanned lines at 24 frames per second.
Motion pictures are recorded at 24 frames per second and almost all Blu-ray movies are
encoded at 1080p/24. If you can send the signal from player to HDTV at 1080p/24, you
will get the best possible image quality. Not all new HDTVs (and very few older ones)
have a 1080p/24-compatible input. Check your owner’s manual and if your TV has a
1080p/24 input, set the player to output 1080p/24.
Please note that many of the first 1080p TVs do not have 1080p inputs. So, though
they display images in 1080p resolution, they can only accept a maximum input of 1080i
and the conversion to 1080p is done inside the TV through a process called deinterlacing. If you have such an early 1080p TV, select 1080i as your player’s output resolution.
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DVI Connections
DVI Input
If your TV lacks an HDMI input but has a DVI input, you can get an HDMI to DVI
adapter cable and use it to connect the player’s HDMI output to the TV’s DVI input. Because DVI connections do not carry audio, you must connect an audio output from your
player to your TV or from your player to your receiver.
The “HDMI Handshake”
Blu-ray players and HDTVs incorporate HDCP, or High Definition Content Protection.
It’s a copy-prevention scheme implemented to help prevent piracy and unauthorized
copying. Before playback the Blu-ray player and HDTV communicate a digital signal to
each other over HDMI that is commonly referred to as the “HDMI Handshake.” If the
HDMI handshake is not made, the movie will not play. If you get an error message such
as “Need HDCP Monitor” then the player and HDTV are having trouble establishing the
handshake. Turning one or both components off and restarting them is usually enough
to re-establish the handshake.
Component Video Connections
If your TV does not have an HDMI or DVI input, you can use the component
video connections and still watch a high-definition picture, but output will be
limited to 1080i. The component video connection uses RCA plugs color
coded green, blue, and red.
Because component video does not carry an audio signal, you
must make a separate audio connection as well. You can use
either the red and white stereo analog inputs, or if your TV has
them, digital inputs.
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Using Blu-ray with an A/V Receiver and an HDTV
If you have a receiver with an HDMI input, connect the Blu-ray player to the receiver
with an HDMI cable, then connect an HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV.
Player HDMI Out
-------> Receiver HDMI In
Receiver HDMI Out
--> TV HDMI In
If you are using the multichannel analog connections, connect the Blu-ray player to the
TV with an HDMI cable and connect the analog audio connections from the player to the
corresponding inputs on the receiver. Two separate connections- one video, one audio.
Player HDMI Out
----> TV HDMI In
Multichannel Out
---> Receiver Multichannel In
Select “multichannel in” on the receiver to play the audio from the Blu-ray
player.
Tune your TV for the Best Possible Picture
Your TV has different picture settings for each input to allow you to compensate for differences between source components. For example, your satellite or cable TV box may
look a bit better when you turn up the color a bit and turn the contrast down 20%, and
your Blu-ray player may look better without any color correction but with the contrast
turned down 30%, etc. With separate picture settings for each input you don’t have to
change picture settings every time you change between components.
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First, select the input, start a movie in your Blu-ray player and go to the picture setting
adjustments. You may see several modes such as Vivid, Standard, and Movie. Select
Standard (or what seems to correspond to it, such as Custom.)
The first setting to change is the color temperature. What you are looking for is the
warmest setting available, which (depending on manufacturer) is called Low, Warm, or
Standard. Avoid the Cool and Medium settings as they will render the picture far too
blue.
Next, go to the contrast setting and turn it down, as well. The sweet spot is typically between 50% and 70% of maximum.
Color is a matter of taste. If you like bright, saturated colors, try bumping it up just a tad.
Your TV should now look quite a bit different than when you started adjusting it. In fact,
you may think it does not look quite as good as before, and everything looks a bit
muted. This is typical. Watch the TV with the new settings for a few minutes, then go
back to the factory defaults and compare. It will probably look horrible, to bright and
with bluish, unnatural flesh tones. You will wonder how you thought it looked OK before.
The Key to Perfection: A Setup Disc, or an ISF Calibration
If you want an absolutely perfectly-tuned TV picture with a minimum of guesswork and fuss, get a setup Blu-ray Disc. By far
the best (and the only one to get as far as I am concerned) is
Digital Video Essentials by Joe Kane. Joe Kane is an industry
legend who developed many of the protocols used by the custom installation industry to provide their customers with
perfectly-set, uniform picture quality. (This is referred to as ISF
Calibration.) You can learn more about ISF Calibration at
www.imagingscience.com.
Digital Video Essentials
(C) Joe Kane Productions
Many consumers find that a TV with a perfectly-adjusted ISF calibration is a bit too dim
for their tastes. Sometimes tastes run to something a bit brighter and colorful than what
science says is perfect. If you are serious about getting the best possible picture, I recommend you try Digital Video Essentials first. (In fact, every serious videophile or home
theater buff should own a copy. You can learn more about Digital Video Essentials at
www.dvdinternational.com.
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Recommended Blu-ray Movie Retailers
Blu-ray movies are much more expensive than their DVD equivalents if you buy them in
big-box stores. I strongly recommend you purchase your movies from
www.amazon.com where Blu-ray movies typically cost $10-$15 less per movie. There’s
a big difference between $21.95 and $34.95, both financially and perceptually! Keep
your eyes open for online sales, too.
Recommended Blu-ray Movies
This list is by no means comprehensive- just some great titles to get your started with
Blu-ray and show you what it can do.
20th Century Fox: Some of the earlier Fox titles use MPEG2, an older video encoding
process. Recent titles use the more modern AVC encoding and top-notch jobs of film
transfer, leading to stunning picture quality. Fox uses DTS-HD for lossless audio. Fox
promises to release a great many new titles in 2008, including Patton, one of the best
war movies ever made. Images (c) 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: Dramatic action sequences
both on Earth and in deep space show what a difference Blu-ray can
make in your system. This disc features a near-perfect film transfer with
tremendous detail and bright yet realistic color. Be sure to check out the
great documentary features, including interviews with comic book artists
and writers.
The Simpsons Movie: A must-have for Simpsons fans! ‘Nuff said.
Learn about Fox Blu-ray at www.foxbd.com.
Disney: Many believe Disney to be the finest studio in the high-definition disc business,
consistently producing top-quality audio and video and some of the neatest menus and
interactive features available. Disney movies should be in your hand when you are in
the checkout line with your Blu-ray player. Disney uses 24-bit LPCM on almost all of
their titles. Images (c) Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Cars: On a good system this movie looks almost 3-dimensional as the
cars race around the track- it’s like there are models racing around inside
your TV and you are watching through a clear window. Features interactive Car Finder game.
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Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, and 3: Reference-quality audio and video
and a blend of action, reality and fantasy make the Pirates series some of
the best films available on Blu-ray.
Learn more about Disney Blu-ray at www.disneybluray.com.
New Line Cinema
Hairspray: Hairspray has a great story and quirky, interesting and likable characters throughout. The film bursts with energy, featuring great
choreography and music.
Image (C)MMVII New Line Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
New Line Cinema’s website is www.newline.com.
Sony Pictures: As a primary creator of the Blu-ray Disc format, Sony’s support has
been strong. LPCM is the most commonly used lossless audio format and is featured
on almost every Sony Pictures title.
Casino Royale: Spectacular film transfer with deep, rich color and detail that makes
you feel like you are there in the middle of the action. Tons of shameless Sony product
placement in this one- look for the Sony phone and Sony Blu-ray Disc player!
The Life of Brian: Monty Python’s classic looks great in HD. You may find the fallingblocks menu neat or annoying, depending on how you like gimmicks. This title has
great-looking menus, too. Features both Dolby TrueHD and LPCM lossless audio.
Sony Pictures’ Blu-ray movie website is www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/bluray
Warner Bros.: The most prolific studio in high definition, Warner produces more titles
on Blu-ray than anyone else. LPCM and Dolby TrueHD are both used, as well as Dolby
Digital Plus.
300: Though liberties are taken with historical accuracy regarding the Spartans and the
battle of Thermopylae, this film is a triumphant merging of CGI and live action and will
keep you on the edge of your seat. Make sure you have the stomach for lots of gore.
Features both TrueHD and LPCM soundtracks.
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2001: A Space Odyssey: Kubrick’s sci-fi classic is a perfect example of how good
classic movies can look in high definition. With a good TV you can read the writing on
the instructions for the zero-gravity toilet! 24-bit LPCM sound.
Blade Runner: Beautifully restored print of this sci-fi classic looks almost 3dimensional with a tremendous sense of depth. Director’s cut features an ending different than the happier original. Dolby TrueHD sound.
Harry Potter (all titles): Harry Potter’s fantasy world is perfect for HD. What more
needs to be said? LPCM sound.
Planet Earth: This BBC documentary series is probably the best nature series ever
made and an absolute must-have. Imagery is powerful, magnificent, featuring vistas
that are almost, well, unworldly as you see sights you never knew existed on our planet.
See Warner Bros.’ extensive Blu-ray offerings at www.wbhidef.com.
Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures have recently announced Blu-ray support
and are expected to release titles by mid-2008.
Upgrading Your Sound System
As a final note, now that you are ready to embrace Blu-ray you may want to upgrade
your sound system to make the most of it. Below are some of the best values available
for someone starting out- top performance and very affordable. All of them feature
class-leading performance in their price range and are sure to satisfy anyone looking for
great sound for TV, movies and music. Add your Blu-ray player and you're all set for
fantastic home theater!
Speakers
Great speakers are the key to a great sounding audio system. Truly good ones will
sound great no matter what you play through them… classical or rock music, action
movies, sports on TV, Blu-ray Discs, vinyl records or CDs. This is by far the most important part of your sound system and worthy of serious investment, if you have the means.
Listed here are some easily affordable options sure to make you smile.
Insignia NS-B2111 $87.98/pair
Sold exclusively at Best Buy, these speakers have crisp, clean sound that is also warm
and full-sounding. I never thought I would recommend a speaker selling for under $100
per pair as suitable for use in a quality sound system… yet here I am doing exactly that.
Two pairs of these and an entry-level Onkyo receiver make for an excellent-sounding
four channel surround system that will blow the doors off of most any home-theater in-aVer. 1.0 (C) Copyright 2008 Don Lindich. All rights reserved. Images used with permission.
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box system. They are not magnetically shielded so you can’t put them too close to a
tube-type TV. Listing for $87.98, they are often on sale for $75 or less.
Acculine $249/pair and up
What makes Acculine speakers special is their leaf tweeters, typically found only in very expensive, exotic speakers. These tweeters must be heard to be appreciated, as they render sound so
transparently and with so much detail that I liken it to a sonic version of the visual difference between HDTV and analog TV—they
are really that good! I imagine a lot of new owners will turn their
heads in disbelief as they hear sounds in their recordings they
never knew existed. They speakers are very well made, with solid
cabinets with high quality aluminum woofers.
To show Acculine’s extreme value equation, we will build two Acculine 5.1 channel systems. The Acculine A1 bookshelf speakers
(pictured left) are $249 per pair with two pairs required, one for
mains and one for surrounds. This comes to $498. The A-2 Center Channel is $179 and
the Acculine ASub is $289. This gets you a top performing home theater speaker system using exotic technology for only $966. That’s pretty incredible!
The second Acculine system mimics the one above, but uses Acculine A3 towers as
main speakers. The A3s are $499 per pair, a $250 difference which brings the total to
$1216. This is equally incredible for a high quality system using tower speakers.
Online retailer Parts Express sells an excellent powered subwoofer for $125 under its
Dayton brand. You can substitute the $125 Parts Express Dayton subwoofer for the Acculine sub, saving $114 and you still have an amazing speaker system without compromise. I can’t overstate how good the Acculines sound- given the price it is quite
amazing, and they have a 30 day money back satisfaction guarantee. You can see the
Acculine speakers at www.theaudioinsider.com and the Dayton sub at
www.partsexpress.com.
Axiom Audio $296/pair and up
There are a lot of reasons I like Axiom audio and a lot of reasons to do business with
them. I’ll start with the product and the company’s philosophy.
Axiom’s founder, Ian Colquhoun firmly believes in an engineering based, scientific approach to speaker design. His efforts have led to many awards, a thriving direct sales
business headquartered in Dwight, Ontario, Canada and most importantly, many thousands of extremely satisfied customers.
The service is exceptional as well, which surely has played a part in Axiom’s success
story. Axiom has toll-free lines open late 7 days a week, manned by true experts to
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provide you with free, expert advice. All speakers are sold with a 30 day in-home trial
so your satisfaction is assured. They have a custom finish show with dozens of finishes
available to perfectly match your decor.
All Axiom speakers have a full and natural sound that is very detailed, some say is a bit
bright (which I attribute to their accuracy and clean highs.) I have found the Onkyo receivers to be a great match with them and make for a harmonious matching.
I am especially fond of Axiom Audio’s M2 (pictured right) and
M22 bookshelf speakers, which are some of the best you can
buy for the price. The sound is extremely full and doesn’t
give you the sense that there is something missing in the midrange, as many small speakers do. When I first tested the
M2s I quickly had a bunch of CDs stacked on my table as I
ran through them to experience how they sounded on the
M2s.
Axiom’s QS4 (left) and QS8 surround speakers
have two woofers and two tweeters radiating in
opposite directions, the only such design of its
type. They produce very wide radiation which
combines spaciousness with effective imaginggreat stuff! They are hands-down my favorite surround speakers.
As a full-line manufacturer with a wide product range
available in many finishes, with Axiom you can out together a perfect home theater for almost any room.
They have a variety of pre-specified home theaters
systems available, such as the Axiom Epic 80 pictured
left. You can call or email their experts and they will
ask you questions about your room and budget and
recommend exactly what you need, or you can simply
order whatever you want from their website. (If you
visit, please be sure to give yourself some time as
there are a lot of helpful resources there to browse
through.)
If you want to save some money, Axiom has a Factory Outlet with discounted speakers
that sound perfect, but perhaps have a slight blemish so they didn’t meet their usual
standard of perfection.
That should be enough good info to encourage you to consider Axiom when shopping
for speakers! See Axiom's speakers at www.axiomaudio.com. It’s worth the visit.
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Polk Audio SurroundBar
Polk Audio SurroundBar provides surround sound from a single speaker
The Polk Audio SurroundBar is a great choice if you want surround sound without running wires. A single speaker mounted above of below the TV provides surround effects
for the entire room. The effect is not quite as convincing as using multiple speakers, but
it is shockingly effective. Sound quality is excellent.
The SurroundBar is designed to be used with a subwoofer and receiver. A supplied
color-coded speaker cable is provided and setup is easy. The SurroundBar can also be
placed on an available bracket if you are using it with a TV stand.
The Polk Audio SurroundBar can be seen at www.polkaudio.com.
Definitive Technology has a similar product called the Mythos
Solo (left) that is outstanding as well. Check out the Mythos
Solo at www.definitivetech.com.
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Receivers
I recommend the Onkyo TX-SR605 and the TX-SR805 as they are the best values going, bar none. For some time now they have been known in home theater circles as
the way to go in a top-performing, yet affordably priced home theater receiver. They
feature clean, strong amplifiers and decoding for PCM/LPCM, Dolby TrueHD, and DTSHD MA. This makes them a perfect match to not only the PS3, but with any Blu-ray
player that can bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA.
Onkyo TX-SR605 Home Theater Receiver
The 90 watts-per-channel TX-SR605 is available for $400 street price. It’s perfect for
most systems in small to average sized rooms.
Onkyo TX-SR805 Home Theater Receiver
The 130 watts-per-channel TX-SR805 for $750 street price. Opt for the 805 if you have
4-ohm front speakers or have a large room needing more power than the 605. See
both at www.onkyousa.com.
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More or less money to spend? Want more options?
There are lots of good products on the market and everyone’s tastes and budgets differ.
I’ve only listed Insignia, Acculine, Axiom and Onkyo here because first of all, this is a
Blu-ray document, not an audio document and I wanted to keep it simple. The second
reason is because in years of recommending affordable audio gear, these products
have done a phenomenal job satisfying readers.
If you are building a more pricey, high-end system, some good places to start are:
Speakers
Axiom Audio: www.axiomaudio.com
Ohm Acoustics Walsh Speakers: www.ohmspeakers.com
Magnepan: www.magnepan.com
Paradigm Reference: www.paradigm.com
Polk Audio LSi Series: www.polkaudio.com
Electronics
Anthem: www.anthemav.com
Integra Home Theater: www.integrahometheater.com
Outlaw Audio: www.outlawaudio.com
Rotel: www.rotel.com
Please note that as you get into the high end there are diminishing returns as you go up
the price scale and if you are not careful, you can spend money needlessly or not get
what you paid for. If you would like to learn more, please visit my website. You can also
email me at donlindich@gmail.com and I’ll try and help.
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